Cruising on a river or a canal is one of the most relaxing ways to spend a part of your vacation. Boat travel provides a unique view of the countryside and can also give a sense of a classic elegance. It is one thing to take a short tour in a speedboat or large cruiser, but something else to explore more slowly on a narrow boat that is especially designed for river cruising.

If you want to enjoy this kind water travel experience, these destinations are for you.

The UK

The rivers, lakes and canals of England provide some stunning scenery and are the perfect choice for an intimate and atmospheric river-boat cruise. Places like the West Midlands and the Great Haywood areas offer plenty of scenic waterways for a leisurely cruise. A narrowboat hire from Anglo Welsh, a company that specializes in personalized river and canal cruises around the waterways of England and Wales, can lead to some really memorable experiences.

Netherlands

Photo: pasotraspaso / Flickr

Holland’s canals and rivers are the most famous in all of Europe. These waterways wind through the capital city of Amsterdam and all around the countryside. In winter, it is possible to ice skate on many sections of these canals. In the warmer months, however, simply taking a cruise on a small narrowboat is the best way to experience this important part of the Dutch landscape.

France

Photo: JPC24M / Flickr

Though not quite as well known as the canals of England or the Netherlands, France has thousands of miles of narrow waterways that are ideal for people who want to enjoy a narrowboat cruise. Popular countryside destinations like the Champagne region, the Loire Valley, Burgundy, and Alsace-Lorraine all boast large canal networks.

The Danube

Photo: Adam Jones, Ph.D. – Global Photo Archive / Flickr

For a longer cruise through several different counties, the Danube River is the obvious choice in Europe. Major cities like Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna sit along the river, as do a number of Medieval towns and amazing countryside scenery. If you want to experience a slow-paced river cruise, but also want a your vacation to be a little bit epic, a trip on the Danube is certainly a great option.

Mekong Delta

Photo: williamcho / Flickr

Outside of Europe, there are numerous attractive waterways. One of the most interesting is the Mekong Delta, which covers most of Southernmost Vietnam. A network of canals and flood plains, surrounded by tropical landscapes, provide the perfect setting for people who want their river and canal cruise to have a bit of exotic adventure. With fruit plantations, quaint riverside towns, and a way of life that hasn’t changed much over the in centuries, there are certainly lots of attractive elements to a river vacation in the Mekong Delta.

Florida Everglades

Photo: eleephotography / Flickr

In North America, one of the mot expansive waterways is found in the Florida Everglades. These brackish wetlands feature a high number of unique plant and animal species. Nature cruises, on a variety of different vessels from fan-boats to classic canal cruisers, are certainly exciting here. If you want to get in touch with the wilderness, this is arguably one of the best canal cruising destinations in the world.

Have you enjoyed a cruise on some of the world’s greatest rivers and canal networks? Let us know what we should add to our list of the best destinations for river and canal cruises.