European Holiday Travel Is Smooth Sailing On This Cruise Line - My Family Travels
Enjoying the countryside from the sundeck of the MS RE Waydelich. Photo c. LJ Christian Creutz for CroisiEurope

Are you dreaming about Europe, the fall festivals or famed Christmas Holiday Markets? Whatever your fancy, you want your European holiday travel to be easy to plan and enjoy.

This cruise line makes an easy European vacation possible with fascinating itineraries, great food, attentive staff, and no lugging suitcases between cities. Travel between September and March and discover how both the heat and the crowds disappear.

Tour the Petit France neighborhood in historic Alsace on a cruise excursion for the holidays. Photo c.CroisiEurope
Tour the Petit France neighborhood in historic Alsace on a cruise excursion for the holidays. Photo c.CroisiEurope

Cruise Europe’s Rivers Like the Locals

CroisiEurope Cruises offers plenty of river cruise options whether you want to cruise from Paris to Normandy, sail a paddlewheel boat with a focus on Breton culture, or explore the Rhine River from Amsterdam in The Netherlands to Basel in Switzerland.

CroisiEurope’s expert multilingual guides assist passengers from around the world in learning about regions they visit. Dig deeper at each port of call. On many itineraries, and in certain cases, some fascinating shore excursions are included in rates.

Crew and onboard guides are ready to serve you with a smile. Photo c. CroisiEurope
Crew and onboard guides are ready to serve you with a smile. Photo c. CroisiEurope

Trust your River Vacation to the CroisiEurope Team

As the European leader in river cruising, CroisiEurope welcomes nearly 200,000 passengers each year on board its 50 small-scale ships. They lead cruises down rivers, across seas, and through beautiful canalsin Europe and around the world.

For decades, the family-run company has been a pioneer in ship construction technologies. CroisiEurope’s nimble, purpose-built ships call on historic city-center ports that other, larger ships cannot navigate. They are forerunners on many rivers in respecting the environment and local cultures, making sustainability a priority.

Savor the best of local cuisine at a buffet lunch between shore excursions. Photo by Alexandre Sattler for CroisiEurope
Savor the best of local cuisine at a buffet lunch between shore excursions. Photo by Alexandre Sattler for CroisiEurope

A Classic River Cruise Experience in the European Style

In celebration of its half-century anniversary in 2026, the France-based CroisiEurope offers many special itineraries to look forward to. Some focus on food and wine. There are fall festival cruises themed to French cuisine and a wine tasting cruise in Bordeaux. Another Seine River cruise highlights Monet’s art and the centennial of Impressionism.

“All-inclusive on board” pricing is like a full board plan at a resort. CroisiEurope river cruise rates include all meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner served buffet style or a la carte. The beverages served with meals such as bottled water, wine, beer, fruit juice and coffee are included; some fine French wines and liqueurs are available for a fee. After an exciting day of sightseeing, drinks ordered at the ship’s bar, including the cocktail du jour, are included.

Specially designed menus pay tribute to French gastronomy and seasonal ingredients. Meals boast local touches, using recipes and flavors that immerse guests in each region visited during the itinerary. Dishes are freshly prepared with products from each port and are accompanied by a selection of wines chosen for their quality and harmony with each course.

Floating villages pass by as you cruise the Mekong River through Cambodia. Photo c. CroisiEurope
Floating villages pass by as you cruise the Mekong River through Cambodia. Photo c. CroisiEurope

Enjoy the Winter Holidays from a European Cruise Ship

Choose from Christmas and New Year’s Eve cruises in European capitals and enjoy festive ship’s décor, seasonal events onshore, and special evening celebrations. Besides the MS Wayedelich, the new paddlewheel boat on the Seine, there is a grand musical cruise in France.

Sail on the Elbe River between Prague and Dresden. Shop for exquisite Czech crystal. Pick up traditional porcelain and stollen, a holiday cake, at Dresden Striezelmarkt. Cruise through Spain from Seville to Cadiz and see magnificent nativity scenes that make Spanish holiday celebrations so distinct.

Gift a cruise with friends and family. There are several options to explore the world’s major rivers beyond Europe. Since our unforgettable African river safari in 2025, the company has redesigned the exciting itinerary in Southern Africa. Cruise on the Amazon River in Peru. Explore life in Vietnam and Cambodia like the Ogintz-Yemma family did on the Mekong River. A new ship designed for the Amazon River in Brazil will enter service next year. Book by Sept. 30, 2026 for 2027 early booking deals.

Strasbourg Christmas Market at Kleber and Strasbourg Plaza, visited on a Rhine River cruise. c. CroisiEurope
Strasbourg Christmas Market at Kleber and Strasbourg Plaza, visited on a Rhine River cruise. c. CroisiEurope

Shop the Top European Holiday Markets Enroute

Celebrate the holiday season on the water or book a trip between November and Christmas Eve to experience the top Christmas markets in Europe. For more than 400 years, the Alsace region of France has mounted the historic Christkindelsmärik in Strasbourg. Almost two million visitors annually make it the largest marché de Noël in Europe. Discover the rustic warming chalets, booths full of local handcrafts, fairy decorations, traditional Alsatian houses, and the many seasonal food specialties for sale.

Cruise Italy along the Amalfi Coast to Pompeii. In Sicily or the Venetian Lagoons, experience illuminated palaces, fish and produce markets, and of course Italian holiday traditions. There are also Christmas Market itineraries that cruise along the Seine, the Rhone, Rhine, and — a favorite for the ornate waterfront architecture of Budapest and Vienna – the Danube River.

Dress for a European holiday in Venice, like this couple at the Ca´Sagredo Hotel. c.Alessio Benetti for CroisiEurope
Dress for a European holiday in Venice, like this couple at the Ca´Sagredo Hotel. c.Alessio Benetti for CroisiEurope

Smooth Sailing and Memorable Europe Travels

Each river cruise promises a memorable introduction to local culture and traditions because knowledgeable guides help all ages make the most of their experience.

Whether you choose to travel on an adventure on Europe’s canals or rivers with CroisiEurope, you’ll be welcomed to board, settle into a luxurious stateroom, and simply relax.

From embarkation to disembarkation, the biggest decisions will be what shore excursion to choose and what to order for your next meal.

Bon voyage!

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