At the Wave Awards, frequently dubbed the Oscars of cruise, competition is always fierce, and that was especially true in 2025. One of the biggest winners was Riviera Travel, which topped the tally with not one, not two, but three trophies, a performance that earned the specialist travel operator the highly coveted Grand Prix.
The accolades are organised by Real Response Media (publisher of World of Cruising and Cruise Trade News) and judged by a panel of industry experts. Taken together, Riviera’s wins stand as a clear testament to how highly the brand is regarded.
Without further ado, here’s the complete rundown of Riviera Travel, including who it's best suited to.
What is Riviera Travel?
Riviera Travel’s humble beginnings can be traced to the early 1980s, when Burton-upon-Trent native Michael Wright set his sights on building a travel business. Back then, he aimed to take fellow Britons on coach-and-camping holidays to the South of France, but slowly and surely, his wanderlust grew.
Today, Riviera Travel has taken over 1.75 million guests to 66 destinations across the globe. It’s firmly established as one of the UK’s leading tour operators, specialising in river cruising, small ship sailings and land-based escorted tours with a focus on cultural exploration.
What kind of cruises can I take with Riviera?
While Riviera Travel always guarantees a high level of curation and attention to detail, the kind of voyages it offers varies extensively. Broadly, they fall into three main categories:
River cruising: This is what Riviera Travel is best known for, offering a wide range of river cruises across European waterways and beyond. These range from Christmas-themed sailings along the Rhine to itineraries that reveal the tombs and temples of the Nile.
Small ship sailing: By ocean-vessel standards, anything under 1,000 passengers is typically considered small, but in this case, we’re talking about exclusive yachts with no more than 20 cabins, primarily sailing the Mediterranean.
Tall ship sailing: For a truly wind-in-your-hair, bucket-list experience, you can join Riviera aboard a clipper ship modelled after 19th-century ocean-going vessels, sails, masts and all.
This list is by no means complete. Riviera also offers specialist sailings, including voyages to the Arctic. And because the company has deep expertise in land-based travel, many cruises can be extended with city stays, tours or exploration by rail.
Where can I travel with Riviera?
With 66 destinations to choose from at the time of writing, and more being added to Riviera’s repertoire every year, the world is your oyster.
When it comes to European rivers, Riviera sails the Danube, Douro, Rhine, Rhône, Moselle, Seine, Dutch waterways and more.
Beyond Europe, you’ll also find Riviera Travel itineraries on rivers like the Nile in Egypt, the Yangtze in China and the Ganges in India. Riviera additionally sails the Mekong, traversing Vietnam and Cambodia, and is set to launch Riviera Alba, exclusively for Riviera guests, on the river in 2027.
As for ocean-going vessels, including yachts and tall ships, Riviera operates many routes in the Mediterranean, including the Adriatic and Aegean. The brand also charters ships sailing to far-flung destinations such as the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and the Inside Passage of Alaska.
Riviera’s land-focused escorted tours, meanwhile, span destinations like Darjeeling and Bhutan, Victoria Falls and Cape Town, and Marrakesh and the Atlas Mountains.
Who is well suited to Riviera?
Riviera Travel attracts well-travelled guests who have put their hostel-hopping days behind them and want to travel in style and great company. It’s also particularly well-suited to those with a strong sense of curiosity; itineraries often place real emphasis on sating cultural appetites.
The brand also has a reputation for appealing to first-timers, underscored by a 2025 Wave Award for attracting new-to-cruise guests.
The cruise-curious are especially well served by Riviera’s collection of short river cruises designed for testing the waters, frequently featuring standout destinations such as Paris, Cologne, Amsterdam and Vienna.
The specialist travel operator was also named Best for Solo Travellers at the 2025 Wave Awards, marking the fourth consecutive year it secured the accolade. The company has long championed those travelling independently, with a ‘travel solo, never alone’ ethos that ensures guests feel integral to the experience rather than tacked on to itineraries designed for couples or groups.
Not only does Riviera offer an extensive number of solo-dedicated cruises and tours that free guests from the dreaded single supplement, it’s also setting a bold new standard with MS George Eliot. The ship is set to be the world’s first river ship exclusively for solo travellers, with departures from June 2027.
Beyond this, Riviera Travel also has a collection of themed river cruises designed to suit specific interests, such as gastronomy, art, history, music and natural beauty.
One final thing to note is that Riviera welcomes children on select itineraries, but age limits are in place. For land holidays, children must be nine or older, and for cruises, they must be at least 12. Any minor must share a cabin with an adult aged 21 or over.
What are Riviera Travel river ships like?
By 2028, Riviera Travel is set to have 16 river ships in its fleet, each operating essentially as a floating five-star boutique hotel. They all share key qualities, including a relaxed sociability, welcoming public spaces and menus inspired by regional cuisine, but beyond that, each has a character all its own.
Many of the ships have a strong sense of heritage and are named after notable historical figures, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, William Wordsworth and Jane Austen.
Ships in the Radiance-class, led by Riviera Radiance (see the full expert review here), each feature expansive grand suites, measuring 32 square metres, and three distinct restaurants. They are also designed with the latest technology and environmental values in mind, meaning they’re on track to qualify for the Gold Standard in the Green Award programme.
Is Riviera Travel good value for money?
Yes, Riviera Travel has extremely competitive fares considering the premium experience it provides.
While it may not be as cheap as hostel-hopping or a single-destination fly-and-flop holiday, that’s because it’s offering an entirely different experience. It’s designed for seasoned travellers who are looking for a four- or five-star level of service, freedom from logistical hassle and meaningful cultural immersion.
Riviera Travel delivers all of that and far more when you consider the generous inclusions bundled into its fares. For European river cruises, for instance, you can expect return flights from regional airports across the UK, checked luggage, transfers, complimentary shore excursions, full board, a drinks package and more.
The brand is so certain that the experience they provide is unbeatable in terms of value that they offer a Quality Promise: if you find the same quality experience for less with a competitor, it will match the price. Check Riviera’s website for full T&Cs.
When is the best time to book with Riviera?
With some cruise operators, you have to carefully time your booking to secure the cheapest fares, but with Riviera Travel, there’s genuinely no need to chase flash sales. The specialist operator takes a strong stance against promotional trickery and inflating prices simply to offer dramatic discounts later in the year.
In fact, they offer a price promise so you can book when it suits you without worrying about missing a future deal. If they reduce the price of a cruise after you’ve booked, they will automatically send you a Future Travel Voucher for the difference in value, plus an extra 25 per cent.
How reliable is Riviera Travel?
One of the standout things about travelling with Riviera is how seamless and stress-free the experience is, thanks in large part to the best-in-the-business tour managers who look after you throughout your experience.
That’s on top of 24/7 access to a UK-based support team, who are on hand both before and during your holiday, to assist should anything at all go awry.
Your money is also fully protected through ABTA and ATOL, and you’re covered by Riviera’s Happiness Guarantee. That means if you’re not happy by day two of your holiday, Riviera will bring you home and provide a refund.
In practice, it’s a guarantee guests seldom have reason to call upon. As well as winning over the experts, the multi-award-winning travel operator has also gained the public’s trust. It’s been rated Excellent based on 57,000 reviews on Feefo and has a current rating of 4.7 on Trustpilot.
What else to know before booking with Riviera Travel:
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