Can your river cruise sail today?
Every river cruise runs on a few centimetres of water at a few known places. We read the official gauges the lines read, every 30 minutes, and say in plain words what today’s level means for a sailing. No other agency does this.
Live from the official gauges
Today on the Rhine, Danube, Seine and Douro
River cruise lines watch a handful of gauges to decide on ship swaps and coach segments. We read the same gauges and translate them into what it means for your sailing. Updated every 30 minutes.
Rhine
- Low water: disruption possible1 cmKaub· Middle Rhine gorge, km 546
1 cm at Kaub: below the level cruise ships need here. Expect ship swaps around this stretch or a coach segment; ask us before you book departures in the next two weeks.
The single most important gauge for Rhine cruising: the rocky Middle Rhine between Koblenz and Rüdesheim is the shallowest stretch. Fully loaded ships need about 150 cm; below roughly 100 cm lines start ship swaps or coach segments. Record low 5 cm (17 Aug 2026), previous 25 cm (Oct 2018).
GlW (equivalent low water): 78 cm · HSW II (navigation suspended): 640 cm
Low water on the Rhine clusters in August–October after dry summers (2018, 2022, 2026). April–June and late autumn are the calmest months at Kaub.
Danube
- Low water: disruption possible215 cmPfelling· Bavarian Danube near Straubing, km 2,305
215 cm at Pfelling: below the level cruise ships need here. Expect ship swaps around this stretch or a coach segment; ask us before you book departures in the next two weeks.
Reference gauge for the Straubing–Vilshofen stretch, the shallowest section between Regensburg and Passau. The fairway is kept at 2.0 m under RNW, so cruise ships (about 1.5–1.8 m draft) get tight below RNW.
RNW (regulated low water): 290 cm · HSW (navigation suspended): 659 cm
- Low water: disruption possible151 cmHofkirchen· Bavarian Danube near Vilshofen, km 2,257
151 cm at Hofkirchen: below the level cruise ships need here. Expect ship swaps around this stretch or a coach segment; ask us before you book departures in the next two weeks.
Second gauge on the same critical stretch; lines quote Pfelling and Hofkirchen together when deciding on ship swaps between Regensburg/Passau.
RNW (regulated low water): 207 cm · HSW (navigation suspended): 514 cm
The Bavarian Danube runs lowest in late summer and early autumn; the Austrian and Hungarian stretches are deeper and rarely affected. Spring snowmelt and June storms bring the high-water risk.
Seine
- Sailing normally95 cmParis-Austerlitz· Seine in central Paris
95 cm at Paris-Austerlitz: comfortably within the range river cruise ships need.
On the Seine the risk is high water, not low water: bridge clearance in Paris. Normal level about 82 cm; first restrictions from 160 cm; large ships limited above 330 cm; navigation through Paris stops around 430 cm. Floods cluster in January–March.
navigation through Paris suspended: 430 cm
The Seine is regulated by locks: low water is not an issue, winter floods (January–March) are. Summer and autumn sailings are the most reliable.
Douro
No gauge needed here.
The Douro is a chain of dammed lakes with locks; ships sail year-round on stable levels. The only seasonal factor is heat in July–August, not water.
Bands: ● sailing normally ● low water, watch ● disruption possible ● high water ● suspended. Official references: GlW/RNW (low-water reference) and HSW (highest navigable level). This is guidance, not a guarantee; your advisor checks the line’s own operational notices before every booking.
What it means for your booking
What happens to my river cruise when the water is too low?
Lines rarely cancel. The usual pattern is a ship swap: you leave for a morning excursion, your luggage moves to a sister ship on the other side of the shallow stretch, and you continue that afternoon on a near-identical vessel. Where no sister ship is available, a coach covers one stretch and you rejoin the ship or stay in a hotel for a night. Compensation policies differ by line; we tell you exactly what each line has done in past seasons.
Which stretches are the problem?
On the Rhine it is the rocky Middle Rhine gorge measured at Kaub. On the Danube it is the Straubing–Vilshofen stretch in Bavaria measured at Pfelling and Hofkirchen; the Austrian and Hungarian Danube are deeper. On the Seine the issue is high water and bridge clearance in Paris. The Douro is a chain of dammed lakes and is not affected.
When is low water most likely?
On the Rhine and Bavarian Danube: August to October after dry summers (2018, 2022 and 2026 were the hardest years). Spring and early summer are the safest. On the Seine the risk is winter floods, January to March.
Can I book a departure with less risk?
Yes. For the Rhine and Danube choose April–June or late October–December, prefer itineraries that avoid the critical stretch, or choose ships with shallower draft. Tell us your dates and we will say plainly which departures we would book ourselves.