Christmas market Cruise

[magic50]

Can anyone help me decide on a Christmas market river cruise for 2015? Is it better to cruise the Rhine river or the Danube? I cant seem to decide whether i want to see Nuremburg or Cologne more.

 

Any insights would be most welcome

[cole]

We did the Danube with Avalon a year ago and it was wonderful. We started with a pre-cruise stay in Prague and ended in Vienna. Beautiful markets along the way. So - here is one vote for the Danube.

Cole

[rcaruso]

We did the Heart of Germany this year. Travel on the Main River and the Rhine, Main, Danube canal. You will go to Christmas markets in Frankfurt, Rothenberg, Bamberg, and Nuremberg.

 

 

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[rothbury]

We did the Rhine River (Rhine Getaway) on Viking last month. All of the Christmas markets were up & running by the time we visited. I can't speak for Nuremburg but Cologne has a huge Christmas market spread out over several locations within easy walking distance of each other. I couldn't even begin to estimate the number of exhibitors but I would put it at well over 100. I posted a short video to Youtube under Christmas Markets. The markets in Heidelberg and Strasbourg were similarly large with several locations. It's not something anyone can control but I would emphasis the weather can be an issue. It was kind of a raw/damp cold so make sure you take the proper clothes. It never snowed but the temps hovered around 35, maybe. We ate lunch in the markets. I would guess we had 3 - 4 hours at each market and could have caught a later shuttle back to the boat if we had wanted to but the cold eventually caught up with us. That was the only real drawback to the cruise. None of the Christmas Markets were within walking distance of the boat.

 

I'm sure you are aware that you may be running out of time to be selective for the Christmas Market cruises for 2015. They book pretty fast.

[Rosethorn40]

I vote for the Danube. We did Budapest to Nuremberg and thought it wonderful. Budapest, Passau, & Regensburg all had markets that were in easy walking distance to where our boat docked. In Vienna we had a shuttle that took us to the main market. There were also two smaller markets that we passed during our included walking tour, and we had free time after to go back to them. Nuremburg also has a very large market that is spread out over several streets.

 

I'm sure that whatever you choose you will have a wonderful time.

[caviargal]

We have done the Main, the Rhine&Moselle, the Rhine and the Danube at Christmas time and enjoyed them all for different reasons.

 

Our favorite was Budapest to Nuremberg on AmaCerto, followed by our recent Rhine cruise, which was a very nice mix of cultures and cities/villages.

 

If I could pick any date, I would want to be there on Dec. 6th as the celebrations are wonderful!

[pilot123texas]

We did Budapest to Nuremberg a year ago on AMAWaterways. It was a lovely cruise that happened to end up in Nuremberg the night the Christmas markets opened in Nuremberg. Nuremberg is considered one of the premier markets and it is an experience We spent a couple of extra days in the area after the end of the cruise and thoroughly enjoyed it. This actually was not an official Christmas cruise, as it was over Thanksgiving and the markets were just starting to open. While they had not yet opened in Budapest, that was the only place we were where that was the case. The bonus was that since it was not officially a Chrismas market cruise, the price was less. The markets open on different days. You can check opening dates on the internet.

[QueenofEverything]

We have done the Main, the Rhine&Moselle, the Rhine and the Danube at Christmas time and enjoyed them all for different reasons.

 

Our favorite was Budapest to Nuremberg on AmaCerto, followed by our recent Rhine cruise, which was a very nice mix of cultures and cities/villages.

 

If I could pick any date, I would want to be there on Dec. 6th as the celebrations are wonderful!

 

I know that Dec. 6th is St. Nicholas Day, but what goes on that is special? We will be in Nuremberg on the 6th.