Holiday season 2026 · Christmas lights, markets and dinners afloat
Glide under the light art on Amsterdam's canals, sip mulled wine on the Danube between two Christmas markets and sit down to Christmas Eve dinner on the Seine. These Christmas cruises are evening boats from the harbour, not week-long ship voyages, and this page sets out where each one sails, when its season runs and what it costs.
Quick answer
A Christmas cruise in a city is a 60 to 90 minute evening sailing past the season's lights, or a longer Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner on the water. The cheapest start around $30: a heated glass boat through Prague's Advent, a canal boat on the Amsterdam Light Festival route (26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027) or a holiday lights cruise down Fort Lauderdale's Millionaires' Row. Christmas dinners afloat in Paris and Chicago run near $200 a head and sell out first.
Two things decide the night more than the boat. In northern Europe and Chicago the December evening sits between -5°C and 9°C, so pick a covered, heated boat. In Florida, California and Sydney it is warm enough for the open deck. Several of the best shows, the boat parades in Fort Lauderdale, Newport Beach and San Diego, are free from the shore. For fireworks on 31 December, see the New Year's Eve cruises page.
The cruises
Every card is a sailing you can book for the 2026 season, with the operator's own price, rating and review count. Newer seasonal sailings have no reviews yet and show none. Where a city has a port page on this site, it is linked below the cards.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
4.6★ (2,016 reviews) · 75 minutes · from $33
New York, USA
4.7★ (572 reviews) · 1.5 hours · from $134
St. Augustine, Florida, USA
4.8★ (491 reviews) · 75 minutes · from $45
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
4.4★ (36 reviews) · 60 minutes · from $32.99
Newport Beach, California, USA
4.6★ (30 reviews) · 75 minutes · from $40
Budapest, Hungary
75 minutes · from $37
Prague, Czech Republic
1 hour · from $29
Copenhagen, Denmark
1.5 hours · from $59
Paris, France
4.4★ (68 reviews) · 4 hours · from $197
London, UK
1.5 - 2.5 hours · from $33
Chicago, USA
4.3★ (15 reviews) · 2.5 hours · from $198
Sydney, Australia
4.8★ (12 reviews) · 180 minutes · from $118.36
Season
The boats follow the city's own festival, so the dates below come from the festival or city that runs it. The last column is the average December high and low, which decides whether you want an open deck or a heated cabin.
| City | What lights the water | 2026–27 dates | Dec high / low |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | Amsterdam Light Festival, 15th edition | 26 Nov – 17 Jan | 8°C / 3°C |
| St. Augustine | Nights of Lights, about 3 million white lights | 21 Nov – 18 Jan | warm, open deck |
| Budapest | Vörösmarty tér and Basilica Christmas markets | 13 Nov – 31 Dec / 1 Jan | 5°C / -2°C |
| Prague | Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square markets | about 28 Nov – 6 Jan | 4°C / -1°C |
| Copenhagen | Tivoli Christmas (closed 24 Dec) | 13 Nov – 3 Jan | 6°C / 1°C |
| New York | Rockefeller Center tree lighting | lit 2 Dec | 8°C / 2°C |
| Paris | Champs-Élysées illuminations | from about 22 Nov | 9°C / 3°C |
| London | Regent Street and Oxford Street lights | switched on early Nov | 9°C / 3°C |
| Chicago | Christmas Eve dinner cruise | 24 Dec | 3°C / -5°C |
| Sydney | Christmas Day on the harbour | 25 Dec | 24°C / 18°C |
Prague and Paris dates are the ones reported by the cities' event listings and can still move by a day or two.
Source: Amsterdam Light Festival, Visit St. Augustine, Hungary Unlocked, Weather & Climate.
Florida & California
The American version of a Christmas cruise is a short evening boat past waterfront homes and harbours dressed in lights, in weather mild enough for the open deck.
St. Augustine. Nights of Lights wraps the historic district in about three million white lights from 21 November 2026 to 18 January 2027, switched on daily at 5:30 pm. The city calls it "not a driving event": park in a free outer lot and take the free shuttle, or pay $20 to $40 in the garage. The Florida Water Tours cruise includes free parking, which on Light-Up Night (21 November), Christmas Parade night (5 December) and Regatta of Lights night (12 December) is worth more than the hot chocolate.
Fort Lauderdale. The Intracoastal holiday lights cruise runs along Millionaires' Row, where waterfront estates compete to out-light each other. It leaves from Bahia Mar on the beach side, the same marina listed on the Fort Lauderdale boat tours page.
Newport Beach. The Newport Harbor holiday lights cruise leaves from Main Street on the Balboa Peninsula and tours the same bay as the Christmas Boat Parade, without parade-night parking.
The 118th parade sails from the tip of Lido Isle at about 6:30 pm, 16 to 20 December 2026. Average December high 17.8°C.
Photo: Don Ramey Logan, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Average December high 26°C: the one Christmas cruise on this page where a light sweater is enough.
Florida Water Tours runs early family sailings and later adults-only boats with a bar. Pick the boat when you book.
Free from shore
The biggest Christmas shows on American water are boat parades, and the shore view costs nothing. The table lists the 2026 dates the organisers publish, so a lights cruise can go on a quieter night and the parade on its own.
| Parade | 2026 date | Start | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale Winterfest | Sat 12 Dec | 6 pm (pre-show 5:30) | 12 miles, New River to Lake Santa Barbara |
| St. Augustine Regatta of Lights | Sat 12 Dec | evening | Matanzas Bay bayfront |
| San Diego Bay Parade of Lights | 13 and 20 Dec | 5:30 pm | About 80 boats, Shelter Island to Coronado Ferry Landing |
| Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade | 16–20 Dec | about 6:30 pm | From the tip of Lido Isle around the harbour |
| Seattle Argosy Christmas Ship | 27 Nov – 23 Dec | evening sailings | Choir boat to 40+ Puget Sound shore towns |
Fort Lauderdale's official viewing area at Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park charged $40 for adults last year. Along the rest of the Intracoastal you can bring a chair and watch for free. In San Diego the parade ends at the Coronado Ferry Landing. The San Diego boat tours page lists the harbour cruises that run on the other nights.
Source: Winterfest, Visit Lauderdale, San Diego Bay Parade of Lights, Christmas Boat Parade, Argosy Cruises.
Amsterdam
The 15th Amsterdam Light Festival runs 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027. Its artworks hang over and beside the canals, so a boat sees them as the artists framed them.
The walking route is free. A boat costs from $33 with Eco Boats and buys two things the walk cannot: the low angle on the works set on the water, and a seat out of the wind. Cruises last about 75 minutes and leave from around Central Station and the Damrak. Stromma runs a closed, heated canal boat and an open electric boat side by side, and that choice matters more than the operator. On an 8°C night with wind on the IJ, the open boat is for people who brought a hat.
The 2026 route map had not been released by early November, so the exact order of artworks is still to come. The Amsterdam boat tours page compares the year-round canal boats that run on the same piers.
A 2020 installation at Entrepotdok. Several works each year sit on or just above the canal surface.
Photo: Alf van Beem, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Closed heated boats have glass roofs that reflect the cabin lights. Open electric boats give clean photos and a cold hour. With children, take the closed boat.
The festival still runs on 31 December, and the canal boats sail that night too. See Amsterdam on New Year's Eve.
Europe
In central and northern Europe the Christmas cruise is an hour on a heated boat between two market visits, with a hot drink in hand. December highs here stay between 4°C and 6°C, so every boat below has a closed, heated cabin.
Vörösmarty Classic Xmas runs 13 November to 31 December 2026, and the Basilica's Advent market to 1 January, about nine minutes apart on foot. The Christmas market cruise leaves from Dock 9 by Elisabeth Bridge, a short walk from Vörösmarty tér.
Photo: Elekes Andor, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Old Town Square market runs from about 28 November to 6 January. The Advent glass boat boards on Dvořákovo nábřeží, about ten minutes' walk from the tree.
Photo: Karelj, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tivoli's Christmas season runs 13 November to 3 January and closes on 24 December. Winter canal boats are covered and heated. The Christmas canal tour has no guide, so you get the treats and the lights without the commentary.
Photo: John D. from Pasadena, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Budapest's markets are free to enter and close early on Christmas Eve: Vörösmarty tér from 10 am to 2 pm, the Basilica from 11 am to 3 pm. Book the boat for an evening from 13 to 23 December and walk the market before it.
Source: Hungary Unlocked, Stromma Copenhagen, Weather & Climate.
24–25 December
A dinner cruise on the day itself is a different purchase: one sailing, fixed seats and a set menu, priced like a restaurant's Christmas menu. The table compares the four on this page.
| City | Day | Length | On the table | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris, Seine | 24 or 25 Dec | 2.5 h cruise | 5 courses, Champagne, live music | $197 |
| Chicago, Lake Michigan | 24 Dec | 2.5 h | 3-course plated dinner, DJ | $198 |
| Sydney Harbour | 25 Dec | 3 h | Buffet lunch or dinner, drinks package | $118.36 |
| London, Thames | festive season | up to 2.5 h | Dinner, afternoon tea or mulled wine | $33 |
Paris is the only one of these sold for both nights. Bateaux Parisiens boards at Port de la Bourdonnais at the foot of the Eiffel Tower at 8 pm and serves until midnight. Chicago's sailing leaves Navy Pier, and boarding opens an hour early because the seating is assigned. Sydney's Christmas Day cruises leave from Darling Harbour's wharves and, as the city's own listings warn, sell out. Regular sightseeing boats in London and elsewhere often do not run on 25 and 26 December, so the special sailing is the only one on the water.
Source: Sydney.com, City Experiences, Weather & Climate.
New York
The Rockefeller Center tree is lit on 2 December 2026, and the city's holiday cruises run from then until the week of Christmas.
Classic Harbor Line runs two holiday sailings from Pier 62 at Chelsea Piers, both 90 minutes on the Hudson. Cocoa and Carols adds live carols, cookies and a drink with the gratuity included, sold in pairs. The New Year's Eve page covers the harbour on the 31st. December in New York averages 8°C by day and 2°C at night, and the yacht's open bow is colder than the street. Wear a coat and go out for the Statue of Liberty, then come back in.
Source: Time Out New York, Weather & Climate.
Weather
Average December nights range from -5°C in Chicago to 18°C in Sydney. Heating, shelter and a dress code matter more than the menu.
Budapest, Prague, Chicago, Copenhagen and New York. Book a closed, heated boat (every market cruise above is one), wear a hat, and stand on the open deck only for the photo.
Amsterdam, Paris, London. Glass-roofed boats are comfortable in a jacket. On the open Light Festival boats, bring gloves.
Fort Lauderdale (26°C high), Newport Beach (17.8°C) and Sydney (24°C). Open decks all evening. Sydney's Christmas Day lunch needs sun cream, not a scarf.
Dress codes are rare on lights cruises and common on dinners. Paris asks for smart casual. New Year's Eve dinners are stricter, see the New Year's Eve cruise dress codes.
Before you book
24 and 25 December are one sailing each in most cities. Lights cruises run nightly and can wait. Dinner cruises cannot.
St. Augustine's boats need an online waiver for every passenger, children included. Classic Harbor Line's Cocoa and Carols needs two tickets per booking.
Most listings here cancel free up to 24 hours ahead, which makes it cheap to hold a lights cruise while you wait on the weather.
Questions
On this page, it is a holiday sailing in a city: a 60 to 90 minute evening boat past the season's lights, a market cruise with mulled wine, or a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner on the water. Week-long Christmas voyages on ocean cruise ships are a different product sold by the cruise lines, and they are not covered here.
Short lights and market cruises start around $30 per person: the Prague Advent glass boat, the Amsterdam Light Festival boat and the Fort Lauderdale holiday lights cruise. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner cruises in Paris and Chicago are close to $200 a head.
Special sailings do, regular timetables often do not. Sydney runs Christmas Day lunch and dinner cruises, and Paris serves Christmas dinner on the Seine on both the 24th and the 25th. In London, the bus-and-boat lights tours do not run on 25 and 26 December.
Yes, the short ones especially. St. Augustine's Nights of Lights boats run early family sailings with hot chocolate, and the Prague Advent boat serves children tea and gingerbread. Avoid the 21+ sailings and the dinner cruises with open bars.
Book dinner cruises for 24 and 25 December as early as you can, because each is a single sailing. Nightly lights cruises can be booked a week or two ahead and usually cancel free up to 24 hours before.
It depends on the weather you want. For lights on the water, Amsterdam's Light Festival and St. Augustine's Nights of Lights both run past New Year. For a warm Christmas, Fort Lauderdale averages 26°C and Sydney 24°C. For markets, Budapest's Danube boat leaves a short walk from Vörösmarty tér.
Yes. The Fort Lauderdale Winterfest parade (12 December 2026), San Diego Bay Parade of Lights (13 and 20 December) and Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade (16 to 20 December) can all be watched free from the shore. Only the grandstand areas charge.
Ports on this page
Year-round boats from the same piers, with what each one costs outside the holidays.
AmsterdamNetherlands
The canal boats that run the Light Festival route the rest of the year
Fort LauderdaleUSA
Bahia Mar and the Intracoastal, where the holiday lights cruise sails
San DiegoUSA
Harbour cruises on the bay the Parade of Lights crosses
SydneyAustralia
Sydney Harbour sailings beyond Christmas Day