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Pack Your Passions

Wherever you go, there you are! So why leave yourself behind when you travel? Avalon puts the “you” in “unique” with special interest themed river cruises that are suited to your passions and pursuits. Do you love gardens and nature? Walk through the biggest garden in Europe during tulip season in Holland. Appreciate a fine wine or hearty ale? Taste regional vintages from Paris to Provence, or raise a stein of frothy brew from Basel to Nuremberg. Our WWII or Habsburg & Royalty cruises provide the epic page-turner you’ve been looking for! Focus on your shutterbug skills on a photography cruise, or take a culinary or Christmastime river cruise to indulge in local culture, cuisine, and everything in between!

    Active & Discovery Cruises

    Everyone travels to see new things, but many travel to do new things as well. With our Active & Discovery Europe river cruises, Avalon offers activities for travelers with varying interests and for all energy and fitness levels. From action-packed experiences and interactive discoveries, to traditional sightseeing, you can tailor a vacation to suit your interests and pace.

    • Exploration in Motion. For the traveler who thrives on motion and action, Avalon has created a broad menu of energetic excursions that pack real get-up-and-go for those who like to do the same.
    • Engaging Experiences. Avalon presents an inspiring selection of hands-on experiences created for the different kind of “doer.” Traditions come to life as you shift from observer to participant in a variety of creative and engaging endeavors.

    Storyteller Cruises

    Turn the page on the classic river cruise, and transport yourself through time and tales with revered raconteurs on Avalon Waterways' Storyteller sailings. These celebrity-hosted European river cruises invite travel enthusiasts to meet legends in legendary landscapes. To sail past cliffside castles while uncovering cliff-hangers. And capture insider narratives outside the pages of novels, scripts or song lyrics.

    • Diana Gabaldon. Disappear on a Magical Sailing with Diana Gabaldon. Bound to be the most memorable trip of 2024 (or a lifetime), author of the No. 1 New York Times-bestselling OUTLANDER series, Diana Gabaldon, is personally hosting a Storyteller cruise with Avalon Waterways on the Danube River in 2024. It’s your once-in-a-lifetime chance to sail with a small group of fellow fans and get exclusive OUTLANDER insights, with your favorite author… for a whole week of page-turning time travel! 

    Wine Lovers Cruises

    Cruise with a distinguished Master of Wine on a wine-lover’s cruise. Onboard tastings and regional excursions to the legendary cellars of Europe, as well as instruction in food-and-wine pairing, will give you a new appreciation for the fruit of the vine. Discover the vineyards and vintages you’ll remember for ages to come. 

    Beer Enthusiasts Cruises

    Lifting a stein tends to lift the spirits, or so say those who have been fortunate enough to raise a toast in a biergarten in Europe. Cruise with a certified beer expert and discover regional beers, visit historic breweries, attend special beer tastings, and learn about European brewing techniques with fascinating lectures and workshops. Prost! 

    Culinary Experience Cruises

    What gastronomical delights come to mind when you think of Burgundy and Provence? The rich landscapes of France are synonymous with sumptuous food and wine. Join Avalon for a culinary adventure where food is an art form in haute cuisine and traditional simple favorites in the birthplace of crêpes and Chardonnay.

    Festive Season Cruises

    Sail into the season of European Christmas markets, aglow with the warmth a simpler time. From wooden stalls with handmade ornaments and hot-mulled wine to grand Christmas cathedrals and glistening lights, a European Christmas river cruise on the Danube, Main, or Rhine Rivers is a true gift of timeless tradition. See musical instruments come to life in Rüdesheim, Germany; taste Austrian Christmas cookies while sailing to Vienna; visit Melk’s Benedictine Abbey to marvel at its frescoed ceilings; and see the magical Christmas markets of Budapest, Prague, or Strasbourg.

    European History Cruises

    Walk in the footsteps of heroes with a WWII history expert on the hallowed grounds of valor and courage. From the beaches of Normandy to Vimy Ridge and beyond, an Avalon History Cruise shares these legends and legacies of with insight and inspiration. Hear the personal stories of lives forever changed by WWII on an Avalon Remembrance and History cruise, with 2024 departures during the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Explore the historic proportions of life in the Austro-Hungarian Empire on a Danube Habsburg & Royalty cruise where royalty reigned in the grandeur of Vienna and Budapest. 

    Garden & Nature
    Lover Cruises

    From Holland’s Keukenhof Gardens to Amsterdam’s flower auction, to the tulip fields that seem to go on forever. An Avalon garden and nature cruise reveals the most beautiful gardens and parks throughout Holland and Belgium—famous for their inspirational horticultural art.

    Photography
    Enthusiasts Cruises

    They say a picture is worth a thousand words. We say it's worth a thousand memories of the spectacular sights and experiences on an Avalon cruise. Cruise in the company of an award-winning photographer and fellow shutterbugs to snap the perfect shot around each corner. 

    Jewish Heritage
    Cruises

    History’s most moving chapters come to life while sailing on the Danube and Rhine Rivers on an Avalon Jewish Heritage river cruise. Explore sites important to Jewish history in the company of a renowned expert for insight into the places and events that shaped history. Note–Kosher foods not available.

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