European river cruises offer the full sensory experience. From sailing through Provence (known as “food capital of the world”) or sampling Vienna’s aromatic offerings, river cruising offers culinary adventure.
Read on to discover which river cruise lines offer itineraries that delve deep into regional cuisines.
1. Local Flavours
Though river cruises don’t feature the extravagant production shows and guest comedians found on ocean voyages, most offer entertainment such as resident pianists or small ensembles as well as folk dancers or singers that bring local flavor to evening shows. Plus, there are often culinary-focused shore excursions available too!
Abercrombie & Kent’s 2019 “Paris, Burgundy & the South of France” sailing offers cooking school excursions including off-ship lunch at an idyllic Provencal farm or chateau as well as attending a strudel-making lesson at Schonbrunn Palace. On Viking’s 2019 “Chateaux Rivers & Wine” itinerary from Bordeaux you can tour its famed covered market accompanied by a line chef to shop vendors while learning more about regional cheeses and olives.
Most river ships dock conveniently close to town, offering you easy access to restaurants and pubs without long wait times for seating.
2. Wine Tastings 
Scenic River Cruises’ “Time to Explore” program brings these traditions alive through immersive experiences and delectable cuisine served alongside their signature scenic cruising.
Wine-related excursions and culinary highlights on the eight-day Provence to Avignon itinerary include Bordeaux wine tasting, olive oil farm visit, lavender fields dotted with haystacks that inspired Cezanne and Van Gogh paintings, stroll among lavender fields reminiscent of Cezanne’s landscape paintings, as well as Chateauneuf-du-Pape tasting led by an onsite vintner.
Teeming River Cruises takes an unconventional approach to European river cruising. Their itineraries are more flexible than most river cruise lines and focus on exploring each destination thoroughly – such as private classical concerts preceding dinner at a villa, truffle hunting with an experienced hunter or visiting chocolatiers for tours.
3. Brewery Tours
European river cruises provide an endless supply of culinary experiences both onboard and during excursions, from sweet to sour to bitter to salty.
Wine and beer enthusiasts will also find plenty to love on river cruise lines, too. Viking’s 2022 “Beer, Breweries & Bavarian Castles” voyage from Munich features special onboard tastings as well as brewery tours and expert panels at local breweries.
Other cruises combine special onboard tastings with guided off-ship adventures. On Emerald Waterways’ 2019 “Sensations Lyon and Provence” itinerary, for instance, guests learn to make Lyonnaise specialty, while exploring its celebrated cheeses and olives.
Scenic’s Romantic Rhine itinerary also offers shopping in Bordeaux’s fresh market with a line chef, while on Tauck’s “Romantic Rhine” sailing, guests may take part in a pastry class taught by one of FOX Reality Show “MasterChef’s” four season winners.
4. Food Tours 
River cruises allow guests to experience these delectable regional flavors in various forms. At the 2022 Global River Cruise Expo, cruise lines showcased numerous locale-immersive culinary tours such as shaping a perfect pretzel at a German bakery or touring traditional Bulgarian Banitsa pastries.
Uniworld’s “Lyon, Capital of Gastronomy” itinerary takes passengers to unpretentious bouchons where they can enjoy hearty meat-based cuisine and delectable dumplings. Alternatively, their “Top Chef at Sea” sailings feature an evening welcome dinner hosted by celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio.
Tauck’s “Savoring France: Paris, Lyon & Provence” cruise focuses on French cuisine and local culinary traditions in Paris and along the Rhone. Tauck offers optional Masterpiece Collection excursions that offer more in-depth exploration of regional food such as cheese tasting with an affineur in Rudesheim or visiting a chocolate and waffle shop in Brussels.
