7 amazing land tours you can add onto your Europe river cruise
A European river cruise happens to be a fantastic way to see some of the continent's most beautiful cities and regions. If you're planning to book one, a smart strategy to conveniently extend your visit is to add on a land tour offered by the cruise line.
River ships in Europe are essentially floating hotels designed to transport you along the Danube, Rhine and Seine rivers and some other legendary waterways. But by pairing your sailing with a precruise or postcruise land tour in a city such as Paris, Prague, Istanbul or Budapest, Hungary, you can seamlessly add more to your cultural immersion.
Most top river cruise lines offer these extensions, designed with guided tours (often with the same tour director from your ship) and hotel-to-ship transfers, although the only meal typically included is breakfast. Tauck, however, takes a different approach: It packages hotel stays (precruise, postcruise or both) into many of its itineraries. It also includes meals and guided tours, turning a seven-night cruise into a 10- to 12-night journey.
Here are seven amazing land tours you can add on to your European river cruise, plus two other river-and-land options that make exploring easy.
Enjoy a Paris hotel stay before or after cruising the Seine
Seine river cruises, which sail north to Normandy, France, but begin and end in Paris, typically feature at least one day (or sometimes two) in the City of Light. By adding a precruise or postcruise hotel stay that pairs free time and guided tours designed to complement the ones offered on board, you'll be able to appreciate more of the French capital's extraordinary history, architecture and culinary scene.
Uniworld Boutique River Cruises has a two-night precruise hotel stay for its Paris and Normandy sailings. It features independent sightseeing on the first day and a guided walking tour of architectural and historical landmarks in the 8th and 9th arrondissements on the second day.
Viking River Cruises' three-night addition — which is bookable precruise or postcruise on its "Paris & the Heart of Normandy" itineraries — also features a guided walking tour but allows more time for independent exploration. So, you can perhaps appreciate the impressionist masterpieces in the Musee d'Orsay or the restored Notre-Dame cathedral.
AmaWaterways' two-night precruise extension to its Paris and Normandy itinerary is the most tour-intensive, with a "Hidden Paris" tour on the second day and a morning guided visit to Montmartre prior to embarkation.
Explore Prague before or after sailing the Danube
While Prague sits along the Vltava River, navigational limitations mean most river cruise lines don't directly access the capital of the Czech Republic. The city is, however, a popular precruise or postcruise destination for many sailings on the Danube, which flows through neighboring Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.
One of Europe's crown jewels, Prague is known as the City of 100 Spires; it is famous for its 1,000-year-old hilltop castle, photogenic medieval bridge and enthusiastic beer culture, making it definitely worth the detour.
AmaWaterways' precruise Prague add-on to several Danube itineraries lasts three nights. It features a city tour or castle hike, a Czech beer tasting and a transfer to Vilshofen, Germany, which includes a tour of the UNESCO-listed German city, Regensburg.
Avalon Waterways offers a two-night Prague hotel stay before or after several itineraries, such as "Legendary Danube." It includes a guided city walk to top sights such as the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square and Prague Castle, with optional tours available at an additional cost.
See Vienna, Budapest or Bucharest and Transylvania before or after a Lower Danube cruise
Lower Danube cruises through the less-visited Eastern European countries of Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania are frequently paired with precruise and postcruise hotel stays in Vienna, Budapest, and the Romanian city of Bucharest and region of Transylvania. Adding these can turn a weeklong cruise into a two-week exploration of six countries.
Vienna's grand palaces and museums and Budapest's Gothic Revival-style Hungarian Parliament Building and thermal spas are well known. But the Romanian capital, Bucharest, and history-rich Transylvania are also worth experiencing.
AmaWaterways, for example, offers an extension to its "Gems of Southeast Europe" itinerary that features two precruise nights in Vienna, where an "Imperial Vienna" tour visits the Opera House and the Imperial Palace of the Habsburgs. Four postcruise nights in Romania are split between Bucharest and Brasov and include visits to Bran Castle (aka Dracula's Castle), Sighisoara (birthplace of Vlad Tepes, the inspiration for Dracula), Peles Castle and Bucharest's Old Town.
The "Combined Journeys" offered by Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours include both guided tours and meals. The company offers a six-day Transylvania extension on its nine-day "Eastern Europe & Balkans Unveiled" sailings on the Lower Danube; it includes visits to Peles Castle and Bran Castle, a two-night stay in Brasov, a tour of Sighisoara, an overnight in Sibiu and two nights in Bucharest.
Land tours on Viking's "Passage to Eastern Europe" sailings are mix-and-match: You can start with three precruise nights in Bucharest and Transylvania (visiting Brasov, Bran Castle, Sighisoara and Peles Castle) and also add three nights postcruise in Budapest or Vienna.
Experience Istanbul before or after cruising the Lower Danube
Another Lower Danube add-on is a precruise or postcruise stay in the place where continental Europe meets Asia: Istanbul. There's plenty to appreciate in this vibrant Turkish city, including the sixth-century Hagia Sophia, the exquisitely domed Blue Mosque, lavish Topkapi Palace and the labyrinthine Grand Bazaar. Two leading river cruise lines offer an Istanbul option.
Viking's land tour is a three-night precruise addition to its "Passage to Eastern Europe" sailing, and it includes guided visits to all of the aforementioned landmarks.
AmaWaterways' extension to its "Gems of Southeast Europe" itinerary pairs two precruise nights in Vienna (with the same "Imperial Vienna" tour described above) and three nights in Istanbul afterward, also with guided visits to top sights.
Get to know Lisbon or Madeira before cruising the Douro
A Douro river cruise, which typically sails round-trip from Porto, offers a delicious insight into the port- and wine-making traditions of northern Portugal. If you're looking to explore more of the country's history in its vibrant capital, Lisbon, or experience the verdant Portuguese island of Madeira, land tours can make either happen.
AmaWaterways and Avalon both offer three-night precruise extensions in the Lisbon area that feature guided visits to top sights such as Belem Tower, Jeronimos Monastery, Sintra and the National Palace of Pena.
Uniworld offers a three-night precruise land tour in Madeira, where you'll experience the island's scenic beauty and sample its unique gastronomy and Madeira fortified wines before flying to Porto for the "Douro River Valley" cruise.
Explore Amsterdam, Brussels or Bruges, and Ghent while sailing Dutch and Belgian waterways
"Tulip Time" cruises in the Netherlands and Belgium generally kick off Europe's river cruise season in March, but sailings that visit both countries are also available throughout summer and fall. A hotel stay before or after your cruise will give you more time to enjoy Amsterdam's canals and artistic treasures, such as the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, as well as the medieval guild houses and Belgian beer culture of Brussels, Ghent and Bruges.
With Viking's "Holland & Belgium" itinerary, you can add two precruise nights in Amsterdam, with an included walking tour. You can also add three nights postcruise in Bruges and Ghent, where more charming canals, fascinating history and fabulous chocolate await.
Avalon Waterways offers a one-night precruise extension in either Brussels or Amsterdam on its "Treasures of Belgium & Holland" and "Highlights of Belgium & Holland" sailings. Tourgoers will get a guided city tour prior to embarkation.
See Switzerland before or after cruising the Rhine or Rhone
Rhine river cruises that begin or end in Basel, Switzerland, offer just a glimpse of this stunning country. Luckily, it's easy to see more of compact Switzerland with a land-tour extension, namely to Lucerne and Zurich. Both destinations are set on lakes, feature charming old towns and offer easy access to the stunning Swiss Alps.
Several AmaWaterways Rhine itineraries — including "Rhine & Moselle Delights" and "Enchanting Rhine" — have a precruise add-on of two nights in Lucerne and two nights in Zurich, complete with four days of guided tours.
Viking's "Rhine Getaway" itinerary allows you to add two precruise nights in either Basel or Lucerne. However, the most exciting option is a four-night "Swiss Alps & Scenic Train" tour that visits the Lake Geneva region, the Jungfrau region, Lucerne and Basel.
Switzerland is also easily accessible from Lyon, France, where many Rhone sailings begin and end. This provides a chance to combine a wine tasting in Burgundy and Provence, France, with lakeside touring and a train ride through the Swiss Alps.
Riviera Travel offers an 11-day "Burgundy, the River Rhone & Provence River Cruise with Lake Geneva & Golden Pass Extension" itinerary. It includes a seven-night Rhone sailing with a three-night land tour to Lausanne and Montreux (both located on Lake Geneva) and a journey aboard the Golden Pass train from Gstaad back to Montreux.
Other river-cruise options for extending your time in Europe
In addition to traditional land add-ons, a few cruise lines offer unique ways to stretch your vacation days.
Uniworld, for example, offers a variety of "Cruise & Rail" journeys, including the 14-night "Cruise & Rail: Paris to Istanbul" itinerary that visits six countries (France, Austria, Slovenia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey); it combines a seven-night Seine cruise round-trip from Paris with five nights aboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express and one hotel night in Istanbul. The river portion visits Versailles, Rouen and the D-Day beaches of Normandy, all in France, while the train journey makes stops in the capital cities of Vienna, Belgrade in Serbia and Sofia in Bulgaria before passengers disembark in Istanbul.
Riverside Luxury Cruises, meanwhile, offers shorter sailings that are easy to add onto a land vacation. You can, for example, book a four-night "Captivating Danube Capitals: Budapest, Bratislava & Vienna" itinerary, or you can opt for a three-night "Burgundy Bliss" sailing on the Saone River in France. The latter cruises the famous Burgundy wine region round-trip from Lyon.
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