Rhine River Cruises

The Rhine River is one of the most traveled rivers in Europe. Cruises are available between Basel, Switzerland and Amsterdam, Netherlands and generally last about 8 days. You’ll also find packages that only travel along a portion of the Rhine and may last between 4 and 7 days.

Cruises on the Rhine River are frequently combined with other waterways, such as the Moselle, Main and Danube rivers. A few itineraries also include the Dutch and Belgian Waterways, and the Saar and Neckar rivers. The Saar River is a tributary of the Moselle, and the Neckar is a tributary of the Rhine.

What We Like About Rhine River Cruises

• Castles. You’ll see lots of them along the Rhine river, especially between Rudesheim and Koblenz, Germany. Be sure to be out on deck.
• Culture. With cities like Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Cologne, Amsterdam and more, you’ll get a good dollop of city life and culture on your Rhine River cruises.
• Bicycling. In many places along the Rhine river, there are good bicycling paths and dedicated bike roads. Straddle a saddle and enjoy the ride.
• Beer and wine. Have a Cologne Kolsch before or after checking out the impressive Cologne Cathedral (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), or stroll the “world’s merriest street,” known as the Drosselgasse, to find a Weingarten in Rudesheim, Germany. See On Live Voyage Reports: Day 8 – Cruising The Rhine To Rüdesheim & Final Thoughts On A-ROSA Silva

About the Rhine River

The Rhine River begins in the southeastern Swiss Alps in Switzerland. It extends for 760 miles from Switzerland to the Netherlands.

The river initially flows from east to west and forms a border between Switzerland and two other countries – Austria and Liechtenstein. Once the Rhine River reaches Basel, it changes its course and begins to flow in a northerly direction between France and Germany. The Rhine River continues its course northward through Germany and the Netherlands until it empties in to the North Sea near Rotterdam.

There are a few other waterways connected to the Rhine that are often featured in river cruise itineraries. The Rhine and Main rivers form a confluence at Mainz, Germany. In Koblenz the Moselle and Rhine Rivers meet. The Dutch and Belgian Waterways are also connected to the Rhine. And the Neckar River meets the Rhine at Mannheim, Germany.

Rhine River Cruises

Rhine River cruises are usually between Basel and Amsterdam and may begin in either city. However, there are a couple of companies that follow a different path. CroisiEurope, for instance, offers several packages that travel to and from Strasbourg, France on the Rhine. And most itineraries from A-ROSA travel roundtrip on the Rhine from Cologne, Germany.

There are several waterways that can be combined with the Rhine River to create a variety of itineraries. The most common is probably the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. With this combination, you will typically only travel on the upper part of the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Mainz, Germany where the Rhine and Main rivers meet.

Depending on the length of your itinerary, you may travel eastward to Passau, Vienna or Budapest on the Danube. Longer cruises will take you to Bucharest or even as far east as the Black Sea.

Packages that combine the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers will often travel along either the upper Rhine from Amsterdam to Mainz, Germany where the two rivers form a confluence; or they will cruise along the lower Rhine from Basel to Mainz. Cruises that begin on the Rhine will travel from the Main River eastward to the Danube. There are also reverse itineraries from the Danube westward to the Rhine River.

Companies That Cruise on the Rhine River

All major river cruise companies offer cruise packages on the Rhine River.

The information on this page is intended to give you an overview and a general idea of what different river cruise companies offer. With regard to itineraries – they change from year to year and sometimes within a year. The number of itineraries listed for some of the companies does not include reverse itineraries.

Most of the ships that are listed also cruise on other waterways that are connected to the Rhine. You might notice a ship you’re familiar with that also cruises on the Main and Danube Rivers.

Prominent cities often visited on Rhine River include:

• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Cologne, Germany
• Koblenz, Germany
• Strasbourg, France
• Briesach, Germany
• Basel, Switzerland

AmaWaterways Rhine Cruises

AmaWaterways offers two options for all cruise packages. You can take the cruise only, or you can choose to combine land and cruise packages. Most Rhine cruises begin or end in Amsterdam. Packages that include the Danube River travel only as far east as Budapest.

• Packages: 8 to 21 days
  • Rhine River Only: 8 to 13 days
  • Rhine and Other Waterways: Up to 21 days
• Number of Itineraries that include the Rhine River: 7
  • Rhine River Only: 2
  • Rhine , Main, and Main-Danube Canal: 1
  • Rhine, Moselle, Main, and Main-Danube Canal: 1
  • Rhine, Main and Danube: 2
  • Rhine, Moselle, Main and Danube: 1
• 8 Ships on the Rhine: AmaCello, AmaCerto, AmaDolce, AmaLyra, AmaPrima, AmaReina, AmaSerena, AmaSonata

Interesting to Note: AmaWaterways is the only company that travels between Budapest and Paris. Ship departs from or returns to Remich, Luxembourg on the Moselle River.

Avalon Waterways Rhine Cruises

Avalon Waterways has several packages to choose from and most are either to or from Amsterdam or Basel. You can travel between Bucharest and Amsterdam; or you can cruise only the lower Rhine from Basel to Vienna, Nuremberg or Frankfurt.

• Packages: 5 to 24 days
  • Rhine River Only: 8 days
  • Rhine and Other Waterways: Up to 24 days
• Number of Itineraries that include the Rhine River: 14
  • Rhine River Only: 1
  • Rhine and Main: 1
  • Rhine, Main and Danube: 7
  • Rhine, Main and Main-Danube Canal: 1
  • Rhine and Moselle: 1
  • Rhine, Moselle, Main and Main-Danube Canal: 1
  • Rhine, Moselle, Main and Danube: 1
  • Rhine, Rhone and Saone: 1
• 11 Ships on the Rhine: Avalon Affinity, Avalon Artistry II, Avalon Expression, Avalon Felicity, Avalon Illumination, Avalon Impression, Avalon Luminary, Avalon Panorama, Avalon Tranquility II, Avalon Visionary and Avalon Vista

CroisiEurope Rhine Cruises

CroiseEurope has more itineraries on the Rhine than any other company. Most travel to and from Strasbourg and only include the middle portion of the Rhine River without traveling to either Basel or Switzerland. You’ll also find mini cruises with CroisiEurope – something you won’t find with most companies.

• Packages: 3 to 13 days
• Number of Itineraries that include the Rhine River: 37
  • Rhine River Only: 22
  • Rhine and Main: 1
  • Rhine, Main and Danube: 4
  • Rhine and Moselle: 3
  • Rhine, Main and Moselle: 3
  • Rhine, Main, Moselle and Neckar: 1
  • Rhine, Moselle, Saar and Neckar: 2
  • Rhine, Rhone and Saone: 1
• 6 Ships on the Rhine: MS Beethoven, MS Douce France, MS Gerard Schmitter, MS La Boheme, Leonard De Vinci, MS L’Europe, MS Modigliani, MS Mona Lisa,  MS Monet, MS Symphonie, MS Victor Hugo

Interesting to Note: CroisiEurope is the only company that combines a Rhine River cruise with two other rivers in France that are not connected to it – the Rhone and Saone.

Emerald Cruises Rhine Cruises

Emerald Cruises has a few packages for the Rhine River. There are only two packages for the Rhine River between Basel and Amsterdam and one is combined with the Moselle River from Koblenz to Trier. Another package combines the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers between Amsterdam and Budapest.

• Packages: 8 to 15 days
  • Rhine River Only: 8 days
  • Rhine and Other Waterways: Up to 15 days
• Number of Itineraries that include the Rhine River: 4
  • Rhine River Only: 1
  • Rhine and Dutch & Belgian Waterways: 1
  • Rhine and Moselle: 1
  • Rhine, Moselle and Danube: 1
• Emerald Cruises does not list specific ships for each itinerary. These are the ships that sail on the Main, Danube, Rhine and Moselle Rivers – Emerald Dawn, Emerald Sky, Emerald Star & Emerald Sun.

Riviera Rhine River Cruises

Riviera River Cruises has four Rhine river itineraries on offer, ranging in length from 8 to 15 days. The three Rhine-only river cruises are all eight days in duration, while the 15-day Cruise the Heart of Europe voyage spans the Rhine, the Main-Danube Canal, and the Danube River. All itineraries are cruise-only; dedicated cruisetours aren’t offered on Riviera’s Rhine.

• Packages: 8 to 15 days
  • Rhine River Only:  8 days
  • Rhine and Other Waterways: 15 days
• Number of Itineraries that Include Rhine River: 4
  • Rhine River Only: 3
  • Rhine, Main and Danube: 1
• 9 Ships on the Rhine (these vessels interchange frequently between the Rhine and the Danube): Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, Robert Burns, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde. 

Interesting to Note: Riviera’s Rhine river cruises are some of the most affordable out there.

Scenic Rhine Cruises

Scenic Cruises

• Packages: 8 to 30 days
• Number of Itineraries that include the Rhine River: 13
  • Rhine River Only: 1
  • Rhine, Moselle, and Dutch & Belgian Waterways: 2
  • Rhine, Main and Main-Danube Canal: 2
  • Rhine, Main and Danube: 7
• 4 Ships on the Rhine: Scenic Pearl , Scenic Ruby , Scenic Jewel and Scenic Opal

Interesting to Note: Scenic Cruises is the only company that lists Zurich in the itinerary. (Some companies list Zurich as an option for extended travel.)

Tauck Rhine Cruises

Tauck has a few options for Rhine River cruises. There is a package available from Amsterdam to Bucharest. You can travel on Tauck from Basel to Cologne during the Christmas holiday season.

• Packages: 8 to 24 days
  • Rhine River Only: 8 days
  • Rhine and Other Waterways: Up to 24 days
• Number of Itineraries that include the Rhine River: 6
  • Rhine River Only: 3
  • Rhine and Moselle: 1
  • Rhine, Moselle and Danube: 2
• 5 Ships on the Rhine: ms Esprit, ms Inspire, ms Jewel, ms Sapphire, ms Treasures

Uniworld Rhine Cruises

Uniworld has a variety of combinations. There are cruises available between Vienna and Amsterdam and Vienna and Basel, which you won’t find from most other companies. Uniworld is also one of the only companies that  offers an itinerary between Amsterdam and Istanbul.

• Packages: 8 to 29 days
  • Rhine River Only: 8 days
  • Rhine and Other Waterways: Up to 29 days
• Number of Itineraries that include the Rhine River: 8
  • Rhine River Only: 1
  • Rhine and Moselle: 1
  • Rhine, Main and Main-Danube Canal: 1
  • Rhine, Main and Danube: 4
• 6 Ships on the Rhine: River Ambassador, River Duchess, River Empress, River Queen, S.S. Antoinette and S.S. Maria Theresa.

Viking River Cruises Rhine Cruises

Viking River Cruises

• Packages: 8 to 23 days
  • Rhine River Only: 8 days
  • Rhine & Other Waterways: Up to 23 days
• Number of Itineraries that include the Rhine River: 6
  • Rhine River Only: 1
  • Rhine and Main: 1
  • Rhine, Main and Moselle: 2
  • Rhine, Main and Danube: 2
• 30 Ships on the Rhine: Viking Aegir, Viking Alsvin, Viking Atla, Viking Baldur, Viking Bestla, Viking Eir, Viking Eistla, Viking Embla, Viking Gefjon, Viking Helvetia, Viking Hlin, Viking Idi, Viking Idun, Viking Ingvi, Viking Jarl, Viking Kara, Viking Kvasir, Viking Lif, Viking Lofn, Viking Magni, Viking Mani, Viking Mimir, Viking Modi, Viking Odin, Viking Skadi, Viking Sun, Viking Ve and Viking Vidar and Viking Vili

Interesting to Note: Viking River Cruises is the only company that has an itinerary between Amsterdam and Frankfurt. 

What’s the Best Choice for a Rhine River Cruise?

If you have never taken a cruise on the Rhine, an itinerary between Amsterdam and Basel would probably be the best option. You would be able to experience the beauty of the Rhine River and visit many cities in France and Germany that are located along the river.

For travelers who have already taken a cruise on the Rhine River, a package that includes the Moselle River will also provide a very picturesque journey with the many castles and vineyards that line the Moselle.

A cruise that takes you from Amsterdam to Bucharest will allow you to travel along the upper Rhine River, the Main River through Germany and most of the Danube River. If you have at least 30 days to travel this would allow you to travel through several countries in Europe and to visit many incredible cities along the way.

Read more about Rhine River Cruises.