TUI River Cruises has launched its winter 2027 program, which it described in a press release as its biggest winter launch to date. 

The season will include 37 sailings with three-, four-, five-and seven-night itineraries running from October 2027 to April 2028. 

The program goes on sale from July 2, 2026, with prices starting from £869 per person for the “A Taste of Christmastime on the Rhine” sailing. 

“Winter 2027 marks an exciting step forward for TUI River Cruises as we expand both our fleet and our offering,” said Katy Berzins, head of river cruises at TUI River Cruises. 

“With the addition of TUI Elara for her first winter season, new Rhine itineraries, winter Douro itineraries and calls to new Belgian ports, we’re giving customers more choice and flexibility than ever before from festive Christmas market sailings to solo cruises and a wider range of regional flight options.” 

This will be the first winter season for the TUI Elara after it launches in March 2027, bringing the fleet to three ships on the Rhine. 

Dubbed the cruise line’s most intimate ship, the Elara will visit various Belgian Christmas markets on the “An Enchanting Christmas Journey” itinerary. 

Three new Belgian ports will be featured: Maastricht, Liege and Roermond, where the ship will dock on Christmas Day for winter 2027. 

The TUI Luzia will sail its first winter season on the river Douro after it enters operation in summer 2027, with four Portuguese sailings of its “Douro Discovery” itinerary.  

It will sail from Porto to Entre os Rios; Peso de Regua; Vega de Terron; Barca d’Alva; back to Peso de Regua and finish in Porto from November 5, 2027. 

These sailings will be supported by third-party airline routes from Stansted Airport to Porto and London Gatwick to Porto for winter 2027, TUI added. 

The TUI Maya and TUI Isla will both be sailing on the Danube. 

This includes the “New Year on the Eastern Danube” on the Maya sailing on December 30, 2027, with the ship docked in Budapest for New Year’s Eve. 

The cruise line added that it will also expand its regional flight program with the addition of a third TUI Airways departure from Birmingham to Dusseldorf, joining existing flights from London Gatwick and Manchester for the Skyla, Aria and Elara.  

These flights will support itineraries such as “Mistletoe & Rhine” on the Aria and “A Christmastime on the Rhine” on the Skyla. 

The season will also include two solo sailings on the Rhine. 

The seven-night cruise “Rhine Chateaux & Gateaux” on the TUI Elara will sail the southern part of the river, visiting Basel, Mannheim and Koblenz from October 31, 2027. 

The TUI Aria will sail the northern part during a four-night cruise, “Northern Rhine Highlights,” visiting Amsterdam, Cologne and Mainz from November 17, 2027.