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For days exploring the ports, I wore jeans and waterproof boots with long cozy socks, plus a thermal long-sleeved shirt under a sweater. Accessories like a warm hat or ear warmers, gloves and a scarf were also helpful. Book a late fall cruise along the Danube if you'd like to visit Vienna's Christmas markets.
Day 9
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. Picking a river for your cruise can be a challenge, especially if you're not familiar with the destinations on the itinerary. Cruises on the Danube and Rhine are the most popular at this time of year because their ports of call are where most of our Christmas traditions were first created. Sailing down one of Europe's stunning rivers is a dream trip no matter the time of year, but at Christmas time it's even more special.
Highlights of Christmas Markets
You'll have your choice of the full spectrum of European river cruise lines here. Most Rhine River cruise itineraries make a stop in Cologne no matter what time of year. You'll have your pick of river cruise lines, as nearly any that traverse the Rhine stop here. Vienna is easily the best Christmas market in Europe for anyone who loves classical music and Christmas carols given the full choral treatment.
What are the best things to buy at European Christmas markets?
Every Christmas market is different in the overall vibe and what it has to offer for visitors. Do some research before you leave home to see what the highlight of each Christmas market is. I did a lot of my research on TikTok and Instagram so I could see what the person was talking about. On the Danube, you can visit destinations like Vienna, Austria and Passau and Regensburg, Germany. Alternatively, on the Rhine, destinations of interest include Amsterdam; Cologne, Germany; Mannheim, Germany; and Strasbourg, France. I was most impressed by Vienna, which had two, but the one near City Hall is the one that makes most of the viral TikTok videos and Instagram reels.
Travel In Good Company
For 90+ years, the Tauck family has had a passion for sailing — aboard small ships and yachts at sea, riverboats along great inland waterways, and at home on the rivers and lakes of Connecticut and New York. When we began blending our land experience with our strong passion for cruising in our first European river cruise back in 1992, we knew that no "ordinary" river cruise experience would do for our guests. We wanted them to travel Europe's rivers in the same beyond-the-ordinary Tauck style they experienced on our land trips. With that in mind, we searched to find a company to partner with that would share our values and our commitment to "do the right thing" by our guests... Together, we crafted a river cruise experience that was ahead of its time and inspired by the destinations we explore. For the longer 12-night cruise and land-based trip, guests will embark the cruise ship in Amsterdam, where they can enjoy a day of free exploration before boarding the riverboat, followed by an Amsterdam canal cruise on day two.
American Queen Voyages to sail Christmas cruises featuring Natchez - Travel Weekly
American Queen Voyages to sail Christmas cruises featuring Natchez.
Posted: Tue, 01 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Day 3
Even if your Christmas market river cruise does have an overnight stay in the embarkation city with tours the next day, it's still best to arrive a day early. Travel days from the United States to Europe can be unpredictable, with delays and missed connections, so you should give yourself plenty of time to get to the ship so you don't miss it. Because of the short season for Christmas market river cruises, getting a deal can prove to be a challenge.
Tour this lavish Baroque family home – converted from a monastery in the 18th century – and browse its private Christmas Market. If your sailing starts in Budapest, you'll need to arrive a day early if you plan to explore the city; the cruise does not offer excursions here. Your first stop will be Mohacs, where you can enjoy the nearby Christmas Markets in Pecs or venture to Szekszárd for a wine tasting.
If you want to support local artisans, ask the vendor or look for stickers that say where the products were made. 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. The more desirable balcony and suite rooms often sell out first, followed by rooms with only upper windows.
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In Vienna, Austria, the whole city comes alive with lights and a festive spirit. 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. Each ship in the Riverside Luxury Cruises fleet is all-suite and comes with butler service. Ships offer an indoor pool and a Jacuzzi to use before or after your trips ashore.
The river cruise starts in Paris, where you can spend the day exploring the city, seeing the Christmas markets in Montmartre or Saint Germain or shopping for high-end gifts along the Champs-Élysées before the 5 p.m. Here, we list the eight best Christmas markets river cruises to take in 2024, along with tips to get the most out of each sailing and highlights not to miss. 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. It's most important to choose a cruise based on which destinations you wish to visit and which travel dates and itinerary lengths work with your schedule.
Before departing from Passau, be sure to explore the Christmas market as well as St. Stephen's Cathedral to see the impressive organ, which is the biggest cathedral organ in the world with almost 18,000 pipes. While many of the vendors will take credit cards or Apple Pay, others only want cash. The best way to know the times of each market you're visiting is to do a quick internet search close to the time of your river cruise.
Put the name of the city and the words "Christmas Market hours" into your preferred online search tool to get the operational hours for each market. Depending on the river cruise line you book, the onboard attire may range from casual to a little more fancy. During the day on Viking, many people wore jeans or sweatpants and a casual shirt.
The next two days make Strasbourg, France the home port from which you can choose to visit Europa Park in Rust, Germany, or head to Colmar, France, which is famous for its Christmas Markets and Cheese Museum. Packing for a river cruise in the middle of winter was the most challenging part of the trip for me. Not only did I have to buy winter clothes since I live in Florida, but I needed to make sure I brought enough layers to keep me warm. Glittering cities across France, Germany, Austria and beyond light up with Christmas markets offering hand-carved toys and ornaments. While you shop, sample hot chocolate, spicy glühwein and aromatic gingerbread. Fares include meals, drinks during meals and happy hour, Wi-Fi, a library, excursions, bike rentals and a fitness center.
Day five is exciting for nature enthusiasts as you sail through The Iron Gates, which is a series of gorges that mark the border between Serbia and Romania.
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