Christmas Along the Elbe 2024 Itinerary Berlin to Prague Viking®

Table Of Content

• Charming Holiday Markets in Passau, Germany on Our Christmas River Cruise
• Explore the Caves of Grenada
• Sail Iconic Rivers at Christmas
• Christmas on the Rhine
• Viking Christmas market cruise on the Seine

We were able to visit several sites in Budapest including the famous Parliament building on the “Pest” side of the river the day the cruise started. And we toured the area around the famous Buda Castle on the “Buda” side of the river as well. You're able to fly into the city, of course, but I extended the trip beforehand in Munich and Stuttgart, Germany. (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. There’s a charm during the holiday season in Europe unlike any other place I've experienced, which I saw through the lens of a Viking Christmas River Cruise. A magical ambiance fills the region with smiling and laughing patrons, enjoying glühwein and each other’s company in historic squares and small streets in old villages.

Charming Holiday Markets in Passau, Germany on Our Christmas River Cruise

Immerse in the fairytale atmosphere of Vienna’s markets and shop for unique gifts. 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. By the time I was back in the town center, the market vendors were opening for business. I opted for an early bratwurst sandwich for lunch before I sadly had to leave the cruise to go to the airport. We arrived to the warmth and glow of the lights inside the ship; isn't it romantic to see the ship this way with string lights twinkling atop reflecting in the river? It was especially nice to see limited yet tasteful holiday decorations – like wreaths with red bows and green garland – adorning the inside of the ship.

Explore the Caves of Grenada

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. Evenings brought out the more elevated fashion; women donned cute sweaters and dresses, while men dressed in jeans and nicer tops or sweaters.

Sail Iconic Rivers at Christmas

Iceland’s Majestic Landscapes ocean voyage spends half of the 13-day itinerary exploring the country’s dramatic vistas, villages and cities, with the other half cruising around the fjords of far north Norway. Even without the side shows of the Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights, Norway’s scenery is spectacular. Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is breathtaking to view up close, while Eidfjord is the gateway to Hardangervidda, Europe’s largest mountain plateau. The 15-day Viking Homelands ocean voyage explores Scandinavia by sea, following ancient mariner routes. Gaze at foaming waterfalls that plunge into the fjord’s waters, visit the cosmopolitan cities of Berlin and Copenhagen, and linger longer on overnight calls in Stockholm, Oslo and Bergen.

These New Viking River Cruises Take You To Christmas Markets Across Europe - ABC 10 News San Diego KGTV

These New Viking River Cruises Take You To Christmas Markets Across Europe.

Posted: Tue, 27 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT [source]

The Viking 23-day European Sojourn river voyage covers eight countries along the Rhine, Main and Danube. Enjoy a lifetime’s worth of experiences on a single journey through the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania and Bucharest. For most travellers, the aurora borealis is the world’s most sought-after spectacle in the sky.

Which rivers are the best for a Christmas markets cruise?

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. 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. Many of the places we visited for a couple of hours in the evenings (like Rudesheim and Speyer) were small enough that you could easily wander around the city center and grab a gluhwein in about an hour. River cruising in Europe is great because so many cities are built right ON the large water ways.

If you're thinking about booking a Christmas market river cruise but don't know where to start, we've got you covered. Here, we've answered the most popular questions about Christmas market river cruises and shared our top tips and tricks to get the most out of the trip. How much free time you end up with in each port totally depends on what you decide to do.

Viking Christmas market cruise on the Seine

Sometimes Sailing is a cruise-focused website by Dan and Mikkel Woodruff, a couple passionate about cruising. Passau is also known as the “City of Three Rivers,” because it's where 3 rivers converge. The city center is just steps from where the ship docks, watched over by St. Stephen's Cathedral. The baroque building towers above the town square, where the Christmas markets are. The most famous attraction here was Benediktinerstift Göttweig, an abbey run by a few dozen monks situated on top of the hill. One of the great things about sailing on the Danube between Hungary and Germany is you get to see fairy tale scenes like the image below, of a random castle on the side of the river.

Stomp Grapes in Portugal

On a clear night, these ethereal lights may appear over Norway as faint wisps of green or dramatically dancing ribbons in multiple colours. In Search of The Northern Lights is Viking’s 13-day ocean voyage in the Arctic, sailing between London (Tilbury) and Bergen via the Norwegian fjords. Multiple departures will operate from January to March 2025, regarded as the best time to see the lights. That's just the tip of the iceberg and the appeal of cruising with Viking for a Christmas river cruise.

I also soaked up several mugs of gluhwein (a mulled wine) and pastries along the way, too. 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. The river cruise itineraries along the great rivers like the Rhine and Danube give you the full scope and scale of what the Christmas season is like in Europe. Exploring the Christmas markets of Vienna most near the city center, with mugs of hot glühwein, was in order when we left the candy store. By this time the holiday lights were starting to turn on as daytime turned to night.

The ship continued on to Regensburg, Germany and the Christmas market river cruise ended in Nuremberg. I was pleased to venture to visit another holiday market in front of their city hall, or Rathaus, before we headed back to the ship. My Christmas market favorites were consistently the beautifully illuminated concession stands. We appreciated its clean Scandinavian design, from our stateroom to the river cruise ship's grand staircase, and common areas. The ideal way to start a Rhine Getaway at Christmas is to spend three days in Amsterdam before embarkation.

Warm alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages flow at the markets and the sounds of holiday choirs and music fill the air. So by the time we got back to the ship the first day – after dropping our luggage off in the morning, touring around the city and returning for dinner – it was already dark. Our next day was really the first day I was able to see the ship in sunlight and view its beauty. The lights on their parliament building are particularly spectacular at night; it was great the scene from on the Danube River, aboard the Viking cruise ship.

Given the 190 passengers and the diversity of tastes, Viking has mastered the art of blending great regional food with solid favorites, like the grilled ribeye. Fares/rates are per person, based on double occupancy for select sail and travel dates; are capacity controlled and subject to availability at time booking and may be pulled without notice. In the event of a pricing error, misrepresentation or omission, we reserve the right to adjust the pricing or make any other corrections. Celebrate the holidays with Viking River Cruises and experience the Christmas market lights, hand-carved toys and ornaments, spicy glühwein and aromatic gingerbread.

A Viking Christmas Market Cruise

Table Of Content

• Viking's Christmas Market River Cruises
• Romantic Danube River Stop at Krems, Austria
• Stomp Grapes in Portugal
• Viking’s Top 15 European Cruising Experiences
• Post: Prague Premium

You’ll join hundreds or thousands of residents in beautifully decorated town squares, all there to enjoy the music, food and shopping that highlights these markets. I took a Christmas Markets cruise on the Danube River with Viking Cruises a few years ago and have been longing to return. 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.

Viking's Christmas Market River Cruises

If a French Christmas sounds the most enticing, Viking has also launched a cruise that does an eight-day loop along the Seine. This cruise starts and ends in Paris, with stops at charming markets in French towns along the river. One epic option lasts 12 days and travels from Paris, France, to Zurich, Switzerland.

Romantic Danube River Stop at Krems, Austria

Elliot's mom and I took advantage of just about every minute of time we had off the ship, meaning we were usually only there for meal times and maybe a couple of hours in the evenings. Read on for answers to some of the most frequently-asked questions about sailing on a Christmas market cruise with Viking River Cruises. Admire Vienna’s architecture and discover the city’s classical music heritage.

Stomp Grapes in Portugal

Cruise lines pivot as high water levels on Rhine disrupt Christmas voyages - PAX NEWS

Cruise lines pivot as high water levels on Rhine disrupt Christmas voyages.

Posted: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Before you cruise, make a list of regional foods you wish to try in each market. Once at the market, look around to see which food stands are popular with locals. Packing for a river cruise in the middle of winter was the most challenging part of the trip for me.

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.

Viking Christmas market cruise on the Seine

To learn more about each port of call and our included as well as optional excursions, click on the individual days below. For most of their cruises, they also offer pre- and post-cruise add-ons that can extend your time in a destination. For the Rhine Getaway, you had a choice of a pre-cruise program in Amsterdam, and post-cruise time in either Basel or Lucerne, Switzerland. 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. The Rhine Getaway cruise sails down the Rhine, the busiest river in all of Europe. Port calls are almost all in Germany and France, and you make at least one stop – sometimes two – per day.

It's also a good idea to know the currency of each destination you're going to. For example, in Hungary, euros are not accepted anywhere, so I exchanged dollars for Hungarian forints to use at the Christmas market. While many of the vendors will take credit cards or Apple Pay, others only want cash.

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. If you've had visiting the Christmas markets of Europe on your bucket list, a river cruise is a great way to explore multiple markets in one trip. One of the biggest perks of a river cruise versus a land-based trip is that you unpack once, and your accommodations and dining options float with you down the river from town to town. 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.

He has penned articles for Colorado Avid Golfer, Golf Digest, and Golf Magazine. In his travels, he has golfed with royalty, tour professionals, the local duffer, and the occasional goat. On and off the ship is easy as it’s always the second deck, and Viking has some of the best docking locations in each city.

The included maps pinpoint your exact dock location, interesting local landmarks, and markets, so a walking tour on your own is secure. Explore Cologne’s seasonal holiday markets and shop for colorful gifts, arts and crafts. River cruising is becoming so popular – and with popularity comes more and more options catering to all sorts of interests. I loved the Rhine Getaway itinerary because there was a lot to see and explore – I did SO much walking!

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. Middle and Eastern Europe is often colder than Western Europe, the latter of which has a milder winter season. The later in the Christmas market season you travel, the more likely you are to get rain or snow since winter is setting in across the continent. If you're looking for a more active cruise, consider AmaWaterways, where bikes are always available to use in port. On the Danube Christmas Markets tour, you can bike from Weissenkirchen to Melk, passing picturesque villages and vineyards. Next year, you can get all of your holiday shopping done at a charming European market.

Always try to arrive at least a day early for any river cruise, especially if you're flying overseas. For some river cruises, the embarkation port is just that, a place to get on the ship and leave. If you arrive the day your cruise begins, you could miss out on exploring the city.

Enjoy a taste of the local brew, Weihnachtsbier, and stroll the vibrant Drosselgasse. 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.

I met my friend Julie Deily, of The Little Kitchen, in Budapest to board the Viking Atla river cruise ship. Explore charming Vernon; stroll the town’s cobblestone streets and admire its quaint houses. While touring one of the Linz markets, I stumbled upon a small carnival where rides and games were set up for kids to enjoy. Then in Vienna, the City Hall Christmas market had an ice skating rink that was popular with families and couples. Drinking at Christmas markets around Europe normally means getting a hot glass of glühwein, which is mulled wine made with red wine, spices and fruit. The drink is normally served in cute mugs that you can keep as a fun and cheap souvenir.

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. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear.

Examine enormous stalagmites and stalactites, the world’s widest column found in a cave, and a natural amphitheatre used as a concert venue. Sailing roundtrip from Barcelona, this 16-day voyage in seven countries also calls at Seville, Casablanca, Valetta (overnight), Corsica, Rome, Marseilles, Tunis and Algiers, with three non-consecutive days at sea. Formed after an accidental overflow from an adjacent geothermal plant, the original lagoon has been expanded into a dozen steaming, milky-blue pools with a lava wall looming almost four metres above.