As we’re part of the world’s biggest travel company, you’re in good hands. We’ve applied our TUI expertise to our river cruising recipe, combining standout service and culture-packed shore experiences with nightly entertainment and a choice of restaurants and lounges. Want to find out more? Check out our reasons to choose a TUI River Cruise.

Reasons to book with TUI

Experience & expertise

We’re one of the UK’s leading travel companies, and we’ve applied that knowledge and know-how to our river cruising recipe.

Quality service

From our TUI River Cruise Travel Experts to our dedicated cruise experience manager on each ship, we’re on hand every step of the way to provide the first-class service you’ve come to expect.

Trust in TUI

The UK's most-read newspaper voted TUI the 'Most Trusted Travel Company', and you can count on our tried-and-tested smile to take care of you on the river, too.

Hassle-free travel

We take care of all your travel, including direct flights from the UK, and transfers to the ship.

Small and intimate

All our river cruise ships have a maximum of 155 guests onboard at any one time, and with one crew member to every four guests, you’ll be on first-name terms in no time.

Multiple destinations

All our itineraries tick off multiple destinations, so you can unpack once and visit several places in one trip. Loads of them cross borders, too, so you could find yourself strolling around Amsterdam’s art museums one day and admiring Cologne’s enormous cathedral the next. And, from winter 2024, we’re venturing into Africa, when our newest ship sets sail along the continent’s longest and most famous river, the Nile.

Easy exploring

On our river cruises, you’re free to come and go as you please. So, you can step off the ship and wander around the destinations at your own pace or book one of our shore experiences and let an experienced guide take the lead.

Lots of inclusions

All our river cruises are Full Board Plus as a minimum, so all your meals and a selection of drinks at mealtimes come as standard. There’s a swanky six-course gala dinner thrown in on sailings of five nights or more, as well. You can also upgrade to an All Inclusive drinks package before you go or onboard, if you fancy having all your drinks added into the mix. And, if you’re sailing on our Nile cruises, they’re All Inclusive as standard.

How do you pick the right itinerary?

Our river cruise experts have put together a tonne of itineraries, which tick off everything from capital cities to cosy little villages. Here’s a sneak peek at what each river offers…

Danube River

Great for: Cities, History, Sightseeing

If it’s variety you’re after, you can’t do much better than the Danube. This leggy river slices through the heart of Europe, passing through 10 countries, including Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia. Along its banks, you’ll see some of the grand dames of European architecture – from the neo-Gothic spires of the Hungarian Parliament Building, to the soaring towers of Regensburg Cathedral. It flows right past four capitals, too – Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade and Vienna.

5 fun facts you didn’t know about river cruising

1. Sometimes we have to double-dock

In some ports, we might need to berth next to another ship, due to space. This is known as double-docking, and it means you might have to climb onboard another ship and either walk across its top deck, or through it until you’re back on your TUI ship.

2. We don’t always know where we’ll dock

Sometimes, securing a berthing space can be something of a lottery – think of it being like finding a car parking space when you’re Christmas shopping. When this happens, it means where we dock can change from day to day. So, don’t be shocked if you end up parked next to another ship, dropping anchor on the outskirts of town, or turn up to your own vacant berth – all of these are commonplace on river cruises.

3. Our river cruises take on a lot of locks

If you sail on one of our European cruises, there’s a good chance you’ll sail through a lock or two. They’re scattered along many of the continent’s waterways, and they’re used for raising and lowering ships between different stretches of water. There are 16 locks alone on the Rhine-Main-Danube canal, and each one is 190 metres long, 12 metres wide and up to 30 metres deep.

4. We have to adapt to changing water levels

Low and high water levels play their part on a river cruise. While we try to plan our itineraries accordingly, sometimes the water levels can make changes unavoidable, and they can prevent us from docking in the port we’re scheduled to visit. If that does happen though, don’t panic. We’ll drop anchor where we can and arrange transportation so you can reach the scheduled port another way.

5. Our ships can shape-shift

No, seriously. To get under low bridges, the top deck of our ships can collapse all the way down to deck level. When this happens, the top deck’s out of action for safety reasons, but you can still soak up the views from inside or from the bar terrace on some of our ships.

Find out more fun facts about our TUI River Cruises.

Still undecided on a TUI River Cruise? Here’s a typical day of life on the river…

  • Wake up to first-class views. There are no inside cabins on our ships, so you’re guaranteed a view out of your cabin window.

  • Head to the main restaurant for breakfast. It’s a mix of buffet and à la carte, and you’ll find lots of familiar favourites from home.

  • Explore the destination we’re docked in. Whether you fancy strolling around at your own pace or heading out on one of our guided shore experiences, you can scratch beneath the surface in most of our ports of call.

  • Hop back onboard for lunch. It’s another buffet and à la carte affair, and with Full Board Plus as standard, your drinks are included, too.

  • Spend the afternoon soaking up the sights as we sail to our next destination. All our ships have sunloungers on the top deck, so you can pull up a pew and kick back, or join in with one of the activities, like minigolf or quoits.

  • Sit down to dinner. If you’re on a cruise that’s five nights or more, you’ll get a swanky six-course gala dinner thrown in once per sailing. There’s no obligation to dress up either if you don’t want to.

  • Spend the evening in the lounge bar watching the entertainment. There’s everything from live music to local guest acts onboard, and you can get involved with things like interactive quizzes as well.

  • And relax! Every cabin’s kited out with essentials like tea and coffee-making facilities and an ensuite bathroom, so it’s a home away from home onboard.

Always here to help

We’re with you 24/7, every step of the way, from before you book until after you’ve arrived home. If you ever need us for anything, you can speak to our cruise experts instore, give us a call or get in touch via the TUI app. And, if you have any additional needs, we’ll be happy to chat about these with you, too.

Onboard, our dedicated Cruise Experience Manager is on hand to help make your river cruise memorable, and our staff will take care of everything you need. If you’d like any more information in the meantime, check out our FAQs.