If you could only do one...

Hi everyone. We were originally thinking Paris to Normandy would be the itinerary we would choose for our first river cruise. For various reasons, I am starting to rethink that. So, if you could only do one for about 7 or 8 days, which would you pick. What is your favorite itinerary and why. Thank you!

That's a tough one. We loved the Paris-Normandy route for the history, and art. But, it was a short distance, and not as scenic as others.

Next, we did the Danube. It would have to be my favorite, from a scenery standpoint. The Wachau Valley and the daytime cursing from Linz to Passau were both breathtaking. We did an abbreviated version, starting in Vienna, instead of Budapest. We had planned to sail the Danube again, in the spring, traveling all the way to Budapest, but getting back from Budapest, on Easter, was becoming a bit difficult, so we changed to the Rhone.

This past March, we did the Rhine, from Basel to Amsterdam, with 2 nights in Lucerne, on our own, pre-cruise. This is our favorite, overall. With the exception of the castles portion of the trip in the middle Rhine (Rudesheim to Koblenz) it isn't as scenic as the Danube. However, we found the ports to be superior, and the excursions to be superior.

We will be doing the Rhone in March. I know caviargal has said it's her favorite itinerary. I am looking forward to seeing how it ranks, for us.

Robin

Of the European rivers suitable for cruising I have seen nearly all of them on landtrips. The big exceptions being the Elbe and the Oder. Paris is not my favourite city at all but a great place to see so I like Hostjazzbeau's idea of the river cruise on the Moselle. If I could only do one cruise it would be the Avalon one from Paris to Budapest or a 10-day-one on Rhine and Moselle. As both are too long for answering your question, I would say I would go for Paris to Basel on Avalon as I like the Moselle and the Rhine gorge with the castles is spectacular.

I loved my Danube cruise and Budapest is an amazing place but it did not have that many castles enroute.

Edit: Sorry, I forgot, the Douro. Have not been there. Many people love the landscape, but I have hardly seen it rated as the favourite yet. Perhaps somebody now will.

notamermaid

If you have never been to Paris and/or you are very interested in visiting WWII sites in Normandy the Seine Cruise is perfect for first cruise. Choose the Rhine to spend more time in Amsterdam and Zurich. Choose the Danube for Budapest and Prague or Munich. We’ve done all three. Each have its unique merits.

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We've done the Normandy trip, as well as Rhône/Saone and Danube. The Normandy trip was our favorite and remains in fact one of our favorite trips ever. Every port very interesting, and Normandy WWII sites were incredibly stirring. (Avalon)

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If I could only do one cruise it would be the Avalon one from Paris to Budapest or a 10-day-one on Rhine and Moselle. As both are too long for answering your question, I would say I would go for Paris to Basel on Avalon as I like the Moselle and the Rhine gorge with the castles is spectacular.

I also like the Moselle. Avalon's Paris to Prague is a 12-day trip with stays in Paris and Prague. With Avalon, you can book the cruise-only portion of the trip and fly into/out of Luxembourg and Nuremberg. This makes it a 7-8 day trip, and you'll save over $1,000 per person if you don't have the time or inclination to visit Paris and Prague. Also, if you want to minimize airline legs, It's about a 4-hour train/bus trip from Frankfurt to Luxembourg, and just over 2 hours by train between Frankfurt and Nuremberg.

Several people on our boat who had done other cruises said the Tauck London to Paris is a great trip. My one TA always highly recommended the Moselle also.