Essence of the Elbe: Berlin to Prague

Grand Circle Small Ship Cruises serves both our Grand Circle Travel and Overseas Adventure Tour (OAT) brands with an award-winning fleet known for exceptional value and high-quality experiences in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Custom-designed according to our travelers’ specifications, our fleet includes 50+ small river and ocean-going ships that we own or privately charter.

Grand Circle Foundation

Grand Circle Foundation was established in 1992 as a means to give back to the world that had already given us so much. Since its inception, our Foundation has donated or pledged more than $50 million to educational, humanitarian, and cultural organizations worldwide.

Grand Circle Travel—Worldwide Discovery by Land & by Ship

Traveling with Grand Circle is about more than sightseeing. It’s about immersing yourself in other cultures, sharing the warm camaraderie of like-minded American travelers, and feeling comfortable, safe, and well-cared for every step of the way. It’s not simply a destination you’ll find, but a profound awareness of the life-changing joy of cultural connections, and we’ve been creating those connections for more than 50 years.

Explore by land

Travel by Ship

Meet cogenial, like-minded friends

Our Program Director's share an insider's perspective

Meet local people where they live, work and play

Travel safe, confident, and carefree

Traveling for change: One village, one leader, one life at a time

Travel with the Leader in Worldwide Learning & Discovery

Bring your travel dreams to life: witness the breathtaking expanse of China from atop the Great Wall … visit centuries-old windmills in Holland, and meet those who call the iconic structures home … ride a donkey to the top of ancient isles in Santorini, Greece... Visions like these are everyday realities for Grand Circle travelers, thanks to the principles that ground every one of our vacations: value, choice, discovery, and careful pacing.

Our VALUE puts your travel dreams within reach

Grand Circle can help you realize your travel dreams for a lot less than you ever thought possible. That’s because each of our Small Ship Cruise Tours, River Cruise's, and Land Tours includes full-service accommodations, included tours, exclusive Discovery Series events, and so much more. And, because we work with our regional offices located throughout the world, we’ve been able to establish long-term relationships with many local vendors and hotels. Buying direct brings down our costs—and allows us to pass the savings on to you. And negotiating directly for hotel space also allows us to secure as many single room allotments as possible for our solo travelers. That way, we can also extend our great value to solo travelers, too! In fact, we offer the best value and benefits for solo travelers, guaranteed.

The CHOICE is yours

You’ll always have plenty of choices with Grand Circle. We offer you a breadth of awe-inspiring travel destinations—from Europe’s great, culture-laden capitals and the lush vineyards of French and German wine regions, to the scenic natural beauty of Chile's Lakes District and Australia's Great Barrier Reef. You’ll also enjoy more optional trip extensions—such as excursions to Phnom Penh & Angkor Wat, Cambodia or Prague, Czech Republic—enabling you to enhance your regional discovery and maximize the value of your already included airfare. You have plenty of choices within each vacation, too, enabling you to follow your own pace and tailor your experience to your own interests with our optional tours. And the free time we’ve woven into our itineraries gives you the opportunity for independent exploration. You can shop, linger at a sidewalk cafe, visit an art gallery or museum, or perhaps explore a cobbled street that caught your eye earlier in the day. You can do as much or as little as you want on Grand Circle vacation—the choice is yours.

DISCOVERIES that enrich and inspire

Wherever you travel with Grand Circle, you can always count on us to provide a rewarding, discovery-rich experience. With regional offices around the globe, we maintain a strong local presence in all the regions you’ll visit. Being a part of local communities means we offer the most illuminating cultural encounters and widest array of learning activities that reflect your destination. Participate in a discussion about life under communism in Eastern Europe. Try your hand at painting in Impressionism’s homeland. All these experiences, and others, have been designed to offer you a deeper understanding of the places you’ll visit—even as you have fun in the process. And because we know you’ll want to experience local life through the people who call your destination home, we’ve arranged for you to meet them where they live, work, and play. From Home-Hosted meals with local families and demonstrations by regional artisans, to touring a family-run winery or visiting a local school, we make sure you enjoy firsthand perspectives on everyday life, while forming connections you’ll never forget.

Well PACED—with an emphasis on comfort

Travel shouldn’t feel like a race from one site to the next. We know that you enjoy both visiting memorable locales and the chance to enjoy them at your own pace. We’ve planned itineraries that blend regional discovery with “down time,” during which you can explore as little or as much as you like—at your leisure. With well-located accommodations on land and conveniently situated docks for our small ships, you’ll be poised for discoveries of all kinds. While walking is our signature mode—allowing access to many of the most unmissable sites, we always balance any lengthy walking tours with plenty of time to refresh and rejuvenate. Plus, you can always rest assured that your safety and comfort are our top priority, with a resident Program Director along, and our local staff in a regional office nearby.

It's included with Grand Circle ...

• Choose to purchase Grand Circle's airfare, and your airport transfers and government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges are included. Or, make your own air arrangements
• The services of expert, resident Program Directors who speak fluent English, as well as the native language
• Accommodations at comfortable hotels and on private, Grand Circle-owned or chartered vessels
• Most meals, including all meals during the cruise portions of our Grand Circle Cruise Line vacations
• Guided sightseeing tours
• Personal headsets on included and optional tours
• Exclusive Discovery Series events
• All internal transportation

And more

Now included for 2016

• Gratuities for local guides and motorcoach drivers on all Grand Circle main trips, most optional tours, and most optional pre- and post-trip extensions
• Beverages during lunch and dinner onboard Grand Circle Cruise Line ships, including beer, wine, and soft drinks
• All port charges—a value of up to $250 per person