CroisiEurope
CroisiEurope: the back story
The back story
About CroisiEurope: the back story
CroisiEurope began in 1976 near Strasbourg as Alsace Croisières. Gérard Schmitter’s company now designs, builds and runs its own ships, from paddlewheelers for the shallow Loire and Elbe to barges, sea ships and riverboats on the Mekong and Lake Kariba.
From a lake to the Rhine
The story begins in 1976 on the edge of the Plobsheim lake near Strasbourg, where Gérard Schmitter, a potter’s son from Betschdorf who had opened a restaurant, began renting a boat by the day to visitors from the city. He bought a first boat, the Alsace 1, sailed it up the Rhine to Rüdesheim, and in 1984 launched the first boats with cabins. In 1990 the company became its own shipowner with the MS Liberté, and in 1997 Alsace Croisières took the name CroisiEurope to match its widening horizon.
A family that builds its ships
Gérard Schmitter handed the company to his four children in 1999, and his children and grandchildren run it today, still from Strasbourg. What sets it apart is control: CroisiEurope designs its ships to fit each waterway and manages everything from construction to the restaurant menus. That is how it came to pioneer the Loire with MS Loire Princesse in 2015, a shallow-draft ship with side paddle wheels built at Saint-Nazaire, followed by MS Elbe Princesse on the Elbe in 2016.
The art of the table is also one of our strongest arguments.
A table worth the voyage
French cooking is the line’s pride. The menus are created by head chef Alain Bohn, a member of the Maîtres Cuisiniers de France, and prepared on board each day, mostly from fresh produce, with wines chosen for each meal and included in the fare. Breakfast is a buffet; lunch and dinner are served at the table in one sitting, and the gala evening ends with the captain’s cocktail, a banquet and dancing in the lounge bar.
Rivers, canals, seas and far away
In Europe the fleet covers the Rhine and Danube, the Seine, the Rhône and Saône, the Loire, the Gironde, the Douro, the Guadalquivir, the Elbe and the Po around Venice. Six canal barges for 22 guests sail Alsace, Burgundy, Champagne, Provence and Belgium, and two sea ships cruise the Adriatic and the Mediterranean. Further afield come RV Indochine II on the Mekong, African Dream on Lake Kariba, Ganges Voyager in India and, from 2027, RV Brasilian Dream on the Amazon.
What the fare covers
CroisiEurope’s “all inclusive on board” formula covers full board, drinks with meals and at the bar (except premium brands and the special wine list), Wi-Fi and port taxes. Excursions are optional, in “Classic” and “Discovery” packages that can be mixed. Dress is casual by day and a little smarter at dinner, without the need for a jacket and tie.
Our advice: choose CroisiEurope for the rivers other lines rarely reach. The Loire châteaux on Loire Princesse, or Berlin to Prague on Elbe Princesse, are journeys that only a ship built for those waters can make; for winter sun or something further, look to the Mekong and Lake Kariba.
Why it's on our list
- Family-owned since 1976
- Builds and runs its own fleet
- Paddlewheelers for the Loire and Elbe
- Drinks, full board and Wi-Fi included
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with CroisiEurope: the back story before you go.