The 1964 European Rowing Championships for women were rowing championships held on the Khimki Reservoir, which is part of the Moscow Canal, in Khimki near Moscow in the Soviet Union. The competition for men had been held the previous month in Copenhagen. The regatta in Khimki was held from 6 to 8 September. Five boat classes were contested. Eleven countries nominated a total of 33 boats for the regatta, which was held over 1,000 metres. Five lanes were available and this meant that in three boat classes, there was only the final: W2x, W4+, and W8+.

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is a Russian engineer, member of the State Duma, and former Soviet cosmonaut. She was the first woman in space, having flown a solo mission on Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963. She orbited the Earth 48 times, spent almost three days in space, is the only woman to have been on a solo space mission and is the last surviving Vostok programme cosmonaut. She was the youngest woman to fly in space until 2023 when Anastatia Mayers flew on Galactic 02 at the age of 18. Since Mayers flew a suborbital mission, Tereshkova remains the youngest woman to fly in Earth orbit.