Drought, Heat, Low Water Levels: Europe’s River Cruises Take a Hit

Ships running aground. Long bus rides. Canceled excursions. Europe’s scorching heat and widespread drought have drained water levels on the Danube and Rhine rivers to record lows this summer, upending hundreds of river cruise itineraries and ruining vacations.

While low water levels are common on European waterways in late summer and early fall, the severe drought has drained several river basins simultaneously since July, wreaking havoc on an industry popular for its logistical ease and relaxed style of travel.

“Usually you unpack your bag and then it’s smooth sailing,” said Richard Landfield, 68, an avid river cruiser from Portsmouth, England. On a recent Viking Cruises excursion from Switzerland to the Netherlands, he said he spent more time on buses than the ship.

“I like an adventure, but between the heat and the grueling bus rides I came back home utterly exhausted,” he said.

Parts of the Danube have been hit particularly hard, with water levels in Romania and Serbia dropping to their lowest in 30 years. Near Kaub, Germany, on the Rhine, water levels dropped to single-digit centimeters, blocking access to major ports like Frankfurt.

The challenges come at a time when demand for river cruises has been steadily rising. European passenger numbers reached 1.49 million in 2025, up 8 percent from the previous year, according to IG River Cruise, the industry’s largest trade association in Europe. Revenues also increased by 5 percent to 3.73 billion euros (about $4.3 billion), the group reported. Earlier this month, Portugal’s Douro River, a popular cruise destination, reached capacity for ships, prompting the local port authority to ban new ships from operating there.

The disruptions this summer risk alienating long-haul passengers, particularly North Americans and Australians who have less flexibility to reschedule. Travelers voiced frustration in interviews and on social media over sudden itinerary changes and hourslong bus transfers along major stretches of the Rhine.

Some companies like AmaWaterways and Viking, the world’s largest river cruise company, conducted ship swaps to navigate the low water. “This allows guests and their luggage to transfer to their exact same stateroom on an identical sister ship on the other side of the affected section of river,” Viking said in a statement. The cruise lines try to make the process as seamless as possible, sending passengers on excursions while their belongings are transferred to the other ship.

Despite all their efforts to minimize disruptions, many trips turned into an ordeal this summer. Two Viking ships, the Ullur and Einar, ran aground on the Danube and Rhine rivers because of exceptionally low water levels, causing nearly 400 passengers to be evacuated to shore. Other cruise lines had to adjust ports and offer overnight hotel stays when ships could not dock. Between July and August, more than half of Viking’s European river cruises were affected, and about 10 percent of customers canceled. Yet in a recent earnings call, the company said the situation wasn’t currently affecting their 2027 business prospects: Advance bookings are up 11 percent compared with the same period last year.

Major lines, including Viking, Uniworld and Avalon Waterways, declined repeated requests for comment. On their websites, however, the message is consistent: Their ships will keep sailing, though itineraries remain subject to short-notice changes.

In July, Rupi Singh, a retired financial planner, and his wife traveled from their home in Half Moon Bay, Calif., to Switzerland for a 10-day river cruise with Avalon Waterways. By traveling to northern Europe for a river cruise, they assumed they would be avoiding high temperatures, but they arrived in the middle of a severe heat wave. “Every single day was hot, and we weren’t prepared for that,” said Mr. Singh.

Days before their scheduled departure from Basel, they said they received an email from the cruise line warning that low water levels were likely to force a change in their departure point to one of three places in France, Germany and Switzerland. They were to receive confirmation 24 hours before departure.

First they were told to travel to Zurich, where the cruise company put them up in a hotel. The next morning, they were informed that their departure had been moved to Strasbourg, France, which would involve a five-hour ride on a chartered bus, according to Mr. Singh.

“It was utter confusion and very challenging with the heat,” he said.

After two and a half days cruising down the Moselle River, the ship was not allowed on the Rhine River, so passengers were put back on buses for an abridged excursion where they saw some sights in the Rhine Valley, Mr. Singh said. “After that they told us our cruise was essentially over, and they shipped us on buses to Amsterdam, so we spent a total of six days on the boat and the remaining three days we spent in Amsterdam, where the itineraries were sloppy,” Mr. Singh said.

The couple came away from the trip tired and frustrated, but Mr. Singh said his time on the ship was so good that he wanted to try river cruising again — but with a different company in a cooler season.

Vanessa Hales, 55, from Orangeville, Pa., sailed from Germany to Switzerland in June. While water levels were low throughout her Viking cruise, the ship completed the itinerary without disruptions, but Ms. Hales said the heat made it unbearable for her and her husband.

“There’s a section of the Rhine, which has all these beautiful castles and sights, and the idea is that you sit on the deck and watch them go by, but we couldn’t stay out there for more than a few minutes,” Ms. Hales said. The excursions were also shortened because many older passengers couldn’t complete them, she added.

“The heat really ruined it for us, but we’ll definitely do it again,” she said. “Perhaps next time we will try a Christmas cruise.”

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