These are the unmissable river cruises to take this year

See everything from fairy-tale villages to vineyards and wildlife on sailings that offer snapshots of everyday life. 

Women-Only Cruise with Uniworld

Bask in the Euro summer from the sun deck.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises has new things on the horizon for 2025. Soak up the Euro summer onboard the sun deck on the inaugural Women-Only Cruise through Burgundy and Provence in August.

The S.S. Elisabeth heads to the Danube on its maiden voyage.

Uniworld has also added to its Holiday Collection with a seven-night Magical Parisian Holiday along the Seine. S.S Elisabeth also sets off on her first sailing in March with cruises destined for the Danube and the Rhine. 

The Danube with Avalon Waterways

Avalon Waterways will drift through the enchanting Bordeaux region.

Fans of Christopher Moore can join the New York Times best-selling author to celebrate the release of his novel Anima Rising in October, as he hosts a Storyteller Cruise with Avalon Waterways. The 10-night Danube River cruise from Vilshofen, Germany to Budapest, Hungary, will visit some of the places that inspired the novel. The cruise line will also glide through France’s Bordeaux region for the first time from March. The seven-night itineraries along the Garonne and Dordogne rivers showcase the very best of the region. 

Across Europe with AmaWaterways

Embark on a trip to the picturesque seaside village of San Sebastián.

AmaWaterways is offering complimentary land journeys on select European sailings. There are more than 20 to choose from, pre or post-cruise, such as seaside resort town Dinard on France’s Emerald Coast, the City of a Hundred Spires, Prague, Portugal’s centuries-old capital Lisbon and stunning seaside village San Sebastián in Spain. 

The Siene with Tauck 

The small-ship luxury cruise line and tour operator Tauck celebrates its 100th birthday this year with the launch of its first-ever holiday cruise in France. The Seine: Holiday Magic will have five departures onboard MS Sapphire with stops in Rouen, Les Andelys and Vernon. Europe’s glittering Christmas markets will be a highlight, where guests can sip mulled wine and enjoy roasted chestnuts, as well as a private afternoon tea at a moated castle and cocktail party at Château de Bizy. 

Around Asia with Wendy Wu 

Cruise along Vietnam’s Red River. (Image: Rizki Sumantri)

Wendy Wu Tours has announced three new itineraries that combine a selection of its renowned land tours with river cruises that snake through lesser-explored pockets of Asia.

Ha Long Bay is renowned for its dramatic limestone karsts. (Image: Getty Images/Nikada)

These new itineraries include cruising along Vietnam’s Red River from Halong Bay; India’s north-east Brahmaputra River, a region rich in wildlife; and a cruise along the lower Ganges for a glimpse of local life. 

A new market with Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity’s river fleet will debut in Europe soon.

Known for its premium ocean cruising, Celebrity Cruises is set to usher in a new era with its new river cruising program. Celebrity’s river fleet will launch in Europe in 2027, marking its expansion into the premium river cruise market. The ships will take their cues from the elevated design of its Edge Series ocean ships.