From the Autumn issue of World of Cruising magazine, 2011

There are sparkling lights wherever you look, reflecting on the water and adding to the festive atmosphere all around you. The towns and cities are aglow, and their markets positively pulsate with life and traditions that date back hundreds of years. Welcome to a European Christmas river cruise!

If you are looking for something different this winter, you now have a wide choice of “Christmas market” river cruises in Central Europe – a great option for multi-generation holidays, with no hassles, just gliding from one lovely place to another. From voyages including the Main, Danube and Rhine, travellers have an amazing selection of itineraries and ships.

Among the companies now offering these cruises are AmaWaterways, Avalon,  Scenic Tours, Tauck, Uniworld and Viking. Their ships meander from small villages to larger towns of Austria and Germany, typically from November through December, so you can visit and shop at the world-famous Christmas markets. Some itineraries also include Alsace, France, and Switzerland.

These special cruises not only let you sightsee in some of Europe’s most historic cities, but experience ancient holiday traditions as the locals do. The markets offer everything from hand-blown Christmas ornaments and hand-carved nutcrackers to world-famous fruitcakes and gingerbread, including the famous gingerbread hearts found in Germany, and mouth-watering brandy-filled chocolates.

And there is always lots of glühwein, the traditional mulled wine of the region, to warm you up! The markets are usually held in the town square and give you a true sense of the region and people that live there.

Each Christmas market offers local foods, wine and crafts that make wonderful souvenirs and gifts. While each offers something unique, they all feature gingerbread, pastries and bratwurst grills.

Budapest’s market on Vörösmarty Square is filled with folk artists and crafts made from natural materials. Here you can taste traditional Hungarian foods like kenyérlángos, (a flat bread-like dough), rétes (strudel) and their version of hot and spicy glühwein. There are also multiple musical events connected with the market.

Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt, named for the Christ Child, is one of Central Europe’s oldest and biggest, boasting some 200 candy-striped stalls, filled with toys, crafts and hand-painted ornaments. A special feature here is the “Nuremberg Plum People,” tiny puppets made of prunes, figs and walnuts with painted-on faces. Another favourite are the beautiful gold-foiled angels designed and dressed just as they were 400 years ago.

Cologne is home to four markets, including its oldest, the Neumarkt Christmas Market, located in the main shopping area. Another is set against the historic backdrop of St Apostein’s Church, with a ‘stars at night’ theme. However, growing in popularity is the modern and elegant Floating Christmas Market, housed on a riverboat on the Rhine, with pagoda tents and roof peaks reminiscent of a ship’s sails.

One of Europe’s oldest is Salzburg’s Christkindlmarkt, dating back to the 15^th century, with its stalls situated under a floodlit baroque stage. Though smaller than others, it has a more intimate feel and boasts the heavenly aroma of a mixture of mulled wine, Lebkuchen (gingerbread), roasted chestnuts and almonds. Lovely items can be found here, including hand-made coats and pewter items.

Another Austrian market not to be missed is Vienna’s Rathausplatz. More than three million visit here for its beautiful glass ornaments, handmade wooden toys and candles, not forgetting the assortment of amazing Viennese pastries, including cream-filled and marzipan varieties. There are also roasted chestnuts and almonds, candied fruit and marzipan sweets while another favourite, especially on a chilly day, is a Christmas punch called Weihnachtspunsch, comprised of brandy, wine or schnapps, sweetened with warm fruit juices.

A typical itinerary for the Christmas market sailings may include Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Salzburg, Melk (Durstein and Danube), Vienna and Budapest, while a few also include France.

On board your riverboat, you will enjoy festive lights and a truly convivial atmosphere. Some lines also offer overnight trains, biking and river tours, organ recitals, concerts and cocktail parties, as well as Christmas and New Year celebrations. You won’t find faux wreaths here, just the real feeling of the holiday season and how it was in days gone by.

AmaWaterways offers a trip through the Danube, Europe’s second largest river, across the Continental Divide through many great cities and charming towns. Many Christmas traditions started here in Bavaria and the Wachau Valley. There are several sailings from Nuremberg to Budapest, which include Hilpoltstein, Regensburg, Passau, Salzburg, Linz, Melk and Vienna.

For Switzerland, AmaWaterways offers a seven-night Rhine River cruise beginning in Basel, continuing to the Black Forest region and the medieval town of Strasbourg, then on to Heidelberg and Cologne, with its famous Cathedral and Christmas market. The sailing ends in Amsterdam. 

Another choice is Avalon Waterways on its new 166-passenger Avalon Panorama, which was launched in May and boasts suites with wall-to-wall panoramic windows and balconies. Passengers can enjoy an eight-day ‘Christmas in the Heart of Germany’ cruise from Prague to Frankfurt, including a two-night stay at Hilton Hotel Prague and visits to Nuremberg, Bamberg, Rothenberg, Wurzburg and Miltenberg.

 Avalon also has a five-day ‘Christmas in Alsace and Germany’ cruise from Zurich to Frankfurt (and reverse), which includes Breisach, Strasbourg, Speyer and Heidelberg.

Scenic Tours is planning to use its new ship, the luxury 169-passenger Scenic Pearl, for its festive cruise, the 15-day ‘Christmas Markets’ voyage from Amsterdam to Budapest. This extensive itinerary includes Cologne, a cruise through the Rhine Gorge to Rüdesheim, then Würzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Linz, Melk, Dürnstein and Vienna. A 16-day Christmas & New Year cruise departs from Amsterdam.

In addition to all the Christmas markets, guests will also enjoy a night of singing and carols before dinner on Christmas Eve. And of course, they can expect a special New Year’s Eve gala celebration onboard as well. Both cruises include complimentary beer, wine and soft drinks on board with meals and there will be a private Viennese evening concert at Palais Liechtenstein featuring the music of Strauss and Mozart.

Tauck offers a ‘Christmas Markets Along the Rhine’ cruise aboard the new 118-guest MS Treasures. The eight-day sailing, departing December 4, visits markets in Germany and is one of the few to include France, as it travels south from Cologne to Basel (with a northbound departure doing a reverse itinerary). The ‘Christmas Markets Along the Danube’ on Swiss Jewel travels from Nuremberg to Vienna, with a reverse itinerary as well.

In addition, Tauck includes overland excursions to markets in Munich and Aachen, Germany; Colmar, France (with a path of lights guiding visitors to five different markets); and Salzburg, Austria.

Offering a wide selection of Christmas market cruises, including a unique one in France, is Uniworld, whose boats boast Zagat-rated restaurants.

If you think Paris is romantic, wait until you see it Christmas-time, with a special eight-day ‘Parisian Winter Holidays’ sailing on the 120-guest River Baroness. The itineraryincludes Medieval Rouen, whose Christmas market isat Place de Cathedrale. Here, you will find hand-painted items as well as crafts and Norman specialities, including cheeses, cider and Calvados, an apple brandy from the Basse-Normandy region.

Popular Christmas gifts are the “santons,” traditional clay nativity figures from the Provençe region. ‘Classic Christmas Markets’ offers a more traditional holiday itinerary on its eight-day Nuremberg to Frankfurt cruise on 132-passenger River Queen, which includes Bamberg and Würzburg (Rothenberg), home of Germany’s oldest Christmas markets, the Reiterlesmarkts, which date back to the 15^th century.

Another choice is ‘Danube Holiday Markets,’ an eight-day cruise from Budapest to Passau (or reverse) on the 162-guest River Beatrice, including Bratislava, Vienna, Krems (cruising the Wachau Valley) and Linz.

Viking River Cruises offers a 10-day ‘Christmas on the Rhine’ cruise from Amsterdam to Basel to take in the windmills of Kinderdijk, Cologne’s monumental cathedral, the sandstone ruins of Heidelberg Castle, the Alsatian capital of Strasbourg and the picturesque Black Forest region, as well as all the Christmas markets and traditions. Another choice is ‘Christmas on the Danube,’ an 11-day journey from Nuremberg to Budapest. Christmas Eve is celebrated in Vienna and, on Christmas Day, passengers get to take a ride to the famous Vienna Woods, before going on to the Hungarian capital.

All of these river cruise lines will see to it you are pampered and have the Christmas you have always hoped for, stress-free and with a relaxing festive atmosphere onboard. Even Santa may show up!

The markets will bring you back to a simpler time, and history will come alive from one historic town to another. It could well be your favourite Christmas ever.