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The splurges worth it once, priced.
What each really costs, split per person where that is how people pay, and how to try it first.
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Winter
Christmas marketsChristmas markets Europe-wide: ten weekends from about £775 for two
UK Christmas marketsThe best Christmas markets UK-wide: ten weekends from about £451 for two
New Year's EveTen New Years Eve breaks, from about £990 for two
HogmanayTen ways to do Hogmanay Edinburgh, from free to £11,460Journeys
Rail · 5 trains
Luxury train journeys
Five great trains, from the Orient Express to the Andes.
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Cities · 1 perfect day
One day in Rome
Sunrise to midnight: the walk, the tasting menus and a view of St Peter's.
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Islands · 12 months
The Maldives, month by month
When the sea is glass, when the mantas come, and when the price halves.
Read the guide
Wild · Jul to Oct
The Great Migration
Where two million animals will be, and where you should be waiting.
Read the guide
Rail · London to Venice
The Orient Express
When it runs, what each cabin costs, and the best month to board.
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Flights · Door to door
Emirates business class
From the car at your door in London to the lights of Dubai, in ten moments.
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Winter · 5 nights
Lapland holidays
Huskies, reindeer, glass igloos and the fox fires, told as five Arctic nights.
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Worth it once · Antarctica cruises
The trip people save years for. Six voyages we would spend it on, from a classic expedition ship to a fly-cruise with a butler, with what an Antarctica cruise really costs per person and per day, and the truth about the Drake Passage.
Dylan Shaw, Unsplash
The short answer
Prices checked 18 October 2026
The six Antarctica cruise voyages we would book once: Oceanwide's Hondius for ten nights on the Peninsula ($11,900 per person in a twin), HX's Fridtjof Nansen with flights from London (£9,999), Aurora's Antarctica Active on Sylvia Earle (from $21,146), Lindblad's three-week Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands (from £17,340), Antarctica21's air-cruise that flies over the Drake Passage ($23,795) and Silversea's all-suite Silver Endeavour (£18,388 for six nights).
Every price is per person, two sharing, for a 2026-27 departure, read on 18 October 2026 from the operator's own fare list or a named agent's listing, with the source beside it. Most polar operators price in US dollars, so we have left those fares in dollars rather than guess an exchange rate.
The short version: a classic Antarctica cruise from Ushuaia costs about $1,000 to $1,500 a day; flying across the Drake Passage, or going all-suite, roughly doubles that. Flights from the UK to South America are extra on every voyage here except the HX package.
Planning the trip around it? Start with first class flights worth the money and the best time to visit Iceland, for a polar taste closer to home.
Sail or fly
Two days at sea each way, or about two hours in the air
Per day
From about £714 a day, flights from London included
The six
01Oceanwide Hondius, Antarctic Peninsula$11,900
02HX Fridtjof Nansen, Highlights of Antarctica£9,99903Aurora Sylvia Earle, Antarctica Activefrom $21,146
04Lindblad National Geographic Endurance, Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklandsfrom £17,34005Antarctica21 Magellan Discoverer, Classic Antarctica Air-Cruise$23,795
06Silversea Silver Endeavour, Antarctica Bridge£18,388Photos show Antarctica, not the ships named.
01 · Oceanwide Expeditions · Ushuaia, Argentina, and back
10 nights, 6 to 16 January 2027
The best value on this page. A polar ship launched in 2019 that keeps to 170 guests in Antarctica, ten nights on the Peninsula from Ushuaia, and a fare that includes the Zodiac landings, the lectures, rubber boots and snowshoes. Share a four-berth cabin and the same voyage is $9,650 each.
Skip it if you want it all bundled. Flights, the transfer to the ship in Ushuaia, drinks at the bar and crew tips are all on top.
How to book it
Book with Oceanwide or a polar specialist. Travelling alone, you pay 1.7 times the twin fare for a cabin to yourself, or share a twin, triple or quad cabin at no extra cost.
From Oceanwide's own 2026-27 fare list, in US dollars per person. The same ship's whale-watching voyage on 17 to 27 March 2027 is $9,650 in a Twin Porthole and $7,800 in a Quadruple Porthole. Oceanwide says euro fares apply in Europe; we could only read the dollar list.
Sources: Oceanwide Expeditions: Antarctica 2026-2027 fares (USD) · Southern Explorations: Hondius
02 · HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) · from London, via Buenos Aires
13-night package from London, 7 January 2027
The easy one. The only fare here that starts at a London airport: return flights, a night in Buenos Aires, drinks on board and gratuities are in the price. The ship entered service in 2020, has hybrid battery power, a science centre and the PC6 polar ice class.
Skip it if a small ship matters to you. HX carries up to 500 guests on this ship in Antarctica, the limit it keeps to under IAATO guidelines, against 76 on Antarctica21's air-cruise.
How to book it
Book the package through a UK agent such as Rol Cruise, which lists it as ABTA and ATOL protected. Cruise only, without flights, the 19 December 2026 sailing was £9,589 in a Polar Outside Cabin at Cruise Kings.
Rol Cruise listed £9,999 for 7 January 2027 and £9,799 for 8 March 2027, and warns prices may have changed. It calls the package 13 nights; Cruise Kings lists the ship's round trip from Ushuaia as 11 nights.
Sources: Rol Cruise: HX all-inclusive Highlights of Antarctica (read 18 October 2026) · Cruise Kings: Highlights of Antarctica, 19 December 2026 · Cruiseline.co.uk: MS Fridtjof Nansen · HX Expeditions blog on TravelPulse (September 2026)
03 · Aurora Expeditions · Ushuaia, Argentina, and back
14 days, 24 November or 6 December 2026
The active one. Some of Aurora's optional activities usually cost extra; this departure is sold with the activities all-inclusive. Sylvia Earle takes up to 132 guests, with an emergency doctor and a paramedic on every voyage, and Aurora's fares include a hotel night in Ushuaia, a polar jacket and landing fees.
Skip it if you would rather watch from the deck. You are paying for an activity programme, and Aurora adds a $15 a day crew tip to your onboard bill.
How to book it
Book through a polar specialist such as Chimu Adventures. Ask which activities the Active fare covers, and which cabin the price is for.
Chimu Adventures listed it from $21,146 per person, down from $23,495, without naming the cabin. We could not find Aurora's own fares by cabin for this departure.
Sources: Chimu Adventures: Aurora Expeditions on Sylvia Earle · Unsold Antarctica: Aurora's Sylvia Earle inclusions (January 2027 voyage)
04 · Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic
21 or 22 days
The once-in-a-lifetime one, if you have three weeks. South Georgia, where Shackleton is buried at Grytviken, is the reason to go for three weeks rather than ten days. Lindblad sails it on a polar ship for 138 guests, every cabin outward-facing, built to PC5, with an X-bow that Lindblad says gives the smoothest ride.
Skip it if you have one week of leave. This is three weeks away, the longest trip on this page.
How to book it
Book through Lindblad's UK site or an agent. When we checked, Lindblad offered up to £2,000 per person off select 2027 and 2028 voyages booked by 4 November 2026.
Lindblad's UK site showed from £17,340 per person on 18 October 2026 without naming the cabin or the date; its US site lists the voyage on Endurance from $22,715. The cheapest cabins sell first.
Sources: Lindblad Expeditions UK: Antarctica fares in pounds · Lindblad Expeditions: National Geographic Endurance · Quark Expeditions: South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula, Penguin Safari
05 · Antarctica21 · Punta Arenas, Chile, and back
8 days, departing 27 February 2027
The one that skips the Drake. You fly from Punta Arenas to King George Island in about two hours instead of two days at sea each way, and board a new ship that takes only 76 guests on these trips. Two hotel nights in Punta Arenas, a welcome dinner, wine and beer with meals, standard internet and the IAATO fee are included.
Skip it if your dates cannot move. Flights to King George Island go only when the weather allows; Luxury Travel Advisor reports pilots must see the runway to land.
How to book it
Book with Antarctica21 or a specialist such as Chimu Adventures. Sea kayaking is $995 extra, and Antarctica21 says it has a contingency plan and priority over the flight window.
$23,795 is the late-season fare for 27 February 2027 if you pay by bank transfer; by card it is $24,747. Most January and February 2027 departures are $29,115 in the same cabin ($27,995 by transfer), and Christmas and New Year $30,987. Three sharing a Triple Veranda Suite pay $20,275 to $25,787 each by card.
Sources: Chimu Adventures: Classic Antarctica Air-Cruise, Magellan Discoverer · Eclipse Travel: Classic Antarctica Air-Cruise fares by cabin · Antarctica21: the 2026-27 air-cruise season · Luxury Travel Advisor: Silver Endeavour's Antarctica Bridge (January 2023)
06 · Silversea · flights from Santiago, Chile
6 nights on board, from 1 December 2026
"Akin to nothing else on Earth."
Silver Endeavour guests, quoted in Luxury Travel Advisor (2023)
The luxury one. An all-suite ship with butlers, premium drinks, unlimited Wi-Fi and tips included, and Silversea's charter flights from Santiago to Punta Arenas and on to King George Island, with hotel nights either side, so you never cross the Drake by sea. A parka and waterproof trousers are yours to keep.
Skip it if you want the most time ashore for the money. It is six nights on the ship, at over £3,000 a night.
How to book it
Book through a UK agent such as Planet Cruise, which lists it as ABTA and ATOL protected. Flights from the UK to Santiago are extra.
Planet Cruise listed £18,388 per person, down from £19,150, for the 1 December 2026 sailing. The Luxury Holiday Company quotes Antarctica Bridge trips from £10,000 per person in 2026-27, on Silver Wind or Silver Endeavour depending on the date, excluding international flights.
Sources: Planet Cruise: Silver Endeavour, 1 December 2026 · Silversea: Antarctica Bridge · Luxury Travel Advisor: Silver Endeavour's Antarctica Bridge (January 2023) · Cruise Critic: Silversea's Antarctica Bridge (March 2023, sponsored) · The Luxury Holiday Company: Antarctica Bridge with Silversea
The price ladder
Per person, two sharing, 2026-27 departures, read on 18 October 2026. The HX fare includes return flights from London. Bars treat $1 as about £0.75.
Value for money
The fare on this page divided by the days it covers. The cheapest Antarctica cruise per day is the slow one that sails the Drake; the dearest flies over it. Days are as each seller lists them.
| Voyage | Cabin | Per person | Days | Per day | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oceanwide Hondius | Twin Porthole | $11,900 | 11 | $1,082 | 170 |
| HX Fridtjof Nansen | Outside cabin | £9,999, London flights in | 14 | £714 | 500 |
| Aurora Sylvia Earle | Not named | from $21,146 | 14 | $1,510 | 132 |
| Lindblad Endurance | Lowest available | from £17,340 | 21 | £826 | 138 |
| Antarctica21 Magellan Discoverer | Deluxe Veranda Cabin | $23,795 | 8 | $2,974 | 76 |
| Silversea Silver Endeavour | Superior Veranda Suite | £18,388 | 7 on board | £2,627 | 200 |
Sources: Oceanwide Expeditions: Antarctica 2026-2027 fares (USD) · Rol Cruise: HX all-inclusive Highlights of Antarctica (read 18 October 2026) · Chimu Adventures: Aurora Expeditions on Sylvia Earle · Lindblad Expeditions UK: Antarctica fares in pounds · Chimu Adventures: Classic Antarctica Air-Cruise, Magellan Discoverer · Planet Cruise: Silver Endeavour, 1 December 2026
Side by side
| Hondius | Fridtjof Nansen | Sylvia Earle | Endurance | Magellan Discoverer | Silver Endeavour | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per person | $11,900 | £9,999 | from $21,146 | from £17,340 | $23,795 | £18,388 |
| Days | 11 | 14 from London | 14 | 21 or 22 | 8 | 7 on board |
| Guests | 170 | 500 | 132 | 138 | 76 | 200 |
| The Drake | Sailed both ways | Sailed both ways | Sailed both ways | Sailed | Flown both ways | Flown both ways |
| Best for | Value | Ease from the UK | Doing, not watching | South Georgia | No Drake, short trip | Luxury |
Questions
You cannot fly from the UK to Antarctica; you fly to South America first. Most ships sail from Ushuaia in Argentina, reached via Buenos Aires: HX's package includes return flights from London and a night in Buenos Aires, and Quark sells a charter flight and hotel package from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia for $1,295 in 2027-28. Fly-cruises go via Santiago and Punta Arenas in Chile, then fly about two hours to King George Island. Luxury Travel Advisor's writer counted 73 hours door to door on Silversea's route south.
Of the fares we read, Antarctica21's short Antarctica Express Air-Cruise starts from $5,995 per person in 2026-27. For a full voyage by sea, the cheapest on Oceanwide's 2026-27 list is a nine-night whale-watching trip on Plancius from 26 March 2027, at $7,050 in a four-berth Quadruple Porthole cabin or $8,700 in a twin. Late-season departures and shared cabins are where the savings are.
For the six here, from £9,999 (HX, including flights from London) to $23,795 (Antarctica21's fly-cruise) per person, two sharing. Per day, that is about $1,082 on Oceanwide's Hondius and $1,510 on Aurora's Sylvia Earle, against about £2,627 on Silver Endeavour and $2,974 on Antarctica21's air-cruise.
Nobody can promise you a calm crossing. From Ushuaia it is about two days at sea each way: HX's round trip shows two sea days out and two back. A fly-cruise swaps that for a flight of about two hours, but the flight only goes when the weather allows. Cruise Critic describes a Silversea voyage where a storm sent the ship back to King George Island a day early and the flights were moved up. If you dread seasickness, fly at least one way: Lindblad's UK site lists sail-and-fly trips from £9,351.
The season runs from late October to March: Oceanwide's 2026-27 voyages run from 24 October 2026 into early April 2027. Christmas and New Year cost the most; on Antarctica21's air-cruise those departures are $30,987 in a Deluxe Veranda Cabin, against $24,747 in late February. March is cheapest, when Oceanwide runs whale-watching voyages: its 17 March 2027 Hondius trip is $7,800 in a quad, against $9,650 in early January.
Operators follow guidelines set by IAATO, the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. HX keeps Fridtjof Nansen to 500 guests in Antarctica, down from 530 elsewhere, to comply with IAATO guidelines, and describes one to two landings a day. The smaller the ship, the fewer people share each landing: Antarctica21's air-cruise takes 76 guests, Hondius 170.
Per person, based on two sharing, for every fare on this page. Travelling alone, Oceanwide charges 1.7 times the twin fare for a cabin to yourself, or lets you share a twin, triple or quad cabin with another guest at no extra cost.
Sources: Oceanwide Expeditions: Antarctica 2026-2027 fares (USD) · Antarctica21: the 2026-27 air-cruise season · Cruise Kings: Highlights of Antarctica, 19 December 2026 · Lindblad Expeditions UK: Antarctica fares in pounds · Cruise Critic: Silversea's Antarctica Bridge (March 2023, sponsored) · Luxury Travel Advisor: Silver Endeavour's Antarctica Bridge (January 2023) · Cruiseline.co.uk: MS Fridtjof Nansen · Quark Expeditions: South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula, Penguin Safari
How we chose: voyages from established polar operators across the price range, each priced per person, two sharing, for a 2026-27 departure, from the operator's own fare list or a named agent's listing read on the same day. No one paid to be included. Every price and specification links to where we checked it on 18 October 2026. How we choose.
The journey · RailLuxury train journeysFive great trains, from the Orient Express to the Andes.The journey · CitiesOne day in RomeSunrise to midnight: the walk, the tasting menus and a view of St Peter's.The journey · IslandsThe Maldives, month by monthWhen the sea is glass, when the mantas come, and when the price halves.The journey · WildThe Great MigrationWhere two million animals will be, and where you should be waiting.
