For your next European sojourn, try a river cruise, where you'll float from one city to another, gliding past emerald vineyards, fairy-tale châteaux, and medieval villages.
There's nothing like lounging on the deck of a graceful ship while watching a magnificent field of sunflowers or a 12th-century cathedral slide slowly into view. Or waking each day to the thrill of a different European city spread out before you. Sound appealing? Then a European river cruise may be your perfect next vacation.

More and more Americans are discovering the laid-back luxury, the intimacy, and the personal service of the small-ship experience. Seeing Europe from its rivers - from its earliest routes of exploration, invasion, conquest, and trade - puts you at the very heart of a region and its history. 

There are two distinct types of vessels that cruise the inland waterways of Europe: riverboats and canal barges. It's important to distinguish between the two because the experiences they offer are quite different.

Canal barges usually hold a maximum of 24 passengers. Also called peniches, they ply narrow, tree-lined canals and travel deep into the countryside. Cruising at an average of five to six miles a day, canal barges typically cover 30 to 50 miles per week.

River-cruise ships are larger, holding anywhere from 60 to 300-plus passengers. They cruise the Danube, Rhine, Rhône, Po, Elbe, Douro, Volga, and other major rivers. In a week, you'll travel 150 to 200 miles or more. And the recent completion of the Main-Danube Canal makes it possible to travel from the North Sea to the Black Sea on a voyage that spans eight countries.

Today, the European river-cruise industry is in a major expansion mode. Nearly every corner of the continent has navigable rivers and a selection of ships, which continue to grow increasingly comfortable and luxurious. Peter Deilmann Cruises offers 39 different itineraries and 243 European river cruises on nine ships. Vik­ing River Cruises has unveiled 10 new ships in the last five years, including the 198-passenger Viking Sun, new in Europe this year.