European River Water Levels

One of the more common questions we get asked about when booking a European river cruise is, “Will high/low water levels affect my sailing?” Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy answer to assuage concerns about European river water levels when booking a cruise several months (or over a year) in advance. Changing weather conditions can impact sailings with as little as several hours of notice.

Let’s not mince words, though. Water levels can, and do, impact European river cruises every year. Overall, though, the number of sailings impacted each year is minor and fear of water level issues should never be a reason for you to not sail the wonderful rivers of Europe. The impact of high or low water often impacts certain sections of a river, not the entire length, so remedies are all about getting around the specific area(s) of concern.

Causes & Timing of Water Level Issues

Dealing with water level issues is a way of life for the cities and regions that rely on their rivers for everyday activities and commerce. Disruptions are typically only for short periods of time as specific weather events play out. Large snowfalls in the winter can create huge snowmelts in the spring. Prolonged, heavy rainfall can occur at any time of the year, raising water levels to the point where ships are unable to pass under bridges or safely dock at a desired port. Excessively long heat waves can dry things up and create the risk of running aground.

It's important to be aware that water levels are a natural phenomenon that can't always be predicted or controlled. While we can provide some guidelines on historic weather patterns, know that Mother Nature is fickle. There is plenty of proof that exceptions to historic patterns occur frequently. With that in mind, here are some general guidelines:

High water levels are typically more of an issue during the spring months, especially in regions where snowmelt from the mountains contributes to river flow. Heavy rainfall can also cause high water levels at other times of the year.
Low water levels are typically more of an issue during the summer and early autumn months. This is because decreased rainfall and increased evaporation can lead to reduced water levels in rivers.
During the transition periods between seasons, water levels can fluctuate as weather patterns change. For example, heavy rainfall in late autumn or early winter can cause temporary increases in water levels, while a prolonged period of dry weather in spring could lead to lower-than-average water levels.
Regional variations come into play, with the timing and severity of high and low water levels varying from one region to another.

Impact of Water Level Issues

So, what happens if there is high or low water issues on the river you are scheduled to sail on? Each cruise line monitors water levels closely, and has its own set of contingency plans to minimize disruptions and ensure passengers still have an enjoyable experience. Whatever their plan, you will not be asked to pay additional money – and if the disruption is large enough, some lines might even provide a future cruise credit or partial refund to make up for your disrupted sailing. Here are some examples of how cruise lines might address water level issues:

Adjusted itineraries that modify the start/end ports, the ports visited, or the timing of excursions.
Hotel stays and/or buses might be used for parts of your itinerary – or in rare instances, for the entire cruise itinerary.
For lines that have larger fleets, ship swaps could be used to address the problem. This is where ships sailing the same river, but in opposite directions both arrive at the impassable section and then crew and staff are transferred from one ship to the other, therefore bypassing the trouble spot and allowing them to sail the remaining itinerary.
In extreme cases, and as a last resort if the above options are not possible, cruise lines might be forced to cancel entire sailings.

Which Rivers & How to Monitor Water Levels

When comparing European river water levels across all itinerary options, the Rhine and Danube seem to suffer the most. The Seine, Rhône, and Saône might be in the next group of river itineraries impacted. The group with the least number of issues would probably be the Moselle, Dutch & Belgian Waterways, and Douro. But again, it can’t be stressed enough that water level issues can occur on any river, at any time.

There are numerous online resources that you can use to monitor the current water levels on specific rivers, though many may not be in English. Use your browser’s translation option to convert the website content. For German rivers, we have found the map on PEGELONLINE to be very useful. Markers on the map in green indicate normal water levels, blue indicate high water levels, and orange indicate low water levels. Consult your specific cruise itinerary and use the look up box (with the magnifying glass) to get the latest on your ports of call. Here are some common ports that you might look up:

Upper Rhine: Dusseldorf, Koln (Cologne), Bonn, Koblenz
Lower Rhine: Basel, Breisach, Speyer, Mannheim
Danube: Passau, Deggendorf, Regensburg, Vilshofen
Main: Mainz, Bamberg, Wertheim, Wurzburg
Moselle: Koblenz, Cochem, Trier UP, Wincheringen, Fremersdorf
Elbe: Pirna, Dresden, Meissen, Torgau, Wittenberg

While not quite as intuitive to use as the German website noted above, this French site provides a color coded map of current river conditions throughout France. You can drill down by region/territory to see specific station data.