A fabulously festive, four days away, this mini break offers maximum comfort and cossetting service, to sail through a stress-free Christmas. Go with the flow of the Rhine to explore splendid Strasbourg, beguiling Rüdesheim, and historic Mainz

A short break during the weeks of Advent, this tour combines the history of the Habsburg Empire with the traditions of the Christmas Markets, cruising the Danube to a trio of riverside capitals, from elegant Vienna to beautiful Budapest and medieval Bratislava

There is nowhere else on earth like Venice. The busy city’s streets of water and the tiny islands of its lagoon combine in a unique UNESCO enclave. The tour is a similarly fitting combination, quietly based on an elegant boat, with all the sights at the foot of the gangplank

Interspersing famous city landmarks with fabulous natural landscapes, and including island and inland national parks, this unhurried tour is a lovely introduction to Croatia’s coastal attractions, staying on land in Split, Korcula, and Dubrovnik

A magical meander around the intriguing sites, inviting islands, and inimitable scenery of the Croatian coast, this relaxing and refreshing cruise sees new horizons every day of its seven-night sail on a private Jules Verne small-ship, the elegant MV Admiral

Sailing on a stylish river cruiser of the famous CroisiEurope fleet, this vibrant and varied tour takes you from the ‘streets of water’ in Venice, across the island-dotted lagoon, and along the Canal Bianco for excursions to Padua, Mantua and romantic Verona

Cruising the Guadalquivir from spirited Seville to coastal Cadiz, and travelling by road to Roman and medieval Cordoba, the wine cellars of Jerez area, and Granada’s magnificent Moorish palace fortress, this tour adds an extra dimension to Andalucian discovery

Cruising the Douro from its mouth on the Atlantic to its crossing into Spain, with daily excursions to medieval towns, majestic palaces, port wine cellars, and vineyard valley landscapes, this beguiling journey includes visits to Guimarães, Lamego, and Salamanca

Floating between famous vineyards, Médoc, Margaux and Saint-Émilion among the fine appellations, this is a tour to historic ports, wine châteaux and ‘bastide’ towns, cruising on the Garonne, Dordogne, and Gironde Rivers, from Bordeaux to the Bay of Biscay

Sailing past Paris landmarks and between the bucolic banks of the Seine and Yonne rivers, this péniche (barge) cruise carries you back in time to medieval streets, artists’ landscapes, and the sumptuous royal châteaux of the 17th-century ‘Grand Siécle’

Touring magnificent landscapes and medieval landmarks, this coastal cruise calls at charismatic towns, and takes the ‘back to Nature’ routes to uninhabited islands and peaceful national parks, revealing the secret scenic splendour of Croatia’s untamed interior

From the maze of myriad inlets forming Bergen’s busy bays, to the top-of-the-world wilds of Nature at the North Cape, this classic Norwegian Hurtigruten cruise visits very varied ports of call as it follows Norway’s spectacular coast in search of the Northern Lights