Riviera Travel on the Rhine at a glance
Riviera Travel currently operates 9 river-cruise vessels on the Rhine, with an average passenger count of 140. The line is headquartered in Burton-on-Trent, England and was founded in 1984; Riviera Travel is the largest UK-based river cruise operator. Its fleet of literary-named vessels — Lord Byron, Robert Burns, William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde and others — is known for guaranteed solo cabins (with no single supplement) on every sailing, included gratuities, and itinerary lengths from five to fifteen nights.
The Rhine itself flows through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands over 1233 kilometres. The Rhine is the busiest river-cruise corridor in the world. Its Middle-Rhine gorge between Bingen and Koblenz is a UNESCO World Heritage Site studded with more than forty hilltop castles. Most Rhine itineraries run between Amsterdam and Basel, covering Cologne, Koblenz, Rüdesheim, Mannheim, Speyer, Strasbourg and Breisach in seven to ten days. Headline destinations served by Riviera Travel on this river include Cologne Cathedral, Strasbourg, Heidelberg, Marksburg Castle, the Middle Rhine UNESCO gorge.
Riviera Travel ships sailing the Rhine
| Ship | Passengers | Launched |
|---|---|---|
| MS Charles Dickens | 140 | 2017 |
| MS Emily Bronte | 140 | 2018 |
| MS Geoffrey Chaucer | 140 | 2015 |
| MS George Eliot | 140 | 2019 |
| MS Jane Austen | 140 | 2016 |
| MS Lord Byron | 140 | 2012 |
| MS Robert Burns | 142 | 2014 |
| MS Thomas Hardy | 140 | 2018 |
| MS William Shakespeare | 140 | 2017 |
Featured itineraries
| Itinerary | Length | Sample ports |
|---|---|---|
| Romantic Rhine | 8 nights | Amsterdam · Cologne · Koblenz · Rüdesheim · Mannheim · Strasbourg · Breisach |
| Rhine Highlights | 7 nights | Basel · Breisach · Strasbourg · Speyer · Mainz · Rüdesheim · Koblenz |
| Tulip Time on the Rhine | 8 nights | Amsterdam · Kinderdijk · Antwerp · Veere · Hoorn · Arnhem · Cologne |
| Castles of the Rhine | 8 nights | Amsterdam · Cologne · Koblenz · Heidelberg · Strasbourg · Breisach · Basel |