What to Pack for a Riverboat Cruise

Riverboat cruises are more popular than ever and with good reason. They have wonderful itineraries, allow you to visit multiple countries without ever repacking and dock in the very heart of small towns. Unless you pay top dollar you’ll have a small closet onboard which is fine because I recommend packing light.

Most guests dress very casually. There are no formal dinners or occasions to dress up unless you purchase tours that are dressier. Comfortable shoes are critical because you’re going to do a lot of walking.

Here’s what I packed for a Viking Riverboat cruise of the Danube plus an extra 7 days of travel. I fit it all into this 18″ carry-on plus a small handheld. Everything I brought was black, gray, and white with pink accents which made everything interchangeable.

Outerwear

tweed sweater/blazer

nylon, water-resistant jacket

colored trenchcoat

cashmere wrap

 

Tops

2 no-iron white shirts

3 v-neck shells (sleeveless blouses)

short-sleeved cotton tee shirt

long sleeved cotton tee shirt

2 cashmere sweaters

2 lightweight cardigans in neutral prints

cotton tank top

silk plaid duster- similar

Bottoms

2 pair black stretch pants- These are my favorite pants for travel, plus here.

ponte knit pencil skirt

ponte knit pant

pull-on blue jeans

black jeans

1 pair of black and white checked pants

Footwear

machine washable Arcopedico stretch shoes

black leather sneakers

Eileen Fisher black sport sandals

black low heel slides

black leather flat mules

 

Accessories

1 silk scarf

1 large cotton scarf

4 necklaces

4 pair of earrings

1 bracelet

1 sunhat

1 tote bag

1 crossbody/waist belt/clutch bag  This bag was invaluable. It switched from a crossbody to a belt bag, to a clutch with the quick change of straps.

1 umbrella

My white shirts were worn multiple times. How did I keep them from getting grimy? I didn’t. But because they’re no-iron, I was able to hand wash them in my tiny sink using a bar of hand soap.

I suppose body wash might have worked well but the bar allowed me to scrub the neckline which got stained from sunscreen during the hottest days.

Then I simply hung it in the shower to dry overnight. It looks wrinkled here but by the time it dried, the wrinkles had all released and it looked smooth and crisp.

I wore everything except one cashmere sweater because the weather decided to cooperate and warm up. The cashmere wrap was only used on the frigid flights.

You can see how I combined these pieces here, here, here and here.

My next trip I will pack one less sweater, pair of pants and skip the mules. The limited color scheme is critical to packing light so you can pack it all into a carry-on.

What do you handwash when you travel?

 

Thanks for reading and have a great day.