River Cruises
Glide into the heart of the world's great cities and tuck into tiny riverside villages a big ship could never reach. River cruising is intimate, scenic and gloriously unhurried.
A front-row seat to the scenery
River ships are small, elegant and dock right in the center of town, so the morning's cathedral, vineyard or castle is often just steps from the gangway. The pace is relaxed, the ship feels like a boutique hotel, and nearly everything — meals, wine with dinner, guided tours — is included.
It's an ideal way to see Europe's storied waterways or venture farther afield to the Nile and the Mekong. We'll help you choose the river, the season and the ship that suit you, and pair your sailing with extra nights in the gateway cities.
- Dock in the center of every town
- Small ships with a boutique-hotel feel
- Most meals, drinks and excursions included
- Ever-changing scenery right outside your window
Rivers, routes and the lines we love
Rivers & routes
- Rhine
- Danube
- Seine
- Douro
- Rhône
- Nile
- Mekong
River lines
- Viking
- Avalon Waterways
- AmaWaterways
- Uniworld
- Emerald
- Tauck
- Scenic
Let's plan your river cruise
Tell us which waterway you'd love to explore and a Holt Travel advisor will match you with the right ship, cabin and itinerary.