Christmas Markets Along the Rhine
8 Day River Cruise
Along with all the inclusions that are part of every Tauck river cruise, Tauck’s Christmas market experience wows you with special holiday touches like an onboard tree-trimming party… glühwein and other treats aboard the riverboat, decorated in a festive seasonal theme… a traditional European Christmas dinner with all the fixings… special evenings of onboard holiday-themed entertainment… walking in the footsteps of celebrities at the Kurhaus casino in Baden-Baden… a lecture on Alsatian storytelling traditions in Strasbourg… a cookie-making demonstration and a visit to the fanciful Siegfried’s Mechanisches Musikkabinett in Rüdesheim… a traditional German lunch in Heidelberg and much more!
Countries: France, Germany, Switzerland
River(s): Rhine
Pricing
River cruise starting at $4,530* CAD per person, based on double occupancy
8 Days – Basel to Düsseldorf (reverse itinerary available)
Exclusive experiences
- Visits to Christmas Markets in Rüdesheim, Heidelberg, Baden-Baden and Strasbourg
Inclusions
- All gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors & Tauck Cruise Director
- All private Tauck shore excursions – CAD $1,685 Value!
- Walking tours of market cities and towns with local guides
- Visits to Old Town Heidelberg and historic Heidelberger Schlöss (Heidelberg Castle)
- Sightseeing in Lucerne and ascent of Mt. Pilatus by gondola
- Storytelling in Strasbourg
- Cookie-baking demonstration & Siegfried’s Mechanisches Musikkabinett visit in Rüdesheim
- Special lunch ashore in Heidelberg
- Traditional European Christmas dinner & holiday events aboard the riverboat
- Unlimited complimentary beverages aboard ship include regional wine, beer and premium spirits in addition to specialty coffee, water and soft drinks
- All meals included – 20 total; Service charges, taxes, porterage, airport transfers and applicable fuel surcharges
Day
Day 1
Location(s)
Basel, Switzerland
Meals
Dinner
Description
Transfers are included from EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg to the riverboat. Guests enjoying a pre-stay in Basel will receive a transfer from the hotel to the ship. Guests can also fly into Zürich airport and will be transferred to their ship.
If you arrive earlier than 4:00 PM, you might want to go into the city to see the Christkindlmarkt – said to be the largest and most traditional in Switzerland – and perhaps have your first taste of the traditional glühwein that is so much a part of the Christmas Market scene.
Back on board the riverboat, meet your cruise directors at a discovery/welcome briefing, and enjoy a casual captain’s welcome reception followed by dinner – and your Christmas Market cruise begins!
Day 2
Basel – Lucerne & Mt. Pilatus at Christmastime
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursion: Tour of the lakeside city of Lucerne & Gondola ride to Mt. Pilatus
Awaken aboard the riverboat in Basel, then set off on an excursion to Switzerland’s lakeside “city of lights,” Lucerne. On an orientation tour, highlights include the Kappelbrucke, a covered wooden footbridge crossing the Reuss River that dates back to the 1330s; an octagonal Water Tower once used as a prison; and lovely squares like the Kornmarkt, Weinmarkt and Hirschenplatz.
In Altstadt Lucerne (Old Town), narrow cobblestone lanes lead to picturesque squares lined with houses painted with frescoes. From town, you’ll head out for the heights of Mt. Pilatus via gondola; after descending the mountain by gondola, catch up with the riverboat in late afternoon.
Back onboard, join us for dinner, then celebrate with your fellow travelers at our tree-trimming party as you help decorate the riverboat’s Christmas tree, a highlight of our Christmas Market cruises!
Day 3
Strasbourg, France & the Christkindlmarkt
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursion: Walking tour of Strasbourg’s Christkindlmarkt
Strasbourg would like you to think of it as the “Capital of Christmas” and it is, after all, the “Capital of Europe” in a sense – being the home of the European Union. Before a walking tour through this ancient French Alsatian city, whose entire center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, gain some insights about storytelling traditions with an expert local guide during a lecture aboard the riverboat. The setting of the Christmas Market tours – around Strasbourg’s Gothic Cathedral de Notre-Dame – is breathtaking.
After a walking tour of the Christkindlmarkt, you’ll have leisure time to explore on your own – and have lunch in town or return to the riverboat on one of the shuttles that will run between the city and the dock for most of the afternoon.
Back aboard the riverboat, join your cruise directors for a discovery briefing before a festive dinner tonight.
Day 4
Baden-Baden, Germany – Black Forest
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursion: Visit the Black Forest spa town of Baden-Baden
The riverboat docks for an excursion to Baden-Baden; this famous Black Forest spa town is the ideal setting for a winter fairy tale at Christmastime. The tempting aromas of glühwein and gingerbread linger among the labyrinth of stalls in the Weihnachtsmarkt. With its natural springs reputed to have healing powers, Baden-Baden has long attracted the wealthy elite, who come to take the waters and play in the magnificent Belle Époque casino, the Kurhaus, adjacent to the Christmas Market; get a taste of what being one of “the in-crowd” feels like as you visit the complex.
Discover more of Baden-Baden on your own, perhaps indulging in more gingerbread and glühwein. Continue cruising this evening; you’ll visit Heidelberg tomorrow.
Day 5
Heidelberg
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursion: Visit Heidelberger Schlöss & Walking tour of Heidelberg
A day in Heidelberg promises both holiday cheer at its Weihnachtsmarkt and insights about life here past and present. A tour of Heidelberger Schlöss high above the city reveals the ruins of this mighty medieval castle and a sense of what it might have been like to live there so long ago. A funicular ride leads to a walking tour of the city’s Old Town and Heidelberg’s Christmas Markets, winding up with a traditional German lunch – featuring award-winning local beer – in the heart of the city.
Spend some free time in the hometown of Germany’s oldest university before catching up with the riverboat for tonight’s cruise; enjoy live jazz onboard this evening.
Day 6
Rüdesheim
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursion: Stroll through Rüdesheim’s Christmas market & Tour Siegfried’s Mechanisches Musikkabinett
After a leisurely morning spent cruising along the Rhine and enjoying your riverboat’s amenities as you please, there’s more Weihnachtsmarkt fun waiting for you in the romantic town of Rüdesheim in the Rhine Valley.
After a stroll through the Christmas market near the pier, walk or ride a mini-train (weather permitting) to Siegfried’s Mechanisches Musikkabinett, a museum featuring an impressive collection of mechanical musical instruments, some dating back centuries, housed in the Bromserhof, a 16th-century castle.
A cookie-baking demonstration shares secrets of traditional treats like lebkuchen and stollen, which are very tasty when accompanied by special Rüdesheim coffee with a touch of local brandy mixed in.
After some free time, return to the riverboat for the chef’s signature dinner tonight; maybe you’ll want to take a stroll ashore later.
Day 7
Köln (Cologne)
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursion: Guided tour of Köln
Spend the morning cruising, arriving in Köln (Cologne) in the early afternoon. Enjoy a guided tour of this historic cultural center of the Rhineland in Köln – with its Christmas Market adjacent to the Gothic, twin-spired Kölner Dom.
Join us for the captain’s farewell reception followed by dinner tonight… and you may want to raise one last cup of glühwein and toast the wonderful time you’ve had discovering Christmastime along the Rhine. Your riverboat spends the evening cruising to Düsseldorf.
Day 8
Düsseldorf
Breakfast
Fly home anytime. Transfers are included from the riverboat to Düsseldorf Airport or train station. Guests enjoying a post-stay in Düsseldorf will receive a transfer from the hotel to the airport. Please allow three hours for airport check-in.
Reverse Itinerary
This trip also runs in reverse from Düsseldorf to Basel.
Interested in the itinerary above? Click on the “START PLANNING” button below and reference “Christmas Markets Along the Rhine” in the form, or give us a call at 587.997.5969 to book.
An adventure designed specifically for you
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*Prices are per person, based on double occupancy and subject to change and availability.