June is a great time to start planning for future trips

June is finally here with – hopefully – dry, sunny weather and time to enjoy the garden and time with family and friends. It’s also the perfect time to start planning ahead for your next holiday. Here’s our pick of the best five trips to consider booking this month.

If you’ve been toying with the idea of taking a cruise but aren’t sure if it’s right for you, June is the ideal time to sign up for one of our 2027 mini cruises. Perfect for first-time cruisers who’d like a taste of our ocean cruises, they now include a sea day to allow you to experience more of life on board our boutique ships.

Always quick to sell out, these all-inclusive cruises take place aboard Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Discovery, the same ships that we use for our longer cruises so you’ll know exactly what to expect if you fall in love with cruising and decide to plan another trip. All depart from Dover, so there’s no need to fly abroad either.

You needn’t leave the British Isles to enjoy one of our mini cruises, with six-night itineraries visiting Cornwall and the beautiful Isles of Scilly along with southern Ireland, or enjoy the sight of Norway’s spectacular fjords on a mini cruise to Scandinavia – some of our seven-day itineraries such as Splendours of Norway take in highlights such as Bergen and Flam, as well as the 127-mile Sognefjord. Norwegian Gems visits picturesque villages and imposing glaciers, while A Taste of Scandinavia includes stops in Denmark and Sweden too, cruising to Danish capital Copenhagen, Sweden’s second city Gothenborg and Norwegian capital Oslo for a city-hopping escape with a difference.

With so many destinations around the world to add to your bucket list, it’s sometimes easy to forget all the wonderful experiences and attractions right on our doorstep. With all of Saga’s cruises departing from the UK, our British Isles cruises are perfect for anyone who prefers not to fly but wants to immerse themselves in glorious landscapes and culture closer to home.

Why not celebrate our 30th birthday with us, marking 30 years of Saga cruises on a British Isles cruise with stops across the whole country, from Cornwall to Shetland, as well as Ireland and Northern Ireland? Or explore the Heritage of the British Isles, from Viking history in Shetland and the Isle of Man to modern culture in Belfast and tales of Irish emigration in colourful Cobh.

You can also spend your time exploring particular corners of the country if there’s one area which tempts you most. How about the Scottish Islands, the sunny Isles of Scilly, or a chance to revel in the beautiful scenery of the Emerald Isle, travelling the whole way around Ireland and Northern Ireland, to discover dramatic Atlantic coast, charming fishing villages and history galore?

Spirit of the Danube

You might not have festive fun on your mind in midsummer, but if you’re hoping for a Christmas holiday, June is actually the perfect time to book before all the places get snapped up. With our Christmas river cruises, there’s a chance to browse some of Europe’s loveliest Christmas markets before celebrating Christmas Day on board and then raising a glass to 2027 as fireworks light the sky above the deck.

You could spend Christmas and New Year on the Spirit of the Rhine, where you’ll voyage from the Netherlands through Germany, visiting historic towns such as Koblenz and pretty half-timbered Rüdesheim, plus bigger cities such as Frankfurt, Cologne, Mainz and Heidelberg, along with a stop across the French border in Strasbourg.

Alternatively, you could travel on board Spirit of the Moselle, travelling from Nuremberg, home to one of Germany’s oldest Christmas markets, to colourful Bamberg and elegant Wurzburg, past medieval castles and the vineyards of the Rhine.

There’s a chance to explore another part of Europe too aboard Spirit of the Danube, which cruises through Austria, Germany, Slovakia and Hungary. As well as enjoying a delicious Christmas dinner on 25 December, you can sample Linzertorte in Linz, said to be the world’s oldest recorded cake recipe, and see in the New Year in Budapest, not to mention the glories of Vienna, Slovakian capital Bratislava, and a series of historic German riverside towns.

The Stirling Highland Hotel

If you aren’t tempted by a festive river cruise but are still looking for a memorable way to spend this Christmas, there’s plenty to enjoy on dry land with a string of four-night Christmas breaks across England and Scotland, and in the Channel Islands.

The full-board escapes include Christmas Day lunch as well as breakfast and dinner each day, and lunch on your other full days – perfect if you fancy a bit of festive indulgence without having to cook.

Plus there’s the chance to enjoy an excursion as part of your stay, with everything from a Christmas Eve mystery tour of Jersey to a steamer cruise on Ullswater or a steam train trip in Yorkshire, along with a visit to Stirling Castle or the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh to name just a few others.

You can also enjoy two nights of entertainment in the hotel, with plenty of opportunities to make new friends as everyone celebrates, and some very memorable hotels. How about staying at a listed Art Deco hotel in the Scottish Highlands? Or the Hermitage hotel in Bournemouth, built in the 1860s, that combines elegance with history: the hotel was home to the poet John Keble, and featured in Thomas Hardy’s novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles. With so many choices, you might be persuaded to start planning Christmas 2027 too…

Medina quarter of Tunis, Tunisia

There’s a brand-new chance to discover the history and culture of Tunisia with a fresh tour for 2027, Tunisia: Crossroads of civilisation. Don’t miss your chance to bag one of the places and enjoy the first opportunity to explore this corner of North Africa with us.
The 14-night trip takes you across the country, from the capital Tunis to Roman and Carthaginian remains, the Sahara desert and the coast, visiting palm-fringed oases, salt pans and museums crammed with centuries of history, not to mention staying in luxurious four- and five-star hotels along the way.

Marvel at the largest colosseum in North Africa at El Jem, built in the 3rd century with enough space for 35,000 spectators, before strolling the streets of the UNESCO-listed medina in Sousse, and exploring a fortress in Monastir dating back to the 8th century (it played a starring role in Monty Python’s Life of Brian).

Then venture into the shifting sands of the desert to Kairouan, the fourth most sacred city for Muslims and home to the 7th-century Great Mosque Okba, one of the oldest places of worship in the Islamic world. On the edge of the Sahara desert, you’ll also find salt lakes, dramatic canyons and cascading waterfalls.

No visit to Tunisia is complete without a stop in the capital Tunis, where Africa’s second-largest museum, the Bardo Museum, has one of the world’s biggest collections of Roman mosaics and artefacts from nearby Carthage. You can stroll past ancient columns, and the remains of baths and theatres which have endured for more than 2,000 years.