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I LOVE walking tours in cities I've never visited before, because they usually give you such a great overview of the city's main sites and history. On board the ship, you'll enjoy festive activities like tree-trimming and gingerbread house decorating, and warm drink options will usually include mulled wine. On my cruise, our program director even did an intro to European Christmas markets on one of the first nights, giving us a brief history lesson and suggestions on what to buy in each city. So when Viking River Cruises contacted me inviting me to check “visit Christmas markets in Europe” off my bucket list last year, I just about leapt at the chance. Not only would it mean a river cruise down a new river in Europe, but it was also going to be in December, when European cities deck the halls, streets, and everything in between for the holidays.
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These open-air markets are typically packed with locals manning the quaint wooden booths that line the streets and browsing the wares as their own long-running holiday tradition. Nearly all will have impressive trees that make unforgettable selfie backdrops. If you're interested in making plans to head to Europe to kick off your holiday season, check out these top Christmas Markets you can visit on a Viking River cruise.
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I really enjoyed joining fellow visitors and the town residents in soaking up the singing, dancing and decor in the town squares and along the cobblestone streets of great destinations like Nuremburg and Vienna. I also soaked up several mugs of gluhwein (a mulled wine) and pastries along the way, too. Solo travelers should know that these cabins don't have a balcony and are the smallest on the riverboat at 150 square feet, but you likely won't be spending much time in your room on this sailing. The cruise fare includes all gratuities, private shore excursions, meals, unlimited drinks including premium spirits, and basic Wi-Fi, plus airport and train transfers.
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Cruising Through Christmas Markets - Luxury Travel Advisor
Cruising Through Christmas Markets.
Posted: Mon, 12 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Our next day was really the first day I was able to see the ship in sunlight and view its beauty. There are a lot of things I really like about river cruising, from the small ships to the freedom to sit wherever you want at dinner. But the thing that impressed me the most was definitely the Viking Idi's staff and crew and how seamlessly everything seemed to run.
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. After you find a few river cruises that fit your travel dates, dig into each destination and what it has to offer. 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. Revel in yuletide cheer as you discover beloved European holiday traditions during this scenic 12-day cruise tour.
Guests can warm up with a steaming cup of Scandinavian mulled wine or rich hot chocolate as they wait their turn to enter Santa's workshop or take a twirl on the ice rink. The neighboring harbor also puts on a show with beautifully decorated trees on boats floating across the water. I took a Christmas Markets cruise on the Danube River with Viking Cruises a few years ago and have been longing to return.
Viking's new itinerary, Christmas on the Seine starts and finishes in Paris, where the ship moors overnight, providing plenty of time to see all the sights. It's only fitting that a loved winter destination such as Oslo has its own booming Christmas market during the holiday season. Guests are sure to find one-of-a-kind Norwegian crafts and decorations from the stalls lining up the streets. Make sure to come hungry though as there's an assortment of culinary treasures to be enjoyed such as elk dishes, caramel apples, and currywurst.
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Kids will also love exploring the fairytale forest and decorating their own gingerbread houses. If you ask any Christmas-obsessed person what’s on their holiday bucket list, a visit to Europe’s famed festive markets is likely to come up. And that’s what Viking seems to be banking on with its new lineup of yuletide-themed river cruises; these take travelers along some of the continent’s most famous rivers and stop at Christmas markets along the route.
The holiday market located in the center of the city has a host of artisans selling bespoke trinkets and Scottish crafts (including traditional tartan ornaments!). Take a ride on the sparkling ferris wheel for impeccable views of the capital and Edinburg Castle. Passengers frequently overnight for one day or more in Prague before journeying by bus to meet their ships. Prague is one of a number of European cities that serve as departure and arrival points for major river cruises, but the ships do not dock there. Passengers meet at designated hotels and are bussed to their embarkation points.
Read on to discover more magic from the 25 most charming Christmas markets in Europe. The Viking cruise started in Basel, Switzerland with the dock conveniently being very close to town. You can take the city tram to the center in almost no time or walk to the center very easily. These open-air festive monthlong celebrations offer a wonderful chance to experience the ages-old holiday traditions that bring a delightful warmth and charm to the holiday season. Travelers looking to explore all of the Old World historic charm of Belgium will want to book Uniworld's Belgian Holiday Markets cruise. The seven-night cruise visits Belgium and the Netherlands, with port days in iconic cities like Ghent, Bruges and Antwerp.
Explore this history-rich city, admiring its iconic Grote Kerk with a carillon of 67 bells. Take a journey along Amsterdam’s network of canals or browse one of the city’s museums.
Holiday-lovers can enjoy buttery pretzels and mouthwatering schnitzels as they listen to the festival’s singing moose, Chris, serenade the masses on the corner of Waterloo Street. Twinkling fairy lights illuminating narrow alleyways, a magnificently dressed tree at the city’s center, and nearly 300 wooden chalets lining every square make Strasbourg the Christmas capital of France. One of the oldest Christmas markets in Europe, the end-of-year festivities have embraced the traditions and flavors of an Alsatian Christmas since 1570.
Admire festive seasonal displays in Paris, the vibrantly lit facade of the cathedral in Reims and Alsatian bonhomie in Strasbourg. Browse stalls full of local delicacies and handicrafts at the charming Christmas markets of Trier, Koblenz and Mannheim, and enjoy a warm mug of glühwein while in the shadow of the Alps in Zürich. If you want to visit the tiny Slovakian first city of Bratislava you can opt for the Danube Christmas Delights cruise between Budapest and Passau. As well as Christmas markets, these sailings offer unique insights into the various destinations, such as behind-the-scenes stable tour at Vienna's Spanish Riding School to meet some of the snow-white Lipizzaner stallions.
Visit the Abbey of St. Wandrille or the MuséoSeine and discover its history and people. Explore the Czech Republic’s beer-brewing heritage; admire the city’s architecture. And the logistics… how they managed to get 190 passengers off and on the ship each day (sometimes multiple times per day) without a hiccup was astounding.
For lovers of the holidays, you really can't find a more immersive way to celebrate. The cruise ends in Rousse, where you can venture further into Romania to Bucharest, which is known as the "Little Paris of the East" for a city tour and Christmas Market. Sometimes Sailing is a cruise-focused website by Dan and Mikkel Woodruff, a couple passionate about cruising. The most famous attraction here was Benediktinerstift Göttweig, an abbey run by a few dozen monks situated on top of the hill. Later that night, I enjoyed a performance showcasing Mozart and Strauss, arranged specifically for guests of the Viking cruise that evening. The Vienna Residence Orchestra was there, live, and their singers were of the highest caliber.
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