River-cruise operators are constantly challenging ocean cruise lines for customers, and one of the biggest divisions between cruise fans is between river cruisers and ocean cruisers. But what about a cruise that combines the best of both worlds? Because there’s nothing like taking a voyage on an oceangoing cruise ship up the great rivers of the world. You squeeze under tall road bridges, with ever-changing views that take in peaceful countryside, steaming factories, and sublime riverside temples and churches, before the urban skyline slowly drifts into view and you get to dock right in the heart of the city. Many of the world’s great metropolises were founded on rivers, and these waterways are still the heartbeat of the cities they flow through.
Here’s seven destinations that offer the very best in cruising upstream.
Let’s start with the granddaddy of the lot — the Amazon, the world’s greatest river.
1.
It’s hard to appreciate the vastness of the Amazon until you’ve sailed up this immense waterway, which is up to 7 miles wide in places (so wide that at times you can’t even see the shoreline!). Cruise ships can sail 1,000 miles upriver to Manaus — a city of 2 million people in the middle of the jungle. It combines elegant belle epoque architecture, dating from the city’s amazing rubber boom, with globe-spanning industry and a big-city vibe you might not expect to find in this location. Along the way, you pass steaming rainforest, encounter remote villages, and experience vibrant festivals that rival the energy of the Rio Carnaval. Throw in the Meeting of the Waters, fleeting glimpses of pink dolphins, exotic markets, and fishing for piranhas, and you have an unforgettable river cruise.
2.
The Guadalquivir River in Andalucia acts as the gateway to Spain’s most alluring city — Seville. Sailing past the sherry-producing town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, the ship follows a 50-mile-long winding path alongside flat farmland and countryside, passing through a narrow lock before the ornate towers of Seville’s historic churches come into view. All this grandiose architecture stems from the days when the city was Spain’s conduit to the riches of the New World, and cruise ships still follow the same route along the Guadalquivir as the great discoverers, Magellan and Columbus. From the cruise berth, it’s only a short distance to explore an evocative city of tapas bars, bull rings, and flamenco.
3.
By sailing 46 miles up the meandering Saigon River into Ho Chi Minh City, cruisers save themselves a 3-hour coach ride from the port of Vungtau on the coast. This is a journey to be on deck for: The zig-zagging river makes its way through lush tropical countryside before the ever-expanding city comes into view, with its increasingly high-rise skyline telling the story of Vietnam’s incredible economic progress over the past couple of decades. On land, few cities can rival the pace of life of Ho Chi Minh City, with its hectic traffic, teeming markets, and….
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