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River Cruises

Find a perfect European cruise for 2025

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Idyllic journeys through some of Europe's most famous and inspiring landscapes may be enough to tempt you, but there are many more reasons to let Great Rail Journeys take care of your cruise holiday. Our ships and barges have been hand-selected to offer the highest quality experience in a relaxing and exceptionally comfortable environment, accompanied by fine food and panoramic views.

Excursions are all included in the price to ensure you get the most out of your trip. Not only that, but you also get the kind of reassurance that only comes with selecting an experienced holiday operator who will make sure that every aspect of your cruise is a joy.

Whether you arrive at your cruise's starting destination by flight or rail, we're with you all the way. There are lots of ways our river cruises can suit you, including extending your tour with an iconic rail journey, or choose a barge cruise if you prefer a more intimate experience than on our larger ships.

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Our customers love our River Cruises tours

Secrets of Provence

20/Jul

Anthony Arnfield

“Long journey and late dinner to start was a bit rough but the rest was absolutely fantastic. The crew of the barge cpould,t do enough for the participants and the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. We are considering doing a similar trip again.

Collected by Trustpilot

Delights of the Danube: Budapest to Passau

19/Jul

Trewithen Caravan and Camping

“Wonderful experience, 5 star, Amazing memories made.

Collected by Trustpilot

Imperial Cities & Delights of the Danube

18/Jul

Mr Timothy Silvanusdavis

“We had a great trip, loved every minute of it, apart from the hotel in Frankfurt. Evening meal was below par and breakfast the chef went AWOL so no omelette ! Hotel was music themed and quirky, but no sockets worked in the room, which was very inconvenient! Wouldn’t rush back...

Collected by Trustpilot

Jungfrau Express & the Majestic Rhine

17/Jul

P Cowburn

“From the unexpected sight seeing trip of Paris, to the beauty of Interlaken with great staff, the fast thrill of the trains to the slow relaxing cruise to interesting ports. Totally brilliant.

Collected by Trustpilot

The Classic Blue Danube: Passau to Budapest - Fly

17/Jul

michael soffe

“A fabulous holiday from start to finish, we travelled by air, rather than rail, to meet our cruise ship & all went smoothly. The scenery at the start of our trip moving from Passau into Austria was just beautiful, we had well organised sight seeing trips each day, Hallstatt &...

Collected by Trustpilot

The Majestic Rhine: Basel to Amsterdam

13/Jul

Mrs Hilary Himsworth

“Very well organised. Paced just right- good balance of excursions and cruising. Food was very good - both choice and quality. Staff were all very professional.

Collected by Trustpilot

Waterways of Alsace & Lorraine

9/Jul

Geoffrey

“A really enjoyable holiday- barge comfortable, crew exceptionally good, food and drink excellent, fellow passengers good company. A relaxing experience! Outward journey disrupted by Eurostar cancellation but Tour Manager, Mags Walsh, on her very first tour with GRJ deserves special recognition for getting us to our destination.

Collected by Trustpilot

The Beautiful Blue Danube: Passau Round Trip - Fly

8/Jul

Keith

“What a fantastic holiday and the 2 ladies in charge, were brilliant and could not ask for anything more. The whole thing from start to finish was so well organised and a big thank you to everyone.

Collected by Trustpilot

Glacier Express & the Romantic Rhine

4/Jul

Nigel Hobson

“A lovely combination of luxury cruising, sightseeing and cultural interest. Attentive friendly and helpful staff throughout the journey.

Collected by Trustpilot

River cruising is a great holiday choice if you want to distil the real essence of each destination you visit from the comfort of your floating hotel. And with Great Rail Journeys, you can expect each of our cruises, as well as our fantastic team, to go above and beyond. We'll make sure you have a wonderfully relaxing cruise experience. But how exactly do we make this happen?

Take it easy, you'll be looked after from start to finish

From when you book until the journey home, we'll be right beside you making sure your cruise goes without a hitch. Be reassured by the expert knowledge of our Travel Specialists, enjoy the company and composed nature of your Tour Manager, and get inspired by your on board Cruise Director. We can even arrange luggage transfers directly to and from your home.

One of the biggest stars of any great cruise holiday is often the river itself. Charming banks lined by beautiful scenery, the gentle lull of calm waters and the wonderful variety of sights to see all make the simple act of sailing down the river an experience to remember.

Your holiday, your way

We know that one size fits all doesn't work for holidays. When you cruise with Great Rail Journeys, you can make the most of a whole host of personalised options. If it's easier to fly, no problem! Fancy extending your holiday with a pre-cruise tour? Just let us know. Or perhaps you don't want to decide all your plans until you're on board. Excursions are included in the price, but you can explore independently if you like or simply relax on board.

We've also included a choice of sightseeing tours so you can pick the pace best suited to you.

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46 results matching: Escorted River Cruises

Take it easy, you'll be looked after from start to finish

Your holiday, your way