European Cruise Guide 2018

ABOVE: A French flag flies on the fantail of Compagnie du Ponant's L'Austral during a roundrip Adriatic cruise from Venice. INSET BELOW: Cruise manager Ramona Kurcsics of Uniworld's River Baroness, and Silversea's Silver Spirit in Port Mahon, Menorca.

Cruising in Europe has become enormously popular in recent years, for several reasons:

It's an easy way to visit interesting places along Europe's coasts and waterways. Once you've boarded the ship and unpacked, your transportation, hotel, and dining needs are taken care of until the end of the cruise. (See our Tour Europe by Ship article for an introduction to "port-intensive" ocean and river cruising.)

Most expenses are built into the fare, so you know what you're paying up front. And when fares are quoted in your own currency, you're protected against fluctuating exchange rates.

Cruising is simply fun--especially for people who enjoy ships.

SILVER SPIRIT in Port Mahon, Menorca To help you plan a cruise in Europe, we've put together this European Cruise Guide with brief descriptions and Web links for ocean- and river-cruise lines that welcome English-speaking travelers.

Where possible, we've included links to our own cruise reviews, and you'll also find a page of links to other cruising sites.

To get started, see our cruise line index or use the menu below:

European Cruise Guide 2018

More than 50 ocean- and river-cruise lines welcome English-speaking passengers in Europe. This guide has capsule descriptions of the cruise lines and their European itineraries, with links to their Web sites.