A family-founded river cruise line with twin-balcony staterooms, wine included with lunch and dinner, and a Chef’s Table on board. Australians fly to Europe, Egypt, Vietnam or Colombia to join the ship.
AmaWaterways is a family-founded river cruise line that has spent more than two decades building intimate ships for Europe’s rivers, plus Egypt’s Nile, southern Africa’s Chobe, Vietnam and Cambodia’s Mekong, and Colombia’s Magdalena. Most ships carry around 150 guests, small enough that the crew learns your name by the second day. It suits couples, families with older children and solo travellers who want a slower, more personal trip than a coach tour or a big ship allows.
There is no Australian homeport: you fly to Europe, Egypt, Vietnam or Colombia and join the ship there, with a Fly & Cruise airfare bundled into many 2026 and 2027 sailings. The Danube round trip from Budapest, the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel, the Douro round trip from Porto and the Mekong between Ho Chi Minh City and Cambodia are the itineraries Australians book most, each seven nights with wine, guided excursions and a Cruise Manager included.
Every stateroom above the entry category has AmaWaterways’ signature twin balcony, a French balcony you open plus a step-out balcony beyond it, and most ships add a Chef’s Table specialty restaurant, a daily Sip & Sail cocktail hour and a Wellness Host running fitness classes. AmaMagna, the double-width Danube ship, goes further again with four restaurants, a Zen Wellness Studio and a pickleball court on its Sun Deck.
Starting-from fare per person, twin share, as listed on AmaWaterways’ Australian site on 14 September 2026. Fares are published per sailing date and stateroom category and move with AmaWaterways’ own seasonal offers; ask us for your preferred dates and we will confirm the current price.
AmaMagna · from Round trip from Budapest · 7 nights, cruise only, September Savings fare
AmaDara · from Ho Chi Minh City to Kampong Cham, Cambodia · 7 nights, cruise only, September Savings fare
AmaDouro · from Round trip from Porto · 7 nights, cruise only, September Savings fare
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Call a Cruise Expert · 1300 214 840 Enquire TodayFour ships across the rivers Australians book most: the Danube, the Rhine, the Douro and the Mekong.
At 22 metres wide, nearly double the width of a standard river ship, AmaMagna trades cramped corridors for four restaurants: the Main Restaurant, the Chef’s Table, the communal Jimmy’s and the vegetable-forward Al Fresco. Staterooms run from 355 to 710 square feet with full outside balconies, and the Zen Wellness Studio, a heated Sun Deck pool and whirlpool, and a pickleball court fill the extra beam.
Christened in 2021, AmaSiena pairs floor-to-ceiling windows with AmaWaterways’ signature twin balcony, a French balcony you open plus a step-out balcony beyond it, on most of its 78 staterooms and suites. The Main Restaurant and the glass-enclosed Chef’s Table cover dinner, tapas and afternoon tea fill the gaps, and a heated Sun Deck pool with a swim-up bar and a walking track round out the ship.
AmaDara sails exclusively on the Mekong, blending French colonial design with Southeast Asian artistry across 60 staterooms and suites, every one with a twin balcony. The Mekong Restaurant and the Chef’s Table handle dining, unlimited wine and local beer come with lunch and dinner, and the Saigon Lounge is where evenings turn into cultural performances. There is no lift on board, so upper-deck cabins suit guests comfortable with stairs.
AmaDouro is built for Portugal’s Douro Valley: a panoramic lounge and a Sun Deck pool look straight onto the terraced vineyards, and excursions run ashore to quintas and hilltop towns. The Main Restaurant pairs Portuguese and Spanish menus with local wines, and 51 staterooms and suites, from 161 to 323 square feet, mostly open onto a balcony.
Also in the fleet: AmaLea, AmaReina, AmaSonata, AmaVerde and the new AmaRudi on the Danube and Rhine; AmaVida and AmaSintra on the Douro; AmaDahlia and AmaLilia on the Nile, soon joined by AmaNubia; the Zambezi Queen on the Chobe River; and AmaMelodia and AmaMagdalena on Colombia’s Magdalena River.
What each cabin type gives you. Fares vary by ship, sailing and date, so ask us for the rate on the departure you want.
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A taste of the restaurants, bars and spaces. Anything marked Included carries no extra cost.
The main dining room on every ship, with regionally inspired menus and wine included with lunch and dinner.
A multi-course tasting menu prepared in a glass-enclosed kitchen, included in the fare on most ships.
Fresh, vegetable-forward dishes with panoramic river views, one of four dining venues on the double-width AmaMagna.
AmaDara’s lounge for cultural performances by night and a quiet spot for drinks and tapas by day.
A heated pool, sun loungers and a swim-up bar on the top deck, open on most sailings.
A daily cocktail hour on the Sun Deck as the ship gets underway, included in every fare.
At least one included guided excursion in every port, with gentle, active and specialist options to choose from each day.
Complimentary bikes and guided cycling or walking tours through vineyards, old towns and riverside paths.
Sun loungers, a walking track and, on AmaMagna, a full-size pickleball court above the river.
Fitness classes led by a Wellness Host, plus massage treatments and a salon on most ships.
Local musicians, cultural performances and conversation in the Main Lounge after dinner on most evenings.
AmaWaterways covers the dining, the guided excursions and the bikes. Drinks come with lunch and dinner and at the nightly cocktail hour, rather than all day.
There is no Australian homeport: you fly to Europe, Egypt, Vietnam, Cambodia or Colombia and join the ship there. The itineraries Australians book most are the Danube round trip from Budapest, the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel, the Douro round trip from Porto and the Mekong between Ho Chi Minh City and Cambodia, several with a Fly & Cruise airfare bundled into the fare on selected 2026 and 2027 sailings.
All meals, wine and local beer with lunch and dinner, a daily Sip & Sail cocktail hour, at least one guided shore excursion in every port, Wi-Fi throughout the ship, and use of the Chef’s Table specialty restaurant on most ships. Premium drinks, gratuities, optional tours and pre- or post-cruise hotel stays are extra unless your package includes them.
AmaMagna is nearly twice the width of a standard river ship, so its 196 guests get four restaurants instead of two, a Zen Wellness Studio, a Sun Deck pool and whirlpool, and a pickleball court. Every other ship in the fleet, including AmaSiena, AmaDara and AmaDouro, carries 100 to 160 guests in a more traditional single-width hull with the same twin-balcony staterooms.
Couples, families with older children and solo travellers who want a small, personal ship, an included excursion with a choice of activity levels each day, and a slower way to see a region than a coach tour or a big ocean ship allows. It suits people happy without a casino, a theatre or a kids’ club, in exchange for wine at dinner and a crew who learn your name.
It is rare, but low or high water can occasionally affect river cruising, particularly in late summer on the Danube or during snowmelt on the Rhine. When it happens, AmaWaterways adjusts the programme: guests may transfer to a sister ship, cover part of the itinerary by coach, or have port calls changed, with the ship’s Cruise Manager managing the change.
Europe’s rivers run from March to December, with tulips in the Netherlands in April, wine harvest on the Danube and Douro in September and October, and Christmas markets from late November. The Mekong is cruised year-round with a drier season from November to April. Tell us the month you have in mind and we will match it to a river.
Tell us the river, month or ship you have in mind through the enquiry form on this page, or call 1300 214 840. We are an independent Australian cruise agency: we quote AmaWaterways’ published fare in AUD with taxes, fees and any Fly & Cruise airfare included, and one specialist manages your booking from quote to homecoming.
Call 1300 214 840, message us on WhatsApp, email, or tell us what you want and a AmaWaterways specialist will come back with a quote.
Enquire TodayLuxury Cruises Guide is an independent Australian cruise agency operated by Orange Ninja Pty Ltd, ABN 17 682 640 713. It is not owned or operated by AmaWaterways. AmaWaterways and its ship names are trademarks of their owner and are used here to identify the cruise line. Fares shown were published by the cruise line at the time of writing and change with availability.