With European rivers opening up to Australians as we can now travel, cruise companies are expecting a surge in demand in 2022/23 and are planning their best river cruises ever.

Here are new places to see from top river cruises in Europe.  

Storyteller Cruises (Avalon Waterways) 

A river cruise is a perfect time to read literary gems, but Avalon Waterways offer a more engaging experience with its Storyteller Series. 

Avalon has been cruising the Seine, Danube and Rhine but with this curated cruise, you can actually meet legends such as novelists, award-winning artists, and songwriters. 

The river cruise company perfectly describes this literary itinerary: sail past cliffside castles while uncovering cliff-hangers in the company of award-winning artists. And capture insider narratives outside the pages of novels, scripts and song lyrics. 

Legendary Cruises 

Disappear on a Magical Rhine Sailing with Diana Gabaldon

International bestselling author of Outlander novels

Sail the Storied Seine River with Candace Bushnell

International bestselling author of the Sex in the City anthology

Suite Sailing Down the Legendary Danube with Cheryl Strayed

International bestselling author of Wild

Come Sail Away on the Danube with Gillian Flynn

International bestselling author of Gone Girl

Make Memories on the Rhine with Christopher Moore

International bestselling comic fantasy novelist

Sweet Tunes on the Rhine with Edwin McCain

Billboard-topping singer-songwriter

Elegant Elbe (Viking River Cruises) 

Viking Cruises invite travel enthusiasts to join their Elegant Elbe river cruise for 2022. 

The Elbe is regarded as one of Europe’s most unspoiled rivers and Viking launched its new itinerary from Berlin to Prague. 

The company promises that guests will “discover Berlin’s modern chic, Potsdam’s rococo whimsy and Prague’s Gothic exuberance.”

The tour also features a stroll in Wittenberg – the birthplace of Martin Luther. 

Other activities include a trip to the porcelain center in Meissen, monoliths in Saxon Switzerland, and war memorials in Dresden. 

Blue Danube with Ralph Grizzle (Riviera River Cruises) 

Riviera River Cruises now offers the Blue Danube cruise hosted by accomplished American journalist and cruise expert Ralph Grizzle. 

The eight-day adventure will round trip from Budapest and visit Esztergom, Hungary; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Durnstein, Melk Abbey, Salzburg and Vienna in Austria.

“Ralph Grizzle is one of the foremost experts on river cruising and we’re thrilled to have him join us on this Danube River departure,” said Marilyn Conroy, Riviera River Cruises’ executive vice president of sales and marketing for North America, in a press release. “Ralph will host specially tailored tours in destinations along the way and share his knowledge of the region and river cruising with guests. Offerings like this are another reason to make Riviera your go-to river cruise line for your clients.”

Tastes of Imperial Europe (Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours) 

For gastronomes out there, Scenic Luxury Cruises is now accepting bookings for its gourmet-theme cruise for 2022. 

The culinary-focused cruise includes the Taste of Southern France, Flavours of Bordeaux, and the five-day Tastes of Imperial Europe between Budapest and Vienna. 

The itineraries feature an onboard dinner from Michelin-star chef Didier Goiffon and a course at three-star Michelin chef Georges Blanc’s restaurant. 

Enchantment of Eastern Europe (Emerald Cruises) 

Emerald Cruises now offer the Enchantment of Eastern Europe that covers five countries. 

“As the final stretch of the Danube weaves its way through the depths of eastern Europe, meet locals for lunch in their home, enjoy tours of Osijek & Belgrade & marvel at the beauty of the Iron Gate,” Emerald describes the 2022 river cruise itinerary in their official website.

“In Kalocsa, visit a Puszta Horse Show, enjoy lunch in the home of a local Croatian family in Osijek and, in Belgrade, enjoy a guided city tour, before a Serbian folklore show on board. Taste Romanian wine, attend a choir concert in Arbanasi, and journey by road to Bucharest.”

Tulips & Windmills (Uniworld Boutique River Cruises) 

Uniworld describes the present-time as a season of rebirth with the river cruise industry trying to revive the realm. 

Part of its new offerings for 2022 is the Tulips & Windmills itinerary that covers Netherlands and Belgium. 

“Stroll through colorful acres of tulips at Keukenhof Gardens to get a sense of the Netherlands’ extraordinary connection to these blooms.”

With this new itinerary from Uniworld, you can visit the 19 UNESCO-designated windmills of Kinderdijk “to better understand how these mighty structures have been used to protect the Low Country from ever-rising water levels for hundreds of years.”

Savoring France: Paris, Lyon & Provence (Tauck) 

Tauck joins the effort to revive the river cruise industry with its new river cruise covering Paris, Lyon & Provence. 

Guests can “savour the sweet life of France” with a 7-night river cruise aboard MS Emerald through vineyard country that’s home to some of the world’s most exceptional wines. 

The cruise also features a pastry class at Le Cordon Bleu and a dinner at Fouquet’s in Paris. 

Other activities include a cooking school in Valence, an evening stroll at the Duchy of Uzès and a high-speed TGV ride to culinary Lyon.