For the first time in more than two decades, cruisers will have a new river to explore in 2025: Colombia’s storied Magdalena River. AmaWaterways will unveil its first ever cruises on the Magdalena in the coming months, with other operators looking to follow suit.
As river cruise lines continue to expand their fleets of boutique floating hotels in Europe and beyond, each year brings with it a growing number of itineraries for travelers of all tastes.
Want to sail the Nile and travel back in time to ancient Egypt? Avoid Europe’s crowds with an off-season sailing from Amsterdam to Basel? Or see the colorful birds of the Peruvian Amazon? Whatever your style or interest, there’s a river cruise for you.
The best part—besides the beautiful locales, the high-class accommodations, and the fact that you only have to pack and unpack once—is that most (if not all) of your meals, excursions, and Wi-Fi are included in your cruise fare, making river cruises an easy and worry-free vacation choice.
These are our top picks for river cruises in 2025.
Explore colorful Cartagena, Colombia on a Magdalena river cruise.
Ricardo Gomez/Unsplash
Colombia’s Magdalena River with AmaWaterways
For the first time, a river cruise line is introducing overnight passenger cruises down the river that opened trade between the Andes and the Caribbean. AmaWaterways was initially set to launch on the Magdalena River at the end of 2024, but those sailings have been pushed to early 2025. AmaWaterways hasn’t set an exact launch date, but has opened sales for its cruises between Cartagena and Barranquilla aboard the 60-passenger AmaMagdalena and the 64-passenger AmaMelodia. The itineraries will explore the vibrant and diverse cultures, food, and music in communities along what novelist Gabriel García Márquez called the “River of Life.” There are also options for hiking and bird-watching, as well as the chance to visit San Basilio de Palenque, the first “free town” for former enslaved Africans in the Americas. AmaWaterways also offers pre- and post-sailing add-ons including Medellín, Cartagena, and Panama City. Metropolitan Touring, a company that specializes in South American travel, says it, too, plans to sail the Magdalena in 2025, but hasn’t released details yet.
Sail the Nile River in high style on the intimate Sanctuary Zein Nile Chateau.
Photo by Jonathan Stokes
Egypt’s Nile River with Sanctuary Retreats
Sail Egypt’s Nile river on one of the few boats offering private cruises on this waterway of ancient wonders. With just six cabins—including two suites—that can accommodate up to 12 passengers, this intimate boat is the perfect size for families or groups of friends to see the Valley of Kings, Luxor Temple, Nubian Village, and more as you design an itinerary to suit your tastes, including stops to hidden treasures in places larger boats can’t go. The boat itself is also a key part of the overall, luxurious experience. Sanctuary Zein Nile Chateau is the first authentic “dahabiya” (traditional Egyptian sailing boat) built to international luxury standards. Each of the cabins is decorated in its own original style, all with influences from Egypt’s history, culture, and geography. There’s even a pool on the sun deck.
A Danube river cruise with Viking is the perfect starter European river cruise.
Courtesy of Viking
Europe’s Danube River with Viking
If you’ve never been on a river cruise before, the Upper Danube is the perfect beginner’s destination for the wealth of beautiful cities and sights along the way. Cruises sail between Germany and Hungary and include stops in Budapest, Vienna, and Austria’s famous Wachau Valley wine region. Every major river line offers a week-long classic itinerary along this route. A reliable choice in terms of value and consistency is sailing on one of Viking River Cruises’ contemporary 190-passenger “longships.” The line’s eight-day “Romantic Danube” itinerary offers quality time in Budapest, Vienna, and the Bavarian city of Regensburg in Germany, where passengers can opt either for escorted tours or explore on their own. Excursion options include an e-bike ride through vineyards and a visit to Salzburg, Austria, where several scenes of the iconic movie musical The Sound of Music were filmed. Cruises take place from March through December.
The advantage of cruising the Rhine during the off-season is the opportunity to visit typically overtouristed hubs like Amsterdam with fewer crowds.
Photo by Eirik Skarstein/Unsplash
Europe’s Rhine River during the off-season with AmaWaterways
European river lines have traditionally sailed from late March through the holiday season, with the peak season taking place from May to October. But several lines, including Viva, Viking, and AmaWaterways, are moving toward year-round sailings on the Rhine and Danube, Europe’s most popular rivers. They offer great deals and an opportunity to explore without the high-season crowds. They are also great for travelers who just want to get away and enjoy the views from the comfort of a luxurious river ship. And when it comes to riverside scenery, it’s hard to beat the Rhine, particularly its 40-mile castle-studded Upper Middle Rhine Valley. AmaWaterways is sailing its early season eight-day Enchanting Rhine trips on the 156-passenger AmaLucia.
On Bordeaux river sailings in France, the point is to go slow and sip and savor along the way.
Photo by Jennifer Yung/Unsplash
France’s Bordeaux region with Scenic Cruises
A must for wine lovers is an in-depth exploration of Bordeaux, along the Dordogne and Garonne rivers and the Gironde estuary in France. Australian luxury line Scenic Cruises does a seven-night “Bordeaux Affair” itinerary on its 167-passenger Scenic Diamond that’s just as appealing as it sounds. Sailings run from late April into October, and while they don’t take passengers very far geographically, that’s not the point. The idea is rather to sip and savor France’s wine country, stopping along the way at gorgeous châteaux and vineyards to enjoy the local product in iconic destinations such as Margaux, Saint-Émilion, Médoc, Pomerol, and Sauternes. Scenic’s tours include several Grand Cru Classé estates—Château Franc Mayne and Château de Myrat among them. If you cruise in September or October, you’ll also be able to observe the annual grape harvest.
Sailing the Brahmaputra is part river cruise and part wildlife safari, with the opportunity to spot the Indian one-horned rhino in Kaziranga National Park.
Courtesy of Pandaw
India’s Brahmaputra River with Pandaw
If you’re looking to sail beyond the rivers of Europe, head to northern India for this seven-night sailing with Pandaw on the mighty Brahmaputra River, which originates high in the Himalayas before flowing through the scenic Assam Valley. Sail leisurely through Nameri National Park, known for its bird life, and look for rare Bengal tigers and the Indian one-horned rhino during a full-day land safari at Kaziranga National Park. Learn first-hand, onboard and off, about the colorful Assam culture on this sailing aboard the 36-passenger RV Kindat Pandaw.
The Riverside Mozart is one of the most beautiful and iconic river cruise ships plying Europe’s waters.
Courtesy of Riverside Luxury Cruises
Lower Danube with Riverside Luxury Cruises
When Americans think of river cruises, many associate them with pictures of the iconic Hungarian Parliament that towers over the Danube in Budapest. Indeed, Budapest is one Europe’s busiest river cruising ports, and is generally a starting or stopping point for many itineraries sailing northwestern Europe. Over the past decade, however, lines are increasingly venturing to the southeast toward the Black Sea, through lesser-visited (and less crowded) cities in Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania. Riverside Luxury Cruises, one of the industry’s newest and most luxurious lines, offers four itineraries on the Lower Danube in 2025, including an 8-day “Belgrade to Budapest with the Iron Gates” sailing. After Budapest, the 158-passenger Riverside Mozart continues into Eastern Europe and the Danube’s famed Iron Gates before ending in the bustling city of Belgrade in Serbia. Because the brand is new, there are still fabulous deals to be had on this all-suite luxury line, with butler service for every cabin and some of the finest dining on Europe’s rivers.
Sail on the Seine on Uniworld’s quintessential French river cruise ship: the S.S. Joie de Vivre.
Courtesy of Uniworld
Paris to Istanbul, a cruise and rail journey with Uniworld
Uniworld Boutique River Cruises has been building its rail and sail program since just before the pandemic. But this might be the company’s best itinerary yet. Begin your two-week journey in the City of Light with a seven-night roundtrip sailing on the Seine aboard the colorful Parisian-themed 128-passenger S.S. Joie de Vivre. Bike through the landscapes that inspired Impressionist master Claude Monet, enjoy a private concert at the Rouen Cathedral in Normandy, golf on a clifftop course in Étretat, and tour the secret apartments of Versailles before returning to Paris to check into your luxury cabin for five days aboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express. Have some champagne in Champagne before you traverse the Austrian Alps on your way to the imperial city of Venice. Next up is Belgrade, the bustling, cosmopolitan capital of Serbia, followed by a stop in one of Europe oldest cities, Sofia, Bulgaria. Last but not least comes the majestic city of Istanbul. But if you prefer Paris to be best for last, take the trip the opposite way with an extra night in the City of Lights.
Starting in 2025, this could be your view of the Amazon, when Abercrombie & Kent launches a new luxury ship on the river.
Courtesy of Abercrombie & Kent
Peruvian Amazon with Sanctuary Retreats
Kayak through the Peruvian Amazon’s winding tributaries while searching for pink dolphins, fishing for piranhas, and exploring the surrounding rainforest on Pure Amazon, the newest Amazon river ship set to launch by Sanctuary Retreats (a collection of luxury camps and lodges in Africa, river boats in Egypt and, now a vessel in Peru), which is owned by A&K Travel Group, the same company that owns the global tour operator Abercrombie & Kent. The itineraries will be similar to those offered by other river boat and tour companies in the region, but the vessel promises to be one of the more intimate and elegant on the Amazon with just 10 suites and two single cabins—all with handcrafted furnishing made from locally sourced materials and in collaboration with local artisans. In addition to daily adventures off the boat, there will be morning yoga on the observation deck, spa treatments inspired by traditional Amazonian wellness practices, and an onboard gym with stunning river views. Lengths of trips will vary between three and five days. And because A&K is one of the world’s leading tour operators, the company can help travelers with any number of add-ons, from rail-and-trail packages in Machu Picchu to city sightseeing in Lima.
On this active Avalon Waterways cruise, passengers have the opportunity to go kayaking in the striking Gorges de l’Ardèche—also known as the “European Grand Canyon"—in France.
LB_06/Shutterstock
Southern France with Avalon Waterways
Avalon Waterways has been a leader in expanding excursion choices beyond traditional sightseeing into more active and adventurous outings. This itinerary combines the best of French wine and food with plenty of opportunities to get your heart rate up. On this eight-day Active & Discovery Rhône river sailing aboard Avalon Waterways’ 128-passenger Poetry II, you can bird-watch by bike in the Camargue Regional Nature Park, home to more than 400 bird species, including pink flamingos; learn how essential oils are created at a farmhouse in Provence; go kayaking in the Gorges de l’Ardèche; learn the painting techniques of Vincent van Gogh at a workshop in Arles; and take a cooking lesson in Lyon. And the the cruise can either begin or end in Paris—pas mal.
Fran Golden and Nicole Edenedo contributed reporting. This story was originally published in 2022, and was most recently updated on October 4, 2024, to include current information.
