A Christmas market cruise can help you feel festive, offer a pleasant holiday, and give you opportunities to find one-of-a-kind presents for loved ones.
On these cruise itineraries, you may visit holiday markets that date back to the Middle Ages. You can also learn about the villages home to unique local treasures like traditional winemaking and handicrafts.
These Christmas market cruises offer passengers plenty to rejoice about. From festive onboard activities like tree trimming and dessert making to the mulled wine and fresh gingerbread that will welcome you at each stop.
- Christmas Along the Danube (Abercrombie & Kent)
Travel during the holidays on our new Abercrombie & Kent cruise. The nine-day trip departs from Munich, Germany, and proceeds through Austria’s Salzburg, Linz, and Vienna before arriving in Slovakia.
This trip offers a more personalized experience with only 24 passengers on board. In addition, a resident tour director is available to lead visitors on tours of the Christmas markets in Munich’s old town and Domplatz, Austria, and Linz, as well as private baking classes for linzer torte.
Visitors will arrive in Vienna on Christmas morning and have the opportunity to meander through the expansive Christmas market before witnessing a strudel-baking demonstration and an evening concert at the Kursalon from the 19th century.
- Magnificent Europe Christmas Cruise (AmaWaterways)
Travelers on this 14-night cruise see five distinct nations, historical towns, and rural areas of Europe. The ship departs from Budapest and travels to Vienna, where passengers are given a tour of the city and its Christmas markets. Additionally, there are stops at the Christmas markets in Germany’s Nuremberg and Regensburg.
Visitors continue after experiencing smoked beer in Bamberg to Kitzingen, Germany, for wine tastings and Cologne, Germany, for walking tours. After that, the cruise travels to Amsterdam for a leisurely canal tour.
- Parisian Royal Holiday (Uniworld)
The new S.S. Joie de Vivre, which the cruise line debuted earlier this year, will be used for this eight-day excursion with Uniworld. The journey starts and concludes in Paris and passes through Northern France, stopping at the Champs-Elysees and the Christmas markets in Rouen. The Rouen streets come to life during the holidays with street entertainers and lights.
Visitors may also indulge in holiday delicacies at La Couronne, where Julia Child famously had her first lunch in France. There is also an opportunity to view Notre Dame’s magnificent Christmas tree.
- Christmas Markets in Alsace (CroisiEurope Cruises)
With a history stretching back to 1570, Strasbourg, France’s Christmas market, is the oldest in all of Europe, and this four-day trip from CroisiEurope takes you to the center of it. The Maison du Pain d’Alsace is a stop along the route where you may sample the bredeles, biscruits typically produced during the holidays.
Visitors visiting Strasbourg can also visit the Eguisheim Christmas market and wine cellars that date back to 1472.
- Dashing Through the Danube (Contiki)
Younger tourists (18–35) are the target audience for this eight-day river trip across four nations. In Germany’s Regensburg, the cruise departs. After visiting the Christmas markets in Regensburg, visitors board the ship again for a mixology lesson and a traditional Bavarian meal.
Passau, Vienna, and Budapest will all have Christmas markets that the ship will visit. In addition, Budapest castle ice skating lessons and onboard training in creating Viennese sweets are two amusing extras on the voyage.
The target demographic for this eight-day river trip through four nations is tourists between 18 and 35. In Germany’s Regensburg, the cruise departs. After visiting the Christmas markets in Regensburg, visitors board the ship again for a mixology lesson and a traditional Bavarian meal.
Passau, Vienna, and Budapest will all have Christmas markets that the ship will visit. In addition, Budapest castle ice skating lessons and onboard training in creating Viennese sweets are two fun extras on the voyage.
