When someone brings up cruises, we inevitably think about Caribbean adventures and Mediterranean escapes.
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But river cruises, though less flashy, are also a perennial favorite for vacationers who like to get out on the water.
Compared to their sea-bound counterparts, river cruises stand out for a few reasons.
Scared of the open sea? You won’t lose sight of the shore on a river cruise. What about large crowds and resort-like setups? Most river cruises are small and intimate. Nervous about seasickness? River cruises stick to calmer waters, meaning rates of seasickness are much lower.
I could keep going, touching on topics like affordability, accessibility, and destinations, but I’m sure you get the point.
River cruises aren’t just a viable alternative to traditional cruises—they’re a separate, bona fide adventure all in their own right.
Most Americans stick to familiar rivers in Europe. Companies like Viking, Avalon, and AmaWaterways service well-known routes along the Danube, Rhine, Seine, and Volga Rivers.
If you’re interested in learning more about these river cruises, you can read up on topics like Christmas-market-themed river cruises, UNESCO sites along the Danube, taking day trips off the Rheine, and much more.
But what if you want to get a little bit further off the beaten path?
River cruises are available around the world, far beyond the reaches of popular European picks. If you’re ready to forge into new waters, check out the river cruises listed below.
Best river cruises around the world
The Nile (Egypt)
The Nile is the world’s longest river—which is impressive enough. But there’s also a romantic edge to this river, which feeds 10 countries in East Africa.
It plays on our historical imagination, building on childhoods spent learning about Ancient Egyptians and the powers of the Nile to feed their irrigation canals.
A tour of the Nile will put you face-to-face with some of our world’s oldest manmade structures, from gorgeous and ancient temples to the grand Sphinx. To top it all off, many Nile River vessels are charmingly stylish with bright white sails.
Douro (Portugal)
Some smaller river cruises pass through France’s southern wine regions. If you’ve heard of the Douro, which runs through northern Portugal, you probably remember the name from a winery tour.
In fact, the Douro River feeds some of the country’s oldest and most prestigious wineries. (The Douro also passes through Spain.)
That’s the magic here: access to Portugal’s most high-producing wineries and their delectable products. But you’re also in for a dose of history, from exploring medieval fortresses to heading into small villages with stone-cobbled streets and homes. Rich culture, rich food, and rich wines.
Magdalena (Colombia)
If you’ve ever read Love In The Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, you might recall the book’s ending: our elderly, star-crossed lovers finally find refuge on a small boat cruising the Magdalena River.
Sheltered in the exotic and wild jungles of Colombia, Fermina Daza and Florentino Ariza at last find solace with one another.
Though Garcia Marquez is a magical realist writer, the river from his book actually exists—and you can traverse the same waters on a Magdalena River cruise. You can visit spots like Cartagena and Barranquilla, along with smaller gems like Mompox and Palenque.
Mekong (Southeast Asia)
The second time I left the United States, I was heading to the Mekong. This river lives in my head as a larger-than-life, muddy, and powerful natural wonder—one that’s home to pink Irrawaddy dolphins.
The Mekong descends from China into Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand. It weaves through lush jungles, agriculture areas, and is so large that its actually dotted with islands.
My time on the Mekong was spent in Cambodia around Kratie, but you can pick from routes that cover multiple Southeast Asian countries. Tours and cruises are also popular in Vietnam and Laos, with options for single-day and multi-day river adventures.
Yangtze (China)
If you were a fan of geography, you might remember lessons on the Yangtze in China from grade school. The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia, providing important watersheds from dozens of unique ecologies.
That means one thing when you go on a Yangtze River cruise: expect variation.
The most popular portion of the river cruise is the Three Gorges section, which is home to dramatic gorges covered in lush greenery. Along the way, you can explore sites like the Fengdu Ghost City, Baidicheng Castle, and Shibaozhai Tower.
The Ganges (India)
The Ganges is the most spiritually important river in the world. It cuts through Northeast India and passes through the holy city of Varanasi. In Hinduism, making a pilgrimage to Varanasi to bathe in the Ganges is an important rite of cleansing.
If you do make it to the Ganges in Varanasi, you’ll also notice bodies being cremated along the river—most ashes are heading to the Ganges as the final resting place.
A Ganges River cruise will take you around the Indian countryside, as well as through a few major cities, including Varanasi. Personally, I found the countryside more interesting during my stint in the country, as I’d already been exposed to India’s densely populated cities.
Mississippi (USA)
Last, but certainly not least, the Great Mississippi. I grew up near the convergence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, along with the Meramec River, which has given me a healthy appreciation of muddy, rushing waters. (Yes, it floods a lot.)
Mississippi River cruises don’t just let you get out on our country’s greatest waterway—you can also stop along the way in some of the Midwest’s and South’s quaintest cities.
From Minneapolis to Saint Louis to Memphis to NOLA, you’ll be in good company.
