Western Europe Small Ship Cruise Tours & Trip Packages

Western Europe Small Ship Cruise Tours & Trips

945 Western Europe trips. Tours from 214 tour companies. 1,665 reviews. 4.7/5 avg rating.

124 trips exactly matchall of the the filters you selected.
My selections:
Small Ship Cruise
Mull Odyssey: Staffa, Iona and the Ross of Mull Cruise
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5/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • Visit Staffa and Fingal's cave
  • Explore Ardtornish castle
  • Watchwhales, seabirds, seals, dolphins and porpoises

Themes

50 plus, Birding, Cultural, Family Friendly, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Relaxing Retreats, Singles Travel, Small Ship Cruise, Transformative, Sailing

What travelers are saying

"I had a simply marvellous and memorable experience aboard St Hilda with the Mull Odyssey cruise. Christophe and Kerry were fantastic, helpful , lovely people. Everybody was great company! The land and seascapes were quite amazing, the light and shade effects wonderful. I know and love the West Coast of Scotland, and this is a wonderful way of seeing it. Highlights were the peace of Iona, the puffins within a couple of feet on Lunga, the fantastic mountains of Mull reflected in the water.... I could go on for ever! Quite the best holiday of my life!"

Trip dates & details
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North Spitsbergen - Polar Bear Special
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4.8/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Spitsbergen

Highlights

  • Explore the cruise through m/v Plancius
  • Visit Spitsbergen, a beautiful fjord dominated by spectacular glaciers and favoured by Ringed and Bearded Seal.
  • Visit Svalbard Museum, Monaco Glacier, Nordaustlandet
  • Have an opportunities to see polar bears ,different types of whales and seals

Themes

National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"I booked an Antarctic Peninsula trip two years ago through Oceanwide Expeditions that I have been looking forward to for a long time. My goal is to scuba dive on every continent, so I added on the dive package and started training. I shelled out a few grand for a drysuit and other cold water diving gear (freeze resistant regulators, etc). I booked trips to bump up my number of drysuit dives so I’d be ready for Antarctica. Probably more important than the training was the financial outlay. I spent nearly $8500 USD on an 11 day Antarctic cruise that was supposed to depart in February. I spent another few thousand dollars on flights to, from and within Argentina and hotels throughout my trip. Mind you, I’m not exactly rolling in money; I’m an Army officer and I had to save up to afford this trip of a lifetime. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get my international leave approved, but I got that done and was ready to fly to Buenos Aires on February 4th, and then on to Ushuaia to meet my ship my dives were logged, my gear was ready, my arrangements were made and my money was spent. On January 10th, Oceanwide sent an email informing all passengers that they were cancelling all of their itineraries for the season due to Omicron. I’ll admit, I was furious. I don’t want to get into a COVID debate here, but this trip has given me something to look forward to throughout the pandemic. I booked in March of 2020 while I was locked down during my last deployment as the world shut down for COVID. I was concerned about the trip, but Argentina eventually opened their borders as their vaccination numbers skyrocketed. It looked like the last impediment was out of my way, only to have the company pull the rug out from under me because of the mildest strain of this virus we’ve yet seen. The initial email offered to rebook passengers on next year’s cruises, but I had no interest in this for a few reasons- 1. As a service member, I don’t have the luxury of taking a month of leave whenever I want. I don’t know what obligations I will have a year from now. 2. I don’t trust that the world will be any better off in terms of government and corporate reactions to COVID a year from now. This isn’t going away, new variants will continue to emerge, so if the company is cancelling for the season over something as mild as Omicron, I have little confidence that whatever variant we see in February 2023 will be any better. 3. The company cancelled all itineraries in the 2020-2021 season and I’d imagine they did the same in the 2019-2020 season. They ran a couple in November-December 2021, but have cancelled for the rest of the 21-22 season. They have had no significant cash flow for nearly two years. I don’t want this company to hold on to my money for another year because I’m not confident this company will still exist in a year’s time. Here comes the really frustrating part- I replied to the initial email from their home office on January 10th explaining my position and requesting a refund. I received no reply. On 12 January I emailed the American office of the same company explaining the situation and again requesting a refund. I again received no reply. Between 14-16 January, I called both the American and home (Dutch) offices of the company. In both cases, the employees politely apologized and told me they’d look into it and get back to me. I never received any further communication. On 19 January, I emailed both offices reiterating my request for a refund and expressing my concerns at their lack of communication and requesting a response by the end of the week, or else I would pursue other means of recourse. I received no response. Last night, I again emailed both companies with a final good faith attempt to allow them to resolve the situation. I figured I’d give them the morning to respond, but they have not responded. It looks like I will have to dispute this through my credit card and bank and fight to get back my own money. TL;DR Oceanwide Expeditions accepted payment of $8500 for an Antarctica Cruise then cancelled the cruise and will not respond to any requests for refunds. This shady conduct is more than enough reason to avoid this company."

Trip dates & details
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Malt Whisky and Wildlife
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5/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • Visit the Malt Whisky capital of the world – Islay
  • Enjoy the magnificent Munro mountains
  • Visit Lagavulin distillery and other world famous distilleries

Themes

50 plus, Birding, Culinary & Wine, Cultural, Family Friendly, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Relaxing Retreats, Singles Travel, Small Ship Cruise, Transformative, Sailing

What travelers are saying

"I had a simply marvellous and memorable experience aboard St Hilda with the Mull Odyssey cruise. Christophe and Kerry were fantastic, helpful , lovely people. Everybody was great company! The land and seascapes were quite amazing, the light and shade effects wonderful. I know and love the West Coast of Scotland, and this is a wonderful way of seeing it. Highlights were the peace of Iona, the puffins within a couple of feet on Lunga, the fantastic mountains of Mull reflected in the water.... I could go on for ever! Quite the best holiday of my life!"

Trip dates & details
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North Spitsbergen - Polar Bear Special, Eco Volunteer
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4.8/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Spitsbergen

Highlights

  • Visit Spitsbergen and Longyearbyen
  • We aim for four days of cleaning activities and four days with special focus on Polar Bears.
  • Parish church and Polar Museum are well worth visiting
  • Enjoy the cruise through m/v Ortelius and experience the nature.

Themes

Eco, Sustainable & Green Travel, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise, Volunteering & Community Service

What travelers are saying

"I booked an Antarctic Peninsula trip two years ago through Oceanwide Expeditions that I have been looking forward to for a long time. My goal is to scuba dive on every continent, so I added on the dive package and started training. I shelled out a few grand for a drysuit and other cold water diving gear (freeze resistant regulators, etc). I booked trips to bump up my number of drysuit dives so I’d be ready for Antarctica. Probably more important than the training was the financial outlay. I spent nearly $8500 USD on an 11 day Antarctic cruise that was supposed to depart in February. I spent another few thousand dollars on flights to, from and within Argentina and hotels throughout my trip. Mind you, I’m not exactly rolling in money; I’m an Army officer and I had to save up to afford this trip of a lifetime. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get my international leave approved, but I got that done and was ready to fly to Buenos Aires on February 4th, and then on to Ushuaia to meet my ship my dives were logged, my gear was ready, my arrangements were made and my money was spent. On January 10th, Oceanwide sent an email informing all passengers that they were cancelling all of their itineraries for the season due to Omicron. I’ll admit, I was furious. I don’t want to get into a COVID debate here, but this trip has given me something to look forward to throughout the pandemic. I booked in March of 2020 while I was locked down during my last deployment as the world shut down for COVID. I was concerned about the trip, but Argentina eventually opened their borders as their vaccination numbers skyrocketed. It looked like the last impediment was out of my way, only to have the company pull the rug out from under me because of the mildest strain of this virus we’ve yet seen. The initial email offered to rebook passengers on next year’s cruises, but I had no interest in this for a few reasons- 1. As a service member, I don’t have the luxury of taking a month of leave whenever I want. I don’t know what obligations I will have a year from now. 2. I don’t trust that the world will be any better off in terms of government and corporate reactions to COVID a year from now. This isn’t going away, new variants will continue to emerge, so if the company is cancelling for the season over something as mild as Omicron, I have little confidence that whatever variant we see in February 2023 will be any better. 3. The company cancelled all itineraries in the 2020-2021 season and I’d imagine they did the same in the 2019-2020 season. They ran a couple in November-December 2021, but have cancelled for the rest of the 21-22 season. They have had no significant cash flow for nearly two years. I don’t want this company to hold on to my money for another year because I’m not confident this company will still exist in a year’s time. Here comes the really frustrating part- I replied to the initial email from their home office on January 10th explaining my position and requesting a refund. I received no reply. On 12 January I emailed the American office of the same company explaining the situation and again requesting a refund. I again received no reply. Between 14-16 January, I called both the American and home (Dutch) offices of the company. In both cases, the employees politely apologized and told me they’d look into it and get back to me. I never received any further communication. On 19 January, I emailed both offices reiterating my request for a refund and expressing my concerns at their lack of communication and requesting a response by the end of the week, or else I would pursue other means of recourse. I received no response. Last night, I again emailed both companies with a final good faith attempt to allow them to resolve the situation. I figured I’d give them the morning to respond, but they have not responded. It looks like I will have to dispute this through my credit card and bank and fight to get back my own money. TL;DR Oceanwide Expeditions accepted payment of $8500 for an Antarctica Cruise then cancelled the cruise and will not respond to any requests for refunds. This shady conduct is more than enough reason to avoid this company."

Trip dates & details
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North Norway-Whale Safari, Aurora Borealis
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4.8/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • Explore Tromsø
  • Enjoy Hike up a trail to the 306 metres high hill Storheia
  • Chances to spot Orca's, Humpback Whales and if lucky White-tailed Eagles
  • Opportunity to experience the Northern Lights

Themes

National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise, Sailing

What travelers are saying

"I booked an Antarctic Peninsula trip two years ago through Oceanwide Expeditions that I have been looking forward to for a long time. My goal is to scuba dive on every continent, so I added on the dive package and started training. I shelled out a few grand for a drysuit and other cold water diving gear (freeze resistant regulators, etc). I booked trips to bump up my number of drysuit dives so I’d be ready for Antarctica. Probably more important than the training was the financial outlay. I spent nearly $8500 USD on an 11 day Antarctic cruise that was supposed to depart in February. I spent another few thousand dollars on flights to, from and within Argentina and hotels throughout my trip. Mind you, I’m not exactly rolling in money; I’m an Army officer and I had to save up to afford this trip of a lifetime. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get my international leave approved, but I got that done and was ready to fly to Buenos Aires on February 4th, and then on to Ushuaia to meet my ship my dives were logged, my gear was ready, my arrangements were made and my money was spent. On January 10th, Oceanwide sent an email informing all passengers that they were cancelling all of their itineraries for the season due to Omicron. I’ll admit, I was furious. I don’t want to get into a COVID debate here, but this trip has given me something to look forward to throughout the pandemic. I booked in March of 2020 while I was locked down during my last deployment as the world shut down for COVID. I was concerned about the trip, but Argentina eventually opened their borders as their vaccination numbers skyrocketed. It looked like the last impediment was out of my way, only to have the company pull the rug out from under me because of the mildest strain of this virus we’ve yet seen. The initial email offered to rebook passengers on next year’s cruises, but I had no interest in this for a few reasons- 1. As a service member, I don’t have the luxury of taking a month of leave whenever I want. I don’t know what obligations I will have a year from now. 2. I don’t trust that the world will be any better off in terms of government and corporate reactions to COVID a year from now. This isn’t going away, new variants will continue to emerge, so if the company is cancelling for the season over something as mild as Omicron, I have little confidence that whatever variant we see in February 2023 will be any better. 3. The company cancelled all itineraries in the 2020-2021 season and I’d imagine they did the same in the 2019-2020 season. They ran a couple in November-December 2021, but have cancelled for the rest of the 21-22 season. They have had no significant cash flow for nearly two years. I don’t want this company to hold on to my money for another year because I’m not confident this company will still exist in a year’s time. Here comes the really frustrating part- I replied to the initial email from their home office on January 10th explaining my position and requesting a refund. I received no reply. On 12 January I emailed the American office of the same company explaining the situation and again requesting a refund. I again received no reply. Between 14-16 January, I called both the American and home (Dutch) offices of the company. In both cases, the employees politely apologized and told me they’d look into it and get back to me. I never received any further communication. On 19 January, I emailed both offices reiterating my request for a refund and expressing my concerns at their lack of communication and requesting a response by the end of the week, or else I would pursue other means of recourse. I received no response. Last night, I again emailed both companies with a final good faith attempt to allow them to resolve the situation. I figured I’d give them the morning to respond, but they have not responded. It looks like I will have to dispute this through my credit card and bank and fight to get back my own money. TL;DR Oceanwide Expeditions accepted payment of $8500 for an Antarctica Cruise then cancelled the cruise and will not respond to any requests for refunds. This shady conduct is more than enough reason to avoid this company."

Trip dates & details
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Dalmatian Highlights Cruise
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4.7/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Croatia, Dubrovnik, Hvar Island, Korcula Island, Sibenik, Split

Highlights

  • Visit Dubrovnik- Old Town - UNESCO Heritage site
  • Explore Hvar Island
  • Visit Elafiti Islands and Pakleni otoci
  • Explore Pomena and Pucisca
  • Discover Split and Trogir, the UNESCO Heritage site

Themes

Cultural, Hiking & Walking, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"used Direct traveller or my business trip in Turkey. Excellent from the word go. The Istanbul hotel they recommended and the service provided for the taxi was spot on"

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Sights of Scotland Tour
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4.2/5 Great
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Loch Ness, The Isle of Skye

Highlights

  • See Edinburgh and tour Edinburgh Castle
  • Witness the spectacular scenery of the Scottish Highlands
  • Loch Ness and scenic cruise
  • Included whiskey distillery tour & tasting
  • Learn about the history and culture of the Scottish Clans
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Themes

50 plus, Cultural, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"Tour is advertised as an "active" tour. However, YMT sold the tours to seniors and others who were unable to walk more than 1/8 mile, unable to navigate stairs or had to walk with the aid of walkers. As a result, 80 percent of the "explorations" were to visitor centers, look out points, stores or washrooms, that were within 100 feet or less of the bus. This tour should be categorized as "relaxed". A big disappointment! The bus driver was friendly and accommodating and drove us safely from one site to another. He sold water to the guests in small bottles for $1 each. I think YMT should be more conscientious of the environment and at least offer bottle refills, especially since the guide practically demanded that each person drink one gallon of water per day. The tour guide was marginally knowledgeable about the area and spent too much time telling us about her private life and friends. She led one hike, but talked mostly about how the rains had changed the landscape. One day she left two guests at the hotel and wanted the people on the bus to take responsibility for not letting her know that people were missing. We were encouraged to find hikes to take on our own, which I felt compromised safety, especially when we had an hour or so to "explore" - there was no safety or backup plan, especially if something untoward happened on a hike. She opted out of taking us to the sunset tour of the Grand Canyon telling us that it was raining and we wouldn't be able to see anything. So a couple of us went to the site on our own and it was possibly one of the best experiences I had on the entire tour (and not a drop of rain!). I often felt bullied into purchasing lunches or meals "offered" by the guide, who made it sound like there were no other options. It was difficult to listen to her brag about how well she was doing and how happy everyone was, when many people were complaining that the tour was not what they expected - mostly because it was too active!!! The accommodations were mostly good - a couple of anomalies (one with a plugged sink and no hot water for a shower, another with a pervasive bad odor). The excursions offered at the time of booking were mostly unavailable later (except for the over-priced meals). Another disappointment because I booked the tour partly because of one of the excursions offered at the time of booking. I would not recommend this tour, because I don't think it is advertised correctly."

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The Sounds of The Hebrides: Mull, Luing, Shuna and Jura
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5/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • Cruise over natural anchorage of Tayvallich, once a famous Viking harbor
  • Explore Tobermory, one of the most picturesque towns in the Western Isles
  • Get an opportunity to see eagles, sharks, whales, porpoises and dolphins, as well as many types of seabirds

Themes

50 plus, Birding, Family Friendly, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Relaxing Retreats, Singles Travel, Small Ship Cruise, Sailing

What travelers are saying

"I had a simply marvellous and memorable experience aboard St Hilda with the Mull Odyssey cruise. Christophe and Kerry were fantastic, helpful , lovely people. Everybody was great company! The land and seascapes were quite amazing, the light and shade effects wonderful. I know and love the West Coast of Scotland, and this is a wonderful way of seeing it. Highlights were the peace of Iona, the puffins within a couple of feet on Lunga, the fantastic mountains of Mull reflected in the water.... I could go on for ever! Quite the best holiday of my life!"

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124 trips exactly matchall of the the filters you selected.
My selections:
Small Ship Cruise

Western Europe Reviews & Ratings

4.7/5  Excellent
1,665  Reviews
See all Western Europe tour reviews
Excellent
1,287
Great
275
Average
39
Disappointing
11
Terrible
14
A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Greek Island Wanderer

A well balanced trip that gives a taste of 3 contrasting islands. Travelling in April proved to be an ideal opportunity to see a different side to Greece - quieter...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Waliking on the Greek Islands

Excellent Guide, Scenery and organisation. Some of hotels were not of a reasonable standard. The walk along the Caldera, Santorini. Excellent knowledge, very well...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Vigorous.

I rarely give ten out of ten, but this came close. The sun shone every day, I slepped well and didn't put on weight. The walks were just right, leisurely as it sai...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Walking in the Greek Islands

This was a trip that stimulated all the senses, from the wonderful colours of the wildflowers on the walks and the blues and whites of the pristine villages we pas...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Great mix of walking, sightseeing & relaxing!

I've been on several Exodus trips and this was definitely up there as one of my favourites. All three islands were beautiful and very different from each other, t...

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Western Europe Tour Selection Trips

  • Here are some actionable travel tips to make the most of your Western Europe tour:

    With so many incredible cities and landmarks in Western Europe, prioritize your must-see destinations to ensure you see all the highlights.
  • Western Europe's cobblestone streets and narrow sidewalks can be challenging with heavy luggage, so pack light and opt for versatile clothing suitable for different weather conditions.
  • Take advantage of Europe's efficient public transportation system, including trains and buses, to easily travel between cities and countries.
  • Invest in a portable Wi-Fi device or ensure your phone plan includes international data to stay connected and access maps, translation apps, and travel information on the go.
  • Western Europe is renowned for its culinary delights, so be sure to sample local dishes and delicacies at authentic cafes, restaurants, and markets.
  • While English is widely spoken in Western Europe, learning basic phrases in the local language shows respect and can enhance cultural immersion.
  • Respect local customs and traditions, such as dress codes for religious sites and dining etiquette, to ensure a positive and respectful travel experience.
  • While it's essential to have a rough itinerary, staying flexible allows you to embrace spontaneous adventures and seize unexpected opportunities.
  • Western Europe can be expensive, so set a budget and prioritize your spending on experiences that matter most to you, whether it's museum visits, guided tours, or dining experiences.
  • Be vigilant of your surroundings, especially in crowded tourist areas, and keep your belongings secure to avoid theft or pickpocketing incidents.

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