Where in the World Can You Take a River Cruise?

By Brooke Franco

See new destinations around the world with a river cruise! - *Photo by Canva*

Ready to explore a new part of the world? It’s time to consider a river cruise seriously.

River cruising is a great way to check out new destinations typically not accessible by ocean ships. Like ocean vessels, river cruises offer many similarities, such as cabin service, pre-planned activities, and great dining experiences. However, river cruises are on smaller ships, meaning fewer guests onboard, which equates to highly attentive service.

In general, river cruises are very port intensive, where you spend days exploring new places and the evenings traveling the waterways. If you are looking to visit more exotic locales, this may be a great perk, as you get to see a new destination nearly every single day!

So exactly where in the world can you take a river cruise? In short, all around the world! Here’s a look at where you can take a river cruise by region, the itineraries offered, and which lines sail in these regions.

Asia

The countries of India, Vietnam, Cambodia, and China is where you will find the most popular river cruising destinations in Asia.

Itineraries

In India, you will find a combination of land and river cruises. These tours combine pre-arranged plane/hotel stays to some of the land’s must-see destinations (like Mumbai, Cochin, and Jaipur), combined with a river cruise on the historic Ganges River.

The Mekong River offers a range of river cruise options, sailing to ports around Vietnam and Cambodia. Some of these voyages begin in major cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, and the cruise operator will transport you to the starting point of the river sailing. A sample of port stops on these river cruises includes My Tho, Cai Be, Chau Doc, and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, and Phnom Phen and Angkor Ban in Cambodia. Select cruise lines also offer a land option visit to Bangkok, Thailand, as an addition to your Vietnam/Cambodia river cruise.

In China, the river cruising on the Yangtze River is in the Three Gorges region. Many of these cruises combine a land tour option from Shanghai, Beijing, or Xian. Note, post-Covid cruises in China have not resumed, and at this time no date to return to service has been announced.

Where do Cruises Typically Homeport

Common starting/ending points for cruises in Asia include Cochin, Delhi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, My Tho, and Phnom Phen. Depending on your cruise, you may start or end at one of these points via a land transfer coordinated by your cruise line between the city and the river.

Which Cruise Lines Sail Here?

Avalon Waterways, Viking River Cruises, and AmaWaterways are the major tour operators offering river cruises in Asia.

Explore All Asia River Cruises

Egypt & Africa

The longest river in the world, The Nile, spans 4,160 miles from Lake Victoria in Africa through Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt. The stretch through Egypt is where you will find most river cruise options in this region.

Itineraries

Most Nile River cruises specifically sail in Egypt, allowing travelers the opportunity to explore the ancient temples, tombs, and local villages along the water system. If you are a history buff, this is definitely a region to consider for your next voyage. Not only will you have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the great pyramids and learn about the civilization of the Egyptians, but you will also experience the savannah and desert landscapes as you sail along the majestic Nile River on the way.

Common port stops on Nile River cruises include Luxor, Qena, Aswan, Kom Ombo, and Edfu, all in Egypt.

Where Do Cruises Typically Homeport

Most Egypt/Nile River voyages start in Cairo and include an added hotel stay/transfer to the starting point of the river sailing. These details are all coordinated by the cruise line, allowing for easy transport via an international airport and a seamless way from Cario to the start/end of your voyage.

Which Cruise Lines Sail Here

Viking River Cruises, Avalon Waterways, and Uniworld are the major tour operators offering river cruises in this region.

Explore Egypt/Africa River Cruises

Europe

*A Viking Longship on the Seine and in Paris, France - Viking River Cruises*

Europe is home to a number of well-known river systems that are perfect for cruising. Many of these rivers are home to waterfront cities, filled with history and great cultural sites. Traveling on a river cruise in Europe is a very unique experience as you get to check out some of the less-traveled destinations of the region. You will find it is less ‘tourist’-like, with an authentic feeling of the destination.

River cruising is big in Europe, so you will find multiple tour operators and itineraries to check out in this region. We recommend deciding first which destinations you want to see and which river you want to sail to, then narrowing down your choice of cruise line and ship.

To note when planning your European voyage, the holiday season (typically November - December) is a wildly popular time to take a river cruise. Many lines offer Christmas Market cruises, sailing through popular ports that are homed to world-famous holiday markets. On these cruises, you will get to see fantastic decorations, enjoy holiday treats, and celebrate the season in a very unique way. These cruises are highly in demand, so you will likely find a more expensive price tag on fares. However, a Christmas Market cruise is definitely worth it and truly a bucket list voyage that you should strongly consider.

Itineraries

You will find river cruising options visiting ports in France, Portugal, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Romania, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany.

Following are the most common river cruise itineraries in Europe:

Rhine River - The Rhine traverses through the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland. These cruises commonly start or end in Amsterdam or Basel. You will find a combination of Rhine River cruises that visit the entirety of the river or visit select ports along the way.
Danube River - These river cruises take you through Austria, Slovakia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania, with stops in European capitals like Vienna and Budapest.
Main River - These cruises wind through the German cities of Mainz and Bamberg. The Main River connects with the Danube River via a canal, and you will find some longer cruises offered that travel a bit of each.
Rhone and Seine cruises - These cruises sail through France, with visits to Paris, a number of quaint medieval towns, and Normandy. Also in France, you will find a number of cruises in Bordeaux which wind through the towns of the famous wine region.
Douro River - These cruises in Portugal visit Porto, Coimbra, and Salamanca.
Elbe River - The Elbe River cruises traverse through ports in Germany and the Czech Republic.
Moselle River - These cruises sail to ports along the Moselle River, the left-bank tributary of the Rhine River. It spans from France to Luxembourg, and Germany.

Where Do Cruises Typically Homeport

With so many river cruise options available, you will find a number of common starting/ending cruise homeports. The most common European river cruise homeports are Amsterdam, Budapest, Basel, Paris, and Prague. You will also find a handful of cruises that start/end in Nuremberg, Bucharest, Passau, Vienna, Regensburg, Avignon, Bordeaux, Deggendorf, Zurich, Lyon, Frankfurt, Porto, or Lucerne.

Which Cruise Lines Sail Here

The largest operators of European river cruises include Viking River Cruises, AmaWaterways Avalon Waterways, Uniworld, Emerald Cruises, CroisiEurope, Scenic, and Tauck. There are also a number of smaller lines that provide river cruises in select locations of Europe.

Explore Europe River Cruises

South America

The most common river cruising in South America is done on the famed Amazon River, as well as some river sailing in the Galapagos.

Itineraries

On Amazon River voyages, you typically visit destinations in beautiful Peru. Cruises traverse along the Amazon through the rainforests, giving guests the opportunity to see the fascinating flora and fauna and unique local wildlife of the region.

On these river cruises, you will have the opportunity to visit destinations like Machu Pichu and Nauta (Amazonian National Park). Common port stops include visits to Lima, the Sacred Valley, Cusco, and Iquitos. Like other regions, these tours may consist of a variety of land visits and river cruising, all coordinated by your cruise line.

Also in South America, some operators include an extension of river/expedition tours from Ecuador to the Galapagos Islands. Many of these tours start out in Quito and visit Baltra and South Plaza in the Galapagos. A few select longer sailings include land and sea tours of the Amazon River as well as Galapagos Islands cruising.

Where Do Cruises Typically Homeport

Amazon River cruises start in Lima, Peru, while Galapagos cruising in the region begins in Quito, Ecuador.

Which Cruise Lines Sail Here

Avalon Waterways and Uniworld are the major tour operators offering river cruises in this region.

Explore South America River Cruises

United States/Canada

*American Empress - American Queen Voyages*

Not looking to cruise too far from home, but want to try river cruising? Check out the numerous river cruises available in the United States and Canada.

Itineraries

These are the U.S. rivers that you can take a cruise on, and the most common port stops of each:

Mississippi River - One of the longest river systems in America. Port stops commonly include New Orleans, Natchez, Vicksburg, St. Francisville, Baton Rouge, Rosedale, Paducah, Memphis, Hannibal, St. Louis, Burlington (Iowa), Davenport, Quad Cities, Dubuque, La Crosse, Winona, Red Wing, and St. Paul.
Pacific Northwest Cruises - Cruise through beautiful Washington State and Oregon. Common port visits include Clarkston, Pendelton, cruise the Snake River, Mount St. Helens, Astoria, Portland (Oregon), and Seattle.
Hudson River Cruises - Cruise up/down the Hudson River through New York state. Common port visits include NYC, West Point, Sleepy Hollow, Kingston, Catskill, Albany, and Troy.
Select operators also offer cruises on the Ohio River (from Pittsburg, through ports in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, to St. Louis) and the Tennessee River (from Chattanooga, through Tennesee, Alabama, Kentucky, back to Tennesee in Nashville).
Great Lakes & Canada Cruises - Ok, yes we know these are technically lakes, however the typical ‘river cruise’ experience is what you will find on Great Lakes/Canada voyages. These sailings are on the majestic lakes that sit between the Northern U.S. and Southern Canada. Common ports on these cruises include Thunder Bay in Canada, Toronto, Killarney, Mackinac Island, Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Duluth, Mackinac Island, and more.

Where Do Cruises Typically Homeport

The most popular U.S./Canada river cruise homeports are New Orleans, Memphis, Saint Louis, and Minneapolis/St Paul, Seattle, Portland (Oregon), Clarkston, NYC, Troy, Toronto, Milwaukee, and Chicago. Many of these ports are the starting/ending points to the river (or other major bodies of water) or larger cities that allow easier access for passengers to get to for embarkation/disembarkation.

Which Cruise Lines Sail Here

Viking River Cruises, American Cruise Line, American Queen Voyages, UnCruise, and Pearl Seas Cruises, are among the largest river cruise tour operators in the United States.