The Rhine (Rhein)- European River Cruise Routes

Rhine (Rhein) river cruises are probably the most popular of all European river cruises, although many "Rhine Cruises" are in fact day-trips down one particularly attractive section of the Rhine between Boppard and St Goar. The Rhine itself is one of Europe's major rivers, originating in the Swiss Alps and covering five countries. For over 2,000 years, this legendary river has greatly influenced the history, culture and economy of Europe. Some riverboats sail only on the Rhine River (known as the Rhein in Germany), while others combine the Rhine with other waterways in Germany, Austria, Hungary or the Netherlands.

Rhine-Main-Danube river cruises are growing in popularity, chiefly because the boats are getting more luxurious (and therefore acceptable to more travellers for longer) and there is a far greater variety of port experiences available, from tiny picturesque villages and famous monasteries to major cities like Vienna and Budapest. We did an Amsterdam-Budapest river cruise in 2005 with my 89 year-old mother and found it a good option for both her and ourselves.

Cruises on the Mosel river (known as the Moselle river in France) are often combined with Rhine river cruises (see our Rhine-Moselle river cruises page), often slipped in as a two day side trip to Bernkastel before returning to the Rhine. Whatever itinerary you choose, a Rhine river cruise allows you to experience some of Europe's most interesting river ports.

A purely Rhine River Cruise might start in Antwerp, travel through the heartland of Germany, along the border of France and into Switzerland, ending up at Basel. That means you get the famous castles - more than any other river valley in the world, they claim - see the legendary Loreley Rock (yes, that is the correct spelling), visit Cologne with its UNESCO World Heritage Gothic Cathedral, explore the village of Rüdesheim and Siegfried's Musikkabinett, drink "rauchbier" (smoked beer, smells like a ham sandwich) in Bamberg, possibly visit Heidelberg on an excursion from Speyer, then sample the French-German ambience of Strasbourg on the way down to Basel over the border in Switzerland.

Here's a typical Rhine river cruise route, combined with a Moselle side trip.

And here's our Amsterdam-Budapest Rhine-Main-Danube river cruise

OUR ADVICE: concentrate on the ship you want to travel on and the route you want to travel, rather than the tour aggregator (of course, there's also price!). Be sure to check out our "Things to watch for" page too!

Next page: a typical Rhine river cruise route, combined with a Moselle side trip.