You’ve found the perfect river cruise. The itinerary is spectacular, taking you to places you’ve always dreamed of visiting. You’ve researched the ship and are in love with it. You’ve studied the deckplans, you’ve picked your stateroom. You’re ready to go!

There’s just one small problem: You’ve discovered, late in the game, that the airfare is going to cost more than the river cruise itself.

What now?

Knowing what is important to you - price or schedule - can make an enormous difference to your flights overseas. Photo © 2012 Aaron Saunders

For many of us, airfare can be a struggle, both in terms of cost and availability. But when it comes to planning your river cruise vacation, there are some simple research precautions you can take early on in the process to ensure you don’t end up on the wrong side of the airfare game. The first step starts with doing some research on your hometown airport.

For the sake of convenience, we’d all like to live near a major hub like New York or Toronto, but the fact is that river cruisers come from different parts of the world – and chances are your hometown airport doesn’t have direct service to places like Budapest or Prague. But it’s equally likely that you have more options than you know about. Wikipedia can be a great resource for researching your airport, as most have a complete listing of airlines that serve each airport along with their respective destinations (check out this page on Vancouver International Airport to see what I mean.)

Research both destination and connecting airports. Pictured here is London Heathrow Terminal 5. Photo © 2011 Aaron Saunders

Once you know where you can go from your own airport, you can better plan how you want to get to Europe, and that brings us to five tips and tricks for making air travel easier:

1. Embrace Connections: Unless you’re lucky, chances are you’ll have at least one connection on your way to Europe or Asia, but there’s good news here too: Connecting flights are can be cheaper than direct flights, and in some cases, they work well with schedules that get you to your destination earlier. Connecting flights are also an excellent way to build up your frequent flier points, and those can come in handy down the road for upgrades to Business Class or entry into airline lounges at airports around the world.
2. Consider Another Departure Airport: If you live near more than one airport, make sure you look at all available flights from each airport. Chances are one will be much cheaper than the other, or offer better times and aircraft. A good example of this is the New York area, which plays host to three major international airports: John F. Kennedy (JFK), La Guardia (LGA) and Newark (EWR).
3. Fly an International Airline: Let’s face it, domestic service, particularly in the United States, is nothing to write home about. International service on an international airline can be a much more pleasant experience, with newer aircraft, better seats, complimentary wine, beer and spirits during and after dinner in economy class, and fewer baggage restrictions.
4. Use Points: If you belong to frequent flier programs from airlines in the Star Alliance, Oneworld and Skyteam networks, you can use your frequent flier points to book tickets to Europe, provided you have enough. Don’t quite meet the minimum requirements? See if your chosen airline will let you upgrade to Business Class with the points you do have – you may be pleasantly surprised.
5. Price Isn’t Always Everything: it’s all about what matters to you that determines whether airfare is truly “great” or not. Do you value price over schedule, or schedule over price? Usually, there’s a trade-off. After all, you may get a great deal by doing a three-connection flight littered with redeyes, but unless you really love to fly it may be worth spending the extra money to get yourself there comfortably.

One last tip: Be sure to pay attention to your aircraft type. This is a Dash 8-300, and it's not for everyone! Photo © 2012 Aaron Saunders

Being in control of your airfare – instead of surprised by it – can make all the difference in planning a successful river cruise vacation.

One of the best aspects of river cruising is undoubtedly the amount of time you get to spend ashore. With port calls that range from short early-morning calls to extended overnight stays, river cruises are the best way to see a number of European cities in a single week. But how do you make the most of your time ashore? After all, for first-time visitors to places like Vienna, Amsterdam and Paris, the amount of attractions, historic locations and culinary delights can seem overwhelming.

Don't get stuck in long queues for attractions like the Eiffel Tower; use the Internet to purchase tickets in advance. Photo courtesy of Avalon Waterways

In order to make the most of your time ashore, it pays to do a little research, particularly as river cruise lines typically offer more than one type of excursion. In Linz, Austria, for example, you’re confronted with even more choices: You can choose to explore this attractive city or head out farther afield as many cruise lines offer excursions to Salzburg and the medieval city of Cesky Krumlov.

A quick Google or Wikipedia search can help immensely in determining how you want to spend your day – choosing Salzburg over Linz, for example. But even for sightseeing in a single city, the Internet is an indispensable companion.

Most major attractions have websites listing their features, admissions rate and opening hours, and a few will even let you purchase tickets in advance, which can be an enormous timesaver when you’re actually on the ground. One of the best uses of advance purchase tickets is a visit to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, where the ticket queue can be lengthy during peak hours. Going with tickets in-hand that were purchased at home (or at your hotel in Paris) can save you valuable time. Avid Cruiser Ralph Grizzle did this with his family on a recent trip and says he saved standing in line for hours to go up the iconic tower.

Vienna boasts some of the most impressive cultural sights in Europe - but determining what to see requires some careful thought. Photo © 2011 Aaron Saunders

While full day port calls and overnight stays provide guests with a great deal of flexibility and options for exploration, it can still pay to plan out a few hotspots you want to hit. Don’t go overboard with it – you want your time here to be free and enjoyable – but definitely map out any attractions you can’t leave without seeing. 

This is particularly useful for calls that visit Vienna, Austria, which plays host to a mind-boggling array of historic cafes, each one seemingly cooler than the next.  Your research will also provide you with an important aspect of Viennese café culture: A latte here can be an affair lasting several hours, as opposed to the “grab-n-go” mentality of North America.

While River Cruise Advisor provides a great amount of information, in our experience there’s still no substitute for a good printed guidebook.  You can slip it in your backpack and pull it out as needed, make notes in the margins, and circle choices that interest you. We never leave home without one.

For those who are digitally connected, bring along the iPad or iPhone. Many European cities have free WiFi hotspot locations, and a quick check of your iPhone can tell you what street you’re on and give you accurate directions on where you’re headed.

Of course, should you ever get lost, you could always just go “the old fashioned way” and ask someone.

Finally, on one day of your trip, plan to have no plan at all: Some of the best discoveries we’ve made were the ones we simply bumbled across.

Lose yourself among Amsterdam's narrow streets and canals. Photo © 2012 Aaron Saunders

From advance tickets to Versailles to reservations at that restaurant you always wanted to try, careful planning can make all the difference to your time ashore. We highly recommend it.

Paris may get all the glory, but no trip to France is complete without a visit to one of the most historically significant regions in the entire country: Normandy. Its beaches played a critical role in the outcome of World War II, and while numerous battles have been fought on its land, this stunning region has had the power to inspire artists, writers and creative minds throughout the ages.

Now, you can explore some of the best that France has to offer from the convenience of a river cruise.

The iconic Eiffel Tower at the heart of Paris, France. Photo courtesy of Avalon Waterways

Departing between March and October of this year, Avalon Waterways has crafted a superb (and easily accessible) weeklong itinerary that explores the best Paris and its surrounding environs have to offer. There’s plenty of time to explore Paris itself, where a multitude of options are available. Visit the legendary Louvre in the morning and find a quiet café in Montmartre in the afternoon. Whether you’re ascending Gustav Eiffel’s iron masterpiece or strolling the Champs Elysees, you’ll no doubt enjoy the experience.

Avalon Creativity, shown here sailing the Rhine in Germany. Photo courtesy of Avalon Waterways.

Sailing aboard the Avalon Creativity is an equally impressive experience. With just 140 passengers, finding that cozy corner or favorite deck chair is never an issue. But there’s more to this royal blue-hulled river cruise ship than just space; every public room features expansive walls of glass, ensuring that the beauty of the French countryside is experienced at all times. A complimentary beverage station serves up hot chocolate (great for those cool shoulder-season voyages), hot tea and premium coffees. Staterooms are spacious and well-appointed, and offer amenities like WiFi access and room service.

Avalon offers a variety of staterooms to suit every taste and budget. Pictured here is the Avalon Suite aboard Avalon Creativity. Photo courtesy of Avalon Waterways.

Going ashore is made that much easier thanks to the provided headsets for all European shore excursions, ensuring guests never have to strain to hear their local English-speaking guides.

The itinerary for the Paris to Normandy’s Landing Beaches reads like a must-see list for France. After leaving the French capital, Avalon Creativity sails for Conflans, where you can choose between two equally fascinating excursions: a visit to Auvers-Sur-Oise to see the town where Vincent Van Gogh lived out his days; or you can explore Napoleon’s Chateau de Malmaison, purchased by Josephine Bonaparte while her famous husband was fighting in Egypt.

Afterward, it’s off to Vernon where you can stroll through this quaint, beautiful town or take an excursion to nearby Giverny, the former home of acclaimed painter Claude Monet.

The historic cliffs of Normandy. Photo courtesy of Avalon Waterways

Two days in Rouen allows for proper exploration of this important Upper Normandy capital. It’s also the site of Avalon’s included excursion to the historic Beaches of Normandy, including Omaha Beach, the site of the World War II Allied landing invasion that was portrayed with stunning accuracy in the 1998 film, Saving Private Ryan.

The imposing ruins of the English-built Chateau Gaillard. Photo courtesy of WIkipedia / Creative Commons

Before returning to Paris at the end of this alluring itinerary, time is made for a stop in Les Andelys, the sight of the imposing Chateau Gaillard. Built by England’s King Richard the Lionheart in 1196, this castle is a must-see example of medieval architecture and an excellent vantage point overlooking the River Seine.

The full itinerary on this cruise:

With all this exploration packed into one adventure-filled week, it’s tough to resist this itinerary from Avalon Waterways.

For more information on Avalon Waterways and Avalon Creativity, visit our detailed Avalon Waterways company and fleet overview here on River Cruise Advisor.