Table Of Content
If you've never visited New Orleans, or it's been a while, take a Mississippi River cruise that sails round-trip from the Big Easy. They offer time before or after the cruise to enjoy the city's food, music and iconic architecture — plus the ease of a round-trip flight booking. Viking's seven-night New Orleans & Southern Charms itinerary focuses solely on ports in Louisiana and Mississippi, with an emphasis on historic architecture, Cajun culture and Civil War landmarks. While it’s natural to want to take advantage of the included activities to get the best value from your river cruise, it can be a mistake to book up every minute of each day with excursions.
Rivers You Can Sail to Experience the Christmas Markets
Considering the capacity of riverboats, which is significantly less than that of oceangoing cruise ships, cabins quickly fill for prime sailings. Booking a year in advance for a Christmas market cruise isn't crazy; it's common (and encouraged). France is known for some of the most photogenic Christmas markets in Europe, and you have the chance to see some of them on a five-night Christmas in the Seine Valley river cruise with CroisiEurope Cruises.
Guide to European Christmas Market Cruises - AARP
Guide to European Christmas Market Cruises.
Posted: Mon, 04 Apr 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Best Christmas Markets in Europe 2023
Travelers can find everything from traditional Bavarian crafts to international foods. But the highlight of the market is the daily nativity play, performed by local children. Budapest’s Christmas market offers a unique blend of traditional and modern. Set up in Vörösmarty Square, the market features nearly 150 vendors selling everything from hand-crafted toys to regional treats.
Recommendations & Resources for choosing river cruises
There are five festive markets here including one for kids and an indoor crafts market. My favorite thing to do is stroll the city and sample different Glühwein as I go. I've spent many Christmas seasons exploring the Christmas markets by taking the train and driving from place to place.
Photo-Worthy Wooden Vendor Stalls or Kiosks
A huge Christmas tree forms the centerpiece of the market and it's well worth climbing the 509 steps to the top of the cathedral tower to get a panoramic view of the city and riverscape. Viking offers Danube Christmas Delights river cruises from late November through mid-December in 2024 and 2025. And since you're on a river cruise, you can experience multiple cities and countries while someone else does the navigation for you, and you only have to unpack once. If you've ever wanted to explore European Christmas markets, a river cruise is an easy way to do it. Many of the best river cruise brands and guided group tour companies offer Christmas markets river cruises throughout Europe. Even if your Christmas market river cruise does have an overnight stay in the embarkation city with tours the next day, it's still best to arrive a day early.
What are the best things to buy at European Christmas markets?
Opting out can be a great way to balance independence verus group interaction and have the kind of European holiday that’s right for you. Cologne is renowned for its enchanting Heinzelmännchen of Köln, or Elves of Cologne, that adorn wooden booths, with handmade artwork and decorative pieces throughout the markets. For only €10 visitors can purchase a tram ticket to explore from one market to another. There's also an ice skating rink, an Angel market – where women dress up in angel costumes and ride horseback, and a pirate themed market. Colmar, the picturesque French village, looks like a dream come true with its breathtaking Christmas illuminations, charming architecture and ebullient decorations.
The Sun Sets Early During Winter in Europe
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.
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. 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.
Although it may be cold outside, the atmosphere aboard your river cruise ship is warm and cheery, and offers all the usual amenities – though you will want to bring a heavy coat for the observation deck. The top-of-mind December cruises are likely to be those that call upon European Christmas markets in the weeks leading up to December 25. There are numerous river cruises dedicated to exploring the markets and even a few oceangoing sailings that include ports known for their Christmas markets. With so many excursions included in your river cruise fare, there’s no chance of getting bored on a river cruise. Work on your fitness before your trip so you can make the most of your days in port, and pre-book any “must-do” excursions as soon as bookings open as these can fill up fast.
The last stop of the cruise is Antwerp, Belgium, where you can enjoy a concert, a beer tasting and time to enjoy the city at your leisure. If your goal for Christmas or Hanukkah is to skip both the cold and the kitchen, a cruise in the Caribbean might be to your liking. The warm weather can be a welcoming change from winter at home, and you may find spending your winter holiday on a cruise ship a far more relaxing experience than a family reunion on land. Over two weeks, you'll visit Native American burial grounds and archeological sites in West Virginia and learn about the underground railroad in Ohio. You can taste bourbon and explore the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory or the Kentucky Derby Museum & Horse Park in Louisville. Take time to appreciate American artistry at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky.
Three of the ships — American Melody, American Symphony and American Serenade — are 180-passenger modern river ships launched in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively. The fourth, American Splendor, is a 180-passenger paddlewheeler that debuted in 2016. Your cruise director is an expert on your itinerary and the areas you’ll visit, so don’t be shy about asking questions when you’re aboard. They’re local experts and the perfect people to ask where the best lunch spot is, how to find shops with locally-made souvenirs, or where to hang out with the locals. After our visit to Zaanse Schans, we were back on board Avalon Waterways to enjoy our very last night on the ship. We enjoyed champagne at the captain's farewell toast and hugged all our new friends goodbye.
It's one of the largest markets in Europe and also features a large skating rink. The best Christmas markets in Europe draw revelers by the thousand to enjoy the aroma of gingerbread and mulled wine alongside charming stalls selling traditional toys, local crafts, specialty foods and more. While many river cruises traverse the waters around France, Germany and Austria, AmaWaterways' Gems of Southeast Europe itinerary takes guests to Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Romania. The seven-night cruise sails between Budapest and Giurgiu along the Danube River. There are also Festive Time on the Romantic Rhine itineraries that don't include the land-based post-cruise days if you want a shorter trip. If your cruise starts in Amsterdam, you don't have to be on the ship until 4 p.m.
Excursions to Gengenbach are offered on Basel to Amsterdam festive market sailings. In the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague's fairy-story cobbled streets, decorative bridges and huge UNESCO World Heritage listed castle create a perfect festive setting. If you're after a kind of one-of-a-kind gift, Nuremberg is a great stop. The city is famous for Schuco tin cars and Fleishmann train sets, and its holiday market is a great place to find nostalgic toys. Nuremberg's other claim to fame is its pork sausages -- much smaller than typical German sausages or wurst -- which are sold in portions of six to a dozen.
But what really makes this itinerary special is the opportunity to see the world’s largest Advent calendar lit up every evening, its windows displaying a picture by a famous artist. Cruisers typically embark on a seven-night cruise for this special itinerary. This is because the markets only run for so long during the most festive time of year. Another reason is that most people want to cruise within the first two weeks of December for a few days for market visits but they want to be home for the actual holiday.
Cruise the Hudson round-trip from New York City on American Cruise Lines' seven-night Hudson River Fall Foliage Cruise. You'll visit Catskill, home to the Hudson River School Art Trail and the Olana Historic Site, or explore more actively at the Hudson River Skywalk and Kaaterskill Falls. In Albany, founded in 1609, you can tour the newly renovated New York State Capitol building, built in the late 1800s; you can also visit the New York State Museum, which dates to 1836. American Cruise Line offers this itinerary on five ships from April to October 2024, 2025 and 2026. Three of the ships (American Song, American Jazz and American Harmony) are 180-passenger modern river ships launched from 2018 to 2020. American Pride is a 150-passenger paddlewheeler launched in 2012, and American West is a 110-passenger veteran paddlewheeler launched in 1995.
No comments:
Post a Comment