A river cruise is chosen by the river first. This guide starts there: what each river is like, the routes the ships sail, the places you stop at and when to go.
We begin with the Danube and its classic week from Passau to Budapest, the river cruise most people start with. More rivers will follow, in Europe and beyond.
Start with the Danube
The Danube
Europe's second-longest river, and the one most people mean when they think of a river cruise.
Passau to Budapest
A week on the Danube from Bavaria to Hungary, through Austria and Slovakia, with three capital cities and the Wachau valley.
The Wachau
Forty kilometres of vineyards, apricot orchards, abbeys and castles between Melk and Krems, and the stretch of the Danube that most river cruisers remember best.
Cruising by interest
Wine
The Danube between Passau and Budapest runs through some of central Europe's best white wine country.
Music
Vienna's musical history is the strongest reason many people choose this river.
Christmas markets
The Christmas markets usually run from mid-November to late December, and in that season the classic Danube becomes one of the most popular winter river…
The Danube guide as a PDF
Everything on this site about the Danube, Passau to Budapest and the places in between, in one printable A4 PDF. Free to download, no sign-up.
An independent guide
Every cruise line that sails a route is listed, whether or not we book with it. Lines do not pay to be included, and nothing in the guide is ranked by commission. Where Gordon has sailed a river himself, his own notes appear under his name.