I took my first Christmas Market cruise with AmaWaterways in 2010. Not only was this my first Christmas Market cruise, but it was also my first river cruise in Europe – I had only done one other river cruise and that was on the Mekong. Leaving home for the holidays can be a hard. For some it feels like you are leaving behind tradition, family, and friends which can seem to be unthinkable. I was one of those people – until I did it.
While it was hard to say goodbye to most of my immediate family and my lifelong Christmas traditions, I knew that taking a Christmas cruise on the Rhine was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The snowcapped villages, charming markets, and cheerful locals awaited me, and I was ready to take it all in.
Shortly after boarding AmaBella, I knew that the journey ahead was going to be a memorable one. Everyone on the ship seemed to adopt the Christmas mentality to “eat, drink, and be merry.” There were many late nights spent in the lounge where we danced, shared stories about our own holiday traditions back home, sang, and more.
It is hard to say what stood out more – the beautiful towns and markets that we visited on this trip, or the time spent aboard with my fellow passengers. Both complemented each other so well. In fact, a large group of us made sure that we were in the same tour group for most excursions so that we didn’t have to part ways throughout the day.
This was easily my favorite river cruise that I have ever taken, and I am so excited to take my next Christmas cruise at the end of this year aboard AmaMagna. But enough about my Christmas cruise, let’s take a look at some of the Christmas market itineraries offered in 2020 so that you can choose a sailing to give you the same wonderful experience that I had.
AmaWaterways has four weeklong Christmas market itineraries. Three of these itineraries sail the Danube, and one sails the Rhine. Though three of these itineraries take place on the same river, each Danube itinerary includes different stops, with one sailing onto Nuremberg instead of stopping in Vilshofen. Magna On The Danube takes place aboard the double-wide river ship, AmaMagna.
Prices for Ama’s 2020 Christmas cruises start at US$2,349 per person.
Countries visited: Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
Stops in: Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Weissenkirchen, Melk, Linz, Passau, Vilshofen
Overnights in: Budapest and Vilshoften
Countries visited: Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
Stops in: Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Krems, Spitz, Linz, Passau, Vilshofen
Overnights in: Budapest and Vilshofen
Countries visited: France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland
Stops in: Amsterdam, Cologne, Rüdesheim, Ludwigshafen, Strasbourg, Gengenbach, Breisach, Basel
Overnights in: Amsterdam
Countries visited: Hungary, Austria, Germany
Stops in: Budapest, Vienna, Melk, Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg
Overnights in: Budapest and Nuremberg
Avalon has the most extensive list of itineraries that we will look at today. These itineraries range from four to 17 days and sail the Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers – Avalon’s Christmastime From Budapest To Basel itinerary sails all three rivers in one journey. Avalon’s nine Christmas itineraries are perfect for both travelers looking for a long journey that takes them through a large stretch of Europe and also those looking for a short sailing to give them a taste of what Christmastime on the river is like.
Prices for Avalon’s 2020 Christmas cruises start at US$1,049 per person.
Countries visited: Hungary, Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland
Stops in: Budapest, Vienna, Krems, Melk, Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Würzburg, Mainz, Heidelberg, Speyer, Strasbourg, Breisach, Basel
Overnights in: Budapest and Nuremberg
Countries visited: Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland
Stops in: Vienna, Melk, Grein, Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Würzburg, Mainz, Heidelberg, Speyer, Strasbourg, Breisach, Basel
Overnights in: Vienna, Nuremberg, Basel
Countries visited: Hungary, Austria, Germany
Stops in: Budapest, Vienna, Krems, Melk, Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Würzburg, Mainz
Overnights in: Budapest and Nuremberg
Countries visited: Austria and Germany
Stops in: Vienna, Melk, Grein, Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Würzburg, Mainz
Overnights in: Vienna and Nuremberg
Countries visited: Germany, France, Switzerland
Stops in: Nuremberg, Bamberg, Würzburg, Mainz, Heidelberg, Speyer, Strasbourg, Breisach, Basel
Overnights in: Nuremberg
Countries visited: Hungary, Austria, Germany
Stops in: Budapest, Vienna, Krems, Melk, Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg
Overnights in: Budapest and Nuremberg
Countries visited: Austria and Germany
Stops in: Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Melk, Vienna
Overnights in: Nuremberg and Vienna
Countries visited: Hungary, Slovakia and Austria
Stops in: Budapest, Bratislava, Melk, Dürnstein, Krems, Vienna
No overnights.
Countries visited: Switzerland, Germany, France
Stops in: Basel, Breisach, Strasbourg, Speyer, Heidelberg, Mainz
No overnights.
Crystal offers travelers four Christmas cruise options. Two of these itineraries take place on the Rhine, and two on the Danube. The Danube itineraries are both weeklong itineraries but vary in the ports that they visit. Delightful Danube Christmas takes guests from Budapest all the way up to Regensburg, Germany, while Danube Christmas Dreams concludes in Vienna, Austria. The Rhine itineraries vary both in ports and in length – with one weeklong itinerary and one 10-night itinerary.
Prices for Crystal’s 2020 Christmas cruises start at US$2,150.
Countries visited: Hungary, Austria, Germany
Stops in: Budapest, Vienna, Dürnstein, Melk, Passau, Regensburg
Overnights in: Budapest, Vienna, Regensburg
Countries visited: Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland
Stops in: Amsterdam, Cologne, Koblenz, Rüdesheim, Mannheim, Strasbourg, Basel
Overnights in: Amsterdam and Koblenz
Countries visited: Hungary, Slovakia, Austria
Stops in: Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Dürnstein, Melk, Linz, Krems
Overnights in: Budapest and Vienna
Countries visited: Switzerland, France, Germany, Netherlands
Stops in: Basel, Breisach, Strasbourg, Speyer, Mainz, Rüdesheim, Koblenz, Cologne, Amsterdam
Overnights in: Basel, Rüdesheim, Amsterdam
Uniworld features seven Christmas cruise itineraries. These itineraries range from eight to 13 days and sail the Rhine, Danube, Main, and Seine. Apart from the diversity in rivers that Uniworld cruises for Christmas, the amount of overnights offered on these sailings also sets Uniworld apart from the other cruise companies that we have looked at so far. For example, the Grand Christmas And New Year’s Cruise sails from Nuremberg to Budapest, a sailing that is usually 8 days long. This sailing, however, is 13 days long and features four overnights.
Prices start for Uniworld’s 2020 Christmas cruises start at US$2,499.
Countries visited: France
Stops in: Paris, La Roche-Guyon, Vernon, Rouen, Versailles
Overnights in: Paris
Countries visited: Germany and Austria
Stops in: Nuremberg, Roth, Regensburg, Deggendorf, Passau, Linz, Dürnstein, Vienna
Overnights in: Nuremberg and Vienna
Countries visited: Switzerland, France, Germany
Stops in: Basel, Strasbourg, Heidelberg, Mainz, Rüdesheim, Koblenz, Cologne
Overnights in: Basel and Cologne
Countries visited: Germany
Stops in: Nuremberg, Bamberg, Rothenburg, Würzburg, Wertheim, Frankfurt
Overnights in: Nuremberg, Würzburg, Frankfurt
Countries visited: Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany
Stops in: Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Krems, Linz, Passau
Overnights in: Budapest and Passau
Countries visited: Germany, Austria, Hungary
Stops in: Nuremberg, Regensburg, Deggendorf, Passau, Linz, Dürnstein, Vienna, Budapest
Overnights in: Nuremberg, Regensburg, Vienna, Budapest
Countries visited: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary
Stops in: Passau, Linz, Grein, Melk, Dürnstein, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest
Overnights in: Passau, Vienna, Budapest
Unlike the other cruise lines that we have looked at, Viking does not have dedicated Christmas cruises. What Viking does do, however, is add in the components of a Christmas cruise to its Rhine and Danube itineraries. What this means is that guests will choose an itinerary from the four listed below and if it coincides with the holiday season, guests will be able to visit Christmas Markets and partake in the holiday festivities.
Prices for Viking’s 2020 Christmas cruises start at US$1,899.
Countries visited: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary
Stops in: Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Krems, Linz, Passau
Overnights in: Budapest and Passau
Countries visited: Switzerland, Germany, France, Netherlands
Stops in: Basel, Breisach, Strasbourg, Speyer, Rüdesheim, Koblenz, Cologne, Kinderdijk, Amsterdam
No overnights.
Countries visited: Hungary, Austria, Germany
Stops in: Budapest, Vienna, Krems, Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg
Overnights in: Budapest and Nuremberg
Countries visited: France, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland
Stops in: Paris, Luxembourg City, Trier, Bernkastel, Cochem, Koblenz, Mainz, Speyer, Strasbourg, Zürich, Basel
Overnights in: Paris and Zürich
Tauck offers four eight-day Christmas itineraries. Tauck’s Christmas Markets Along The Danube and Christmas Markets Along The Rhine itineraries are similar to those we have looked at offered by the previous companies, however Tauck has two unique sailings that set it apart from the rest. First is the new Yuletide Spirit itinerary, which takes guests through Belgium and The Netherlands from Brussels to Amsterdam. Second is Tauck’s Holiday Magic itinerary – which is a Tauck Bridges itinerary geared specifically toward families. Tauck is the only company on this list that has an itinerary specific for families.
Prices for Tauck’s 2020 Christmas cruises start at US$2,990 per person.
Countries visited: Germany and Austria
Stops in: Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Linz, Melk, Vienna
Overnights in: Nuremberg and Vienna
Countries visited: Switzerland, France, Germany
Stops in: Basel, Lucerne, Strasbourg, Baden-Baden, Heidelberg, Rüdesheim, Cologne
Overnights in: Basel and Cologne
Countries visited: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary
Stops in: Regensburg, Passau, Linz, Dürnstein, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest
Overnights in: Vienna
Countries visited: Belgium and Netherlands
Stops in: Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Delft, Gouda, Amsterdam
Overnights in: Brussels and Amsterdam
Scenic’s four Christmas cruise itineraries range from eight to 15 days. The most notable itineraries in Scenic’s lineup are two 15-day itineraries that sail from Amsterdam to Budapest and the reverse. Though these two itineraries may not visit as many countries as some of the other itineraries offered, they cover the most ground.
Prices for Scenic’s 2020 Christmas cruises start at $2,095 per person.
Countries visited: Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland
Stops in: Amsterdam, Cologne, Koblenz, Heidelberg, Baden-Baden, Strasbourg, Basel
Overnights in: Amsterdam
Countries visited: Hungary, Austria, Germany
Stops in: Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Dürnstein, Vienna, Budapest
Overnights in: Nuremberg and Budapest
Countries visited: Hungary, Austria, Germany, Netherlands
Stops in: Amsterdam, Cologne, Rüdesheim, Miltenberg, Würzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Linz, Dürnstein, Vienna, Budapest
Overnights in: Amsterdam and Budapest
Countries visited: Hungary, Austria, Germany, Netherlands
Stops in: Budapest, Vienna, Dürnstein, Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Würzburg, Rüdesheim, Cologne, Amsterdam
Overnights in: Budapest, Vienna, Rüdesheim, Amsterdam
Like its sister company Scenic, Emerald also offers an impressive 15-day itinerary from Amsterdam to Budapest. While Emerald and Scenic seem to offer very similar itineraries, there is variety in the ports that are visited on these sailings.
Prices for Emerald’s 2020 Christmas cruises start at US$2,995 per person.
Countries visited: Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland
Stops in: Amsterdam, Cologne, Koblenz, Mannheim, Heidelberg, Kehl, Strasbourg, Breisach, Basel
Overnights in: Amsterdam
Countries visited: Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany
Stops in: Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Melk, Dürnstein, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest
Overnights in: Budapest
Countries visited: Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, Netherlands
Stops in: Amsterdam, Cologne, Rüdesheim, Miltenberg, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Kelheim, Regensburg, Passau, Linz, Melk, Dürnstein, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest
Overnights in: Budapest and Amsterdam
CroisiEurope offers four short Christmas market itineraries between four and five days. Three of these cruises sail roundtrip from Strasbourg and only explore France. The other itinerary sails the Danube roundtrip from Vienna and visits Budapest and Bratislava.
Prices for CroisiEurope’s 2020 Christmas cruises start at US$565 per person.
Countries visited: France
Stops in: Strasbourg and Colmar
Overnights in: Strasbourg
Countries visited: France
Stops in: Strasbourg, Rüdesheim, Mainz, Gambsheim
Overnights in: Rüdesheim, Gambsheim, Strasbourg
Countries visited: France
Stops in: Strasbourg, Breisach, Freiburg, Colmar
Overnights in: Strasbourg and Breisach
Countries visited: Austria, Slovakia, Hungary
Stops in: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest
Overnights in: Vienna and Budapest
*Please note that these itineraries are Riviera’s 2019 Christmas sailings. No sailings for 2020 have been announced.
Countries visited: Germany
Stops in: Cologne, Rüdesheim, Koblenz, Bonn
Overnights in: Cologne
Countries visited: Hungary, Slovakia, Austria
Stops in: Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna
Overnights in: Budapest
Breaking away from my family traditions and going on a Christmas Markets cruise was an extremely rewarding experience. So rewarding, in fact, that I hope my Christmas cruise this year starts a tradition of its own. I encourage everyone who is thinking about taking a Christmas cruise to do so. Trust me, the magic of Christmas is felt just as easily across the Atlantic as it is back home.
The post European Christmas Markets River Cruises 2020 appeared first on River Cruise Advisor.
Your Travel Advisor |
|||
Leaders In Travel, Ltd., A member of Tzell Travel Group 516-829-0880 Email: info@leadersintravel.com 29 Wimbledon Dr. Roslyn, New York 11576 Our Agency Website |
|||