What to Put on on a River Cruise

So you have booked that dream river cruise to Europe. You’ve got chosen your state room, bought flights, and have already been daydreaming in regards to the shore excursions you will take. Now comes maybe the toughest half about preparing: determining what to pack on your river cruise!

Most individuals go on European river cruises within the spring and summer season months, with a handful cruising within the winter to go to Europe’s well-known Christmas markets.

What you pack will in fact rely on which season you are touring in. However listed below are my ideas for what to put on on a river cruise in Europe after happening 5 such cruises myself on 3 completely different cruise strains.

Frequent questions on packing for a river cruise

Listed below are a few of the most typical questions you may need about what to put on on a river cruise in Europe. (For those who’re simply right here for the packing record, scroll additional down!)

Do I’ve to decorate up on a river cruise?

The highest query I get about river cruises is said to how “fancy” you’ll want to gown onboard. There are usually no formal nights on river cruise ships. There could also be one Captain’s Dinner evening the place you are suggested that shorts and tank tops should not acceptable, however in any other case the cruise will likely be pretty informal. And that is true for all 3 of the European river cruise strains I’ve sailed with.

Most individuals will gown up slightly bit for dinner in the principle eating room – however by “gown up” I imply placed on a clear pair of pants and perhaps swap out the sneakers for one thing barely nicer.

For girls, dinner apparel might be something from a pleasant pair of capris/pants and a prime to placing on a sundress. Cocktail attire could be thought-about very fancy for a river cruise.

For males, most will put on pants or a pleasant pair of denims and a polo shirt (or comparable). You will not discover many males carrying shorts at dinner, however there aren’t usually any guidelines in opposition to them. A couple of gents could go for a swimsuit jacket for dinner, however jackets and ties should not required on this sort of cruise.

For the remainder of the time in your cruise, dressing for consolation is vital!

What sort of sneakers are finest?

What sort of sneakers you need to convey will largely rely in your cruise itinerary. Clearly when you’re doing a extra energetic river cruise, you then’ll in all probability desire a pair of fine sneakers, or not less than some good strolling sandals.

In actual fact, you in all probability need these issues anyway, as strolling excursions are a standard tour on any river cruise, and you may want comfy sneakers!

Recently, my go-to informal sneakers for each myself and my husband have been SUAVS Zilker knit sneakers. These light-weight, versatile sneakers are tremendous packable, breathable, and principally really feel such as you’re simply carrying socks. They’re mechanically cleanable, too, which is an enormous bonus. (They do not have a lot arch help, although, so they don’t seem to be proper for everybody.)

And when you’re frightened about being trendy in Europe? The excellent news is that sneakers/tennis sneakers are IN in Europe. All people is carrying them. White tennis sneakers are all the fad – my go-tos are these Reeboks, or a pair of white Adidas.

No matter sneakers you pack, simply just remember to’re going to be comfy in them even when you’re carrying them for hours on finish!

Can I do laundry on a river cruise?

For those who’re on an extended river cruise (or in case your cruise is a part of an extended journey round Europe), you would possibly must do laundry sooner or later. Whereas there are no self-service laundry services on river cruise ships, there’ll all the time be an onboard laundry service.

Laundry costs on a river cruise are corresponding to costs in higher-end inns, with each clothes merchandise costing a certain quantity to be washed, dried, and pressed. I might personally solely pay this a lot to have laundry completed if it is completely vital, however the service IS there when you want it.

And you may anticipate your laundry to be returned to you in 24 hours.

What’s supplied within the room?

Facilities will range barely primarily based on which cruise line you are crusing with, however basically you possibly can look forward to finding tub robes, slippers, a hair dryer, and toiletries like shampoo and conditioner in your room.

Do I want outlet/voltage adapters?

SOME river cruise strains will provide two kinds of retailers in each state room (normally a US plug and a European one). Others will simply have the European ones, which means touring with an outlet adapter isn’t a foul concept. I like this one for Europe.

As for voltage, most electronics (like your telephone charger, pill charger, digital camera charger, and so forth.) are constructed as of late to deal with any voltage between 110v and 250v. So the ONLY occasion the place you would possibly want a separate voltage adapter is when you’re utilizing a curling iron, straightener or hair dryer of your individual that is single-voltage from the US, and your ship solely has European plugs. (However you possibly can simply keep away from this challenge by buying dual-voltage devices – this is a dual-voltage hair dryer, and this is a dual-voltage curling iron + straightener.)

Europe river cruise packing record

I’ve traveled on river cruises in spring, summer season, and winter. The packing record under represents what I like to recommend packing for a river cruise in Europe in both spring, summer season, or early autumn, primarily based fully alone experiences and what I did (and did not) want.

(For those who’re headed to Europe on a river cruise in winter, take a look at the underside of this put up for solutions on easy methods to tweak this record for winter!)

The suitcase

To be fully trustworthy with you, your suitcase for a river cruise would not actually matter. The fantastic thing about a river cruise is that you simply solely must unpack as soon as, after which you possibly can shove that suitcase below your mattress in the course of your cruise (and sure, most river cruise strains design their beds in order that full-size suitcases slide simply below them!).

I normally journey with my Osprey rolling bag in Europe. Mine is a 60-liter bag with sturdy wheels and detachable backpack straps (although I all the time depart the backpack straps at residence). Osprey makes superb soft-sided luggage – this specific one has been touring world wide with me for 10+ years and continues to be in implausible form. (And I additionally personal the bigger Shuttle bag, which is nice for even longer journeys.)

If a hard-sided suitcase is extra your velocity, I am a fan of spinner baggage from Samsonite.

RELATED: The Greatest Baggage and Luggage for Journey

I all the time make the most of my favourite compression packing cubes (GREAT for conserving tops and bottoms organized – I exploit the rolling technique) for packing. As a bonus, these cubes might help you set up issues in drawers whenever you unpack onboard, too.

(And when you’re packing bulkier gadgets like sweaters and are frightened you would possibly run out of room, I additionally like these vacuum compression luggage which you can roll the air out of. I like to recommend utilizing them sparingly so your baggage is not too heavy, however they work nice for issues like sweaters and down jackets.)

River cruise clothes (for girls)

Bear in mind, this particular river cruise packing record relies on a spring/summer season river cruise. Your record would possibly range relying on what sort of excursions you are planning on doing!

It is also assuming that you are going on a 7-8 day cruise (which is fairly common). In case your cruise is longer, regulate accordingly.

• 1 pair of denims
• 1 pair of cozy lengthy pants (I like these Columbia ones for doing plenty of strolling)
• 1 pair of dressier pants (I like these as they do not wrinkle an excessive amount of, together with these cozy Halara pants for being extra casual-dressy)
• 1 pair of capris/shorter leggings (I like these energetic capris)
• 1 pair of shorts (non-compulsory in summer season)
• 2-3 attire or maxi skirts (this maxi skirt is the crimson one you see on this put up)
• 5 short-sleeved tops (I actually like Unbound Merino tops as of late, as they give the impression of being good and are odor resistant!)
• 1-2 dressier tops for evenings
• 1-2 long-sleeved shirts (when you’re touring in spring or fall, make considered one of these a heavier sweater or wool prime)
• 1 cardigan or button-up prime for layering
• 1 set of pajamas
• 4-5 pairs of socks (together with compression socks for the aircraft) (I do not put on socks with all my sneakers; when you do, then pack extra!)
• 10 underwear (together with my favourite ExOfficio bikini briefs)
• 3 bras
• 1 pair of moisture-wicking shorts to put on below attire
• 1 swimsuit (in case your ship has a small pool or sizzling tub)
• 1 informal jacket (I normally go along with a denim jacket for spring or summer season)
• 1 raincoat (I like this Columbia one for a extra informal look, and this brief trench to look a bit extra put-together)
• 1 scarf (take a look at my favourite hidden pocket scarf!)
• 1 hat (both a baseball cap – take a look at this foldable one! – or packable sunhat)
• A dual-voltage hair dryer (as a result of despite the fact that river cruise ships will provide one, I like to make use of my very own!)

My prime tip for packing mild is to stay to largely impartial colours and one or two accent colours or patterns which you can combine and match. This manner, you possibly can create a number of outfits with fewer articles of clothes.

I usually pack this quantity of clothes whether or not I am touring for two weeks or 2 months – however I normally put on clothes gadgets greater than as soon as so long as I do not get sweaty in them! (A small bottle of material refresher might help prolong the wearability of garments, too – I by no means journey with out my tiny Febreze!)

RELATED: DOs and DON’Ts for Your First Journey to Europe: 18 Useful Europe Journey Ideas

Toiletries

Additionally in my principal suitcase goes my toiletry bag and small first support package.

That is at present my favourite toiletry bag, because it hangs properly in any lavatory. A couple of issues I all the time pack in it embody:

And a primary support package with painkillers, meds for upset stomachs/heartburn, a number of Band-Aids, nail clippers and tweezers, and so forth. is all the time good to have! I like this little tablet case for journey. (Although be aware that any prescription treatment ought to all the time go in your carry-on bag or purse! By no means test it in your suitcase.)

Sneakers for a river cruise

• 1 pair of sneakers (white tennis sneakers are all the fad in Europe proper now; I’ve a pair of these Reeboks and these Dr. Scholl’s sneakers are additionally a fan favourite)
• 1 pair of strolling sandals (I like my Teva Verra sandals for Europe, as you will get away with dressing them up a bit, too)
• 1 pair of flats or nicer sandals (these will seemingly be ones you do not stroll a ton in, however be certain they’re nonetheless comparatively cozy! I like my Rothy’s Sq. Mary Janes)

No matter you resolve to pack, simply be certain you have got not less than one pair of sneakers that you’re going to be actually comfy strolling in. River cruises provide lots of free strolling excursions, and you do not need to must skip them due to poor shoe alternative!

(For those who’re going within the winter – like on a Christmas market cruise – I might swap out the sandals for a heat pair of shoes like these trendy winter boots by Columbia.)

My carry-on backpack

My new favourite backpack that is each purposeful AND trendy for the streets of Europe is this Pacsafe backpack. This backpack has anti-theft options like slash-proof straps, lockable zippers, and RFID safety, and can match all of your carry-on necessities.

Inside this bag:

*I like to recommend these for any journey to Europe! They make it simple to cost any kind of system that you have introduced alongside, from cameras to iPads to Kindles.

RELATED: Maintain Your Cash and Valuables Secure on Your Travels

My journey purse

There are many purse choices on the market which can be nice for touring. At present, I just like the Travelon Anti-Theft Bucket Bag when you want a bigger purse, or this Pacsafe Citysafe cross-body bag as a smaller possibility. (Sling luggage are additionally very “in” proper now; I like this Pacsafe one.)

For those who favor utilizing a small backpack as your purse, I like this Pacsafe Citysafe convertible backpack, which is each trendy and safe.

Pickpocketing and particularly telephone theft has grow to be more and more frequent in main European cities in recent times. I’ve began utilizing a telephone lanyard like this (or a full-on lanyard case for my telephone), which supplies me some peace of thoughts that I all the time know the place my telephone is!

In my purse (on journey days):

• Pockets (an RFID-safe one is all the time sensible)
• Passport
• Digital camera lens cleaner (my LensPen is nice!)
• A small energy financial institution and charger wire so my telephone by no means runs out of juice (or this energy financial institution can plug proper into your USB-C telephone)
• Small zippered pouch with chapstick, Advil, hair ties, my Lactaid tablets, and so forth.
• Tiny hair brush with hooked up mirror (like this one)
• Sun shades (at present I am loving Goodr sun shades for journey)

Extra river cruise posts

You may additionally like these posts about river cruising in Europe:

What about river cruise packing for males?

For those who’re a person planning to go on a river cruise (or, in all probability extra seemingly, a spouse questioning what to pack on your husband), this is what I might recommend:

• 2 pairs of good denims
• 1-2 pairs of khakis or gown pants
• 1-2 pairs of shorts or mountain climbing pants
• 4-5 t-shirts (my husband Elliot is obsessive about merino shirts currently, as they’re breathable however odor-resistant, so you possibly can pack fewer)
• 2-3 polo shirts
• 1 gown shirt (non-compulsory)
• 1 long-sleeved shirt (Elliot loves this merino henley, which might be dressed up or down)
• 1 fleece or sweatshirt
• Gentle informal coat
• Raincoat (particularly if touring in spring) – this is the one my husband has
• Pajamas
• Underwear for 10 days
• 7-8 pairs of socks
• 1 pair of sneakers (Elliot additionally loves his SUAVS knit sneakers, however normally brings sneakers or mild mountain climbing sneakers for strolling in Europe)
• 1 pair of nicer sneakers
• 1 hat for solar (this foldable one is nice)

What if I am happening a winter river cruise?

For those who’re doing a Christmas market cruise (learn in regards to the one I did right here), I might do the next to amend this record:

• Nix a few the attire and/or add one other pair of pants or leggings (these fleece leggings look nice below attire and are heat sufficient for a lot of Europe in winter).
• Depart the shorts at residence.
• Swap a pair t-shirts for long-sleeved tops.
• Pack a pair extra sweaters.
• Convey boots as an alternative of sandals.
• Pack a medium-weight winter jacket (it would not get *that* chilly in most elements of Europe in December, however having the ability to layer is vital; a down (or down different) jacket is perhaps all you want if in case you have hotter layers for beneath), although in fact you will need to test the climate forecast earlier than you go. For those who want a heavier winter coat, I wore this one to Europe final winter.
• Pack a hat and gloves, simply in case!

You’ll find my full Christmas markets packing record right here for much more winter packing ideas.

READ NEXT: Christmas Markets with Viking River Cruises

What different questions do you have got about packing for a river cruise in Europe?

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Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Harmful Enterprise Journey Weblog. She has traveled to greater than 60 nations on 6 continents from her residence base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and considerate journey by means of the US, Europe, and remainder of the world. Amanda solely shares ideas primarily based on her private experiences and locations she’s truly traveled!