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A vacation odyssey
on one of Europe's great rivers is like cruising in a floating B&B. You'll
savor distinctive local cuisine and the fruits of the continent's vineyards,
make daily stops for guided tours (or alone time!) in gorgeous, historic cities,
and appreciate the warmth and expertise of a crew that loves introducing
travelers to some of Europe's most desirable destinations.
DANUBE
There's a reason the world's most famous waltz is
named for this dazzling river-music and history come alive as you pass through
some of Europe's most beautiful towns.
The river's namesake waltz, Johann Strauss's "On the
Beautiful Blue Danube," is as famous as the river itself. Or maybe it's
because a cruise on this historic waterway (which stretches more than 1,700 miles from Germany's Black
Forest to the Black Sea) can take you to two European music capitals, Vienna
and Salzburg, and send your spirits dancing like one of Vienna's stately
Lipizzaner horses. You'll drink in Central and Eastern Europe's dramatic
landscape and history on one of the many popular Danube cruises. Depending on
which cruise you book, stops along the way may include Germany's storybook
cities such as Passau and Nuremburg, Budapest, Hungary (with its iconic Castle
Hill, Buda Castle, and Chain Bridge), and Austrian locales like Vienna (where
you can see the Lipizzaner horses in action, as well as visit the Hapsburg
Palace and sample one of the city's irresistible tortes), Melk's 1,000-year-old
Benedictine monastery, and the music-mad city of Salzburg (home to Europe's
biggest music festival, and where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born and The
Sound of Music was filmed).
Make it happen: You'll find the Danube on the itineraries of several major river cruise
lines, and Viking and Avalon make it possible to cruise a portion of the river for a week, making stops for
guided tours and day trips, starting from under $2,000 per person.
Insider tip: Longer, more ambitious Danube cruises (as well as cruises on other
iconic European rivers) are available from Viking and Avalon, as well as from
Scenic Cruises and Emerald Waterways for those who want to see
as many of its 1,700-plus miles as they can!
RHINE
See the real-life forests and castles that inspired
fairy tales along a river that's been
mythologized for centuries. You
can sail from the Netherlands to Switzerland, passing through ancient cities,
forests, and castles that transport you to another place in time. When your
Rhine cruise starts in Amsterdam, you can immerse yourself in
gorgeous colors with flower-field panoramas and the
exceptional art collections at the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, each of which has undergone a
major renovation in recent years. The Anne Frank House is a touching reminder
of Europe's troubled past, and the Oude Kerk is one of the classiest churches
you'll see on the continent. Sail along the "Middle Rhine," where you
can ogle riverside vineyards, the forests that inspired tales such as Hansel
and Gretel and Rumpelstiltskin, and mind-blowing castles that teeter on
precipices over the water. Spend some time getting to know the castles and
cathedrals of smaller German and French cities such as Cologne, Heidelberg, and
Strasbourg before arriving in Basel, Switzerland, for a visit to the incredible
Fondation Beyeler art collection and day trips to the Alps.
Make it happen: The Rhine is a staple of the European river cruise business, and you
can find cruises starting from under $2,000 that will take you from Amsterdam
to Basel over the course of a week, including guided tours.
SEINE
From the City of Light through Claude Monet's
favorite natural setting to the historic beaches of Normandy, a cruise on this
river packs an emotional wallop. The City of Light is perhaps more beautiful than ever, with its many
bridges, the peerless façade of Notre Dame beckoning from shore, and of course
must-see museums such as the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Musée de Cluny, and Musée
Picasso, and that well-known tower. But wait until
you sail out of Paris on your way to Monet's garden at Giverny, where, surrounded
by the flowers and botanicals depicted in Monet's paintings, you'll feel as if you've literally stepped into an Impressionist
painting. Spend some time in charming towns such as Rouen, Conflans, and Les
Andelys, and then sail on to the beaches of Normandy on the English Channel,
where the largest fleet in history made its historic landing on June 6, 1944,
turning the tide of WWII. A stop at the American Cemetery is a moving reminder
of the sacrifices made here just over 70 years ago.
Make it happen: A Seine cruise, offered by all the major river cruise lines, will often
make a round trip, taking you from Paris to Normandy and back (making different
stops on the return leg), and a weeklong cruise with guided tours will start at
under $2,000.
RHÔNE
Visit the South of France's wine country, historic
palaces and towns, and the countryside Vincent Van Gogh helped make famous. The walled city of Avignon has been
protecting staggeringly beautiful works of art and architecture since the 14th
century, when it was home to aseries of popes. Don't miss the Palais des Papes
and the incredible interior of Chapelle St.-Jean. Your boat will then wind its
way to Arles, perhaps best known as the site of some of Van Gogh's most famous
landscape paintings, but also home to the ultra-contemporary architecture of
the Foundation Vincent Van Gogh building and the ultra-ancient Roman theater and amphitheater. You'll stop in Lyons, where the
meticulously restored old city beckons with winding
streets, antique shops, tempting charcuterie and selfie-worthy
covered passageways known as traboules.
Make it happen: Round-trip cruises on the Rhône out of Avignon are a little pricier
than other weeklong river cruises, but you can still pack in several days of
guided tours starting from just under $2,000.
Insider tip: Instead of loading up on French wine to bring home, have it delivered
instead. You'll save yourself a hassle and save the wine from unpredictable
temperature changes that can destroy its flavor.
ELBE
From Berlin's museums and awesome monuments to
Prague's architectural wonders, this lesser-known cruise option is a true
odyssey across centuries of European history. Stand in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate and
pinch yourself: Once the epicenter of Cold War tensions, the majestic monument
now stands as a proud symbol of the new Berlin. The city is welcoming visitors,
including families, like never before, with bicycle-friendly streets,
cutting-edge cuisine, and many museums, including the Gemaldgalerie am
Kulturforum, reward visitors with boastworthy works of art your friends haven't
seen yet. On your cruise, you may stop in Potsdam and Dresden. Then it's on to Prague!
Make it happen: Elbe cruises tend to be a little longer and more expensive than those
of the better-known European rivers, but a 10-day cruise with guided tours can run for around $2,600.
Insider tip:
You'll see more of Berlin on a bicycle! It's one of the world's most cycle-friendly
cities, with wide bike paths that are off-limits to cars and pedestrians.
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