The Rising Popularity Of European River Cruises

Once upon a time, a ‘cruise’ used to mean a multiple-day journey across the sea in a huge vessel, with days spent in deck chairs sipping cocktails or playing tennis on the upper level. It was a pastime affordable only to the very rich or those who scrimped and saved for years in order to experience it.

Recently, however, the concept has experienced a shift, as another type of water-based holiday takes the market by storm: European river cruises. When compared to larger, seafaring cruises, these may, at first sight, appear to pale in significance. However, holidaymakers who chose to take up this type of holiday discover that it holds just as much appeal as a larger cruise, although of a very different sort.

The main difference between European river cruises and their larger (and possibly longer) counterparts on the sea lies in the overall nature of the endeavour. While on a seafaring cruise ship, passengers expect to not see land for days, and instead focus on enjoying the commodities offered by the boat. European river cruises are not constrained by this fact: the vessel itself, while luxurious, offers a very comfortable base, and a new destination can be explored on shore almost every day. As such, much of the focus is on the location or locations the vessel visits.

What this means, in practical terms, is that European river cruises end up attracting an entirely different demographic than sea cruises. Travellers who opt for a "floating hotel" river barge holiday are likely to be much more active and interested in exploring less-seen destinations in any given country. These are the type of people who would behappier stumbling upon a quaint castle out in the countryside than reclining on a deck, and who would be keen to experience the local cuisine (either on shore or on the vessel itself) rather than a homogenised version in a stark dining room.

Fortunately for the many who have chosen to enjoy this type of holiday, there has certainly been a shift in paradigm for the travel industry as a whole. While "fly-and-flop" holidays continue to be immensely popular the world over, recent years have seen a progressively larger niche open for alternative types of holidays, many of which combine physical activity and the thrill of discovery with a relatively luxurious home base. This type of template seems tailor made for barge holidays, and it is therefore no surprise that they have been acquiring more and more of an audience in recent years.

Paul Newman is the Marketing and E-Systems Executive for European Waterways, a provider of luxury, all-inclusive barge holidays. If you're looking for European river cruises we offer experiences in France, Holland, Italy and the UK.