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At the Belvedere Palace, you can make your own framed mirror with gold stones at a private workshop, channelling Vienna’s renowned artist, Gustav Klimt, who used gold leaf in many of his works. This Baroque-style museum is home to precious art including iconic works by Klimt such as ‘The Kiss’. Stroll through the palace gardens and into the Upper Belvedere, admiring views of this exquisite city along the way.
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Glittering cities across France, Germany, Austria and beyond light up with Christmas markets offering hand-carved toys and ornaments. While you shop, sample hot chocolate, spicy glühwein and aromatic gingerbread. You'll gain memories at each destination along your river cruise, along with the warmth and love that the holiday season brings. And that is something you can't get on any other sailing besides a Christmas time river cruise. Christmas may be the most magical time in Europe, and the best way to see both Europe and these festive events is a river cruise.
Witness the Northern Lights
Sailing down one of Europe's stunning rivers is a dream trip no matter the time of year, but at Christmas time it's even more special. They allow travelers to either stroll and shop at their leisure or stick with a locally based tour guide who can provide insights into daily life in the city and illuminate some of its history. Another incredible experience in this region is to cruise across the Arctic Circle where sunlight shines 24 hours a day during Norway’s summer.
What are the best things to buy at European Christmas markets?
It's really quite incredible how they plan the itinerary and excursions so precisely. Nearly every afternoon there was some sort of activity in the lounge (many times involving food and/or alcohol), and there was some form of entertainment just about every night. This entertainment ranged from local musicians coming aboard to perform to trivia nights. One of Europe’s most scenic stretches of the Danube, known as the Iron Gate, carves through the Carpathian Mountains to the north and the Balkan Mountains to the south. Spot these ancient remains on Viking’s 11-day Passage To Eastern Europe river voyage between Budapest and Bucharest via Hungary, Croatia and Bulgaria. Enjoy an array of tasty treats at the market and soak up the atmosphere of a Bavarian yuletide.
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Head to a husky farm on the outskirts of Longyearbyen to embark on a thrilling experience in the Arctic Tundra. Meet your guide and team of huskies who love to run through the wilderness, pulling a wheel-equipped sled across the snow. Take your seat and set off into the Advent Valley as your expert driver picks the best route. One of the world’s best preserved medieval cities, Dubrovnik, is surrounded by towering, historic walls. Follow the Stradun, a marbled pedestrian way that gleams from hundreds of years of footsteps, to the Dominican Monastery, housing a fine collection of Renaissance paintings. The Viking 10-day Empires of the Mediterranean voyage sails from Athens to Venice via Santorini and Corfu, the fortified town of Kotor in Montenegro, and other stops in Croatia and Slovenia.
Viking Christmas River Cruise with Dazzling Markets Along the Danube
Check out Viking’s full list of Christmas-themed river cruises to get details on each itinerary and find out how to book passage. In each port there was usually an included bus/walking tour of the city with a local guide, and then some free time. There were optional extra tours, too, such as a beer hall crawl in Cologne, and a music-filled traditional dinner in Rudesheim.
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We used walking directions on Google Maps as a way to get to destinations we were interested in and to get back to the ship once we were ready to warm up for a while. The best way to know the times of each market you're visiting is to do a quick internet search close to the time of your river cruise. Put the name of the city and the words "Christmas Market hours" into your preferred online search tool to get the operational hours for each market. Some river cruise lines offer pre-cruise extensions that you can bundle with the cruise booking and allow you to arrive early at the embarkation port. These extensions include a hotel stay, and some include a few meals and a guided tour, plus transfers from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the ship.
A Viking Christmas Market Cruise: Everything You Need to Know
The state room TVs came equipped with a selection of movies and TV shows that you could watch for free. We felt compelled to start re-watching Downton Abbey, and also watched a pretty cool documentary about Vikings before bed each night.
Which rivers are the best for a Christmas markets cruise?
I never saw any other beaded ornaments at the Christmas markets before or after Vienna, so I was glad I purchased it when I saw it. Additionally, the cruise director on board acted more like a personal concierge for guests who had questions, giving suggestions for things to do, places to eat and what each Christmas market was known for. We provide uplifting stories in the home, life, entertainment, travel and food categories. Stroll Bamberg’s Christmas markets and view the large nativity scene in Maximiliansplatz. Admire the work of local artisans while touring the Advent Markets in Würzburg’s Old Town. Explore highlights of Germany’s oldest city, from Porta Nigra to the Liebfrauenkirche.
A Viking Christmas Market Cruise: Everything You Need to Know - CruiseCritic.co.uk
A Viking Christmas Market Cruise: Everything You Need to Know.
Posted: Mon, 02 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
In Budapest, the Christmas market in the square in front of St. Stephen's Basilica was a good mix of crafts, decorations and tasty food to try. On the other hand, the Christmas market in Bratislava was more of a food market with just a few stalls for buying goodies to bring home with you. If you can, I suggest bringing at least two pairs of outdoor shoes in case your waterproof shoes can't handle the snow or a few days of rain in a row.
The itinerary ends with a transfer to Prague and an overnight stay in the Czech capital known as the "city of a hundred spires". Think of Viking river cruises' Christmas markets' itineraries and is likely that Germany and Austria will spring to mind. Viking's new itinerary, Christmas on the Seine starts and finishes in Paris, where the ship moors overnight, providing plenty of time to see all the sights. Flowing through grand capital cities, including Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava, the Danube is another big Viking river cruise Christmas markets destination. So much so, the line has a pair of all-new week-long festive itineraries to choose from. The Christmas on the Danube sailing runs between Budapest and Regensburg, with the chance to see the Hungarian and Austrian capitals.
If you want to visit the tiny Slovakian first city of Bratislava you can opt for the Danube Christmas Delights cruise between Budapest and Passau. No visit to Austria -- birthplace of composers including Mozart and Strass -- would be complete without music and both itineraries include a classical concert. Dip into chocolate-making at the lakeside Lindt headquarters in Kilchberg, Switzerland. Viking guests can participate in a hands-on workshop led by a master chocolatier at one of the world’s foremost producers, founded in 1845. This delectable excursion is a short drive from Zürich, one of the overnight calls on the 12-day Paris To The Swiss Alps river voyage via France and Germany.
There's also a foodie walking tour in medieval Vernon, stopping along the way for steaming mulled wine and festive treats. Some of the cruises stop in as many as four countries in a sailing, and trip lengths range from eight to 12 days. The starting rates on the trips vary by itinerary but range from $2,299 to $3,999 per guest at the low end. If you ask any Christmas-obsessed person what’s on their holiday bucket list, a visit to Europe’s famed festive markets is likely to come up. As one of Europe's best-known waterways the Rhine is a popular Viking river cruise Christmas market destination.
Hop off in the morning, go as directed, and Viking has done all the planning from transportation to the specific itinerary for the day, you just provide a little personal locomotion on the tour. You don’t miss a word tour-wise because each tour guide is connected to each participant with a unique wireless headset. Explore Paris, France’s twinkling “City of Light.” Sail through the snow-covered landscapes of Normandy’s countryside and admire the scenes of fairy-tale villages along the way. Enjoy the scented aroma of mulled wine and roasted chestnuts amid a festive backdrop of Christmas markets. Onboard festivities include regional dining specialties, seasonal treats and more to celebrate the holidays.
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