These Are the 28 Most Magical Christmas Markets in Europe
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In Austria, Vienna's "December Market" can be considered a forerunner to Christmas markets, dating to 1298. Located at the doorstep of City Hall, revelers flock here to enjoy punch and war, chestnuts and a hist of other delightful Austrian Christmas traditions. Fares include Wi-Fi, wellness activities, daily entertainment and cultural performances, all meals, drinks at lunch and dinner plus a daily cocktail hour, excursions in each destination and access to knowledgeable guides. AmaWaterways' Gems of Southeast Europe departs on multiple dates between late November and late December in 2024 (2025 dates run mid-November to mid-December). The cruise continues to Belgrade, where you can wander around the city on your own, take a hike to Belgrade Fortress or put on a helmet and take a bike ride around town. 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.
Christmas market river cruises: What to expect on a holiday sailing
Some festivals even have online marketplaces that allow you to support the artisans and craftsmen without having to be at the festival in person. The official unit of currency of the Czech Republic is the Czech crown (Kc, CZK), which is divided into 100 hellers. Canal cruise - I know it’s touristy, but it was nice seeing the city from the canal! Our favorite time to eat on the ship was usually lunch as it seemed that the kitchen had an easier time pulling off the menu with some passengers out on excursions. Next year, you can get all of your holiday shopping done at a charming European market.
Sail Iconic Rivers at Christmas
About those bikes and canals - we took a nice canal tour around Amsterdam and tried our best to stay out of the bike paths (but it was hard). Heidelberg is a charming town located on the Neckar River, with mountains on both sides. It’s an optional excursion that we highly recommend, as the guide is a local who has lots of interesting tidbits about the town and life there. Some differences between this and an Ocean cruise is that there are shorter meal windows, more chances to interact and socialize with your cruise-mates, and with the river being very stable - the ship doesn’t rock at all. We provide uplifting stories in the home, life, entertainment, travel and food categories. The famous Lebkucken, or a German gingerbread with a glaze, has been baked in Nuremberg for more than 600 years.
The 5 Best Christmas Markets to See on a Viking River Cruise
I ended up going on Viking's Rhine Getaway, which sails down the Rhine between Amsterdam and Basel, making stops in both Germany and France. You can book this same cruise at any time of year, but in December the focus is almost entirely on the region's Christmas markets. For larger destinations like Vienna, Paris or Amsterdam, you might want to do extra research on what there is to do in the city for free or at a discount. Many museums offer free or discounted entry on select days or to select ages. On my Viking cruise, we were told that some markets are starting to sell mass-produced goods from China.
Post: Amsterdam
Uniworld offers its Belgian Holiday Markets cruise on four departure dates from late November through mid-December 2024 (and three December dates in 2025). 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. 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. 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.
Grand European Tour
To learn more about each port of call and our included as well as optional excursions, click on the individual days below. It was at this market in 1441 that the first-ever Christmas tree was displayed in Europe. While the towering masterpiece remains one of the market’s highlights, families can also look forward to meeting Santa, who often pays a visit in his reindeer-pulled sleigh.
The only things not included are alcohol and soft drinks outside of meal times, and any optional tours you might want to sign up for. It's also up to you to leave additional tips for the awesome staff and crew at the end of your cruise. The amount of free time varies – for example, we had an entire free day in Cologne, and only about 4-5 hours in the evening in Speyer.
Celebrate the holiday season as you immerse yourself in French, German and Czech traditions. Explore Christmas markets in quaint German towns and enjoy the scent of spiced gingerbread and glühwein as they fill the air amid colorful stalls. River cruises include a lot of perks, including docking right at the edge of most of the towns you visit. This means that in many destinations, you can walk from the ship to the middle of town in mere minutes. Before or after visiting the Christmas market, you can spend your time exploring the city, dining in a local restaurant, sipping hot coffee in a cafe or popping into shops.
(Since I had to leave the cruise early I wanted to make the most of my time in Europe.) I flew to Budapest from Munich to start the Christmas river cruise. And if you're worried about price, definitely sign up to get Viking's special offers sent to you – they're always having great sales. In the past couple of months, I've seen free airfare, 2-for-1 deals, early booking discounts, and more. So if you've always thought river cruising was too expensive for you, have another look.
It was the perfect indoor activity for us to warm up and have a sweet little Viennese snack. It was really neat to see a candy maker expertly work a pile of yellow tinted hot sugar over and over again, and watch it turn to solid white in front of our eyes. Stroll Bamberg’s Christmas markets and view the large nativity scene in Maximiliansplatz. Admire the work of local artisans while touring the Advent Markets in Würzburg’s Old Town.
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. Viking is known to be slower-paced than its competitors, with a relaxed vibe. 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. Explore Cologne’s seasonal holiday markets and shop for colorful gifts, arts and crafts.
Another eight-day option from Budapest, Hungary, to Regensburg, Germany, takes passengers along the Danube River, with a two-day stop in Vienna, Austria, being a major highlight. One of the best ways to check out the Christmas Markets is via a river cruise. This way, you get a chance to see multiple markets in several cities and villages.
12 best Christmas cruises for 2024 and 2025 - The Points Guy
12 best Christmas cruises for 2024 and 2025.
Posted: Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Even though I'm sure plenty of stressful things happen behind the scenes, you would never know it. Everyone was always friendly and professional, and you felt like they really cared about your trip. And, of course, if you skip all the guided tours and just go off on your own, you end up with lots of free time.
Maroni is simply chestnuts, for us westerners…roasting on an open fire, as the holiday song goes. Currency in Hungary is different than the currency you'll need for Austria and Germany. Hungarian Forints are needed in Hungary, and then you'll need Euros for the remainder of the cruise. Credit cards work almost anywhere, especially after the pandemic prompted more cash-only businesses to start accepting cards. I spent the two nights before I was able to board the Viking Atla at an Air BnB on the river (coincidentally, not far from where the ship was docked) and touring Budapest.
Starting in late November through Christmas every year, the cities and towns along the Danube, Rhine, Seine and other rivers set up markets that display each region's holiday traditions. Many of the most popular river cruise lines with ships based in Europe schedule festive cruises to take travelers to shop and dine at these seasonal markets. More days means more to discover, with extension packages you can add before or after your Viking cruise or cruisetour. Enjoy additional days to explore your embarkation or disembarkation city, or see a new destination altogether with a choice of exciting cities.Pre & Post Cruise Extensions vary by itinerary and are subject to change.
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