Why River Cruising Is Becoming the Ultimate Luxury Escape for Solo Female Travellers
Solo travel among UK holidaymakers has reached its highest point of the decade in 2025, and for women considering travelling alone, river cruising offers a particularly appealing way to experience Europe. It removes many of the logistical frustrations of solo travel, while retaining the sense of exitement that makes travelling alone so rewarding.
For those seeking a more luxurious take on the experience, Riverside Luxury Cruises offers an unusually polished way to see Europe by water. As Europe’s only all-suite luxury river cruise fleet, every guest receives dedicated butler service, alongside considered dining and a choice of thoughtfully curated excursions. With the same ownership behind boutique hotels including Finolhu Maldives, there is a distinctly hotel-like quality to the experience - only here, the hotel moves from one European destination to the next.
For a first solo cruise, shorter three and four night itineraries can be an appealing introduction. There is little commitment involved, but plenty of opportunity to explore, whether your interests lie in architecture and history, wine and gastronomy or destinations slightly further from the usual tourist trail.
Danube Serenade: Vienna to Budapest
4 days, 3 nights | From £1,590
Best for: First-time solo cruisers looking for an easy introduction.
Two days in Vienna offer ample time for coffeehouses, grand palaces and the city’s rich musical and intellectual history before sailing towards Hungary. The journey takes in Esztergom’s hilltop basilica and the medieval fortress at Visegrád before arriving in Budapest, where the Danube divides the city into Buda and Pest. It is a compact itinerary, but one that packs in an impressive amount without the inconvenience of changing hotels.
Snapshot of the Rhône with Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Lyon to Avignon
5 days, 4 nights | From £3,158
Best for: Food and wine lovers.
Beginning in Lyon, one of France’s great gastronomic cities, this itinerary follows the Rhône through Vienne and the vineyards of Tain-l’Hermitage before reaching Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Avignon. Tastings, cultural visits and a choice of daily excursions make this particularly suited to solo travellers who want the freedom to shape their days around their own interests.
Snapshots from the Moselle & Lower Rhine: Trier to Amsterdam
5 days, 4 nights | From £2,454
Best for: Culture-loving travellers seeking variety.
Starting in Trier, Germany’s oldest city, the route moves through the vineyard village of Cochem, historic Bonn and Cologne before crossing into the Netherlands for a final stop in Amsterdam. Roman history, wine country, riverside towns and cosmopolitan city life make this a wonderfully varied introduction to solo river cruising.
The Danube in the Enigmatic East: Bucharest to Belgrade
5 days, 4 nights | From £3,155
Best for: Adventurous solo travellers looking beyond the classics.
For those who have already explored Europe’s better-known river routes, this journey through Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia offers something rather different. Sailing through the dramatic Iron Gates gorge and calling at lesser-visited destinations, it brings a stronger sense of discovery - without sacrificing the comfort of a luxury suite and the ease of having your journey mapped out for you.
For solo travellers, perhaps the greatest appeal of river cruising is the combination of convenience, comfort and reassurance it offers. You are free to explore each destination at your own pace, without having to worry about navigating unfamiliar transport, changing hotels or making arrangements for every meal. At the end of each day, your suite is waiting, dinner is taken care of and your onward journey is already planned - leaving you free to simply enjoy yourself.
