River cruising in Europe is the easiest and most affordable way to see everything that the Old World has to offer. A European river cruise puts you right at the heart of the continent's cosmopolitan cities and quaint villages: step off your ship and you're instantly surrounded by the magnificent architecture, museum masterworks, and colorful contemporary culture that make traveling to Europe so popular.

Europe offers river cruisers more choice than any other single destination: over ten major waterways (including the Danube, the Rhine, the Seine, and the Rhône-Saône), dozens of the continent's most popular ports of call (Amsterdam, Paris, Vienna, and more), and an almost limitless number of tiny (but immensely charming) villages and towns.

Europe's second-longest river (only the Volga surpasses it in length) flows through or touches upon the borders of ten countries and four of the continent's capital cities, including Budapest and Belgrade. Originating in Germany's Black Forest, the Danube stretches southeast for nearly 1,800 miles before emptying into the Black Sea via its delta, which is situated on the banks of both Romania and Ukraine.

Prominent points of interest along the Danube include Austria's picturesque Wachau Valley, home to ancient monasteries and rolling vineyards, and the Iron Gates gorge, which serves as part of the boundary between Romania and Serbia.

One of the longest rivers in Europe (and Germany's longest), the Rhine remains one of the continent's most important waterways. It has served as the inspiration for enduring myths (Lorelei rock and the bewitching siren who shares its name being but one example) and as a flashpoint for many of history's most famous conflicts (from its establishment as the Roman Empire's northern frontier through both World Wars) .

Stretching from Switzerland's eastern Alps to the North Sea coast, the Rhine courses through many of Europe's largest cities, including Strasbourg (France), Cologne and Düsseldorf (Germany), and Rotterdam (The Netherlands).

The Iberian Peninsula's third-longest river originates in the Spanish municipality of Duruelo de la Sierra, snaking eastward through northern/central Spain and Portugal before reaching its mouth in Porto, Portugal's second-largest city.

Travelers should expect to encounter a wide range of landscapes while cruising the Douro: the high plains of central Spain and the protected biodiversity of Castile and León's Arribes del Duero Natural Park; the narrow canyons and steep ravines that form a portion of the borderline between Spain and Portugal, and the vineyards of Portugal's Douro Valley, producers of the world's finest port wines.

The Rhine, upon reaching the border of the Netherlands, distributes itself into a number of smaller rivers (including the Lek and the Waal); these smaller rivers, in conjunction with a series of canals and channels, flow into the larger river Maas and move northward through the Netherlands and Belgium en route to the North Sea, allowing cruisers to explore large portions of both countries via river ships.

Over 1,300 miles of inland waterways are available to cruisers interested in exploring such major Dutch destinations as Amsterdam (the Netherlands' capital city), Rotterdam (informally regarded as "the Gateway to Europe"), and Maastricht (birthplace of the European Union), while Belgium's closely knit collection of waterways (including the Muese and the Scheldt) provides passengers with access to the banks of Antwerp, Brussels, and Bruges.

The Elbe originates in the Czech Republic and flows through much of that country before reaching Germany and dispensing itself into the North Sea near Hamburg. At 700 miles in length, it is one of Central Europe's major rivers and was formerly part of the border that separated East Germany from West. Its canals connect it to Berlin, the Baltic Sea, and other notable destinations.

Focal points along the Elbe include Dresden (for centuries one of Europe's major cultural centers, it's still home to impressive collections of artwork and Baroque-style architecture) and Magdeburg (one of the continent's most important medieval cities).

A tributary of the Rhine and connected to the Danube via canal, the Main offers river cruisers an opportunity to get close to and explore the German heartland's beautiful countryside, many of its historic towns, and one of the country's largest metropolitan areas.

"The Blue Band" originates at the intersection of its two headstreams, the Red Main and the White Main, and flows westward before joining with the Rhine. Along its route, passengers can expect to encounter an array of ancient castles and cathedrals, dense forestlands and low mountain ranges, the beer gardens and vineyards of Bavaria and Franconia, and multicultural Frankfurt.

The Moselle winds its way through France, Luxembourg, and Germany before reaching its confluence with the Rhine. A popular choice amongst river cruisers who appreciate the idyllic beauty of the towns that line its shores, the Moselle is also notable for the number of ancient castles that overlook its waters and for the access it provides to Germany's most prestigious wine region, where many of the world's finest white-grape varieties originate.

No cruise along the Moselle would be complete without a visit to Trier, Germany's oldest city and home of the Holy Tunic plus many of Europe's best-preserved examples of early Roman architecture.