Rhine/Danube cruise: travelling during day, stationary at night?

August 6, 2023 5:33 AM

Hello My dad is looking for a very particular type of Rhine or Danube, ideally both, cruise. Wanted to ask here before I contact travel agents.

He's driven everywhere between Holland and Hungary over 50 years and wants a cruise where the boat travels during the day, so he can "watch the world go by" and ties up at night so he can go out to eat. Might this exist anywhere, or would we have to charter?

Of the big European river cruise companies, he'd be more of a Viking person. Would like to go all the way from like, Rotterdam to the Danube delta. Does not want guides or expeditions, not bothered at all about on-board facilities, not massively social. Could absolutely be a Dutch/German (etc) speaking operator. Money not primarily an object. Basically wants to be transported through the scenery then go out for a pint, and repeat.

Would be grateful for any pointers!

posted by runincircles to Travel & Transportation around Minsk, Belarus (3 answers total)

Would he be interested in renting a boat himself? Does it specifically have to be the Rhine or the Danube? There appear to be any number of outfits that will rent you a small houseboat, particularly in the Mecklenburg Lakeland.
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:07 AM on August 6, 2023

There are Dutch “cycling cruises” that do this because the idea is that you ride your bike through the Netherlands by day and your hotel room follows to keep up with you for the nights. Most allow you to stay aboard the ship during the day if you’re not feeling like riding.

This looks like a higher end provider, but there are many of them.
posted by A Blue Moon at 6:10 AM on August 6, 2023 [5 favorites]

When I google for "Rijn cruise" I get multiple shipping companies. Like feenstrarijnlijn.nl You probably can use Google translate to be able to read the site. But if I were you I'd just give them a call.
A similar trick should work for the Donau end.
posted by jouke at 6:56 AM on August 6, 2023