Best time to go on a tall ship
sailing holiday

If you’re going to the Arctic on your tall ship sailing holiday, and you don’t want to become an ice cube, you need to travel from spring to autumn. Arctic trips sail around northerly areas like Svalbard, the remote Norwegian archipelago, and Spitsbergen, its largest island. To avoid ice, Arctic sailing trips run from April to early September. Tall ships are very seaworthy vessels and can handle most bad weather, but the majority of classic regattas take place in the summer – it’s much more fun being on deck when it isn’t blowing a hoolie. The Tall Ships’ Race runs in Europe from July to August, when the weather is best.
Our Tall Ships sailing holidays Holidays
Tall ship sailing adventure, Bilbao to Amsterdam
Hands-on adventure sailing on the open sea around Europe
From
€1090 to €1590
11 days
ex flights
Tall ship cruise holiday, Turku to Tallinn
Cruise in Company of the Tall Ships Races
From
€1290 to €1950
10 days
ex flights
Tall ship race, Mariehamn to Szczecin
The last leg of this years’ Tall Ship Races
From
€1150 to €1690
10 days
ex flights
Arctic sailing voyages, Spitsbergen
Experience sailing in the fjords
From
€2640 to €5490
8 days
ex flights
Tall ship festival, Amsterdam and DelfSail 2021
Adventure sailing in The Netherlands, a hands-on experience
From
€660
7 days
ex flights
Two tall ship sailing festivals, Delfzijl to Kiel
Delf Sail festival and Kiel’s Week 2021
From
€850 to €1390
10 days
ex flights
Amalfi and Sicily sail ship cruise
A spectacular cruise on a spectacular vessel
From
£2225
8 days
ex flights
Tall ship racing holiday, La Coruna to Lisbon
Sailing parade out of Coruña and racing to Lisbon
From
€890
12 days
ex flights
Tall ship sailing holiday in the Carnaries
You will sail the ship and, quite literally, learn the ropes
From
€650 to €890
5 days
ex flights
Tall ship race sailing holiday, Dunkirk to La Coruna
Two amazing tall ship sailing festivals
From
€1690 to €2490
14 days
ex flights
Azores tall ship sailing holiday
Explore the paradisian Azores on a tall ship
From
€790 to €1090
7 days
ex flights
Galicia Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
6
12
261
FEB
6
13
241
MAR
7
15
170
APR
8
17
144
MAY
10
19
131
JUN
13
22
72
JUL
15
25
35
AUG
15
25
32
SEP
14
23
108
OCT
11
20
188
NOV
8
15
192
DEC
6
13
248
Tall ship sailing, month by month
Our top Tall Ships sailing holidays Holiday
Tall ship race, Mariehamn to Szczecin
The last leg of this years’ Tall Ship Races
From
€1150 to €1690
10 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2021: 24 Jul
2021: 24 Jul
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Tall Ships sailing holidays or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.
Sailing travel advice
Charlotte Caffrey, co-founder of our supplier Aqua-Firma, advises on when to go sailing in the Arctic:
“The seasons are very different. In June, there’s a lot of snow and ice, so you’re able only to visit parts of Spitsbergen. As the season goes on, you get a melting of the ice so you can do a circumnavigation. It’s a longer trip and you’re getting very different aspects of the Arctic. By September, there’s no longer 24-hour daylight; you’ll get more evening time. The birdlife stays from around June into early September – there’s a lot of food around and the breeding activity is really high. So you have to think: what do I want to see? How long do I want to be there? Which parts do I want to explore?”
Why pick a tall ship?
Emma Kleinschnitz, who works for our specialist Tall Ships sailing holiday provider ATYLA Ship Foundation says:“A Tall Ship gives you a safe environment to get out of your comfort zone. You do not need to know how to sail, they will teach you everything and there will always be likeminded people surrounding you for support. ATYLA especially has a trained coach that leads our personal development programme and who people can go to if they are having trouble. A tall ship gives the opportunity to climb, to live a traditional adventure like in the old times, it's more comfortable than a smaller ship and more space to move. It even gives space for a ships dog to live too!”
“What I personally love most about being part of a tall ship crew are two things: the community and the sea. The experience with the people you are with is double the intense as it would be under normal circumstances. You live close, you eat together, work together and have good and some scary moments together than bring you close in a very short time.”
On managing your expectations
“Be open and adaptive to changes. Many come with high expectations, but the sea is unpredictable - sometimes we need to stop somewhere, or we take a day longer to arrive, or to leave the port due to bad weather. Also there are a lot of people from all backgrounds and cultures on board, so they should be happy to interact and communicate with hands and feet sometimes. Relax and enjoy the unknown!”
On what to pack
“Warm enough clothes. Even though we say this in the packing list, it's always underestimated how cold it can be at sea, or when a wave gets your feet and shoes wet. And a head torch, it's very important for night time sailing.”
Tips from our travellers
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travellers are often... other travellers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful tall ships travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday – and the space inside your suitcase.
We have selected some of the most useful tall ships travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday – and the space inside your suitcase.

We had so many memorable moments. A Blue Whale and her calf cut across our bow when we were sailing, it was so exciting.![]()

– Gayna Wallis on an Arctic sailing voyage
“Spitsbergen itself was without doubt the star, with spectacular scenery, rapidly changing lighting and fascinating history. The birdlife was sparse at the start of autumn as expected, but we saw polar bears, whales, Arctic fox, reindeer and walrus. The boat is warm, comfortable, but not luxurious. You do not need to be fit, but you do need to be agile to clamber in and out of the Zodiacs and for some of the walks.” – Mike Bradburn on an Arctic sailing voyage
“The experience of life on board this classic ship really made the holiday for us - topping off the whole experience. A lovely ship and wonderful friendly crew. And great food!” – Paul Stubbs on an Arctic sailing voyage
“The whole experience of travelling in a 100 year-old sailing vessel felt really authentic.” – Joshua Cox on an Arctic sailing voyage
“We had so many memorable moments. A Blue Whale and her calf cut across our bow when we were sailing, it was so exciting. Definitely need a snood to keep your face warm, but also bring shorts and tee shirt as it got very warm walking. Also something nice to wear for the Captain's dinner at the end of the trip.” – Gayna Wallis on an Arctic sailing voyage
“The experience of life on board this classic ship really made the holiday for us - topping off the whole experience. A lovely ship and wonderful friendly crew. And great food!” – Paul Stubbs on an Arctic sailing voyage
“The whole experience of travelling in a 100 year-old sailing vessel felt really authentic.” – Joshua Cox on an Arctic sailing voyage
“We had so many memorable moments. A Blue Whale and her calf cut across our bow when we were sailing, it was so exciting. Definitely need a snood to keep your face warm, but also bring shorts and tee shirt as it got very warm walking. Also something nice to wear for the Captain's dinner at the end of the trip.” – Gayna Wallis on an Arctic sailing voyage