Our small ship cruising holidays
What do these destinations have in common: Croatia, the Falklands and Antarctica, Scotland’s Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Maldives, the Galapagos Islands, and the Aegean Sea? They can all be explored in comfort and convenience with our small ship cruise holidays. Smaller ships are vastly better for the environment and the communities you’ll visit when compared with travelling aboard a large vessel, as they don’t overwhelm smaller, less-visited harbours. With less crowding and queuing, it also makes for a much more enjoyable experience for you. Plus, many of our small ship cruises are accompanied by experts in subjects ranging from photography to marine biology who are passionate about sharing their knowledge and skills.
Our top Small ship cruising holidays
Split to Dubrovnik luxury cruise, Croatia
From
£1419 to £2809
8 days
ex flights
Cruise Split to Dubrovnik in luxury via Croatia's islands
Small group2024: 21 Sep, 22 Sep, 29 Sep, 6 Oct, 2025: 20 Apr, 26 Apr, 27 Apr, 4 May, 10 May, 11 May, 18 May, 24 May, 25 May, 1 Jun, 7 Jun, 8 Jun, 15 Jun, 21 Jun, 22 Jun, 29 Jun, 5 Jul, 6 Jul, 13 Jul, 19 Jul, 20 Jul, 27 Jul, 2 Aug, 3 Aug, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, 30 Aug, 31 Aug, 7 Sep, 13 Sep, 14 Sep, 21 Sep, 27 Sep, 28 Sep, 5 Oct, 11 Oct, 25 Oct
Croatian Islands motor yacht cruise
From
£1509 to £2729
8 days
ex flights
Sail the Croatian islands on a beautiful luxury motor yacht
Small group2024: 2 Oct, 5 Oct, 9 Oct, 12 Oct, 2025: 13 Apr, 20 Apr, 4 May, 11 May, 1 Jun, 15 Jun, 22 Jun, 6 Jul, 13 Jul, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, 21 Sep, 28 Sep, 5 Oct
12 guests, Spitsbergen Circumnavigation cruise
From
€15500
14 days
ex flights
Svalbard in-depth Circumnavigation with 12 Guests Only
Small group2025: 15 Jul, 26 Jul
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Call us for a chat about our holidays. We are happy to discuss your holiday and help in any way we can. No bots, queues or awful hold music.
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Calling from outside the UK
Iceland circumnavigation cruise
From
£3771 to £7105
9 days
ex flights
A thrilling, complete Iceland experience!
Small group
St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides cruise, Scotland
From
£4950
11 days
ex flights
Scottish Cruise to St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides
Small group2025: 2 Aug
Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica cruise
From
€12350 to €15100
21 days
ex flights
The Ultimate Antarctica Experience!
Small group2024: 18 Oct, 21 Oct, 6 Dec, 10 Dec, 17 Dec, 2025: 4 Jan, 16 Jan, 1 Feb
Greenland cruise and northern lights
From
€4250 to €13005
9 days
ex flights
The world's longest fjord & spectacular Aurora Borealis
Small group
Highlights of Spitsbergen holiday
From
£6300 to £15000
7 days
ex flights
6 night cruise through the heart of the Arctic
Small groupThis trip runs from May to July, please enquire to discuss dates.
Skye and the Small Isles sailing holiday
From
£1560 to £2880
9 days
ex flights
Sail Scotland's Small Isles and visit spectacular Skye
Small group2025: 30 Apr, 4 May, 10 May, 20 May, 15 Jun, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, 22 Aug, 5 Sep, 9 Sep, 2026: 30 Apr, 5 May, 10 May, 14 Jun, 30 Jul, 14 Aug, 18 Aug, 26 Aug, 29 Aug, 9 Sep, 13 Sep, 16 Sep
About our small ship cruising holidays
Finding the right cruise for you
Wondering how to choose a small ship cruise? There are certain things to keep in mind – such as whether you’re prepared to pile on the layers in the Arctic, Antarctica or Scotland, or if you’d prefer to sail in sunshine in the Mediterranean and Aegean. The type of sailing is also important. There’s a big difference between a week spent island-hopping on a yacht and two weeks on an expedition ship that spends several days crossing choppy oceans. Certain cruises lend themselves to specific activities, too, such as marine conservation, wildlife watching or exploring ancient sites on land. Our friendly Travel Team are always happy to offer advice.
Single travellers
There’s always a real sense of camaraderie on board our small ship cruises, which makes them great for solo travellers. Single cabins are available on larger ships, while luxury or off-peak cruises will often let single travellers book a double room without a supplement. Other cruises offer you the chance to share a cabin to avoid the single supplement; it’s well worth considering if you don’t mind sharing your space. One thing’s for sure: you’ll never be lonely, and you’ll become fast friends with your fellow seafarers.
Family cruises
Though you need to choose a suitable cruise, small ships and kids can be a wonderful combination, and skippers often get a kick out of having children on board to ooh and ahh over wildlife, and be inspired by ocean landscapes. Small ship cruises are especially suitable for single parents who’d like to holiday in good company. Some yachts add safety nets so that children from the age of five can sail safely. Note that Antarctic and Arctic cruises might only allow teenagers who are old enough to fully understand weather and wildlife watching safety briefings.
Expedition cruising
Our expedition cruises plot a course for the edge of the map – to corners of the world sometimes only accessible by ocean. Even that access is a challenge; you might sail into Spitsbergen aboard an icebreaker or head to the New Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands on a strengthened tall ship. You’ll meet Indigenous communities gleaning a living in some of the most inhospitable environments on earth and see near-mythical wildlife like beluga whales and polar bears – often these trips inspire a passion for conservation. Expeditions usually sail for a couple of weeks, so expect a good few days at sea filled with interesting lectures and sharing meals with new friends.
Wildlife cruising
Unobtrusive small ships are great for watching dolphins, whales, orca and seabird colonies. The skippers and guides we work with are well-versed in the principles and local laws of watching wildlife safely and respectfully; tours will often be tailored to the animals’ routines instead of yours. Polar bear cruises are vital for revealing the true effects of climate change and shrinking ice packs on endangered species. Other voyages have conservationists on board who can get you involved in monitoring dolphin pod sizes and movements.
River cruising
The Nile, Amazon, Yangtze, Mekong… you can float down some of the world’s most mythologised rivers on a small ship. Depending on which of our river cruises you choose, the scenery will range from waterside shrines and ruins to limestone mountains and dense rainforest. There’s nothing stagnant about a river cruise, either. These are working rivers, so your skipper and guides will show you where floating markets sell flowers and silverware, perhaps stopping for a while so you can visit a local artisan’s workshop or a Buddhist temple. They’ll also point out wildlife – pelicans in the Gambia, crocs in Egypt, endangered dolphins along the Irrawaddy – and ensure the boat keeps a respectful distance.
[Finding the right cruise for you: iStock]
[Single travellers: Jason Pratt]
[Families: Phuket@photographer.net]
[Expedition cruising: Roderick Eime]
[Wildlife cruising: Bart van meele]
[River cruising: Lea Kobal]
