French river cruise line CroisiEurope is marking its 50th anniversary with a seasonal programme of 29 festive sailings across Europe, running from late November to late December 2026. To celebrate the birthday, selected cruises of three to eight days carry savings of up to €500 per person.
The line-up leans heavily on the classics, and rightly so. Ships are moored right on the canals of Strasbourg, Colmar, Ghent and Bruges, meaning decorated vessels with Christmas markets a few minutes' walk from the gangway. Further afield, itineraries cover the villages of Alsace, Paris, the Christmas markets of Prague, and Advent celebrations in Venice and Padua. In Provence, passengers can see santons — the handcrafted nativity figurines that have been made there for centuries — while anyone wanting to dodge the winter chill entirely can opt for Andalusia, where December weather stays pleasantly mild.
It's not all rivers, either. Two of the line's small ships, La Belle des Océans and La Belle de l'Adriatique, sail Christmas-at-sea itineraries from the Canary Islands to the Amalfi Coast, with festive entertainment and dining on board.
Sailings that span Christmas itself get a proper celebration rather than a token nod: a special Christmas Eve dinner with paired wines and a gift for every guest. Example itineraries include "Magical Christmas in Alsace" — three days and two nights departing December 23, 2026, with onboard Christmas Eve festivities and a Christmas Mass — priced from €460 per person, down from €575.
New for 2026 are festive sailings on the Seine, Elbe and Vltava aboard CroisiEurope's paddlewheel ships, adding Paris, the Elbe cities and Prague to the mix of homeports.
For travellers, this is a tidy way to do the Christmas markets without packing and unpacking. The ships dock centrally, breakfast and dinner are covered, and the price cuts make late-December departures surprisingly affordable — a two-night Alsace break at €460 undercuts most Christmas market city hotels once meals are factored in. Shorter three-night sailings work well as a festive weekend; the longer routes suit anyone who wants the whole Advent season wrapped into one trip. Book early if you have your eye on Christmas Eve departures, as those dates fill fastest and the anniversary discounts apply to selected cruises only.
