Tauck Travel USA/fleet has announced the addition of the Seine River to its lineup of year-end holiday market cruises, beginning in 2025.
This new itinerary marks an expansion of the company’s river cruising operations in France and represents its first holiday-themed journey on the Seine.
The 8-day cruise begins with 3 days and 2 nights in Paris, where guests will visit some of the city’s most renowned Christmas markets, including those in the Tuileries Garden. These markets offer opportunities to shop for local crafts and sample seasonal specialties such as mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, cheeses, chocolates, and sausages. Guests will also have the option to explore medieval art at the Cluny Museum or view the stunning 13th-century stained glass windows of Sainte-Chapelle.
Following the Paris experience, the cruise continues to Rouen, Les Andelys, and Vernon. Along the way, guests will enjoy highlights such as a private tour and holiday cocktail party at the opulent Chateau de Bizy, an 18th-century estate adorned for the season and still owned by a descendant of Napoleon. The journey also includes a private lunch and afternoon tea at Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte, a 100-room moated palace richly decorated for the holidays. Guests will have time to explore the chateau’s interiors and its meticulously designed formal gardens.
In Normandy, travelers will have the chance to visit additional Christmas markets and select from guided excursions to the historic D-Day beaches or the Rouen Fine Arts Museum.
Tauck will offer 5 departures of the Seine: Holiday Magic cruise aboard its Sapphire riverboat, with prices starting at US$4,490 per person. This new offering becomes Tauck’s 5th holiday market-themed river cruise, joining its established itineraries on the Danube, Rhine, and the waterways of Belgium and Holland.
The new Seine itinerary coincides with Tauck’s continued expansion of its river cruise operations in France. In October, the company announced plans to introduce 2 new riverboats, one with a capacity of 130 passengers and the other accommodating 124. These vessels, expected to be ready for the 2026 season, will operate on both the Rhone and Seine Rivers.