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One thing not to miss here is the extra-charge excursion to a local winery, where you will celebrate the year's harvest and vintage. In Budapest, you'll spend two days exploring the city at places like Castle Hill and the Grand Market Hall before shopping and dining at the Christmas market in front of St. Stephen's Basilica. Then in Bratislava, Slovakia, the group will attend an organ concert and shopping at the Old Town Christmas market. What really makes Adventures by Disney stand out is the Adventure Guides, Disney-trained leaders who are experts in each destination. Each Adventure Guide travels with the group throughout the cruise so your family really gets to know them, and they get to know you. This allows them to make personalized recommendations about activities and meals.
Old World Europe – Rhine River cruises
Imagine sailing down one of Europe's iconic rivers as picturesque villages, castles and landscapes pass you by, all while twinkling lights from nearby Christmas markets dance on the water. While this might sound like a fairytale, it can be a reality on a Christmas market river cruise. This site focuses on small-format cruises and ship-within-a-ship concepts on large cruise ships, including special cruise experiences you can enjoy during your next vacation. Truly they are so successful in Europe that most cities that have one no matter how big or small do a great job. Even small cities along the Danube River, like Passau where three rivers converge, have great holiday markets. Though you can certainly find other drinks at the markets, beer is less typically drunk at the markets.
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Your trip ends in Brussels, with a whole day to explore the cute squares and charming markets and try local fare. Vienna is easily the best Christmas market in Europe for anyone who loves classical music and Christmas carols given the full choral treatment. Austria's capital is famous as the former home of Strauss, Beethoven and Mozart and during the holiday season international choirs stage free performances at the Christmas market held beside Vienna City Hall. It's one of the largest markets in Europe and also features a large skating rink. The best Christmas markets in Europe draw revelers by the thousand to enjoy the aroma of gingerbread and mulled wine alongside charming stalls selling traditional toys, local crafts, specialty foods and more.
Christmas Markets of Rhine-Main
On day three, you'll need to decide whether to visit Ghent or Bruges, both of which have beautiful architecture and a Christmas market and offer opportunities to try local food. In every stop on your Christmas Markets cruise along the Rhine or Danube, you'll enjoy all the magic of your destination's holiday markets, each of which has taken on a distinctive character of its own over the centuries. You'll discover those local traditions… like the hot mulled wine known as glühwein, served in collectible mugs unique to each market… that have caught on to become an indispensable part of the holiday celebration.
Which rivers are the best for a Christmas markets cruise?
Immerse yourself in the festive spirit of picturesque cities before setting sail, or continue the merriment after disembarking. Our meticulously designed extensions allow you to relish in the holiday splendor, explore charming markets, and create cherished memories that linger far beyond the season. Elevate your yuletide adventure and make your Christmas Market River cruise truly unforgettable by indulging in the beauty and wonder of these captivating destinations.
It's common for people to book a Christmas market cruise a year or more in advance. Some companies will offer a discounted deposit for those who book early, and others will offer monetary savings for booking well in advance. Look for wave season (January through March) or Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday deals for river cruise discounts or other promotional offers. On my seven-night river cruise, I visited six ports and enjoyed a half day of scenic sailing through the Wachau Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our ports of call were Budapest; Bratislava, Slovakia; Vienna; Krems, Austria; Linz, Austria; and Passau, Germany. After a motorcoach transfer from Paris you'll board your Viking Longship in Reims.
Vienna, Austria: Best European Christmas Market for Classical Music Buffs
This route cruises along the second-longest river in Europe through Austria, Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia, stopping in the capital cities of Budapest, Bratislava, and Vienna, as well as Salzburg. Both Magna on the Danube and Christmas Markets on the Danube tours cruise through The Wachau Valley, where you can take a walking tour of Dürnstein. Take a look at our latest sailings below and find your perfect Christmas markets river cruise for you. If you can’t find exactly what you are looking for, don’t hesitate to give our Cruise Concierge team a call and they will help you handpick your perfect Christmas Markets voyage. Always a popular choice, a Christmas Market River Cruise is the perfect way to see a host of Europe’s world famous Christmas markets. While many river cruises traverse the waters around France, Germany and Austria, AmaWaterways' Gems of Southeast Europe itinerary takes guests to Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Romania.
Each market sells an abundance of food, and the food options change from town to town. If you can, I suggest bringing at least two pairs of outdoor shoes in case your waterproof shoes can't handle the snow or a few days of rain in a row. I brought a pair of fleece-lined Crocs to wear off the ship in a few ports where the weather was warmer with no precipitation. Middle and Eastern Europe is often colder than Western Europe, the latter of which has a milder winter season.
If you've ever wanted to explore European Christmas markets, a river cruise is an easy way to do it. Many of the best river cruise brands and guided group tour companies offer Christmas markets river cruises throughout Europe. They all showed off the major church in the city center and described how the city navigated various wars. So I used the tours to help navigate to the city center, then ventured off on my own with my travel companion. We used walking directions on Google Maps as a way to get to destinations we were interested in and to get back to the ship once we were ready to warm up for a while. After you find a few river cruises that fit your travel dates, dig into each destination and what it has to offer.
On your second day in Amsterdam, visit the Rijksmuseum and take an evening canal cruise with the group. Foodies will love it when the cruise heads to Gouda to explore the history of the city plus get a tasting of stroopwafels, which are cookie sandwiches invented in the city. The cruise continues into the Netherlands at Maastricht, where you can explore the city and its Christmas market, or head to Aachen, Germany, for festive fun. Alternatively, you can visit Valkenburg's underground Christmas market, located inside a cave. The last stop of the cruise is Antwerp, Belgium, where you can enjoy a concert, a beer tasting and time to enjoy the city at your leisure. The last day in Germany is spent in Cologne, where you can visit the beautiful Christmas markets that dot the city landscape, as well as lace up some skates to glide around an open-air ice rink.
Then, meander from the Main River to the Rhine to get to the winemaking town of Rüdesheim. One of the excursions includes a wine tasting with a local vintner and a visit to the town’s fairytale Christmas markets. During your stop in Cologne, stroll through 160 wooden pavilions, watching artisans work as you sip mulled wine.
Christmas markets are open from midmorning until between 8 and 10 p.m., but there's not enough to do at each market to fill that entire time. I usually spent about an hour at the smaller markets in places like Passau and Linz and about two to three hours at the larger markets in Vienna and Budapest. In each port, you'll want to be sure there are more activities and attractions to fill the rest of your time in port. Flowing through grand capital cities, including Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava, the Danube is another big Viking river cruise Christmas markets destination. So much so, the line has a pair of all-new week-long festive itineraries to choose from. The Christmas on the Danube sailing runs between Budapest and Regensburg, with the chance to see the Hungarian and Austrian capitals.
7 Cruise Lines Offering Festive Christmas Cruises in 2023 - Travel + Leisure
7 Cruise Lines Offering Festive Christmas Cruises in 2023.
Posted: Wed, 15 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Together, we crafted a river cruise experience that was ahead of its time and inspired by the destinations we explore. Numerous destinations on river cruises across Europe could hold the title of best European Christmas market, from Germany to Hungary and beyond. These markets typically run from mid-November right up until Christmas, and Europe's river cruises allow you to visit several holiday markets in Europe often in the space of a week or less.
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