The Rhine or the Rhone? A guide to choosing the right river cruise

Feb 16, 2010, 12:15 GMT

Cologne, Germany - Once the decision has been made to go on a river cruise the next question is often where to go? The range of cruises on offer extends from the Rhine and Danube or along the Rhone and Douro in Europe, to the Yangtze in China and the Nile in Egypt. 'How do I get to the embarkation harbour?' and 'What kind of day trips on land are on offer?' are just two of the many questions that every river cruise passenger is then faced with.

One important aspect to consider is the journey to the point where your cruise begins. If you plan to head down the Nile or cruise the Volga in Russia, chances are you will be faced with a long flight first. That accounts for why the average age of passengers on those routes is relatively young, says Ekkehard Beller, manager of Nicko Tours in Stuttgart.

When you're choosing which river to see you should also find out how much time you're likely to spend on board and on land. There are some tours where the cruise ship travels mainly at night and spends the day docked in harbour. That will allow plenty of time to see interesting places on land. Other river cruises are so long, or the guests are more interested in seeing the landscape pass by, that many daylight hours are spent on water.

Ekkehard Beller describes the average river cruise in Europe as 'city hopping without needing to change hotel.' On the northern parts of the Rhine and its tributaries in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands there are usually 'two opportunities to go sight seeing a day with less time spent on water.'

It is important to be aware of that and most passengers are happy to spend lots of time on land. But if seeing nature from the deck of a cruise ship is what you are looking for, then a trip along the Volga is more appropriate. The Danube is another river that also has some long stages where the day is spent exclusively on board.

The most important consideration when deciding where to go is less the comfort of onboard facilities and more the type of landscape that will be seen. That's according to the experience of travel agent Helge H Grammerstorf.

Grammerstorf says that in contrast to a cruise at sea where a climbing wall or ice rink can offer alternatives to a day spent on land, a river cruise ship has less diversions to offer. Basically there are two types of river cruise ship: the 110-metre and the 135-metre-long vessels.

The vessels' small size makes it all the more important to know what is on offer on the other side of the railing. 'Activity programs such as guided bicycle tours are very popular,' says Lara Vitzhum from A-Rosa River Ships in Rostock. 'You need to make sure there is a highlight to every day and we try to create that on land,' explains Guido Laukamp, manager of Viking river tours in Cologne.

Here's how the experts rate some of the European river cruises:

The Danube: Helge H Grammerstorf thinks the Danube is a good choice for newcomers to river cruising. It offers plenty of interesting city excursions such as Vienna and Budapest as well as a wonderful landscape to look at.

The Rhine: Most people in the business of selling river cruise packages would like to update the river's old-fashioned reputation and give it a more modern twist, thinks Guido Laukamp. The Rhine is famed for its romance and the picturesque Loreley rock but it also passes through exciting cities such as Amsterdam and Cologne where there is plenty of culture to discover.

The Elbe: Ekkehard Beller thinks the special attraction of the Elbe and its tributaries like the Havel and Vltava rivers is its untouched look. It allows passengers to get an intensive experience of nature.