The highlights of Europe’s rivers –which one is best for you?

Palaces, shopping and rustic vineyards – our expert guide to the delights to be discovered cruising Europe’s waterways...

By Norman Miller

River cruise ships carry fewer than 200 passengers, so they offer an intimate experience. As you pass by historic cities with palaces and castles, and through landscapes with vineyards and mountains, it's a journey that is both relaxing and stimulating. 

Every river offers something different, so which is top of your list? Look out for cruises with itineraries that cover your must-see spots.

The Danube

Perfect for you if: you love the buzz and culture of beautiful cities

Seek out palaces and patisseries in Vienna

In Austria's elegant capital, spend time in classic coffee houses to a backdrop of classical music in a city intimately linked to Mozart. A thriving modern art scene celebrates native artists Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, and you can visit iconic film sites from masterpieces such as The Third Man. All this and the exquisite Habsburg imperial palace of Schönbrunn.

Try a “ruin bar” in Budapest

Budapest provides an Austro-Hungarian companion to Vienna, its Neo-Renaissance boulevards paired with the statue-filled Heroes Square and mighty Castle Hill. Consider a visit to one of the city's so-called 'ruin bars' too – drinking spots that have sprung up in the last two decades in abandoned buildings. They can be on the rowdy side at night so a daytime trip to the Szimpla Kert, the very first ruin bar, in an old stove factory and now a must-see tourist attraction, might be more relaxing.

Browse boutiques in Bratislava

Slovakia boasts one of the world's youngest capitals in Bratislava, a wonderfully walkable city mixing chic boutiques with a charming Old Town, its cobbled streets leading up to a castle offering panoramic views.

Soak up European history in Belgrade

Belgrade is a resonant meeting point of Eastern and Western Europe, serving up the epic cathedral, St Sava Temple and Kalemegdan Fortress in a capital destroyed and rebuilt 20 times. The Museum of Yugoslavia (also known as the 25th of May Museum) has an expansive chronicle of a tumultuous 2000-year national history, including Marshal Tito's mausoleum, The House of Flowers.

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The Rhine

Perfect for you if: you want to feel like you’re drifting through a fairy tale

Stroll the Philosopher’s Way in Heidelberg

Flowing from the Alps to the North Sea, a Rhine cruise glides through different landscapes from the flat upper and lower Rhine to the cliff-faced river gorges of the middle Rhine, guarded by lonely hilltop castles such as magical medieval Marksburg. Add to your learning in Heidelberg, Germany's oldest university town – and its warmest city! Wander by almond, fig and lemon trees on the picturesque Philosopher's Way (Philosophenweg) around the city.

Visit historic wine taverns in Koblenz

Sip wine on the sun deck while passing the precipitous vineyards of one of Europe's most spectacular viniculture regions, before exploring Koblenz – a cobbled jewel at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle, mixing historic wine taverns with sights like Stolzenfels Castle and the 17th-century Guard House.

Feel fragrant in Cologne

Cultured Cologne inspired both Schumann and Mendelssohn and contains a cathedral with the largest facade on Earth, thanks to its huge tower spires. Immerse yourself in sensory pleasure at the 18th century Farina House Fragrance Museum or savour the delicious Chocolate Museum. The dynamic Swiss riverside city of Basel, meanwhile, boasts more museums per head than anywhere else in Europe.

Act cosmopolitan in Strasbourg

EU political beacon Strasbourg pulses with cosmopolitan energy, and a mix of Germanic and French influences is found in the city's characterful winstub inns. Don't miss the canal-laced World Heritage enclave La Petite France, the pink-hued Strasbourg Cathedral (the world's tallest medieval building) and 18th-century Palais Rohan, a mini-Versailles now housing three museums.

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The Douro

Perfect for you if: love tranquil rural pleasures

Enjoy historic wine cellars in Porto

Journeys on Portugal's 'River of Gold' are bookended in its splendid 'Second City' Porto (also known as Oporto), where historic riverside port wine cellars in the World Heritage neighbourhood of Ribeira contrast with modern art marvels like the parkland-set Serralves Foundation and hip Brutalist factory conversion Galeria Nuno Centeno.

Travel through rustic vineyards and villages

Framed by sweeping terraced vineyards, the Douro swaps the bustling cities of other rivers for more rustic but no less ravishing sights. Little riverside ports like Régua mingle with ancient honey-stoned villages such as Barca d’Alva and Pinhão that tap timeless old resonances.

Savour wine stories

Discover the region's wine-making heritage at Regua's Douro Museum and the opulent Baroque-styled House of Mateus. There's also a chance to hop over the border on a day trip to Salamanca, whose 13th-century university buildings and epic Plaza Mayor make this UNESCO jewel among Spain's most beautiful cities.

The river cruise: Douro Explorer

The Dutch Waterways

Perfect for you if: love big skies, windmills and the best paintings in the world

See the heritage windmills

A skein of rivers and canals let you lap up the charms of the Low Country, including the World Heritage Site of Kinderdijk, home to the finest remaining cluster of classic 18th-century Dutch windmills.

Absorb high art and cool culture in Amsterdam

Delving into Amsterdam’s canal-side streets, hip enclaves such as Jordaan mingle period architecture with little galleries, bars and antique shops. For visual arts, consider lesser-known options like the Foam photography museum, Moco and Cobra museums alongside the busier Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum, Van Gogh Museum and 17th-century Rembrandthuis.

Let architecture thrill you in Rotterdam

The thriving international port of Rotterdam is home to some of Europe's most striking modern architecture such as the Piet Blom Cube Houses, plus the renowned modern gallery Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (don't miss its glass-encased Depot building). 2025 also sees the reopening of a rejuvenated National Museum of Photography in the regeneratied Katendrecht harbour, plus the new Fenix Museum, opening in May 2025, telling art stories of global migration in a transformed 1920s warehouse.

Get medieval in historic Ghent

There's also a chance to take in medieval gems of Dutch-influenced Flemish Belgium such as glorious Ghent, home to the majestic Gravensteen Castle and 15th-century St Bavo’s Cathedral.

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