"best" area for Europe river cruising?

Of course I know that this is very subjective, that much depends on what one is looking for, where one has been before, etc. But we've never taken a river cruise, are elderly, so don't really have time to try this one, then try that one, then another one and so forth.

I'll be looking for something around 7-8 days, not longer, just in case river cruising isn't a good fit for us. (We hope it will be and that we'll be able to look forward to another one next year.)

I'm doing research now (with the kind help of CC folks) on which company/ship to try to book, but we're fairly open to destination. We're not able to do long flights anymore, so Far East and SA are out, alas.

Which of the Europe cruises do people find especially memorable, both for the scenery as one glides along, and for the places that one visits on land excursions?

Thank you.

From what I've read (still waiting for my first river cruise this fall), the Danube is good if you want to be docked and seeing the sights for most of the day, while the Rhine is good if you would like some of your days spent on the boat cruising through scenery.

Russia, France, Asia, Spain/Portugal, Italy, Africa seem to be the ones that people take once they know they love river cruising.

Of course I know that this is very subjective, that much depends on what one is looking for, where one has been before, etc. But we've never taken a river cruise, are elderly, so don't really have time to try this one, then try that one, then another one and so forth.

 

I'll be looking for something around 7-8 days, not longer, just in case river cruising isn't a good fit for us. (We hope it will be and that we'll be able to look forward to another one next year.)

 

I'm doing research now (with the kind help of CC folks) on which company/ship to try to book, but we're fairly open to destination. We're not able to do long flights anymore, so Far East and SA are out, alas.

 

Which of the Europe cruises do people find especially memorable, both for the scenery as one glides along, and for the places that one visits on land excursions?

 

Thank you.

We have been on Rhine, Seine/Rhone and Danube and will take the Douro in April. I vote for the Rhine as the first because of the beautiful Rhine Gorge, castles all along the way to view from the ship, vineyards, Lorelei rock and the charming villages where you will dock each day. Our first started at Nuremberg and ended at Amsterdam and we absolutely loved it. As far as companies, speaking from our experience - you can't go wrong with either Uniworld or Avalon. Of course, as you said, it is all subjective.

Cole

Of course I know that this is very subjective, that much depends on what one is looking for, where one has been before, etc. But we've never taken a river cruise, are elderly, so don't really have time to try this one, then try that one, then another one and so forth.

 

I'll be looking for something around 7-8 days, not longer, just in case river cruising isn't a good fit for us. (We hope it will be and that we'll be able to look forward to another one next year.)

 

I'm doing research now (with the kind help of CC folks) on which company/ship to try to book, but we're fairly open to destination. We're not able to do long flights anymore, so Far East and SA are out, alas.

 

Which of the Europe cruises do people find especially memorable, both for the scenery as one glides along, and for the places that one visits on land excursions?

 

Thank you.

I think it may depend on what interests you.

Our first river cruise was the Seine with Uniworld - and it was wonderful. My DH is interested in WWII history, so the beaches in Normandy were a big draw for him. Also, the history in Rouen (with Joan of Arc) and art history with a visit to Giverny (Monet's home) were wonderful. Of course, Paris is a lovely place to visit, so you can extend before and/or after if you do the Seine.

Or, start/end with a trip to England - and take the chunnel over!!!

We have done the Danube, and the Rhine. Both are great as well.

Fran

We did this same research a couple of years ago trying to decide which itinerary to do first. We chose the Rhine, and it was an excellent introduction to river cruising.

We started in Amsterdam, which is an easy place to fly into. It is also apparently easy to get from the airport to the main train station, which is where the river ships dock -- AMA had a bus waiting for us so we got even better airport to ship service.

We started with an overnight in Amsterdam, so we got an introduction to the ship and then could walk around Amsterdam in the evening. The next day included a canal boat tour and bus tour of Amsterdam while the ship negotiated the not very interesting canal to the river. After that the scenery was always interesting -- especially the day cruising past the Rhine castles (with narration by out cruise director) -- and all the towns were interesting. We got to sample the cultures of Holland, Germany, Alsace, and Switzerland. The cruise ended in Basel but almost all the passengers stayed on the post-cruise excursion to Lucerne and Zurich.

It was great and we immediately signed up for another river cruise on AMA. So I recommend the Rhine, and suggest starting (rather than ending) in Amsterdam.

We (2 couples 57 to 65yrs young) did our first river cruise last year with Avalon from Basel to Amsterdam. It was perfect in every way, so good that we are now booked to Prague to Budapest. Suggest you fly into Zurich at least 3 days prior and have a couple of day relaxing in Lake Lucerne then back to Zurich and Avalon looks after your every need for the next 8 nights. Spend some time in Amsterdam or elsewhere in Europe and then fly home .

You will get hooked and want to do more - be careful and enjoy

We (2 couples 57 to 65yrs young) did our first river cruise last year with Avalon from Basel to Amsterdam. It was perfect in every way, so good that we are now booked to Prague to Budapest. Suggest you fly into Zurich at least 3 days prior and have a couple of day relaxing in Lake Lucerne then back to Zurich and Avalon looks after your every need for the next 8 nights. Spend some time in Amsterdam or elsewhere in Europe and then fly home .

You will get hooked and want to do more - be careful and enjoy

We did Prague to Budapest last June just after the floods. A fabulous cruise. Are you on the Expression? We loved everything about our cruse, including our aquarium room.

OP referred to themselves as "elderly" and I'm wondering if walking, balance, hills, etc. could be an issue. If so, I recommend the Paris to Normandy that others have mentioned. It is a week and if OP went a few days early they could see Paris leisurely in the morning and rest in the afternoon.

OP couple could see Giverny which is an easy bus ride included in most cruise companies costs and the garden walk is flat and so are the streets of town. Normandy and the WWII sites are easily walked as is Rhoen and other little towns.

The problem I see with some of the Danube and Rhine towns are that they are perched on the sides of hills and almost all have cobblestones. Now if they got a private tour/car then the driver could take them right to the places without much walking. If one of the couple needs a walker, the Rhine and Danube itineraries are difficult.

Again, I am presuming that perhaps walking could be a problem for one of them. The Seine is a lovely trip for beginners; local people turn out to wave at the boat as it glides by and there are few industrial sites.

Our favorite has been Budapest to Amsterdam but that is, of course, well over a week.

cbb

You comment that the Seine is lovely. Have you done the Rhone??? If so, how does it compare. I am doing Amsterdam to Budapest this year , but I am already planning next year to France.

Some river cruise lines offer "slow walkers" groups on their tours. This would make any itinerary much more doable for those with mobility problems. There were some people on our Rhine cruise who used a walker in town without a problem.

Re: slow walkers. Even slow walking doesn't mitigate the problems with cobblestones and walking uphill/downhill.

We had one retired AF Colonel (so tough guy) who had had a knee replacement and he was having trouble and he was using a cane. He said until one has had to go up or down centuries old curbs, stairs and cobblestones, one has no idea how difficult it is....and he joined the slow walkers!

Yes, we have done the Saone/Rhone and it is a much wider river. Much of it is pastoral so you do see cows and farms, but there are also industrial sites and hydroelectric plants. Lots of locks and dams are also on the Saone/ Rhone but the industrial areas aren't terrible and you are quickly past them.

You will love the Saone/Rhone. Lyon is beautiful. We did our own DIY here and had a great time.

One gentleman from Australia was in 7th heaven with all of the wine tasting tours in the afternoon! I think vast shipments of bottles were headed Down Under!

One of the problems I see for OP couple is that our gangway at Lyon was fastened to the sun deck so that if mobility was a problem, regardless of the reason, climbing down those narrow steps could be a problem.

If mobility is not a problem then the Saone/Rhone is a great river cruise. We went from Beaune to the Provence with Avalon. Most of the itineraries from other cruise companies are the same.

When you are in Tain, be sure and cross the pedestrian bridge to Tournon and buy chocolate. You can thank me later! (Jeez, I hope I'm remembering this correctly...be sure and look this up!)

Sign up for this itinerary--it is lovely! Who wouldn't love the Provence!!

Thanks. Probably will do Grand France, so will do both rivers. I live in New Zealand , so have to get the best value when travelling such a distance. Will probably do it will Avalon. They are having new ships on both rivers next year, as well as keeping the old ships ( Scenery and Creativity). I am going on the AmaReina, which is a new ship being launched this year, for my Amsterdam to Budapest cruise.

For some reason, I though that the Seine would be the wider river, with more rural scenery (farms etc).

I haven't even done my first river cruise, but I am spending a lot of time researching my next. It was great when I discovered this board.

My .02 about Seine River cruise for elderly. We took this cruise last summer and are both in our 50's. There is a lot of walking on this itinerary. For instance in Rouen you need walk several blocks to get into town. At the American cemetery, the bus parks in a parking lot and you need to walk to get to the graves. Some places are very very crowded. Paris, Versailles, Giverny, very crowded with tourists.

Many elderly are in good health. But if the op is referring to elderly as those with mobility problems, using a walker or cane, I'm not sure if Seine is the cruise for them. We had an elderly couple on our visit to Luxembourg Gardens, and the guide told us where to meet her for the bus, and they got confused and went the wrong way. Well, the guide did not wait for them or try to find them. We went back to the ship without them! Luckily, this was Paris and a cab was easy to find so they took a cab back to the ship.

Also, there really isn't much daytime cruising on the Seine cruise. It's go go go.

That said, we met some very mobile elderly couples on board and they loved the Seine cruise.

Harbourside,

We, too, sailed on Grand France with Avalon and loved everything. It was not our first cruise with Avalon and we especially liked the fact that many of the passengers were from Australia and New Zealand and have been on previous cruises. As I've remarked on several threads, they are simply the best traveling companions.

The Seine part is "rural" but I thought it was more quaint villages than broad agricultural fields like our American farmland. The Rhone/Saone was, in my opinion, more like those American farms.

One of the Avalon extras in Paris was to the Moulin Rouge which I really liked. The rest of our time in Paris we did DIY which is so easy to do with their mass transit.

You will love Grand France.

We had an elderly couple on our visit to Luxembourg Gardens, and the guide told us where to meet her for the bus, and they got confused and went the wrong way. Well, the guide did not wait for them or try to find them. We went back to the ship without them! Luckily, this was Paris and a cab was easy to find so they took a cab back to the ship.

.

This is quite disturbing to me - that an elderly couple would be left to fend on their own.

Have never had a guide that wouldn't go back to look for "missing people". They always do a head count - and make sure that everyone is on the bus.

I hope that this was reported to the CD.

Fran

P.S. Of course, I take back this comment if this was a common occurrence with this couple... we have met some people along the way that are quite self-centred and feel departure times don't apply to them... Wanted to leave some of them behind!!! :D

Our first -- and so far, the only -- river cruise was a Rhine & Mosel. We enjoyed it so much and look forward to further river cruises.

On our AMA shore excursions, different itineraries with varying activity levels and length were offered. I recall passengers doing quite well with canes, and one with a walker. Our cruise manager worked very hard to ensure that all passengers were able to participate at a level they were comfortable with.

As for starting point, we flew into Paris and took advantage of AMA's hotel package. We were met at the airport and transported to our hotel. Our rooms were available on arrival. It was wonderful to have a few days in Paris. Our jet lag wasn't that bad (coming from Virginia), but it was a nice way to get the body clock in synch. Our cruise ended in Amsterdam. AMA was outstanding in organizing transport to Schipol Airport for our return to the USA.

The scenery along the Rhine was breathtaking. We loved the itinerary. Our fellow passengers were interesting and varied.

We loved it and highly recommend it for a first-time cruiser.

To OP,

My 2 cents worth: travel, if you can, in May or in September/early Oct. Most of the tourists have gone home so the ports are less crowded.

The only problem with May is that there might be river flooding, but then that is true throughout the summer.

We have done the Rhine, Danube, Saone, Rhone, and Seine cruises all in September which is a lovely time of year.

This is quite disturbing to me - that an elderly couple would be left to fend on their own.

 

Have never had a guide that wouldn't go back to look for "missing people". They always do a head count - and make sure that everyone is on the bus.

 

I hope that this was reported to the CD.

 

Fran

 

P.S. Of course, I take back this comment if this was a common occurrence with this couple... we have met some people along the way that are quite self-centred and feel departure times don't apply to them... Wanted to leave some of them behind!!! :D

Fran, believe me, we were all horrified and worried when the guide insisted on going back. My hubby wanted to volunteer to run around the park to look for them. The guide did drive around the block once. We were all so worried that they had gotten sick or lost. And, I know that folks did complain to the CD. But there are very precise "rules" and I think the guide did follow them.

The best advice was to go in the "shoulder season" If you go in the summer, there isn't enough "slow walkers" to make an entire bus for them. That was what happened on our cruise.

I really liked the small , quaint towns on the Mosel river which is included sometimes as part of the Rhine trips.

What I liked about the Danube trip was being able to stay in Prague ahead of time, and seeing Vienna.