Holiday guide
River cruising
On board a river cruise, travel with ease and style. Just go with the flow, disembark and stroll about, then float onwards. This is travel without trouble: here’s how it works.
Novice’s guide to getting the most out of a river cruise
On a river-cruise ship you can explore the interior of continents in ease and style. This is travel without the hassle: here's how it works.
- Brian Johnston
How to choose a shore excursion (and avoid traps)
Shore excursions have evolved enormously over the last decade, leaving you with more opportunities for hits rather than misses.
- Brian Johnston
Ten rivers that take you to some of the greatest places on Earth
These historical trade arteries connect cities and castles, palaces and pagodas and they provide easy transport routes through gorges and across deserts.
- Brian Johnston
America’s most famous river journey is also highly underrated
The mighty Mississippi is storied in American culture, but it doesn’t always receive the love it deserves.
- Kristie Kellahan
- ★★★★
On board the new, Aussie-owned luxury ship cruising Europe
One of APT’s newest ships, the MS Estrela, is a gleaming beacon of contemporary sophistication purpose built for the Douro River.
- Kerry van der Jagt
Beyond the Rhine and the Danube: Alternative European rivers to cruise
Think you’ve done river cruising in Europe? It’s time to look beyond mainstream rivers at the marvellous range of alternative cruise destinations.
- Brian Johnston
One of the world’s best travel experiences is back in fashion
A Nile River cruise is one of the world’s best travel experiences, not just for its incredible temples and tombs, but for the marvellous riverine and desert scenery.
- Brian Johnston
Want to actually eat the exotic foods at Asian markets? On this cruise you can
Live frogs, sea snails, bunches of just-harvested herbs – this is not your average trip to the supermarket.
- Ben Groundwater
Ten surprising rivers you can cruise down
Done the Danube and revisited the Rhine? No worries: you can sail dozens of other rivers around the world. Here are 10 top choices.
- Brian Johnston
Be warned: This type of cruising is not for kids (with a few exceptions)
Taking kids on a river cruise is perhaps a mistake, but there are some exceptions.
- Brian Johnston
The absolute must-bring items for a European river cruise
Knowing what to pack ensures you don’t find yourself with too much luggage and contents that never see the light of day.
- Sheriden Rhodes
To explore the less predictable side of Europe, this is the way to do it
From vineyards to dramatic cliffs to Soviet-era villages with each bend of the river, this is a cruise guaranteed to open your eyes and your mind.
- Kerry van der Jagt
- ★★★★
Cruise ship review: Floating boutique hotel offers exceptional value
Fresh contemporary style, interesting port stops and inclusive tours … no wonder Travelmarvel Vega is consistently booked out.
- Sheriden Rhodes
A serene journey down the Mekong on a new luxury ship
A voyage aboard a floating castle, of sorts, from Vietnam to Cambodia can’t help but remind Australians of the classic film The Castle.
- Penny Watson
Think a river cruise is a pale shadow of an ocean cruise? Think again
River ships get you to places you’ll never see on seafaring mega-liners, and that’s just one of many little-known advantages.
- Brian Johnston
I took my teen daughter with me on a European river cruise
Bringing a teenager on a river cruise raises a few questions – will she stay in the cabin complaining about the Wi-Fi and be desperate to disembark? Only one way to find out
- Sheriden Rhodes
Six must-visit French river-cruise ports
Beyond big-name cities such as Paris, Bordeaux and Lyon, river cruises in France offer a seductive selection of attractive small towns.
- Brian Johnston
How to make the most of travelling by river
Boutique-hotel amenities and glorious landscapes that slide by without your having to exert the slightest effort.
- Brian Johnston
Six of Europe’s spectacular riverside buildings
A cruise between Amsterdam and Budapest along the rivers takes you past some of central Europe’s most eye-popping buildings.
- Brian Johnston
In the jungle, everything wants to eat something (including us)
Exploring the Amazon, plenty of things want to take a bite out of us. But back on our luxurious riverboat, we’re the ones who eat best.
- Jamie Lafferty
Mark Twain was right about rolling on this river
American Queen sits grandly at New Orleans wharf, its twin smokestacks piercing the sky when I board on a blistering June afternoon.
- Caroline Gladstone
Houseboat holiday made me wish this was my whole life
The true beauty of houseboat living is that you're always aware of the phases of the moon and the tide, so you're really in tune with nature.
- Nina Karnikowski
An epic, 10-country, 2857km Christmas journey
The promise of snow, Christmas markets and festive lights all add to the magic of these towns by the Danube.
- Steve McKenna
This is one of the best ways to travel by yourself
A cruise ship is a safe, predicable environment, and provides abundant opportunity to socialise – but it pays to plan ahead.
- Brian Johnston
Floating with impressionists down the River Seine
It’s a brush with art we weren’t expecting. Monet and his garden come alive on this cruise back in time on this Viking cruise in France.
- Jane Knight