Seven tempting autumn cruises to book now, from £68 per night

Autumn is an ideal time to cruise, offering the chance to escape increasingly cold and gloomy UK weather and enjoy quieter destinations. Harvest time in Burgundy The village of Beaujolais in Autumn (Photo: Alec Issigonis/Getty) For wine lovers, autumn in Burgundy is something to celebrate. A themed cruise aboard CroisiEurope’s 138-passenger vessel Rhône Princess visits vineyard destinations, including Beaune – Burgundy’s viticultural capital – and Mâcon, plus a scenic drive and tasting along the Beaujolais Wine Route. Coinciding with the 2026 release of Beaujolais Nouveau, there’s an evening in medieval Beaujeu where guests can join the soirée prestige, which marks the end of the harvest with music, food and fireworks. Back on board, all drinks are included, providing ample excuse for another toast. The four-night round-trip Exceptional Wine Tasting Cruise in Burgundy: Beaujolais Nouveau, sailing from Lyon, costs from £892pp, excluding flights. Departs 15 Nov, croisieurope.co.uk Chasing autumn sunshine in Europe and Africa The white and blue streets of Tetouan (Photo: p. lubas/Getty) If you’ve got the time, Ambassador Cruise Line offers an enticing way to wave goodbye to chilly Britain and soak up sunshine on a month-long, no-fly cruise. Visiting 15 ports across seven countries – Spain, Tunisia, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Portugal and Morocco – the trip’s highlights are the impressive Roman ruins of Carthage in Tunisia and the white-washed houses of Morocco’s Medina of Tetouan (both Unesco World Heritage sites). Along the way, you can expect lively entertainment, good food and a convivial atmosphere on the classic cruise ship Ambience, which carries up to 1,400 guests. A 31-night Gems of the Adriatic and Mediterranean Autumn Sun round-trip, sailing from Tilbury, starts at £2,121pp. Departs 3 Nov, ambassadorcruiseline.com Pop across to Cork The Rock of Cashel in Ireland (Photo: MSC Virtuosa) For a big-ship experience on a short-break, sail to Ireland on the 6,300-plus passenger Virtuosa, one of the biggest ships in MSC Cruises fleet. Offering a taste of the Emerald Isle alongside all the fun of a cruise, you will have up to 28 hours ashore in the historic city of Cork. Explore the English Market, and buy some soda bread and Irish cheese, before kissing the Blarney Stone for the gift of the gab. The surrounding countryside will also be starting to glow in golden colours. Back on board, order a cocktail from Rob the robotic bartender in the futuristic Starship Club, or head to the pub for Guinness, whiskey and live Irish folk music. A four-night round-trip cruise, sailing from Southampton starts at £349pp, departing 29 Sep, msccruises.co.uk The Med on the quiet Mamsen’s dining area on-board the Viking Sea (Photo: Viking Cruises) Enjoy the Mediterranean at a more leisurely pace. In response to passenger feedback, Viking has created a collection of quieter-season cruises to popular destinations. One of these visits Italy, Greece and Turkey when fewer crowds and cooler temperatures make exploring ancient wonders even more enjoyable. Discover Pompeii, Mount Etna and the Acropolis, then relax back on one of Viking’s identical 930-passenger ships. Every cabin and suite has a balcony, so you’ll have a front-row view of the passing scenery. The seven-night Journey to Antiquities cruise from Athens (Piraeus) to Rome (Civitavecchia) starts from £2,545pp, including flights. Departs 21 Nov (other dates available from October onwards), viking.com Pumpkins and Halloween in the US Nowhere does autumn quite like North America. As leaves turn fiery shades of red and gold, the Hudson River becomes a spectacular destination, stretching far beyond New York City through woodland, historic towns and grand estates built by the wealthy Vanderbilt and Roosevelt families. American Cruise Lines’ sailing along the Hudson Valley reveals the Catskill Mountains at their most dazzling, while spooky Sleepy Hollow embraces Halloween with decorations, legends and its connections with author Washington Irving. Add a visit to a giant pumpkin patch for the ultimate autumn celebration. The eight-night Hudson River Fall Foliage cruise sailing round-trip from Albany costs from $7,190pp (£5,324pp), excluding flights. Departs 18 Oct 2027 (other sailings available Sep-Oct), americancruiselines.com Norway’s Arctic Lights Autumn is also a spectacular time to explore Norway’s rugged coastline on Havila Voyages’ modern 640-passenger ships. During September and October, scenic detours into Hjørundfjord reveal bright foliage framed by snow-capped mountains. Shore tours visit the soaring North Cape, the furthest point north that you can drive on the European mainland. As darkness falls above the Arctic Circle, the big draw is the Northern Lights, with wake-up calls available if they appear at night. Havila’s Northern Lights Promise offers a free cruise if you don’t see the phenomenon on any of its sailings between 1 October and 31 March. An 11-night Round Voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes and back costs from £1,697pp, excluding flights. Departs 21 Oct (other year-round sailings available), havilavoyages.com Transatlantic crossing with a difference Far removed from transatlantic voyages on genteel liners, a tall-ship adventure across the Atlantic revives the golden age of sail. Star Clippers’ four-masted square-rigged barquentine Star Clipper, which carries just 166 guests, does just this. There’s only one stop – in Tenerife – before it heads west to Barbados. Days at sea bring nautical pursuits, from knot-tying and navigation talks to stargazing and the exhilarating chance to climb the mast to the crow’s nest. There’s also King Neptune’s ceremony – a salty and soggy rite of passage for those making their first Atlantic crossing, as you cross the equator. The 15-night repositioning cruise from Las Palmas to Bridgetown costs from £2,215pp, departing 20 Nov, excluding flights, starclippers.co.uk