13 European Rivers And Waterways For Travel

The Dnieper River: Ukraine

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The 1,333-mile Dnieper River is Europe's fourth longest and sails from Russia through Belarus and Ukraine before flowing into the Black Sea. It has many hydroelectric dams and is very important to the Ukraine economy. 

 

Cruises sail between Kiev and Odessa, so the entire cruise is in the Ukraine. These two cities are so important over half of an 11-day cruise is spent there. Kiev is the capital of Ukraine and is one of Europe's oldest cities, offering many historic sites and a major cathedral. ​Odessa sits on the northern shore of the Black Sea, not far from where the Dnieper River enters the Sea. Unlike Kiev, Odessa was not founded until the 18th century by Russian Empress Catherine the Great.Today, it is a transportation hub and its beaches attract many tourists.  

Other Dnieper River ports visited on the cruise are Kremenchug, Dnipro, and Zaporozhye, which is the ancestral home of the Cossacks. It's not surprising that Cossack horsemen put on a show similar to the one in Puszta, Hungary since Cossacks settled both regions.

 

Due to the political unrest in the Ukraine, many river cruise lines have postponed running their ships on the Dnieper River. Viking River Cruises is the only major river cruise line that caters to English-speaking guests that currently has Dnieper cruises scheduled.