The 8 Best River Cruises for Food and Wine Lovers

It would be too easy to write off river cruises as sedate affairs. They often move at a slower pace even than big ship ocean cruises, and lack the flashy big ship amenities. Yet that is actually part of the draw. River cruise ships are always small with an intimate guest-to-crew ratio, and there are never tacky giant slides, bumper cars, or pools that take up much of the deck (the ocean my not have size restrictions, but rivers certainly do). This allows the focus to be elsewhere. And for some of the best of the best, that focus is on food.

From the gastronomic delights of Western and Central Europe to the specialties of South America and Southeast Asia, these are the best food and wine-centric river cruises you can take in 2025 and 2026.

Photo: CroisiEurope

• When: November 15-18, 2025
• Where: The Rhine River, departing and concluding in Strasbourg, France
• Ship and capacity: MS Symphonie, up to 107 guests
• Starting price: From $1,389

This four-day, three-night sailing along the Rhine River makes two stops along the round-trip Strasbourg route: one in Shoeneau, France, and one in Breisach, Germany. When in Breisach, guests will have the opportunity to take a coach ride along Alsace’s famous wine trail, going through picturesque small towns and stopping for tastings at wine cellars.

Passengers on board MS Symphonie will not only be served refined French cuisine prepared by the ship’s skilled cooks throughout the voyage, they will also have the opportunity to enjoy a dinner crafted by Marc Haeberlin, the head chef at the two-Michelin-star Alsatian restaurant L’Auberge de l’ill à Illhaeusern. Another Alsatia expert with lead wine tastings onboard: sommelier Serge Dubs, awarded with the titles of France’s best sommelier in 1983, Europe’s best sommelier in 1988, and world’s best sommelier in 1989.

Photos: Delnfin Amazon Cruises

• When: Multiple dates through 2025 and 2026
• Where: The Amazon River around the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve in Peru
• Ship and capacity: Delfin III, up to 44 guests
• Starting price: From $3,800

Travelers who choose to take an Amazon River cruise usually do so for the immersion in nature and wildlife sightings, not for the culinary experience. But with Delfin Amazon Cruises, they can have it all. Delfin Amazon Cruises is one of only three cruise lines in the world with the highly coveted Relais & Châteaux label, a guarantee of excellent service and remarkable cuisine.

Onboard Delfin III, Peruvian Amazon chef Isaac Saavedra serves regional dishes using ingredients from the surrounding rainforest and the cruise line’s own garden near the town of Iquitos. Local ingredients include fruits like cocona and taperiba, peppers like charapita and motelillo, and paiche (the largest fish in the world). Saavedra does more than prepare meals, he also gives hand-on cooking demonstrations to teach guests how to make traditional dishes like ceviche and patarashca (fish andvegetables in banana leaves).

Photos: Viking

• When: Multiple dates throughout 2025 and 2026
• Where: The Duoro River, departing and concluding in Lisbon
• Ship and capacity: Viking’s small modern longships, up to 106 guests
• Starting price: From $4,199

This 10-day trip starts with two days on land in Lisbon for a 3.5-hour food tour complete with tastings of cheese, smoked sausage, and pastel de nata (a Portuguese egg custard pastry). Embarkation takes place on the third day in Porto, where the famous port wine comes from. While there, you’ll have the opportunity to visit W. & J. Graham’s, a family-run winery that’s been operating since 1820, to take part in a port tasting and a traditional Portuguese meal.

The Douro Valley the river flows through is filled with wine estates, including Mateus Palace, which you will have the chance to tour extensively before enjoying a tasting. At Quinta da Avessada, another wine estate on the Douro, you’ll be able to take a tour, participate in the harvest, and sample wines. And because you can’t function on wine alone, in the nearby village of Favaios there’s a traditional baking demonstration and a chance to try the local bread.

Photo: Emerald Cruises

• When: Multiple dates in 2025
• Where: The Rhône River, either southbound from Lyon to Arles, or northbound from Arles to Lyon
• Ship and capacity: Emerald Liberté, up to 138 guests
• Starting price: From $4,008

This seven-night, eight-day cruise along the Rhône River is all about food and wine. Besides the delectable dinners, complimentary wine and beer, and cheese and olive tastings onboard the ship, guests will have the chance to experience the famous wine and cuisine of Burgundy and Provence on land. Excursions include a culinary tour of Lyon (the center of French gastronomy), hikes among vineyards in Tournon, and wine tasting in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, one of the most famous wine towns in the country. The icing on the cake of this culinary cruise, however, is the Provençal dinner hosted by local chef Fabien Morreale, who is famous for his elegant regional cuisine and for being a final contestant in the French version of Top Chef in 2013.

Photos: Scenic River Cruises

• When: Multiple dates in 2025
• Where: The Mekong River, from Siam Reap in Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam
• Ship and capacity: Scenic Spirit, up to 68 guests
• Starting price: From $10,670

Wherever you decide to go with the ultra-luxury river cruise line Scenic Cruises, you’re guaranteed to eat very well. Each ship has multiple dining options — some involving 10-course meals — and Champagne breakfast is a daily staple. But Scenic’s Treasures of the Mekong sailing, which goes through both Cambodia and Vietnam, takes the food experiences up a notch. Vietnamese and Cambodian cuisine are served in the main restaurant throughout the sailing. Also, you can expect street food tours on either a scooter or a jeep, depending on your preference; a gala-themed dinner at an ancient temple; market visits (including a floating market); as well as dinners and afternoon teas in renowned establishments. You can even try your hand at making Cambodian cuisine with the chef in the ship’s kitchen after shopping for ingredients at the local market.

Photos: Avalon Waterways

• When: March 31 to April 14, 2026
• Where: Three rivers covering Arles in the Provence region, through Burgundy and Paris, and up to Normandy
• Ship and capacity: Avalon Poetry II and Avalon Tapestry II, 128 guests
• Starting price: From $9,524

This 15-day cruise sails on three rivers: The Rhône River from the city of Arles in southern France to Lyon in Burgundy, the Saône River from Lyon to Chalons-sur-Soâne, and the Seine River from Paris to Rouen in Normandy. And while the captain is busy navigating these rivers, you’ll be treated to a cheese tasting, a pastry-making demonstration, crepe lunches, a gourmet dinner in the tradition of famous French chef Paul Bocuse, and the guidance of a certified sommelier for all your meals. On land, you’ll take part in regional food tastings in the town of Vivier, a food tour in Lyon, a wine tasting in the cellar of a medieval castle in Chalons-sur-Soâne, and a Calvados tasting at a local distillery in Normandy.

Photo: Uniworld

• When: Multiple dates throughout 2025 and 2026
• Where: The Garonne and Dordogne Rivers, departing from and concluding in Bordeaux
• Ship and capacity: S.S. Bon Voyage, 124 guests
• Starting price: From $3,569

There’s perhaps no better place to combine excellent food with fine wine than Bordeaux, so Uniworld has designed an eight-day itinerary in the region for all the epicureans in need of a vacation. During the sailing on both the Garonne and the Dordogne Rivers, guests onboard the S.S. Bon Voyage will have the opportunity to tour multiple vineyards on foot and by bike, take part in wine tastings in wine estates and wine bars (including desert wines and grands crus), and try out Cognacs. Of course, food is also on the menu, with an oyster tasting led by an oyster farmer and a traditional French picnic lunch on the grounds of a castle.

Photo: Lindbald Expeditions

• When: Multiple dates in 2025 for eight-day or six-day sailings
• Where: The Colombia and Snake Rivers, either eastbound from Portland, Oregon, to Clarkston, Washington, or westbound from Clarkston to Portland
• Ship and capacity: National Geographic Sea Lion and National Geographic Sea Bird, up to 62 guests
• Starting price: From $3,665

National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions collaborates with Food & Wine magazine to offer a river cruises that mix outdoor activities with culinary indulgence. In between hikes, kayaking sessions, and Zodiac tours, you’ll partake in nightly tastings of regional wines, visit wineries, meet local winemakers, and eat meals prepared with ingredients sourced from the surrounding Pacific Northwest region. In Astoria, you’ll be served beer and oysters provided by local business Buoy Beer Company, and you’ll try local specialties in other stops along the voyage, including Palouse Falls and Walla Walla.