Experience a Special Interest cruise with Avalon Waterways

When packing your polos and pashminas, there’s no reason to leave your passions and pursuits behind. Whether you’re an aspiring or accomplished gardener or photographer, we have your special interests in mind with opportunities to improve your green thumb or your shutterbug skills. Your appreciation for a well-crafted Pilsner – no need to leave it behind. Your insatiable appetite for the world’s most fascinating chapters in history – you can pack that too. Our Special Interest Cruises unite you with your pastimes – and other like-minded enthusiasts – both on board and on shore.

Your Avalon Cruise includes

Luxurious suites

All onboard meals

Choice of daily sightseeing

Wine with dinner

Services of a professional Cruise Director & Local Guides

Naturalist talks

Destinations

Active & Discovery

No two travellers are alike – so Avalon would never expect you to enjoy the same cruise experiences as everyone else. Untethered and full of included options, our exclusive Active & Discovery cruises offer the widest array of energising and engaging excursions, so you can customise your cruise to suit your own personal taste and pace. Avalon Waterways’ collection of one-of-a-kind Active & Discovery cruises take place on the Upper & Lower Danube, Rhine & Rhône, Seine and Moselle Rivers, and in Holland and Belgium.

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Beer Tasting

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 beer expert on board who delivers lectures on beer drinking that you'll actually want to hear. Through Switzerland, France, Germany, Holland, and Belgium, we complement special onboard tastings with exclusive onshore experiences, leading you to the famous breweries, beer halls, gardens, and pubs where Europe's love affair with beer was born.

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Culinary

Let Avalon take you on a culinary adventure on the waterways of France and along the Danube River to learn from local chefs and expert Masters of Wine in France, Hungary, Austria, and Germany. From fondue to fromage and croissants to crepes, you'll savour haute cuisine and family recipes in Burgundy and Provence. On the Danube, you'll gush over goulash, dig into food-and-wine pairings, and sharpen your knives and cooking skills in a Viennese Culinary School. Just leave room for Sachertorte and Apfelstrudel!

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Festive

Experience Europe’s dazzling holiday season on a Christmas time river cruise. Stroll through snow-covered town squares, sip hot mulled wine, visit grand Christmas cathedrals, and enjoy the festive atmosphere onboard your decorated ship. Sample Austrian Christmas cookies while sailing to Vienna; visit Melk’s Benedictine Abbey to marvel at its frescoed ceilings; and browse the magical, cinnamon-scented Christmas markets of Budapest, Prague, Strasbourg, and more.

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Garden and Nature

Springtime in Holland and Belgium gives new meaning to the word "colour". With seasonal blossoms ready to burst, the fields of Holland and Belgium erupt in a spectacle of epic proportions for the ultimate garden party. An Avalon Garden and Nature cruise reveals the most beautiful gardens and parks throughout the region, from the 70-acre Keukenhof Gardens to the secret gardens of Amsterdam. Glide through a kaleidoscope of flowering colour on the canals and waterways and see windmills standing watch over a sea of tulips that seem to go on forever.

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History

From the legendary beaches of Normandy and through Vimy Ridge, to Paris' Les Invalides Museum, step back in time on a WWII Remembrance & History cruise. Cruise in the company of a history expert and gain moving insight through onboard lectures and visits to historic sites and monuments. Hear the personal stories of lives forever changed by WWII, with 2024 departures during the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

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Photography

Focus your sights on the beauty, history, people and natural wonders of Europe on a picture-perfect cruise for photography enthusiasts. Whether you're an accomplished photographer or aspiring shutterbug, you'll find captivating landscapes and local characters to shoot along the picture-perfect Rhône and Saône Rivers in 2024! Cruise in the company of fellow photography lovers and award-winning photographer, Brenda Tharp, who will share her expertise and tips to help you capture the perfect shot.

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Storyteller Series

Looking for an epic adventure? Look no further than our Storyteller Series of Suite Ship sailings. Hosted by celebrity authors, actors, artists and musicians, these cruises are the perfect intertwining of facts, fiction and fun. Scenic ports, riveting plots, rich history, and intriguing mystery converge on the world’s most celebrated rivers as you get the inside stories on your favorite books, songs, movies and more. While you immerse yourself in the legendary settings of yesterday, you’ll also have the opportunity to get up close and personal to the artistic legends of today. From special meet-and-greets to intimate lectures and performances, our Storyteller Series cruises are beyond words.

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Wine Appreciation

Whether you have a nose for the perfect Burgundy, or if everything you know about wine could fit in a thimbleful of Chardonnay, you’re invited to join us to sniff, swirl, and sip your way through the rolling vineyards of Europe, where the river and Rieslings flow. Cruise with a distinguished Master of Wine, enjoy onboard tastings, visit legendary cellars, and learn how to perfectly pair wines with dinner, cheeses, and chocolates. Discover the vineyards of France, cruise along the Moselle River, or sail on the Danube for vintages you’ll remember for ages to come.

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Load more destinations

Active & Discovery

Beer Tasting

Culinary

Festive

Garden and Nature

History

Photography

Storyteller Series

Wine Appreciation

Popular Special Interest Cruises

DANUBE DREAMS (HABSBURG & ROYALTY)

BUDAPEST VILSHOFEN

Tour: WBDH

DANUBE DREAMS (HABSBURG & ROYALTY)

This peaceful Danube River cruise through Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and Germany –explores some of Central Europe’s most splendid capitals and charming towns. Delve deeper into this historic era on a...

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ROMANTIC RHINE (AMENDED ITINERARY)

BASEL AMSTERDAM

Tour: WZAA

ROMANTIC RHINE (AMENDED ITINERARY)

One of Europe’s most legendary rivers awaits you on this exciting journey along the Rhine River, which begins in France and visits Germany, and Holland! Board your Avalon Suite Ship in Breisach, at...

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BURGUNDY & PROVENCE (WINE APPRECIATION)

ARLES CHALON

Tour: WLJW

BURGUNDY & PROVENCE (WINE APPRECIATION)

Take a wondrous journey through beautiful views of France along the Rhône and Saône Rivers with guided sightseeing in the well-known French treasures and some hidden gems too! A Master of Wine will...

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Exotics offers

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Single Travellers Offer

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THE POSSIBILITIES ARE AS WIDE OPEN AS THE VIEWS

Cruise the world's most magnificent rivers in relaxed luxury with Avalon Waterways. Our wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows blur the line between the outside and in, allowing you to experience the world less seen from the comfort of your bed.

Pair panoramic scenes with the widest-ranging excursion choices in river cruising for an experience as wide open as the view.

Rooms with a View

The window of opportunity to see and experience the world just got a whole lot wider. Our beds actually face the view with the widest-opening, wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows in river cruising. Think of it as a room with a view!

Relaxed Luxury

Delight in the difference and comfort. Leaving the rules behind, but not the luxury. From free time to optional excursions, enjoy your cruise at your pace, your way.

Taste the World

Great food feeds your soul, fuels your passion, and shapes your memories. Taste decadent local delicacies, fresh regional wine and produce. On an Avalon cruise, dining is part of the journey.

Unpack Once

We've mastered the art of blending luxury with comfort. Unpack once and its smooth sailing as we share our welcoming spirit throughout the ship.

Special Interest River Cruises

Destinations

Active & Discovery

Beer Tasting

Culinary

Festive

Garden and Nature

History

Photography

Storyteller Series

Wine Appreciation

Popular Special Interest Cruises

Deals

THE POSSIBILITIES ARE AS WIDE OPEN AS THE VIEWS