If reading our recent content on river cruises has captured your interest, you can now follow author, and frequent StorySuitcase contributor, Tony Perrottet as he documents his journey, telling the stories behind the villages and landmarks he visits and offering insight into his experience aboard the Avalon Felicity.  Visit Tony’s river cruise blog to stay up-to-date on his Avalon Waterways journey.

The map above highlights the stops Tony will be making along the fascinating Rhine River.

Flowing from the Swiss Alps, the Rhine River is perhaps most famous European river cruise destinations for its legendary Lorelei rock and the imposing medieval castles that line its banks.

The Rhine River is one of the most popular river cruise destinations.  The name of the river stems from a Celtic word meaning “raging flow.”

Between 1932 and 2010, official text books and publications listed the length of the Rhine as 1,320 kilometers (820 mi) rather than the correct number, 1,230 kilometers. In 2010, a University of Cologne researcher discovered that a typographical error had occurred in a 1932 encyclopedia and worked to have the figure updated.

The Rhine river is one of the settings for the first opera of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. The action of the epic opens and ends underneath the Rhine, where three Rheinmaidens swim and protect a hoard of gold.

Roman remains can be found in Cologne even today, especially along the Rhine, where a discovery of a 1900-year-old Roman boat was made on the Rhine banks in late 2007.

Strasbourg’s historic city center, the Grande Île (“Grand Island”), was classified a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988, the first time such an honor was placed on an entire city center.

The first bridge to cross the Rhine River was built by Julius Caesar during the Gallic War in 55 B.C.

As it winds through castle-dotted hillsides, dramatic rocky gorges and picturesque Old World villages, the Rhine River is the essence of romance. Born as an untamed river in the Swiss Alps, the Rhine takes the scenic route to the North Sea, illuminating some of Europe’s most fascinating sights and customs. Historically and culturally, the Rhine has been a crucial source of sustenance, pride and inspiration. Fortresses and castles along the Rhine’s embankments highlight the value ancient empires placed on these waters.

While ancient times saw the Rhine as a dividing force, today the cities along its shores are an intriguing blend of cultures. Vineyards along the Rhine produce world-renowned vintages and riverside cafés and restaurants celebrate the region by pairing local wines with delectably fresh fare. With scenic splendor and enriching surprises around every bend, the waters of the Rhine set the stage for the very finest moments to be had in Europe.

Fast Facts
Countries: Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany, France, Netherlands
Source: The Swiss Alps
Mouth: North Sea
Length: 766 miles

Take a European vacation and see France at its scenic best on a charming Rhone river cruise.

The Rhône River is a popular river cruise destination and an important inland trade and transportation route since Greek times. The Rhône River flows south to the Mediterranean, winding through the orchards and vineyards of the fertile.

Tradition dictates that the Beaujolais Nouveau, cultivated near Lyon, is tasted for the first time on the third Thursday of November each year.

An ancient bust of Julius Caesar was discovered in the Rhône River near Arles in 2007. The unique statue, which archeologists believe dates back to 46 B.C., depicts the famed Roman ruler with aging features, worn eyes and a wrinkled brow.

In 1308, Pope Clement V relocated the papacy to Avignon. Clement V and the subsequent “Avignon Popes” were said to be great lovers of wine. The 70-year Avignon Papacy did much to promote French wine.

In 1750, Lyon was the silk-weaving capital of Europe, with silk weavers making up 40 percent of the city’s workforce. By 1850, the city had tripled in size, boasting a population of 340,000 people and 100,000 weaving looms.

In the rocky soil of the northern Rhône regions, Syrah is the dominant grape. As you travel south, more grape varieties come into play. As an example of this anomaly, Red Hermitage is generally 100 percent Syrah while Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the south permits thirteen different varieties of grape in its red wines.

In addition to his famous sunflower and interior still life masterpieces, Van Gogh painted “Starry Night Over the Rhône” in Arles, featuring the lights of the city blending with the stars in reflection on the river.

The Rhône River winds its way from the scenic mountains of Switzerland through the heartland of France before finally flowing into the Mediterranean Sea. A journey along the Rhône features sweeping views of lavender-filled landscapes, rolling hills dotted with castles and vineyards, and Provençal villages teeming with age-old mystery and charm.

The Rhône offers the perfect combination of natural and cultural wonders, so travelers can savor the sights as well as broaden their minds. The river has inspired centuries of impeccable French cuisine and laces through the most well-regarded vineyards of Burgundy & Provençe. The art and architecture of the towns along the riverbanks reflect an intriguing blend of Celtic, Roman, Greek and French historical influences. A cultural lifeline for centuries, the Rhône Valley is home to an unending array of experiences to delight all the senses.

Fast Facts
Countries: Switzerland, France
Source: Rhône Glacier
Mouth: Mediterranean Sea
Length: 505 miles
Area: 21 square miles

Discover the fascinating Danube river with its charming small towns and exciting cities on an European river cruise vacation:

The Danube River is Europe’s second-longest river, the only major European river to flow from east to west and is one of the most popular rivers to take a river cruise on.

The Danube Delta was first declared a nature reserve in 1938 by the Council of Ministers and recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1992. The area is home to 12 habit types, 300 bird species and 45 freshwater fish species.

The Danube is mentioned in the title of a famous waltz by Austrian composer Johann Strauss, “An der schönen, blauen Donau” (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), composed as Strauss was traveling down the Danube River. This piece is well known across the world and is also used widely as a lullaby.

Another famous waltz about the Danube is “The Waves of the Danube” by the Romanian composer Ion Ivanovici (1845–1902), and the work took the audience by storm when performed at the 1889 Paris Exposition.

The German tradition of landscape painting, the Danube school, was developed in the Danube valley in the 16th century.