The “Other Rivers”

The most popular river cruise routes are along the Rhine and Danube rivers, and they typically travel between Amsterdam and Budapest. This is the most popular routing for both one and two week river cruises in the world.

But what happens if you’ve already done this route, or this routing doesn’t appeal to you? There are tons of other choices if you want to experience a river cruise, but don’t want to be on the Rhine and Danube rivers.

First – the European options:

• For those with a particular love of the Dutch, you can sail round-trip from Amsterdam on the Rhine, Mosel, and Elbe rivers.
• If France is more your speed, you can sail on the Rhone, Saone, or Seine Rivers. These cruises usually start and/or finish in Paris.
• Italy is also a river cruising destination, often round trip out of Venice on the Po River.
  German river cruises are available on the Oder and Elbe Rivers.
• If you prefer to be further south in Europe, you can sail on the Douro River through Portugal and Spain.
• You can also take a river cruise to Russia. It is normally a two week trip that goes between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Other River Cruise destinations:

• The Mekong. Several of the European River Cruise companies have ships in Viet Nam for the Mekong River. A typical river cruise is 7-nights long between Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City. There are many additional land portions that can be added on to your cruise that include Cambodia and Thailand.
• The Mississippi. There are a variety of options for river cruising the Mississippi between New Orleans to Memphis, or in the summer months as far north as St. Louis and Minneapolis.
• The Columbia. You can sail between Portland Oregon, and Spokane, Washington. Other than the very cool craft brewery industry in Portland, this is the only river cruise that is more about spectacular natural scenery than culture and history.
• The Amazon. Much like the Asian river cruises, these are often paired with land tours to Machu Picchu or the Galapagos.

One last reminder that if you are considering a river cruise to any destination, you are well advised to book well in advance. Many ships sell out a year in advance, and as a general rule of thumb, the best fares are available the earlier you book.

Planning a Cruise?  I’d love to help!  Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley