TUI River Cruises launches its fifth ship on the European Waterways, TUI Elara, after river cruise line continues to deliver strong performance
- tomanddomtravel
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
TUI River Cruises has announced the fifth addition to its European fleet, which will set sail along the European Waterways from Summer 2027. The new ship will be one of the river cruise line’s most intimate capacity passenger ships across the European fleet, accommodating 138 passengers. The launch will be supported by a range of third‑party flight routes to Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Basel, available from seven UK airports. This announcement marks another significant milestone in the brand’s growth as TUI River Cruises approaches its fifth year of sailings, beginning the year with a strong performance and sales up 50% year-on-year for 2026***.
TUI Elara, meaning “bright” in Greek, will operate five, seven and 14 night Full Board Plus* sailings from Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Basel with five new itineraries along the Rhine, Moselle, Dutch & Belgian waterways, making 15 itineraries in total, and will be the first ship in the fleet to sail to Brussels in Belgium.
The adults only ship will feature the brand’s Verdastro as its main à la carte restaurant, and The Observatory as the primary lounge, bar and entertainment space. The Top Deck is designed as a relaxed, open-air space with sun loungers, a putting green and room for activities including yoga, deck games, and BBQs.
The 138 passengers will be accommodated across 70 cabins including the brand’s first offering of eight French Balcony Junior Suite cabins. These 19.5m² cabins provide extra space with a coffee table, chair and en suite complete with a double sink, large shower, and upgraded toiletries. Additional services in the suite include nightly turndown services and continental breakfast in bed included within the price.
Other cabins include standard cabins, superior French balcony cabins, French balcony cabins and two single cabins.
Katy Berzins, Head of TUI River Cruises, said: “As we enter our fifth year of sailing, we’re thrilled to continue expanding our fleet with the introduction of TUI Elara to Europe’s waterways. Demand for more immersive, experience‑rich travel continues to grow, and TUI River Cruises is all about giving customers the freedom and flexibility to explore multiple rivers and destinations in their own way.
Our strong performance, high customer satisfaction scores and growing occupancy show the strength of our position in the river cruise market as we continue to modernise and expand the fleet. TUI Elara will open up Europe’s stunning rivers to even more customers, with new routes along the Rhine, Moselle, Dutch & Belgian waterways.”
Like the rest of the European fleet, TUI Elara will be Full Board Plus as standard with the option for guests to upgrade to all-inclusive, and will also include a day and night entertainment programme.
The five new itineraries include the Grand Rhine Delights, Rhine Delights and Dutch & Belgian Gems itineraries sailing from Amsterdam, the Rhine Delights 2 itinerary from Basel and the Splendours of the Rhine & Moselle itinerary from Frankfurt all sailing onboard TUI Elara.
Itinerary: Grand Rhine Delights
Day 1: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Day 2: Nijmegen, Netherlands
Day 3: Cologne, Germany
Day 4: Koblenz Germany
Day 5: Rudesheim, Germany
Day 6: Speyer, Germany
Day 7: Breisach, Germany
Day 8: Basel, Switzerland
Day 9: Kehl (for Strasborg), Germany
Day 10: Mannheim, Germany
Day 11: Boppard, Germany
Day 12: Dusseldorf, Germany
Day 13: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Day 14 and 15: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Itinerary: Rhine Delights
Day 1: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Day 2: Nijmegen, Netherlands
Day 3: Cologne, Germany
Day 4: Koblenz, Germany
Day 5: Rudesheim, Germany
Day 6: Speyer, Germany
Day 7: Breisach, Germany
Day 8: Basel, Switzerland
Itinerary: Rhine Delights 2
Day 1: Basel, Switzerland
Day 2: Kehl (for Strasbourg), Germany
Day 3: Mannheim, Germany
Day 4: Boppard, Germany
Day 5: Dusseldorf, Germany
Day 6: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Day 7 and 8: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Itinerary: Splendours of the Rhine & Moselle
Day 1: Frankfurt, Germany
Day 2: Boppard, Germany
Day 3: Cochem, Germany
Day 4: Riol (for Trier), Germany
Day 5: Bernkastel-Kues, Germany
Day 6: Koblenz, Germany
Day 7: Dusseldorf, Germany
Day 8: Nijmegen, Netherlands
Day 9: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Day 10: Arnhem, Germany
Day 11: Cologne, Germany
Day 12: Koblenz, Germany
Day 13: Rudesheim, Germany
Day 14 and Day 15: Frankfurt, Germany
Itinerary: Dutch and Belgian Gems
Day 1: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Day 2: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Day 3: Antwerp, Belgium
Day 4: Brussels, Belgium
Day 5: Ghent, Belgium
Day 6: Middelburg, Netherlands
Day 7: Dordrecht, Netherlands
Day 8: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Prices start from £1,349* per person for the Tulips and Waterways five night sailing on TUI Elara in the summer 2027 itineraries which are available to book from Monday 16 March 2026. TUI River Cruises will also be offering a pre-registration service from Monday 9 March 2026 to allow customers to get a call back when the itineraries go on sale**.
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