What You Must Know for Your First European River Cruise

Traveling the world is a wonderful experience. Especially when you are over in Europe. You can choose to fly to Europe and explore a single city. Or you can drive from one destination to another. My favorite way to explore Europe is by river cruise. During a European river cruise, your accommodations never change. And yet, you see numerous destinations throughout the duration of your trip. Today I am sharing what you must know you for your first European river cruise. This information will allow you to enjoy it even more than you thought possible. As a travel advisor, I can plan your river cruise for you and share even more information with you during the planning process.

What You Must Know for Your First European River Cruise

Choosing the Best River Cruise for You

Most river cruise ships look the same. The reason for this is the ships need to be a specific size to fit down the rivers. So, don’t think you can choose your European river cruise according to what facilities are on a ship.

Instead, you are choosing your river cruise according to the style of travel the actual cruise offers. Some river cruise lines offer luxurious experiences, while others offer basic travel with fewer perks. I don’t know about you, but when I am on vacation, it is all about luxury and being pampered!

Remember the Distance is Shorter than Ocean Cruises

When you take a cruise down in the Caribbean, you are covering a large area over a short amount of time. During a European river cruise, you may only see a few destinations within a country in the same amount of time.

River Cruises Offer More Experiences

During a river cruise, you are going to have so many things to do each day you are in port. The downside to this is you won’t have the choices you would if you were taking an ocean cruise. Instead, you may only get to decide between two or three itineraries for the day.

Consider the Destinations

Another thing you must keep in mind when choosing your European river cruise is the destinations. If you do not want to spend time in France, but the river cruise you are considering spends a lot of time there, it is not the cruise for you. I recommend determining which destinations you want to see the most. Then look for European river cruises that focus on those areas.

Water Levels Can Create Changes

During a European river cruise, the ship depends on the water levels of the rivers to be at a certain level. If the water levels drop, or even rise, your itinerary may be changed at the last minute. Don’t worry, the crew always has back up plans whenever possible. So, you won’t be stuck in the middle of a river doing nothing.

Choose Your Cruising Season Carefully

Over in Europe, the river cruising season goes from the end of March until the beginning of October. However, there are some European river cruises during the month of December. Those river cruises focus on the local Christmas Markets.

If you are looking for fewer people on the ships, I recommend going early or later in the season. My favorite time of year to go though is during the holidays. Yes, you will need to deal with crowds wherever you go. But the experience, and holiday vibe, is worthwhile.

These are a few of the things you must know for your very first European river cruise. I can’t wait to share even more information with you during the planning process.

So, are you ready to book your European river cruise?

If you said yes, I would like to invite you to schedule a planning session with me by clicking here. When you click on this link, you will be taken directly to my digital calendar to schedule a time that is convenient for you.

And if you are not ready to book your river cruise just yet, you can easily sign up for my newsletter here. This will ensure you continue to receive all the travel information I share.