The UK-based Riverside Luxury Cruises has opened bookings for its 2028 European river cruise season, which will feature the introduction of Riverside Mahler/currently SS Elisabeth.
The riverboat is scheduled to enter service for Riverside in May 2028, joining sister ship Riverside Debussy on itineraries linking the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.
The company’s fleet will continue to include Riverside Mozart, operating on the Upper and Lower Danube, and Riverside Ravel, which sails in France, on the Rhône and Saône rivers.
Riverside Bach/SS Victoria is chartered by Uniworld.
The addition of Riverside Mahler will enable the company to increase its departures through the Main-Danube Canal to 12 in 2028, compared with 4 in 2026 and 2 in 2027. The waterway connects the Rhine and Danube river systems, providing a navigable route between the North Sea and the Black Sea.
The 2028 programme includes 10 sailings from Budapest to Regensburg and 10 in the opposite direction, alongside 2 Dutch Waterways itineraries and 3 departures on the Lower Danube.
Riverside Luxury Cruises is offering an 18% discount on the cruise fare for bookings made by June 30th, 2027. The promotion applies to all suite categories and package types.
According to Jennifer Halboth, chief executive officer of Riverside Luxury Cruises Americas, the expanded fleet will increase the number of departures on established itineraries while introducing additional routes and sailings on the Lower Danube and Dutch Waterways. The company also expects the additional vessel to provide greater operational flexibility when changing river conditions, including high and low water levels, require adjustments to itineraries or vessel assignments.
The 2028 season will run from early spring through late December, with cruises ranging from 3-night short breaks to 23-night journeys. The programme will also include selected themed sailings featuring expert-led activities, outdoor pursuits and local celebrations.
Riverside Debussy will open the season in March with spring tulip cruises through the Netherlands and Belgium before moving to the Lower Danube. In early summer, the vessel will introduce new nine- and 10-night itineraries between Amsterdam and Basel, incorporating the Moselle River into longer journeys through the Rhine region. Its schedule will also include established Amsterdam-to-Basel cruises, Dutch Waterways itineraries and Rhine Christmas market sailings.
Riverside Mahler will operate between the Rhine and Danube during the summer, connecting destinations in Germany, Austria and Hungary with Amsterdam and Basel. The vessel is scheduled to sail the Lower Danube in September before returning to the Rhine in October. Its inaugural season will conclude with Christmas cruises on the Danube.
On the Danube, Riverside Mozart will introduce a new 7-night itinerary from Vienna to Budapest, including a passage through the Wachau Valley. The ship’s 2028 programme will also feature a call at Győr, a Hungarian city known for its Baroque architecture and historic Old Town.
The vessel’s themed sailings will include three Riverside Active cycling cruises scheduled for July and August, Darlings of the Danube golf cruises and an August departure coinciding with Hungary’s National Day celebrations.
Meanwhile, Riverside Ravel will continue to operate itineraries along the Rhône and Saône rivers in southern France. Planned destinations include Lyon, Avignon, Arles, Viviers and Tain-l’Hermitage, with excursions and regional highlights such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Pont du Gard and the Rhône Delta.
