Christmas Market Cruises in Europe?

[LuAnn]

Just received a brochure from Viking regarding these...has anyone done one? The pictures/descriptions sound beautiful..also offer an extension to Prague. We are thinking about going so that we end up the cruise on xmas eve and then stay the 3 days in Prague. Begin a So Cal girl...will I be REALLY cold? Snow? My DH just loves the holiday season I thought he would really find this special....thoughts? Thanks LuAnn

[steamboats]

LuAnn,

 

First search this board for "Christmas" and you will find some threads about Christmas Market Cruises.

 

Weather is some kind of unpredictable. As you might read in some other recent postings we had some cold and rainy weather within the last three weeks (this weekend was the first sunny and warm one you can really call summer). Weather was more like March than End of May / June.

 

So for December it surely will be cold (30ies-40ies). I can´t guarantee for snow. Usually we do have snow starting late January. Last winter we had snow starting in November until late March (this was no normal winter at all). You will definitely need some gloves, a hat and a warm coat!

 

steamboats

[M&T]

I haven't been on a Christmas market cruise but have read the posts here about them. They sound great. I want to do one sometime. I think I need to do the tulip time cruise sometime too. Steamboats has great advice. Marlyne

[unberwoob]

LuAnn

We did the Uniworld Christmas Market cruise from Colone to Nurneburg, visiting a lot of great German markets, with an optional trip to Prague. It was a wonderful trip. It was cold and the daylight short, but still great. We did not have snow. but lots of heavy frost made it look like snow.

Dennis

[AZPam]

My Mom and I did the Christmas Markets on the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam this past December and had a blast! Being from Phoenix we were a bit concerned about the cold too, but it just wasn't an issue since we prepared for it. Wish there had been snow, but we missed out on that. A couple things I learned was to be sure you go after Dec 1 as some of the markets don't open until after that date, but not sure when they close. You might want to check on that. Also, try to plan it so that you don't have two stops on a Sunday if at all possible. Everything pretty much just closes up on Sunday and we were a bit disappointed.

 

I did write an extensive review after our trip. I'm sure you can find it in a search, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask! I would do this trip again in a heartbeat!

 

Pam

[glgolfer]

We did a GCT Christmasmarket cruise from Nurnberg to Vienna with 3 nights post in Vienna. It was a great trip. Our only problem is that most of us in our group live in Florida and we froze our little *** off.

 

I would do the trip again, just with a little more and warmer clothes.

 

The Christmasmarkets were OK, but I was more interested in the history and architecture of the areas we passed through. Some of my ancestors came from Germany.

[steamboats]

Pam and others,

 

Christmas Markets traditionally open on the first weekend of Advent (some on Friday, some on Saturday). As for 2006 this is Dec 1 (Friday) or Dec 2 (Saturday). It´ll be Nov 30 (Friday) or Dec 1 (Saturday) for 2007. The markets are open on Sundays and holidays too. They all usually close on Christmas Eve in the afternoon.

 

As for shopping: In Germany shops are allowed to open Mon - Sat up to 8 pm. But don´t rely on 8 pm as only larger shops or chain shops have long opening hours. Small family operated shops do close earlier mainly 6 or 6:30 pm. Also in smaller cities you won´t find many shops open past 6 pm. Usually shops are closed on Sundays and holidays. On these days you only find open shops at larger train stations and airports. Souvenir shop usually are open on Sundays.

 

steamboats

[AZPam]

Steamboats,

 

Great info from somebody who obviously knows! We were just so thrilled with this trip and thought that each Christmas Market was just a bit different from the last and we truly found some great things to bring home. My Mom and I were (mistakenly) under the impression that there would be a lot of people shopping on this trip, but that was not the case. We were one of the few and quickly were known as "the shoppers" and had others on our boat wanting to see what we had bought each day. We skipped a lot of the organized tours and just went and did our own thing as we aren't big on museums and you can only see so many churches.

 

I only wish we could come back again this year for the Christmas Markets!

[hobse]

Just received a brochure from Viking regarding these...has anyone done one? The pictures/descriptions sound beautiful..also offer an extension to Prague. We are thinking about going so that we end up the cruise on xmas eve and then stay the 3 days in Prague. Begin a So Cal girl...will I be REALLY cold? Snow? My DH just loves the holiday season I thought he would really find this special....thoughts? Thanks LuAnn

 

We took a Uniworld Christmas Market cruise last December, Prague pre cruise and cruise Nuremberg-Vienna. Loved it ! Many Christmas markets around Prague, and enjoyed Prague itself and the food. The sausages are different at every market / town and Gluhwein flowing ! Our passengers were probably 1/2 shoppers, 1/2 sightseers. We too, typically ventured off on our own from town. Others followed the exact tours. Our cruise even had separate group tours for a "frivilous" group and a "serious" group that wanted more in depth tours of the museums, etc. (or as we like to say a slow group and a fast group) There was one man (30ish) who bought so much stuff he could hardly get in his cabin. He was really into Christmas. The ship was decorated very festive, always Christmas cookies/gingerbread around, and Gluhwein. We also had snowflake decoration making and chef baking class.

 

It was very cold and sometimes raining, no snow for us but a few flurrys. We were fine with what we took--a good warm water repellant coat, winter socks are a must, water repellant shoes would be helpful, long underwear (I only needed the bottoms), and gloves will do the trick.

 

We really enjoyed the trip.

[LuAnn]

Thanks...it sounds so beautiful! We booked it yesterday! Because I'm from So Cal...what are "winter socks"?....:) LuAnn

[unberwoob]

As a hiker/backpacker and gear geek, I have never heard of winter socks. But what you need is a good snynthetic or wool blend heavy weight sock. Never wear cotton socks that when they get wet will hold the moisture and cause blisters. Good socks are made by Smartwool, Wigwam, and Thorlo. Visit any good outdoor store and they can sell you what you need. Also on the web such as REI.com or any of a number of outdoor stores.

Also very important is a good warm hat, again wool is great. And you will see most people in Europe wear a good wool scarf, which is a great help.

The key to keeping warm is to layer, so wear several thin layers rather than one thick garment. Again, synthetics are best.

Dennis

[LuAnn]

Thank you so much! If if gets below 50 in So Cal it is REALLY cold so I need all that sound advice! Are there better shoes than "tennies" to help keep my feet warm? I never quite understood the scarf thing...how does that help? (I know I must sound VERY stupid...but I am about cold weather!) LuAnn

[AZPam]

We got ourself a pair of silk long johns and they were just perfect. Not heavy or bulky and gave us just enough extra warmth for our legs on a couple of days that we needed it. I took a couple of nice warm up suits and layered those which worked out well. One was a black velvet type and it could be dressed up a bit too. Not sure what they are called, but I have a fur wrap for my head instead of a hat so I didn't have a terrible case of "hathead" at the end of the day. Basically it's just a strip with velcro on the ends. Works great!

[tban]

We did our Christmas Cruise from Prague to Vienna in beginning of december, Our ship was the Symphony and it was our second trip on this ship . The cabins are quite spacious and the crew, the food and onboard entertainmant were just outstanding. The weather was also on our side and the temperatures were "bearable". Actually we were well equipped with termal underwear an woolen socks (as mentioned in a previous post -- very important). Shopping at the Christmas markets with its incredible veriety of goods - especially the one in Nueremberg - was quite an experience. We have never been on a river during this time of the year and we liked the daily gatherings in the lounge, sipping hot spiced wine and exchanging shopping experiences with our fellow cruisers. We booked our cruise again through www.uet.com and got a great price. Looking back at this cruise I have to say it was one of the best we ever had and this has not so much to do with the cruise line we chose, than with the time of the year, the anticipation of the holiday season and the very special Christmas spirit, in which one gets caught. A Christmas cruise is definitely a very special experience

[unberwoob]

LuAnn

A scarf will help keep the cold from getting into your coat and will keep your neck warm. As I said, Europeans all wear scarfs. The secret to staying warm is to keep your torso area warm, as this regulates the rest of the body warmth.

You need a good pair of walking shoes for any kind of trip to Europe. These are usually more sturdy than "tennis" shoes. White shoes will mark you as an American, so I would suggest black or brown shoes. The important thing is to keep your feet dry. Then you should be fine.

Dennis

[hobse]

LuAnn,

 

Unberwoob explained "winter socks" just fine. Tennies would not be a very good choice if you can find something else. You need shoes that are comfortable for uneven walkways and have good traction. You can find many styles at outdoor and sports stores (REI, Walking Co., etc.) but you also do not have to spend very much if you don't want to. For women, you can even find good shoes at Easy Spirit. I wore boots (no high heels) and my husband wore Timberlands that he bought at a department store.

 

I forgot to mention a scarf ! We always wear those. Even with a turtleneck, a scarf is a nice layer to keep the neck warm and keep from getting a draft down the coat. Although I don't prefer wool. A hat is usually a good idea, although most on our tour didn't wear one (nor did we). The long underwear you can buy just about anywhere also (sports/outdoor stores, some dept. stores, catalogs/internet).

 

Which trip did you end up booking?

[LuAnn]

Viking 12/17/ to 12/24 Danube Explorer for the Christmas Markets! (Nuremberg to Vienna) We are going to stay over and have Christmas in Vienna and then go on to Budapest! My DH is an absolute Christmas "hound", who loves to do things 24/7 during the holidays so he is SO excited..he can hardly stand it! And, we lucked out and used FF miles to get there and back!! WOW...who could ask for more? LuAnn (except a balmy 70's degrees for me? :) )

[hybrn8]

Perfect hand warmers,,,,,,not kidding........kept my fingers toasty during our wonderful Xmas market cruise.......when they cool off, you eat them! Markets are really nicest at night but most of our evenings were spent underway. If you can get to a night market, they're the best! But daytime is grand as well.

[LuAnn]

We will be getting to Nuremberg on the 15th and don't board until the 17th so should be able to pull off a night visit there...but I read that one is REALLY big and very crowded, especially at night...but I think there is also one in Vienna but we get there on X-mas Eve so I'm sure it won't be open...do you know if the market would still be around the day after X-mas..because we would still be in Vienna then...LuAnn

[steamboats]

LuAnn,

 

Usually Christmas Market are closing on Christmas Eve and most of them close that day in the afternoon. In Germany and Austria Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day and the day after are holidays in Germany and Austria. No shops are open on those days.

 

steamboats

[LuAnn]

The day after Christmas then, I assume, the museums etc. would be closed as well..also restaurants? Sounds like we will be there when the city is basically "closed"? Any suggestions? LuAnn

[steamboats]

LuAnn,

 

That´s something you should check with each museum you want to visit. Some are open, some aren´t. I assume that restaurants are open on Christmas Day and the day after but most of them might be closed on Christmas Eve. I´ve just checked the largest museum in Munich (Deutsches Museum = German Museum) and this is closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (also on New Years Eve and New Years Day). So especially in tourist areas you will find more things open. But you should be aware of the fact that these days are major Catholic holidays and that you have to check in advance if something is open or closed on those days.

 

steamboats

[LuAnn]

Thank you! Sounds like I might have some luck with museums the day after...is there usually snow that time of year? LuAnn

[steamboats]

LuAnn,

 

There is a chance of snow. One the one part this depends on how far you´re above sea level. The lower the less chance of snow. On the other hand this depends on the winter. Last year we had a long and cold winter in Europe and snow fell in lower parts starting late November and never melted away since March. That is not usual. Usually the best chance to see some snow (except in the Alps) is January / February.

 

steamboats