by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 10:30 AM ET, Mon August 10, 2026
The Rhine River has hit record low water levels in Germany since the end of July, with heatwaves and drought conditions exacerbating the issue across Europe—and impacting the travel sector.
European news outlet France24 reported that an inland shipping association, BDB, warns that the levels in Kaub could fall even further this week, as a gauging point for determining whether ships can navigate the river. BBC reported that Kaub’s water levels hit below 10 inches.
Right now, Rhine’s southern tributaries and the part of the river in the Netherlands and the part of Germany around Cologne are operating shipping. Still, much of the German Rhine is currently too shallow for ships.
The Rhine River begins in the Swiss Alps and flows along the border of several countries, before emptying into the North Sea in the Netherlands. It’s a popular and scenic river cruise route, with many travelers beginning in Amsterdam and ending in Switzerland.
“With water levels this low, commercial shipping will no longer be able to transport goods in the region,” said BDB’s managing director, Jens Schwanen, in an interview with the Rheinische Post newspaper. “In principle, this means the Rhine is no longer continuously navigable and thus divided in two.”
BBC reports that levels in Cologne were lower than they’ve ever been—and residents have been measuring the water levels for nearly as long as they’ve been living alongside the river.
Danube water levels are also looking grim: several river cruise ships ran aground in recent weeks, including the Viking Ullur, whose guests had to be evacuated from the ship. River cruises have stopped sailing to Central Europe, including Budapest, due to extremely low levels there.
Europe River Water Level Outlook
Heatwaves with temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit are expected to continue this week in several southern and central European countries, with little rain in sight.
This likely means that, at least for the next week or two, river cruises won’t see the relief needed to operate as usual.
Germany’s Low Water Information System (NIWIS) reported that 44% of measuring stations on the Rhine and 78% on the Danube are recording extremely low water levels.
What To Do If You Have A Europe River Cruise
Those traveling on river cruises in the next few weeks should monitor their inbox for any official communications from their river cruise line and take appropriate steps if a sailing is canceled, and be in communication with their travel advisor, who can assist if necessary.
More often than not, however, river cruise lines will try to provide alternative itineraries, including busing travelers across the itinerary and planning hotel stays, rather than cancel the trip outright.
River cruise line AmaWaterways has an active alert on its website, which reads, “Due to unusually low water levels on sections of the Rhine and Danube rivers, operational adjustments on select sailings have been deemed necessary.
“As river conditions continue to evolve, modifications may include changes to ports, embarkation or disembarkation locations, motorcoach transfers, ship scheduling, or other itinerary elements. Please know that every adjustment is made with the comfort and safety of guests as our highest priority.”
The cruise line also mentioned that they will communicate all changes to itineraries to guests via email.
Viking directed TravelPulse to a July 30 statement about potential river cruise impacts, which says, in part: "...Select Viking river itineraries may be modified. Viking's nautical and operational teams are closely monitoring conditions and working to minimize any impact to guests' travel experiences. Viking Customer Relations is proactively notifying guests and their Travel Advisors prior to departure if the guests’ itinerary may be affected..."
"We also deploy identical sister ships on the same itinerary, sailing in opposite directions. In various water-level situations, when disruptions occur, we can implement 'ship swaps,' allowing guests and their luggage to transfer to their exact same stateroom on an identical sister ship on the other side of the affected section of river."
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