Christmas Markets River Cruises 2023/2024

Get in the Christmas spirit on a festive break - our Christmas Market tours visit Europe’s most magical towns and cities. Experience them on a cruise along the Rhine or Danube, just one of the ways to discover these magnificent rivers this winter.

Each year, festive stalls form a carpet of colour in many of the squares and cobbled streets of towns and cities across Europe, each selling unusual gifts and trinkets that you just can’t resist.

The smell of roast chestnuts and mulled wine wafts by; the sound of Christmas music fills the air; brightly coloured wooden stalls display their wares and everyone’s face is aglow...

...welcome to a magical European Christmas market..

See some of the world’s most astounding Christmas Markets in the most perfect way possible, on a relaxing river cruise! Tours this year include the Rhine, Seine and Danube Rivers as well as the Dutch and Belgian Waterways. .

Join us for a Christmas cruise or a voyage to Germany’s festive markets.
When it comes to Christmas, the towns and cities along the Rhine really go to town – expect twinkling lights, plenty of glühwein and festive markets in almost every square.

Our Christmas markets cruises set sail mid-December, and are perfect for getting you in the holiday spirit. You’ll get to experience the seasonal splendour of four very different destinations (Koblenz, Mainz, Rüdesheim and Cologne), with the bonus of only having to unpack once.

Christmas Markets River Cruises

EUROPEAN CHRISTMAS MARKETS

Southampton - Balmoral - 13 Dec 2023
Our itinerary planners have carefully crafted your cruise to coincide with traditional Christmas Markets in three European cities. Hamburg’s markets – which you can enjoy by day and night on this sailing – feature decorated wooden huts brimming with unique wares. You can sample Glühwein and wurst as you mingle with locals and fellow travellers, soaking up the festive atmosphere. Oslo’s city centre and Copenhagen’s colourful quayside, Nyhavn, boast even more markets for you to explore. Your journey also includes a scenic sailing along Oslofjord, passing the Olsen family home in Hvitsten, and navigating the iconic Kiel Canal – a feat only possible on a smaller ship.

8 Night cruise from £1,099pp

CLASSIC CHRISTMAS MARKETS

Liverpool - Borealis - 14 Dec 2023
With calls into three cities timed to coincide with the Christmas Markets, this is the perfect getaway before the arrival of the big day. Charming wooden huts adorned with twinkling lights and selling food, confectionery and handicrafts make for a cosy setting in Hamburg. Perhaps enjoy a mug of steaming Glühwein as you browse for unique gifts. An overnight stay means you can experience the markets by day and night, too. En route to Hamburg, Borealis will cruise the River Elbe, presenting you with views of the city’s shipyards and drydocks. UNESCO-listed Bruges (from Zeebrugge) features festive shopping delights too, from traditional markets to Belgian chocolate shops.

8 Night cruise from £1,099pp

Christmas Markets River Cruises

Rhineland Christmas Markets Cruise

5 days from £895 per person

Discover the truly special festive beauty of the Rhine river and its superb cities on this Christmas Markets cruise which takes you on a fantastic voyage through the stalls, streets and squares of this magnificent corner of the world.

Christmastime on the Rhine

This five-night sailing packs in hot springs, luxurious palaces and cinnamon-scented Christmas markets – plus much more.
Sailing on TUI Maya
Departs 27 Nov 2023
5 Night cruise from £1020pp

Mistletoe & Rhine

Nowhere in the world does Christmas markets like Germany. This trip takes you to five festive favourites, that vary from fairy tale hamlets to sprawling, city-wide celebrations.
Sailing on TUI Isla
Departs 27 Nov 2023
5 Night cruise from £1020pp

Winter Wonderlands

If you’re yearning to get your hands on Germany’s Christmas markets, this trip’s right for you – it lines up five of the country’s biggest and brightest.
Sailing on TUI Maya
Departs 02 Dec 2023
5 Night cruise from £1040pp

Mistletoe & Rhine

Christmastime on the Rhine

This five-night sailing packs in hot springs, luxurious palaces and cinnamon-scented Christmas markets – plus much more.
Sailing on TUI Maya
Departs 07 Dec 2023
5 Night cruise from £1040pp

Mistletoe & Rhine

Festive Flavours

This five-night cruise takes you to some of Germany’s biggest cities, where you’ll find mammoth-sized landmarks rubbing shoulders with massive Christmas markets.
Sailing on TUI Maya
Departs 12 Dec 2023
5 Night cruise from £980pp

Mistletoe & Rhine

Christmastime on the Rhine

This five-night sailing packs in hot springs, luxurious palaces and cinnamon-scented Christmas markets – plus much more.
Sailing on TUI Maya
Departs 17 Dec 2023
5 Night cruise from £960pp

FESTIVE TIME ON THE ROMANTIC RHINE

One of Europe’s most legendary rivers awaits you on this winter wonderland journey along the Rhine River, which starts in Switzerland with stops in France, Germany, and Holland! Each town is festively lit and decorated and strains of Christmas carols fill the air.

8 Night cruise from £2,97pp

CHRISTMASTIME ON THE DANUBE

Enter a stunning world of cherished Christmas traditions along the Danube River.

7 Day cruise from £2,308pp

VISIT THE CAPITAL OF CHRISTMAS

Germany’s got loads of famous Christmas markets, which is why we’ve lined up so many German ports on our Yuletide Wonders itinerary. You’ll set sail from Frankfurt, home to one of the largest markets in the country, and tick off Speyer, Plittersdorf and Mainz. All the European Christmas market staples are present and correct in these destinations – expect live music performances and sweet treats. We’ve also included a stop in Kehl, so you can hop across the border to Strasbourg in France. Known as the ‘Capital of Christmas’, the festive period is big business here. The holiday market has been around since Medieval times, and the entire city gets dressed up in the spirit of the season. It’s small enough to see everything on foot, too. So, you can take pictures by the huge Christmas tree in Place Kléber, visit the cathedral’s impressive nativity scene, and warm up with a mulled wine from one of the wooden chalets selling food and drink, all in one day.

TICK OFF THE RHINE’S BEST MARKETS 

Another of our other Christmas market river cruise itineraries, Mistletoe and Rhine, is also packed with German ports. The first stop is Cologne, where several markets set up across the city, including outside the famous cathedral. Spend an afternoon picking up handmade gifts to the sound of holiday music from the fairy light-strung performance stage. And, when you’ve finished shopping, the market is just a few minutes’ walk from the city’s brewing houses, plus the Cologne Philharmonic Concert Hall. In Dussledorf, the next stop on your itinerary, there are seven markets to visit. You’ll then cruise to Koblenz, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate wine-growing region. Along with a tasty tipple or two, you can watch the rooftop advent calendar open at the town hall, and sample some traditional German stollen from the market stalls.  

Christmas Markets River Cruise Holidays

The scent of mulled wine and gingerbread, the sound of carol singers, the sight of bauble-bedecked trees - if you want to get into the festive spirit, there's nowhere better than a Christmas market. The towns and cities along the Rhine host some of Germany's best stalls piled high with handmade crafts and deliciously sugary treats. The atmosphere is magical and you'll be able to fully embrace the spirit of Christmas.

Our traditional Christmas markets on the Rhine cruise takes you through some of Germany's most spectacular scenery. Wander the cobbled streets of Koblenz and taste local treats, sip warming sweet gluwhein in Cologne and enjoy an overnight stay in the pretty town of Rudesheim.