More ships than ever are cruising France’s Seine River from Paris

3 months ago 16

Brian Johnston

November 24, 2025 — 11:20am

The Seine is a modest little river when it comes to navigable length: so short that river cruises take just a week and usually sail round-trip from Paris. It is however big on history, art and pretty scenery, and its popularity is booming.

Avalon Waterways reports record bookings for its river cruises in 2026, with the strongest growth in France, and its Seine itinerary a bestseller. Tauck says demand for river cruising in France has surged more than 50 per cent in the last year.

Viking Longship in Les Andelys.

A dozen companies are now elbowing their way along the Seine, and new ships are coming. Next year Tauck is launching the new 124-passenger ship Serene, which will join existing ships Sapphire and Esprit. Another as yet unnamed ship is due in 2027.

Among Serene’s features is the Sun Deck with swimming pool, bar, outdoor dining and shaded day beds, and a wellness and fitness centre called The Retreat placed on an upper deck for full-length window views. Most river-ship wellness areas hunker on gloomier lower decks.

Tauck extended its Seine season this year with the launch of a new eight-day Christmas markets cruise, with five departures in November and December. The itineraries feature two full days in Paris, a festive cocktail party at Chateau de Bizy, and lunch at Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte. Tauck’s ship will be decorated for the season and have interactive holiday activities.

Viking Longship, Paris.

Serene will have plenty of company. Swiss line VIVA Cruises is sending its 116-passenger ship VIVA Beyond on Seine itineraries from May 2026, and Viking Cruises is adding 168-guest Viking Nearthus to its existing five Seine ships next year.

Built specially for the Seine River, the Nearthus is similar to Viking’s many other Longships in style and amenities. As well as offering regular eight-day itineraries, it will sail new eight-day Christmas cruises.

In 2027, Emerald Cruises is entering the fray with its first Seine ship, Emerald Lumi, though few details have been divulged.

AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, CroisiEurope, Scenic and Uniworld also operate on the Seine River. Then there’s British company Riviera Travel, especially good for solo travellers, and German company A-ROSA, a good option for families, which are not often catered for on river cruises. A-ROSA offers a kids’ club and child-oriented shore excursions.

And there are more ships coming. Celebrity Cruises is launching a river-cruise arm and has ordered 10 ships. The first two are sailing on the Rhine and Danube, but the Seine may be next, although the company is coy about its exact plans.

Classic Seine itineraries sail return from Paris and stop in places such as Vernon for Impressionist painter Claude Monet’s gardens at Giverny, historical seat Rouen, and Les Andelys, where the Seine enters a short gorge crowded by a ruined castle.

Excursions away from docking points might take passengers to Versailles, World War II Normandy beach-landing sites, and the picturesque fishing town Honfleur, where the Seine meets the sea.

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Brian Johnston seemed destined to become a travel writer: he is an Irishman born in Nigeria and raised in Switzerland, who has lived in Britain and China and now calls Australia home.