Wondering about European river cruises - maybe 10 to 12 days duration - whether it's a worthwhile option to consider (for first trip to continental Europe in over 25 years) in April.

Absolutely. I went on one in December 2005 and had a great time. It's very nice to unpack once and let someone else take care of meals and sightseeing. Very relaxing way to travel.

Agree with Underhill- great way to go... check websites of Uniworld (which we have used twice- most recently on Chrismtas Market Cruise on Danube and another on the Po in Italy) My dream is to do the Rhine from Amsterdam to the Black Sea. Another company to check is Viking.
Try it, you'll like it! Oh, another "cruise" we thoroughly enjoyed is the "Norwegian Coastal Voyage"... another must.

We did an Wales-England tour. We met one man who was trying to see all of England this way doing tours each year. Yes, you see sights that no other tourist will. A wonderful experience.

Just be sure to carefully check the timing of the stops. We've looked at some river cruises that schedule ridiculously short amounts of time at some stops.

We had a wonderful cruise on Peter Deilmann this past Fall. Rouen to Paris (or vice versa) with extra time in Paris at the end if you wish. An older crowd (ahem) but not stuffy.. both Europeans and Americans.

You can also check out the message boards on Cruise Critic under River Cruises.

Older crowd is right. Amsterdam to Swiss is possible. Look for ones that travel in the morning and moor up in afternoon. I did Rhine like this recently and v good.

Might be worth coinciding with local festivals say a wine festival every 50km would be about right