Rhine River Tours & Trip Packages

Rhine River Tours & Trips

232 Rhine River trips. Tours from 46 tour companies. 13 reviews. 4.7/5 avg rating.

232 Trips match your criteria (1 - 20 shown)

A Walk to Remember end Amsterdam
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4.6/5 Excellent
66 reviews
Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Prague, Rhone Rhine Canal

Highlights

  • Discover the most beautiful area of the Rhine Valley, drawing medieval villages, castles, vineyards, hills, small churches
  • Explore Prague beautiful landscapes en route. Hills. Picturesque villages
  • City tour of Prague, visit to Castle
  • Explore Amsterdam and pass through Dam Square with the Town Hall and Royal Palace, the canals and their marvellous bridges, the river Amstel and the floating houses
  • Visit Volendam, on a short boat trip on the Jsselmeer lake we will go to Marken

Themes

Cultural, Local Immersion & Homestays, Overland Journeys

What travelers are saying

"No travel with then completely desaster First and last Hotel accommodations really cheap, they mix you with 40 people in the same bus"

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Accessible Germany River Cruise
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5/5 Excellent
16 reviews
River Cruise
Why we love them
Their accessibility specialists have traveled with their own disabilities so they have a deep understanding of how to accommodate different needs.
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Bonn, Dusseldorf

Highlights

  • Fully Accessible River Cruise
  • Visit Bonn

Themes

Accessible & Limited Mobility, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"I recently booked a trip to Mexico with Tarita for my family. I use a wheelchair and have two small children, and Tarita was a wealth of knowledge about which resorts would be both accessible AND kid friendly, which was awesome. Access was at the top of her list and she handled all the details. Really happy that I found her!"

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10 Day Bavaria & Alps Experience
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5/5 Excellent
9 reviews
Private Guided
Why we love them
They go the extra mile to cater to travelers of all abilities by limiting hotel transfers, choosing accessible tour routes and more.
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Full schedule

Visits

Alps, Bavaria, Berlin, Frankfurt, Grindelwald, Lucerne, Mt. Pilatus, Munich, Neuschwanstein Castle, Zurich

Highlights

  • Experience Munich and see the highlights of this 850 year old city
  • The day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle
  • Travelling the Romantic Road, we first reach Harburg
  • Fully guided experience of the Dachau Concentration Camp
  • Drive through the beautiful upper Bavarian countryside to Chiemsee, Bavaria's largest lake.

Themes

Cultural, Hiking & Walking

What travelers are saying

"I've traveled to Europe several times before but not like this. Thanks to Kelley and her amazing knowledge and patience with all my queries, my famiy and I enjoyed a customized itinerary filled with a food tour in Paris and a cooking lesson in Naples, history and art lessons at the British Museum and Musee D'Orsay, with enough time to travel independently and make new discoveries with less hassle than before. I absolutely recommend the Relaxed Explorer to anyone looking to make memorable trips with their families that will be cherished by all. Thank you so much Kelley!! Would love to make more good travel memories with your help!!"

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Christmas Markets along the Rhine
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4.5/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
River Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Strasbourg

Highlights

  • Cruise highlights An exciting cruise on the Rhine River bringing on the holiday cheer
  • THE MUST-SEE SITES: Heidelberg and one of the most beautiful Christmas markets in Germany
  • Koblenz and the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

Themes

50 plus, Eco, Sustainable & Green Travel, Family Friendly, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"Summary over a cruise on the Haute Seine and Yonne on a barge. As seasoned cruisers, knowing well all aspects of cruising on seas and rivers, we had no experience about traveling on a barge in a canal. It was also time to overcome this lack. A number of companies offer this kind of cruising on barge with 8 to 16 passengers, however very often at exorbitant prices. Luckily, we discovered that the company CroisiEurope offers one week cruise on various canals in Europe, at very decent price, especially considering that all is inclusive (full board, all alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and all excursions) on modern barges with a maximum of 22 passengers. We opted for the barge Ms Deborah, which cruises on the canal de la Loire, with the Briare to Nevers’ route. We were looking forward to this itinerary because the proposed excursions particularly suited us. Unfortunately, only a few days before departure, we were informed that due of a lack of water in the Loire canal the Ms Deborah was switched over to the Haute Seine and Yonne for a new itinerary from Paris to Sens. Despites the fact that this new itinerary didn’t really meet our desires, especially the excursions, we decided to accept the change. Our group of 6 persons from Switzerland was very warmly greeted by all members of the crew when arriving on the quai de Grenelle in Paris where we see the MS DEBORAH for the first time, our floating home for the week. With its two dominating colours blue and white, it is difficult not to fall in love with this beautiful small ship. We were invited immediately for the welcome cocktail during which we met officially the crew and the other six individual passengers originating from New Zealand, England and the USA. With less time than it needs to tell, the relation between us was created, so that everyone felt part of a bunch of friends knowing each other for long time. There is no need to present here the MS Deborah itself, as this is already thoroughly done on the Cruise Critic page. The crew of 6 persons is composed of a captain, a sailor, a cruise director, a chef, a waitress and a cabin hostess who put all their efforts to satisfy the passengers and offer them the best possible service. The captain as well as the sailor are always trying to make passengers at ease, answer questions or even bring a drink. The lady cruise director is omnipresent, taking care of the passengers better than a mother hen would do. The talented young French chef aims to produce dishes which please everybody. His outstanding sauces and excellent desserts should be particularly praised. However, referring to comments we made during a cruise on the Seine Princess two years ago, we cannot understand that why today it is not possible to offer the choice of a light buffet at lunch instead a three or even four course menu! The always smiling and friendly Hungarian waitress was very caring and attentive, without forgetting the cabin hostess doing a great job in the cabins, the public spaces and even the kitchen. It wouldn’t be fair to name a single person as all members of the crew, without any exception, do all they can to make the cruise unforgettable. Our one-week cruise on the barge Ms Deborah enables us today to make the following comments: ~ a cruise on a barge cannot be compared to any other kind of cruise ~ despite all the comfort offered on modern barge, one must be very aware that life on board happens at a restraint space, requiring therefore much flexibility and understanding in all aspects from all passengers ~ in our case, being only 12 passengers, we had the opportunity to take our meals on the terrace. We also never had the feeling that the boat was overcrowded. This can be different when the ship is full, especially by bad weather ~ the state of mind between the passengers who are mostly of foreign nationalities, who don’t know each other and don’t speak French, must function well right from the beginning ~ if the interrelation works, it is difficult to find a more relaxing and enjoyable way of travelling ~ the success on a barge is mainly due on the quality of its crew. Ms Deborah’s crew members have quickly created a family spirit on board, showing also that they genuinely like what they do ~ excursions can play a major role in choosing an itinerary. Not speaking French or English can be a handicap Do we recommend to do a cruise on a barge? Yes, definitively! It’s affordable, the atmosphere on board is unique, the routes can be very interesting. In our case, this second try with CroisiEurope gives them a better note."

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Castles along the Rhine (2022)
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5/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
River Cruise
Why we love them
They have the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry and a reputation for excellent service.
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Koblenz, Strasbourg

Themes

50 plus, Cultural, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"Personnel were all very polite and happy to serve. Service was timely and professional. Most remembered your preferences and were prepared to assist."

Trip dates & details
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Remarkable Rhine & Historic Holland (2022)
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5/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
River Cruise
Why we love them
They have the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry and a reputation for excellent service.
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Amsterdam, Basel, Frankfurt, Strasbourg

Themes

50 plus, Cultural, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"Personnel were all very polite and happy to serve. Service was timely and professional. Most remembered your preferences and were prepared to assist."

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Magnificent Moselle & Rhine
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5/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
River Cruise
Why we love them
They have the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry and a reputation for excellent service.
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Bern, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Trier

Themes

50 plus, Cultural, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"Personnel were all very polite and happy to serve. Service was timely and professional. Most remembered your preferences and were prepared to assist."

Trip dates & details
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The Best of Germany: Grand Cities, Castles and the Romantic Rhine
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4.4/5 Great
100+ reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Wheelchair Accessible
Trip pace
Full schedule

Visits

Bavaria, Berlin, Dresden, Heidelberg, Munich, Nuremberg, Potsdam

Highlights

  • In Berlin, explore the German Bundestag with an expert and meet a political expert for a discussion round
  • Learn about the great German landmarks including the Rhine, Heidelberg Castle, Sanssouci Castle and the Nuremburg Castle
  • Join an expert to explore the elaborately styled opera house in Dresden, the Semperoper

Themes

50 plus, Education / Learning

What travelers are saying

"Our family of four, including two adult children, took the Bicycling: Day Trips to Paradise in Canada. This trip is entirely outsourced to the owners of the inn, there are no Road Scholar employees involved in the trip. Two of us have taken bicycle trips all over the world and the bicycling component of this trip was disorganized, haphazard and almost unsafe. We all filled out forms giving details regarding our bicycle fitting months before the trip. On the first day, the leader Stephen, went around the room and asked the same questions and said everyone would get fitted in the morning before we began the first ride. The morning brought a rack of bikes, all different types in various levels of readiness. There were road bikes, hybrid bikes, mountain bikes and e-bikes. The rides were all on paved surfaces and the mountain bikes were heavy and the additional suspension added weight. The bike I received had rust on the chain and rear sprocket. When I asked about it, was told they were waiting for another van to show up with tools and equipment. Once it arrived, they gave me the lubricant to spray on the rust. My wife’s bike would not shift into the high gear on the front sprocket. Instead of adjusting the derailleur, they suggested spraying it with lubricant. Our one son is over six feet and needed a larger frame bike, even though he detailed it in the bike form months ago, there was no bike to fit him. One of the guides, then went home and brought a larger bike that was a full suspension mountain bike for him. The bike was very heavy, hard to control on the road and he felt unsafe. After two days, one of the guides convinced Stephen that they could adjust a hybrid bike to fit him. Clearly there was no work done to prepare the bikes for the trip. Many of the bikes needed adjusting and all needed lubricant to function easily. For every day, there was a tray of snacks placed out for us to take along the ride. None of the bikes had any baskets or attached bags, so if you didn’t bring a small day pack, there was no way to carry the snacks. For lunch on the rides, they brought exactly one sandwich for each rider. Since most of us get hungry while doing a day of exercise, it would have been helpful to have a few extras. On one day, they ran out of sandwiches and one of the leaders that were riding with us did not get lunch. Do NOT take this trip if you are expecting it to be a bicycling trip. We have used VBT and Discovery Bicycle Tours many times over the past 25 years and they are excellent bike tour companies. Lastly, after sharing these details with Road Scholar after the trip, their response was weak at best. After doing the full reviews and having to call them, their response was to give us $200 credit after spending $8000 on this trip. Not only was that insulting, they assumed that I would take another trip with their organization."

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Rhine River Reviews & Ratings

4.7/5  Excellent
13  Reviews
See all Rhine River tour reviews
Excellent
6
Great
0
Average
1
Disappointing
0
Terrible
0
R

RIP off report

May 2020

Written on

Do not use Great Value Vacations

We spent $11, 630.20 for a 12 day trip to Europe, from 6/11/2020 to 6/23/2020. THEY cancelled our trip, and refuse to refund our money, even after we purchased the t...

L

Larry

Oct 2018

Misleading and often just plain dishonest.

We paid for a 3 week luxury river cruise but received a large group bus trip across Europe with many days of packing and unpacking. I called our Viking representativ...

C

Charles

Oct 2022

Good and no so goog

Recently returned from a Viking Rhine trip on 10/14. The good: Rhine water levels were good, no issues. Service on the vessel was A+, excluding one attendant with...

T

Tonya

Aug 2015

Incredible experience

Incredible experience sailing on the Grand European tour from Amsterdam to Budapest! Just wonderful! The tours were interesting, and most allowed for adequate free t...

W

Wayne H

Jan 2017

Written on

The most amazing river trip in Europe

Traveling from Belgium through 6 countries to Switzerland is one of the most amazing travel experiences in Europe, especially if traveling with Grand Circle Travel. ...

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Rhine River Tour Selection Trips

  • Rhine cruises typically last between eight and 12 days, largely depending on whether or not they include side-trips along the Moselle, which branches off from Rhine at Koblenz.
  • Some longer itineraries may include other waterways in AustriaHungary or the Netherlands.
  • Be sure to allow at least one extra day in canal- and museum-rich Amsterdam and/or in Basel in Switzerland, to explore those cities before or after the cruise.
  • Christmas market cruises in late November and December are very popular along the Rhine, where festive village outdoor markets sell handcrafted gifts and are filled with the aromas of freshly made gingerbread, sizzling sausages, and mulled wine.
  • The busiest season for Rhine cruises is June through August. May and September can feature pleasant weather, fewer crowds, and lower prices.
  • There are about ten more castles on the right (eastern) bank of the Rhine River Gorge than on the left (western). (The Lorelei rock is on the eastern bank.) But don’t worry too much about which side of the ship your cabin is on; even if you have a private balcony, you’ll probably spend much of your time on the top deck, where there’s a 360-degree view.
  • Many Rhine cruise itineraries offer chances for interesting side-trips away from the river. Particularly appealing are the Alsatian city of Strasbourg in France, which combines French and German culture, and the Black Forest area of southwestern Germany.
  • You can also combine a Rhine River cruise with a Danube River cruise via a canal and sail down to Budapest, Hungary, or beyond through eastern Europe.
  • With the perennial popularity of Rhine cruises, don’t expect to find last-minute bargains. Book as early as possible – often a year in advance or more – to be sure to get the cabin you want.
  • To judge the best value as opposed to just the lowest price, keep an eye out for how many “extras” are included in the base rate – such as port excursions, port charges, alcohol, balcony cabins, and even international airfare on occasion – that could considerably inflate the price if purchased separately. (Gratuities are seldom included, though you may be able to pay them up front.)
  • If you plan on traveling alone on your Rhine cruise, check into the cruise lines’ policies on charging for singles supplements, and whether or not they will match you with a same-sex roommate if you’d like to avoid the extra charge.
  • Some cruise lines employ multiple tour directors and offer port excursions at different “speeds,” so you can choose how fast you want to walk or ride and how much you want to see.
  • Be sure to check with cruise lines if you have special diet needs. Some may not be able to do kosher food, for example, while others may fall down on gluten-free or even interesting vegetarian dishes. 

Additional details

River cruises along the Rhine are perfect for those travelers seeking a less crowded European river cruise than the Danube, but are eager to see many similar sights.

Rather than traveling in and east-west direction, Rhine river cruises travel north-south through the Netherlands, western Germany, and some far eastern parts of France.

Unlike many other river cruises through Europe, the Rhine touches on some views of a more industrial side of Europe. You will absolutely see a smattering of castles, and gorgeous countryside, but expect a few industrial plants and factories along the way as well. The Rhine, like all important rivers, has gone through many iterations of importance to the countries it services.

How long are Rhine River Cruises?

Rhine river cruises are usually between 8 and 15 days. This gives you a nice balance of port calls and time out on the water.

However, be sure to check the itinerary and route carefully. Many Rhine River cruises travel in smaller areas, rather than the full expanse of the river. These cruises may be similar amounts of time but hitting a different number of countries.

So when searching for a Rhine River cruise, consider whether you’d prefer to visit more sites within 1 country - meaning some smaller villages and towns, or forgo some sights in the interest of checking off more countries and larger cities.

Christmas Cruises Along the Rhine

The Rhine is an extremely popular river for people wanting to visit some of Europe’s famous Christmas markets. These delightful markets have deep roots in Germany where they are called “Christkindlesmarkt”. Because the Rhine flows through much of Germany’s western regions, it is one of the top rivers that hosts Christmas cruises.

Snow is common, so be ready for some cold weather! But it adds everything to the ambiance, as you stroll through the streets listening to carols, sipping mulled wine, and browsing stalls of crafts and food.

Rhine Christmas cruises fill up fast! Be sure to book early to secure a spot. And book extra early if you or someone you traveling with requires special assistance, such as a wheelchair accessible room. These are first come first serve on river cruise vessels.

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