River cruises | Holiday Travel Guides & Tips | Traveller

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Advertisement

River cruises

European river cruise essentials.

The absolute must-bring items for a European river cruise

Knowing what to pack ensures you don’t find yourself with too much luggage and contents that never see the light of day.

  • by Sheriden Rhodes
The love child of brioche and a doughnut.

This country’s rustic doughnut offshoot is worthy of a trip on its own

You’ll need your stretchy pants for a day-trip to this Hungarian town where a brioche and a doughnut had a love child.

  • by Kerry van der Jagt
Swimming in Lake Argyle

A brutal landscape blessed with the most pristine places to get wet

Full of red rock and clear water, this brutal, arid landscape is replete with an oversupply of that simplest human luxury – natural swimming pools.

  • by James Woodford
Serenity on the Mekong.

A serene journey down the Mekong on a new luxury ship

A voyage aboard a floating castle, of sorts, from Vietnam to Cambodia can’t help but remind Australians of the classic film The Castle.

  • by Penny Watson
The Danube River and Budapest, from the viewpoint of Fisherman’s Bastion.

I took my teen daughter with me on a European river cruise

Bringing a teenager on a river cruise raises a few questions – will she stay in the cabin complaining about the Wi-Fi and be desperate to disembark? Only one way to find out

  • by Sheriden Rhodes
Advertisement
The head of King Decebalus in the Danube Gorges, Romania.

To explore the less predictable side of Europe, this is the way to do it

From vineyards to dramatic cliffs to Soviet-era villages with each bend of the river, this is a cruise guaranteed to open your eyes and your mind.

  • by Kerry van der Jagt
Scenic Azure sails into Porto on the Douro River in Portugal. River cruise ships can take you places ocean ships can’t go.

Think a river cruise is a pale shadow of an ocean cruise? Think again

River ships get you to places you’ll never see on seafaring mega-liners, and that’s just one of many little-known advantages.

  • by Brian Johnston
Northern Lights.

25 incredible experiences you can only have on a ship

What cruise doubters overlook is that cruising, whatever its faults (and, yes, we’re aware of them), is an altogether different experience.

  • by Brian Johnston
The sprawling Chateau d’Angers in the medieval old town.

Six must-visit French river-cruise ports

Beyond big-name cities such as Paris, Bordeaux and Lyon, river cruises in France offer a seductive selection of attractive small towns.

  • by Brian Johnston
Viking cruise - Viking Star first sea cruise to NOrway
str27travelfinds-macmillan

How to travel on a luxury ship for half the price

Want to try a new cruise line or sample the high life on a luxury ship at below regular cost? A repositioning cruise might bag you a bargain-price holiday.

  • by Brian Johnston