European Rivers

From the epic Thames in the UK to the Seine in France; European rivers provide the ultimate cruising experience given their close proximity to entrancing shore-side villages, towns and cities.

Cruise the scenic 362km Adige River in northeastern Italy, which winds from the Rhaetian Alps near the Austrian border, southeastward through the charming provinces of Trentino-Alto Adige and Venetia.

Survey the Avon River, an English passage synonymous with the great bard Shakespeare, who resided in Stratford on Avon. Alternatively, cruise along Scotland's famous Clyde River; with a glorious 170km flowing north and north-west from the Southern Uplands to the Firth of Clyde.

For those seeking epic waterways, there's the Danube River, which begins in Germany's Black Forest and flows a gargantuan 2,816km south-east to the Black Sea. The river links Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. It provides a host of opportunities to view the toast of European history and culture along the way.

For a spellbinding Russian odyssey, sail the Volga. Coined in Russian folklore as Mother Volga, the longest river in Europe begins in the Valday Hills north-west of Moscow and carries about half of all river freight in Russia. Its settlements date back to the seventh century when Slavic and Finnic tribes relied on the river as part of a trade route to Central Asia.