European River Cruises 2025 | USA River Cruises

From the wine regions of central Europe to Spitsbergen, Norway, in the secluded archipelago of Svalbard in the Arctic Circle, Europe is diverse in its climate and geology, its people, history and cuisine. There are many options for small ship cruising in Europe, and you could spend several years cruising all the available regions!

Theme cruises in Europe are very popular and varied. Wine, beer and champagne themes are available and always fill up quickly — as does the Christmas Markets cruises.

For a more select set of cruisers, there are knitting themes and Jewish heritage theme cruises. Regions also lend themselves quite naturally to themes. The wine regions along the Danube, Rhine, Seine and Douro rivers are, naturally, where you’ll find the wine cruises. Holland features a tulip time cruise in the spring. Paris and Normandy cruises visit Giverny, the home of Monet, making it a great destination for an art-themed cruise! And if you want vikings, head north to Norway and Iceland.

Tips for booking your European cruise:

Tip No. 1

Plan ahead! Some of the best European cruise specials are for those booking a year in advance. Yes — a full year!

Tip No. 2

Our European cruises would love to help you plan your airfare! That way, the ship knows when and how you’re coming and going, and it will make transfers easier to arrange.

Tip No. 3

USA River Cruise Groups department will often put together a couple European cruise groups a year. If you’d prefer to travel in a group or enjoy the comfort that traveling with a group leader provides, look for those on our Groups Page. And if our Groups department isn’t going where you want to go, make a suggestion! Do you travel with a group of friends or family? Our agents may be able to get you a group discount, depending on the size of your group.

Tip No. 4

Extend your stay. Spend a couple extra days either before or after your cruise. If you’re going to fly all the way to the other side of the world, enjoy it! Take two days to hit the hotspots in Paris, Prague, Oslo or Lisbon. We almost always have pre- and post-cruise packages available, but we can also customize one for you.