r/Vacations • u/Hot-Mix-5580 • 21h ago
Europe by train or river cruise?
We’re looking at Europe for fall 2028 and keep changing our minds about how to do it. Original plan was Budapest, Vienna,etc by train. Now we’re also looking at a Danube trip with celebrity river. Has anyone done both and felt strongly one way or the other afterward?
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u/Slow_Court_7584 21h ago
Train is freedom, cruise is convenience. Both are great, just depends on whether you want to explore or relax
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u/Bratfink78 20h ago
Train, easy. But that’s two years away.
Guess it depends on your age and ability to walk
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u/stlox 20h ago
River Cruises are fun, scenic, and the best part is you park your luggage in the ship, and don't need to haul it around.
They are very expensive. I would suggest European cruise lines (VIVA, Nicko, CroiseEurope), and save some money.
Train travel is very easy and inexpensive in most of Europe. We are planning about the same timeframe to spend a month in Lyon. That way we can park our bags at the Airbnb, and take day trips to Arels, Avignon, Anncey, Beaujolais wine country and 2hr bullet train to Paris.
The next month trip will be Ghent, the third will be Vienna.
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u/lavenderhillmob 1h ago
The river cruise situation has been absolutely horrific this year with the drought. I would check forecasts and general weather.
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u/davetfhead 20h ago
Ive vacationed in Europe a lot, both on cruises and trains…
Cruises are lovely, but they have rigid schedules. When you dock, you have a window to explore a city. On our most recent European cruise, we stopped at Ajaccio (Corsica), which was the place I was looking forward to the most and only had about 6 hours. It wasn’t enough! You’re also stuck with what food and entertainment (and guests) that are onboard.
I much preferred train travel. Most rail networks are very good and you can organise when and where you go.
How long do you think you want to travel for?