These new Viking river cruises take you to Christmas markets across Europe

Table Of Content

• These new Viking river cruises take you to Christmas markets across Europe
• Connect With A CruiseInsider Expert About This Special Offer!
• How do I get a good deal on a Christmas market cruise?
• Helpful Info about Luminae in The Retreat on Celebrity Cruises
• Strasbourg Christmas Market
• Complete Guide to Alaskan Cruises in 2024, Including Ports of Call + What to Pack
• Create God Art in Vienna

Viking has hotel packages, and Amsterdam is easy to navigate with their “I amsterdam” City Card. You can also pick a hotel by city region and then zip around to your interest areas using the same transport pass, which also includes many local discounts and added attractions, like museums. 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.

These new Viking river cruises take you to Christmas markets across Europe

The atmosphere in most European cities around Christmas is already so festive that Viking doesn't really have to do a whole lot to create a “Christmas market” cruise itinerary. 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.

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Viking is known to be slower-paced than its competitors, with a relaxed vibe. 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. 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.

How do I get a good deal on a Christmas market cruise?

Sip on a warming glühwein and enjoy the seasonal festivities of Koblenz’s Christmas market. There's usually one included tour in each port, too, and everything surrounding those tours (guides, transport, and a QuietVox system so you can listen to your guide through headphones) is included, as well. A couple of days we stopped somewhere in the morning, and then met up with the ship somewhere else in the afternoon.

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There's a free tour offered in just about every city, and on this itinerary they are often walking tours. 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. After two river cruises, I've also gleaned that river cruise passengers tend to be extremely well-traveled. Most of the people we chatted with at meal times regaled us with stories of trips to just about every corner of the world, making for some fascinating conversation.

It makes several stops at bustling markets in Germany, as it sails on both the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. Explore the medieval streets of Nuremberg and one of the world’s oldest holiday markets. Stroll the river promenade, decorated with festive holiday lights, and explore the Old Town. Itinerary and shore excursions are subject to change and may vary by departure.

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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. Travel through Croatia’s countryside to Krka National Park, known for its seven waterfalls and crystalline rivers, stretching across 100 square kilometres. The spectacular Skradinski Buk falls comprise 17 cataracts and spans 100 metres at its widest point. Wander along a nature trail to discover the park’s restored pre-industrial water mill and a monastery. The Viking 15-day Ancient Adriatic Treasures voyage makes calls in Croatia, Turkey, Greece, Montenegro and Italy including overnight stays in Istanbul, Athens and Venice. Santorini is the stunning highlight of Viking’s 11-day Greek Odyssey voyage .

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Sample tasty yuletide treats and regional delicacies as you browse colorful stalls for handcrafted ornaments and unique gifts. Admire the twinkling lights of Cologne and revel in the merry atmosphere of the Rhine Valley, as storefront displays, wine cellars and markets embrace the holiday season. Admire the beautiful holiday window displays in famous-name stores such as Galeries Lafayette and visit some of the city's many markets. Tuileries Garden is the largest, combining traditional market stalls with fairground attractions including a ferris wheel. Atmospheric Montmartre, once the home of famous artists such as Picasso and Dali, is the place to find one-of-a-kind fashion and jewelry. In Rouen, where half-timbered houses are adorned with decorations, you'll visit the market in front of the landmark three-towered cathedral.

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. This cruise explores the offshoots of the Rhine and the gently curving Moselle leads to Cochem, where the quaint old town resembles a fairy-tale. On the Main there's another unique beverage to try in Bamberg, which is famous for producing a beer using smoked malt.

Immerse yourself in the romantic atmosphere of Trier’s festive Christmas markets. Wander the stalls of the Weinachtsmarkt, brimming with tasty treats and festive handicrafts. 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. In about half the ports you could walk off the ship and directly into the city you were visiting. In the other half, buses had to pick us up at the river and transport us into a city if it wasn't on the river, or if it was on a smaller tributary to the Rhine (i.e. places like Heidelberg and Strasbourg).

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. Speaking of those Viking cruisers, there's a common belief among people who have never been on a river cruise that they are mostly “for” an older crowd.

Visit Parisian Christmas market stalls and enjoy gourmet treats, such as l’escargot. Here are my favorite sweet and savory treats from each Christmas market I visited on my Viking cruise. Each market sells an abundance of food, and the food options change from town to town.

The itinerary doesn't change, though, and the tours offered in each port city don't change in December, either. But your guides will point out all the Christmas markets in the city for you to explore during your free time, and that's what most people end up doing. 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.

Most of the larger markets, like the ones in Bratislava and Budapest, have live music playing from a bandstand that you can enjoy. In Budapest, the market near St. Stephen's Basilica had a projection show on the exterior of the church, too. My favorite Christmas market was the one at City Hall in Vienna, which happens to be one of the most popular in Europe. It had everything from ice skating and photo-worthy backdrops to prepackaged sweets and plenty of Christmas decorations to try to fit into my already full suitcase. Every Christmas market is different in the overall vibe and what it has to offer for visitors.

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. The more desirable balcony and suite rooms often sell out first, followed by rooms with only upper windows. The best way to ensure you get the type of cabin and sailing date that you want is to book early. Uniworld cruises are the most expensive, with prices ranging from $3,399 to $7,199 for 8- to 11-day sailings throughout the season.

And while there were lots of older couples and groups of friends on my Christmas market cruise, there was also a fairly sizable younger crowd, too. There were about a dozen 20-somethings traveling with a larger group from Pennsylvania, and we had a young couple honeymooning on the ship, too. Like I mentioned above, you can book Viking's Rhine Getaway cruise at any time of year.