Small Ship Cruise Talk

Christmas Market River Cruises: Your Questions Answered

• Episode 36

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We're answering all your most-asked questions about Christmas market river cruises so you can plan the perfect holiday trip with confidence. Be sure to check out Part 1 & Part 2 of our Christmas Markets River Cruise Planning Guide.

Discover practical advice and answers to burning questions, like:

  • How to choose between the Danube & Rhine rivers?
  • When is the ideal time to go?
  • Do market vendors accept credit card payments? 
  • What foods can you look forward to at the markets? 
  • Do you really need to add the concert in Vienna? 
  • Do you get to see the markets during the day & night? 
  • Can you ship your souvenirs home? 
  • …and more! 

We'll walk you through what to expect onboard, share our essential winter packing tips for staying warm and comfortable, and explain what excursions look like during the colder months. 

Whether you're deciding if a Christmas market cruise is right for you or you've already booked and want to know what to expect, we're giving you honest answers to help you navigate potential challenges and make the most of this magical holiday experience in Europe.

We use our ​​Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card at the markets whenever possible. Use our referral link to get bonus rewards for signing up!  


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Dan:

Welcome to Small Ship Cruise Talk, a show where we share insider tips and first hand experiences about this outstanding but yet lesser known form of travel. We are passionate about sharing our knowledge about river cruises, expedition, yacht, and barge cruises, so you are informed when it comes to choosing your own education experiences. We're your co-hosts, Dan & Mikkel, and we are your cruise experts and the co-founders of Sometime Sailing, a website that focuses on small ship cruising. Welcome and warm holiday greetings. This is part of our Christmas market cruise series. We've got two other episodes on the Christmas markets currently, and those will be linked in the show notes below. Today we're going to answer your questions about river cruising and visiting the Christmas markets. So we've got a lot to cover.

Mikkel:

We do. So just for an overview of what you are going to learn, if you haven't booked your Christmas markets river cruise, we are going to talk about the difference between the Danube and Rhine Christmas Markets cruises very briefly because that is the two that people most commonly choose between. We're going to talk about when to go for the best experience, what you can expect from the excursions you'll take and the markets, but also what to expect on board and what that's going to look like during the Christmas holiday season. We're going to talk about shopping at the markets, the food you can try and look forward to tasting at the markets. We're going to talk about some payment tips and what forms of payments are accepted and what currency you should have, how to get your treasures home safely, what else there is to buy at the markets besides Christmas stuff, and what to pack and wear for your festivities during the cruise. So grab a cozy drink. I have made myself, if I can say, some peppermint coffee. Dan is not into peppermint or any other flavored coffees, but I am. And settle in because we are gonna take you to the markets. Yes.

Dan:

I was going to say we're recording this in Florida, so I'm I have shorts on and Mikkel's diving into the Christmas spirit with peppermint coffee.

Mikkel:

Yes, but if you are watching on YouTube, because you can see our beautiful faces on YouTube, I am wearing a decorated t-shirt, a fancy t-shirt, which is my favorite kind of t-shirt, with pearls on it, and sparkly earrings. And like I said, I've got my holiday drink. So do you have whiskey? That's your holiday drink or bourbon.

Dan:

I'm going water for this, so this so the podcast doesn't end with me.

Mikkel:

And before it starts. So I guess the age-old question here is which is better, the Danube or the Rhine. These are obviously the most popular to choose between. And there's a little bit of a break between when the ships sail. Very short, very short for some cruise lines, not at all for others actually, but the fall season kind of ends and the markets go up in November, and then the ship starts sailing the Danube or the Rhine. So what are the highlights of the Danube?

Dan:

The highlights of the Danube are Nuremberg, Vienna, Linz, Milk, Dernstein, Budapest, Regensburg, and well, you can add on Munich, but there is no river in Munich, so you're gonna get bust there. So just FYI.

Mikkel:

And for the Rhine, you can expect highlights like Straussburg, Rudesheim, Cologne, Speyer, Basel, and possibly Amsterdam. It depends where you are embarking or disembarking. And it is worth noting that Strausburg in the Alsace region of France is considered the Christmas capital of the world. So you're not gonna get that on the Danube. But our tip is having sailed both itineraries, you really can't go wrong. I personally loved the Rhine highlights because you see the castles on the Rhine. But then again, the Danube has some key cities. People really want to go to the Christmas markets, like Vienna, like Budapest. So if you had to choose between the two, if you had to, what would you pick? Maybe for you know, for your first, obviously. You can always do the second one later if you find that you love it.

Dan:

Yeah, I think if I was gonna do it my first uh do it all over all again. Uh my first, I would go with the Danube, I think. Okay, because you've got the hits there, right? You got Nuremberg. Really enjoyed Nuremberg. The Christmas markets were great there. And then Vienna, and then Budapest, come on, those are all great.

Mikkel:

Yeah, and I feel like you get a little bit of the small village feeling on the Danube in Dernstein or in Nuremberg, especially. Like you said, Nuremberg's actually a bigger city than I expected, but it does have that medieval timber houses sort of, you know, dreamy fairy tale feel to it, too. So I've seen people write in some uh Facebook groups and such that you don't get as much as that small town charm on the Danube, and I don't agree with that. I don't agree with that.

Dan:

Yeah, that's that's interesting because every Christmas market is so different and just how it kind of meanders through the city, and like you can find that small feeling in a Christmas market in in a big city, you know?

Mikkel:

Yeah, it's almost like being, let's say, if you're in Frankfurt, which we started one of our Christmas markets, river cruises in big city, many different, there's almost like these microcosms of Christmas markets within those big Christmas markets and little almost like villages within them, especially in Frankfurt, I found.

Dan:

Yeah.

Mikkel:

And in a city like Passau, which is really small where the rivers converge, the Danube converges with other rivers. It's a very popular stop on the Danube River. You know, you get that small town feeling. So yeah, it's kind of a hard call, but I I you really can't go wrong with either.

Dan:

Yeah, I I would agree.

Mikkel:

Yeah. Okay. So when is the best time to go on a Christmas market cruise? Obviously, this is gonna be within the season. We all know you cannot go on a Christmas markets cruise in July, even though Christmas in July is a thing for many people. It is not in Europe. They are not setting up the markets for that. So most markets start the first Sunday of Advent. So this year the first Sunday of Advent is November 30th, but like Hanukkah varies year to year, but next year it's November 29th, so perhaps it's the same. It fluctuates a little bit, but it's almost like American Thanksgiving time to the first weekend of December, let's say. So that's usually when the markets start. It's kind of like a benchmark marker. Is that redundant?

Dan:

Hmm. It's a marker.

Mikkel:

It's lots of markers for these Christmas markets cruises.

Dan:

Best time to go, however, is first two weeks in December. So everything is open and you get that excitement of Christmas is coming and everybody's ramping up and getting excited about it. And so, with that being said, you definitely want to book early. So you get your choice of stateroom and itinerary and all of that. So um, right now we're recording this in October. That might not be the best time to book your Christmas markets cruise, but um, you know, see what uh see what's out there if you're so inspired from this podcast and see what's still available.

Mikkel:

I would say if you're gonna book late to your point, like let's say you are gonna look up cruises in October, I would say be open to other cruise lines. We love Riverside, has the most amazing interior design and great staff, great crew, and they also have incredible food. It's a newer cruise line, so you might have some more availability on there. And I would say be open to the state room location if you are gonna book last minute. Don't listen to the naysayers who say it's impossible to book last minute. I would say it is hard. It is one of those cruises that people book really far in advance and plan really far in advance. The demand is high and this supply is very small and short because of the season. But it's not impossible. But as Dan said, as you said, Dan, book early for your choice of stateroom. It's unlikely you're gonna get the owner's suite because there's only usually one or two depending on the ship, if you book so close, but if you plan a year or two out, and a lot of cruise lines do allow you to book two years out, if not, you know, for sure a year out, perhaps a year and a half out. So I think that's a great thing. Also, I would say go early enough to shop for gifts and return home before Christmas. If you want to, a few things, if you want to ship those gifts back to you, you're gonna want to make sure that you have an ample two weeks just in case. We're gonna talk about how to get those gifts back later in this episode. Get back to your home. But also you wanna make sure that you have cushion room to get back home if you're traveling really close to Christmas and maybe you're taking your gifts backing your luggage, which obviously is a great option. But you wanna, you know, account for flight delays because it is the holiday season and weather could definitely affect it, not just weather where you live. I mean, we live in Florida, it's very unlikely a snowstorm in Florida is gonna affect our flight path through the state, but it could affect it from, let's say, Germany or you know, a storm in the New England area could affect the flight schedule. So you always want to leave a few days to get back and also a few days to get there as well. We always recommend going in early. I would say another thing is because most markets start that last weekend of November or first weekend of December, if you want to get maybe a better price on a Christmas markets cruise, I would say look into the week of Thanksgiving or before. You could be risking some markets not being open. But when we were in Portugal, for example, doing a Duro River cruise, which was in November last year, we were shocked that there was a Christmas market in Lisbon that was already open and all the Christmas lights were up in the city, and that was really cool.

Dan:

Right. They were still building a lot of Christmas displays in some of the squares and things like that, but the market was open.

Mikkel:

Right. And whereas a Duro River cruise is not really a Christmas markets cruise, especially when you go north to Porto, but they do start in Lisbon. If you want to do a pre or post-cruise on your own, especially, not just with, let's say, the river cruise line has an extension in Munich, for example, you can add on, and Munich does have an amazing Christmas market that I would highly recommend. But if you want to kind of hop because you're gonna be in Europe anyway, then don't dismiss looking up the markets and other areas. Usually there is a tourism website for that city or you know, that country that'll link to the city you want to get to. And just kind of Google, you know, Lisbon Christmas market schedule. And what you want to look for in the search results is the official tourism website that gives the official calendar. So that's just a hot little tip for you.

Dan:

Would you say Christmas market cruises are more expensive or kind of on par with just a regular cruise?

Mikkel:

Yeah, for sure. That's a great question. I would say because of that supply and demand, demand is high and supply is short, seasoned, I would say they could be a little pricier. But the fact of the matter is the time frame of those Christmas markets cruises are never going to change.

Dan:

Right.

Mikkel:

So if you want to go and this is a dream cruise for you, and it really is one of the most magical cruises you can take, don't shy away from it. But, you know, on your point of affordability, be open to another stateroom. You know, I think something important during the Christmas markets cruises to recognize is that it's not impossible for you to sit out on your balcony with a hot cocoa or a hot coffee or a hot toddy and or a spiked, you know, uh coffee with Irish coffee or whatever. But you're not gonna sit out on the balcony in the open decks as much. And if you are trying to save money and do a state room without a balcony, I would say if you're gonna forego that veranda, this is a great cruise to do it because you still have those open decks. And again, not only is it cold outside, but it can be a little wind, a little bit windier in this time of year, too.

Dan:

Yeah, 100%. And coming back to the room, if you're going for the Christmas markets, you're probably not gonna be spending that much time in the room or on the ship. You're gonna be off exploring as much as possible.

Mikkel:

Right, and those common areas, and let's parlay this into the onboard experience discussion. Those common areas are extra cozy because I would say all of the ships decorate for the holidays. They have garlands, they have lights, they have holiday trees up, and that's really special. So I think it's an additional reason for people to be out and about in the lounges and the public spaces and the bar area. Um, and that really just adds to the excitement of booking a Christmas markets cruise.

Dan:

Yeah, there is truly a slightly elevated energy on a Christmas markets cruise because everybody's just excited and and the holidays are coming, and um the even like the bar, you know, at the bar they have a little tree or little ornaments or something. Like everybody's kind of putting their own little touches on their area within the ship, which is is is fun. It's it's fun.

Mikkel:

Are there holiday events or themed nights on board? Is a question that we have gotten.

Dan:

I remember in the lounge them playing Christmas music and also some Christmas themed activities on a few vessels, but anything like wildly out of the ordinary, I don't think so. I think it's like tastefully done. Tastefully enough. So you're not over Christmas, but you're not under Christmas.

Mikkel:

There's there's a I like this, but I what do you mean by that?

Dan:

Like it it's not like the it's the ship is overly decorated and you get too much Christmas exposure. I've felt like it's just enough. It's like I feel like I'm in the spirit, but not like I'm at Disneyland.

Mikkel:

I also, you made me think of this. We're not religious, and by upbringing and culture, I'm Jewish. So I just want to make a note that if anybody listening to this is not that religious, I've never felt like it, you know, is ramming a religion down your throat with all these holiday decorations. I think they're very much non-denominational, except for if I've seen like a little Santa Claus or obviously Christmas tree, we can argue about you know what religion the Christmas tree is from, but we're not gonna do that here. We'll do that offline. But I've never felt like it's you know overly one religion or another. One one cruise line, I do remember seeing a holiday menorah for Hanukkah, and Hanukkah changes every year. And I think as all us Jews know, Hanukkah's not really affecting the airport airline price increases like Christmas does. But yeah, I've never felt like it was like a religious decoration kind of cause. It's all just very much in the warmth and the magic of twinkle lights and garland and tinsel and kind of the spirit of the season.

Dan:

Yep. Yeah, I agree.

Mikkel:

I will say there are Christmas dinners if you are cruising over Christmas, like maybe a special menu, like you know, carved turkey kind of thing. But I would say in general, you know, as you alluded to, there's nothing really out of the ordinary. We were on a kind of the end of Christmas season, and actually going back to the question about the best time to cruise, Christmas markets are actually they close most of them on Christmas. Everybody in Europe is with their families that day. So the Christmas markets are not open on Christmas, and it's actually quite dead activity-wise. We were in Frankfurt, or we were in Frankfurt one year for Christmas, just like we would in the United States. We got Chinese food that night because it was one of the only restaurants open. And um, kebabs, Middle Eastern kebabs were another option that we considered, and like there was like one convenience store that was open, but that was it, and it was just like eerie. Frankfurt was like dead, and that was on Christmas on December 25th. So we're lucky we ate. We kind of hung out in the hotel room, and that was back-to-back Christmas cruises we did. Actually, the next one we did with Riverside was a New Year's Eve river cruise. So, this is the point I want to make. We were in Bratislava and the Christmas market did reopen, and it was kind of like piggybacking on a New Year's Eve celebration. So, for the best time of year, it's not impossible to find Christmas markets open after Christmas. But because most of these vendors are selling Christmas gifts and Christmas has passed, it is unlikely that the majority of them will be open. That said, we were on a New Year's Eve river cruise, and there was a special ban that was brought on board, and that the crew decorated the main lounge with balloons and such. So there might be a reason for you to cruise kind of at that tail end, and that could be another savings, even though the New Year's Eve obviously that only happens once a year, so that could be not a cost-effective one if the supply is really one night and the demand is high, but it could be another fun time for you to cruise. So definitely something to consider.

Dan:

Yeah, you kind of touched upon it when you were talking about things that are open and what to expect. So Christmas markets are outside, so you're gonna be doing a lot of walking and a lot of exposure to the elements. So make sure you pack accordingly and understand your tolerance for cold temperatures and just being outside for a long period of time.

Mikkel:

Okay. Okay, so what should you pack? Also, piggybacking off of that Christmas dinner or New Year's Eve dinner kind of thing, what do people wear to dinner? So I would say, in a nice way, you don't actually have to pack anything fancier. I think one of the big myths about river cruises is that people dress up, you know, and then once people go on their first river cruise, they're like, oh, it was a lot more casual than I thought. It is pretty casual. I would say if you're there over Christmas, maybe it's worth packing a nicer sweater or like a scarf to dress it up or something that makes you feel special, jewelry or a watch or something, you know, that makes you feel special. But don't feel the need to. It's not like everybody dresses up all of a sudden. So if it helps you say room in your suitcase, you can leave anything fancy at home because you're gonna need the room in your suitcase for gloves, hats. Maybe you want to pack waterproof boots, not just in case it rains, but if there's snow on the grounds, I would say hand warmers would be awesome. I always love those. You could do rechargeable ones, you can do the hot hands that um you know trigger when you open them and they get warm over time. Comfortable shoes because you're gonna be walking a lot on cobblestone streets kind of thing. You want to pack your rain gear, and I'm gonna link in the show description. We just did an episode about the five essential things you want to pack. So we did mention comfortable footwear and your rain gear as well as your air fly that allows you to do the quiet box cordlessly so you're not wrapped up in cord headphones and such. What am I missing from this packing list, especially for that holiday season when it's cold?

Dan:

Yeah, I think for me it's just flexibility, layers. You want to be able to take things on and off and footwear. You've got cobblestones, you've got maybe rain, maybe snow. So just make sure that's comfortable. Because those excursions, like that's the reason you're there, right? Is you're you're there to go explore the markets and really get out there.

Mikkel:

Right. So I like to do kind of a capsule wardrobe of jeans. I bring leggings to wear under my jeans if it's really cold outside to layer, layer, wool socks, and then also I make sure that I bring my staple black long sleeve shirts and then like cardigans and things to put over them for layering. We're both New Yorkers. It's kind of like New York in December. It's cold, you know?

Dan:

Yeah.

Mikkel:

It's cold.

Dan:

Now that you know what to pack for your adventures out in the Christmas markets, let's talk about what you can expect on the excursions.

Mikkel:

I think the nice thing about the Christmas markets cruises is that it's not like they cut out every other excursion, right? So, like you want to see some history, you want to see some landmarks. I'm trying to think of like ones that stand out and come to mind. I think like the thing with excursions is that a lot of people want to know how much time do I get to spend at the market? They really want to maximize that time. But then you also have people that want to balance it with those historic walking tours and such. So I think you can expect those walking tours to still be there. Like they would be an option months before, you know, in summer.

Dan:

But because it is winter, your options for excursions will be a little bit less. So maybe not as many wineries or no bike rides, maybe a cable car may not be running, something like that. So just be aware that there will be weather or element related things that things that are just not available.

Mikkel:

Yeah, you just made me think of in Rudersheim, two of the most popular uh tours with any cruise line. Most of these cruise lines do the same kind of tours, by the way, is a guided coffee tour through Rudesheim and also this cable car. Well, don't expect the cable car to be open in December or November. It closes, it's really seasonal. So that's a good point about that seasonality.

Dan:

Yep. And then great indoor activity in Vienna, of course, is a concert.

Mikkel:

I would say most cruise lines offer this. It is a paid upgrade to go to this concert. Do not miss it. It's amazing. The only time we've missed the cruise line one, and um not missed, but opted not to do it, is when some friends of ours were on the cruise and invited us to a different excursion we booked ourselves. So it was in this church and it was I would say four string instruments.

Dan:

Yeah, yeah.

Mikkel:

And that was really special. I'm glad we saw it because it was different. But I would say if I had a pick between doing that on my own, and we had never done the cruise line offered concert, the cruise line offered concert is phenomenal.

Dan:

Yeah, two very different experiences. One was in a concert hall, one was in a church from 16, whatever. But they were both great concerts, or all of them have been great concerts, but these two uh I'm thinking about in particular, just a different experience.

Mikkel:

Yeah, so speaking of being off the ship and doing excursions, let's talk about experiencing the Christmas markets. Do you spend a lot of time in the markets? It really depends on the itinerary and the timing and what your cruise line has decided. Normally, I would say on average, it's between two and four hours in the markets. I would say four hours is a lot. You can certainly find what to do there, especially if it's a bigger city, and that's likely when they're gonna give you a little more time for that. And then, you know, another thing to highlight is the time of day, right? So if it's 4 p.m., the sun's starting to set in most places in Europe that these cruises go to. So keep that in mind, especially in relation to a lot of people want to see the markets during the day and at night for obvious reasons when all the lights come on. And just so you know, there is a lot to see during the day. You often can't see the detail on these incredible like Christmas kiosks almost at night, but those lights come on at night, and that's really special. So I completely appreciate and understand firsthand people wanting to see the markets during the day and the night. So if you are in the port till a little bit later, you'll see that. Also, if that's a concern to you, try to book a cruise with an itinerary that provides a late night stay in a port or an overnight stay, because that's gonna allow you to have more free time to go out and explore on your own.

Dan:

Yeah, absolutely. The the nights in the market, it's a completely different feel and the atmosphere, and there's uh a lot of drinking and lights and eating and a lot of conversation and energy. But the daytime you're gonna see all the the real richness of the stalls and the atmosphere that's there.

Mikkel:

I think also something to keep in mind is that a lot of locals go to these markets when they get off from work. So it's a place to gather and meet your friends for like an afterwork glass of glue vine or get dinner there. So it is gonna be crowded a little bit busier after those work hours when the sun sets and on weekends. So if you're looking at your itinerary and you are worried about the crowds, just kind of beware of what day of the week your cruise is gonna port in one of those cities. I wouldn't be concerned that they're gonna be closed on like a Monday, let's say, like a lot of restaurants are closed in the states on a Monday. Don't be concerned about that. They're gonna be open every day. I'd more so be concerned about the day of the week, just for crowds, and then also the time of the day. Most markets don't open until 11 o'clock, if not later.

Dan:

Right, right. So keep that in mind. There's going to be crowds. Like it's a popular activity, a lot of locals there, so be patient. That's something I always have to remind myself to be patient. And maybe you get a glass of wine and you can't find a table, or you have to wait around for someone else to leave, or something like that. But for the most part, everybody's in a pretty good mood, and it seems like it's a celebration.

Mikkel:

Yeah, and I would say also the closer it gets to Christmas, the little bit busier it gets the closer and closer to Christmas. I think it's because people feel like, you know, the time is running out to go to the markets, so they they go more frequently before they close.

Dan:

We talked about exploring the markets with your excursion, but you can also do it on your own. And you can also visit other cities from wherever your ship is docked. So you may want to jump in an Uber or grab a taxi and then explore some of the smaller sections of the city outside of the center of the city, or else maybe other towns, things like that. That's always an option.

Mikkel:

Yeah, I think what comes to mind is Basel and Switzerland. So we docked actually a little bit outside of Basel in France. It actually was not in Switzerland. So we had to take a taxi to get to Basel. So that's just an example. You can explore on your own. It's easy to get a ride chair or whatever. We've used Bolt, which is kind of like Uber. We've used Uber in the cities. The concierge or the front desk of the river cruise line can very easily help you get a taxi if you want. And you can also ask the front desk to make sure that they take credit cards, let's say, if you don't have Euros on you or foreigns in Hungary. You can walk, you know, that bring that comfortable footwear for walking. And I think it should be fairly easy to get a taxi or ride share back as well. Keep in mind you're gonna want to note where your ship is before you get off. So I would say 99% of the time there are maps at the front desk that show the location, the current location of your ship. So do not forget to take that with you or take a photo of it. Don't forget to check that the photo is in your phone and that your phone is charged, right? Because you don't want your phone to die and then your SOL and you don't want to go into your phone later to realize that the photo didn't actually take.

Dan:

Right. Yeah. You want to get back to the ship.

Mikkel:

You want to get back to the ship for multiple reasons. It's pretty safe, but on that note, pickpockets and phone thieves, be alert. We have been asked, are there pickpockets? Are you concerned? Especially in big cities, they are targeting Taurus. They are targeting Taurus.

Dan:

Yeah. And we talked about this when we we were talking about the airflies for using your headphones when you're on an excursion. When you have that quiet vox or that listening device around your neck and it's you know, it's like the Viking logo all over it. Or any other cruise line, yeah. Or something in it. Like you're really just saying, hey, I'm on a cruise. So if you're advertising that you're on a cruise, then you may become a target for thieves.

Mikkel:

You have that Avalon logo on there. Any of the above, the tour guides have those lollipops, those signs that say that you are on a river cruise. I am a tourist. So yeah, I think that's a really good point. And also in that episode, linked in the show notes about our essentials with that air fly, are air tags. So we put air tags in even our day packs. We had a friend that this was pre-air tags, was enjoying the market in Budapest, put his backpack down at his feet, had his camera in it, looked down, and it was gone. We're not saying the camera would have still been in the bag, but Dan, as you said last episode that we were mentioning our essentials, at the very least, you might be able to recover the bag if the air tag is in there, which is not to say that you're gonna get it all and not be sad. But I just think it's a really small investment financially for an air tag for a lot of good reward to be able to track your bags. So be Alert, be aware, get those air tags or those tiles in your bags to track them.

Dan:

Yep. Alright, so let's talk about one of the best things about Christmas markets and cruising in general, and that is food. Let's talk about the food.

Mikkel:

Food, glorious food, yeah. Okay, so what kinds of things can you buy at the markets? And one of those things is food. So I would say one of my favorite things within the food realm, of course, food in general is one of my favorite things, but there is this salmon that they they do these salmons smoked on a piece of wood, slow fire smoked, and they put them in like a sub roll, like a hoagie roll, and it's one of the best things Ivy in in Europe at these Christmas markets. Another favorite of mine, you know, is German sausages. So bratwurst or sausage in, you know, a pretzel roll or just cut up sausage. That's another one of my favorite things.

Dan:

Pretzels, those are also good. Fries. You love a French fry. I love I love a French fry. But the the markets they offer not only great trinkets and candies and things, but also it's a culinary delight to go through and try. You get to try a lot of different things, and there's a lot of local dishes and local delicacies, and there's plenty of drinking. There's beer gardens or there's glue wine, which is warm.

Mikkel:

Like a warm mold wine. Yeah. We've seen white. It's the red is the most common, but we have seen white.

Dan:

Yeah. So there's plenty of things to try, and I don't think you're going to be disappointed with your selection.

Mikkel:

Yeah, and we have an article about this on our website, sometimes sailing.com. It's actually everything you need to know about the Christmas markets, and a section of it does have photos of some of the food that we have enjoyed at these Christmas markets. Another one of my favorites, which is so seasonal, is chestnuts roasting on an open fire. They call it Moroni. So if you see a sign for moroni, that's what that is. And usually you get a cone of 10 of them for about like four euros. Uh depends on the vendor and where you are, but it's approximately four euros. Sometimes I kind of like close the top of the cone and bring it back to the ship to have with a glass of wine later. There's obviously a ton of gingerbread cookies. They're decorated. I've never seen somebody open them and eat them in the market. That's not really a thing people do. They're more so for kids, like a gift that you give kids on Christmas. We've seen spazel dishes. I remember one was kind of like a mac and cheese, like a spazel and cheese that was so good. I remember we saw roasted mushrooms talk about those local delicacies.

Dan:

Yeah.

Mikkel:

And I will say, if you are vegetarian or vegan, more and more every year at the markets, we've seen more options that are meat-free.

Dan:

Yeah. Yeah.

Mikkel:

Yeah. Okay. So how do we pay for all this amazing food? I would say a lot of vendors take credit cards again, more and more every year, but you want to have some cash. Again, it's Euros in Germany, in Austria, in Hungary, it's foreign. But I will say there have been times that we don't have cash and we just simply ask before purchasing, do they take credit card? You're going to want a Visa or MasterCard. Most places do not accept American Express, even though we have that and that is our preferred card, but most places don't take it. So we have a Visa Chat Chase Sapphire Reserve card, which we love, that I will also link in the show notes, that does not charge an international fee. So they take credit cards, some of them, but you might want cash if you don't want to be limited because you don't have cash. Another thing is back to the food, something really popular with gluevine is that the mugs are different everywhere. So that's like a cool thing. So a lot of people collect the mugs. We went cruising with our friends and they were taking all the mugs back for one of their aunts. And if you don't want the mug, you get your deposit back. So what you do is you pay for gluevine, let's say it's four euros for the glue vine, and that includes a two euro deposit. So when you bring the mug back, you'll get that two euros back. Some places you need cash for that, some places you don't. You can include that in your credit card charge. So be aware of that. And again, the mugs are different at every Christmas market, and they often say the year and the city of the Christmas market. So that could be a cool thing to keep your eye on if that excites you.

Dan:

Right. Yeah. Our friends definitely had a full collection of mugs by the time they take it.

Mikkel:

Yeah, rabbing clothes and such. Yeah. What other things can you buy at the Christmas markets besides the food?

Dan:

Well, there's there's plenty of gifts, so and plenty of gifts for children, so maybe toys or trinkets, snow globes, things like that. And there's plenty of sweets, so desserts that you can purchase, clothing, scarves, hats, things like that. Ornaments, a lot of ornaments. I think I even saw some stuff for pets, like doggy uh outfits and leashes and whatnot.

Mikkel:

We don't have a pet, but I'd still buy that stuff.

Dan:

But it is interesting. Every market is very different. You'll see a lot of things repeating, maybe because they're just traditional gifts or they're just local, uh local vendors that do something similar. But every market has its own personality and its own list of vendors and a lot of different treats just to discover.

Mikkel:

I would say if you see something that you are really excited by, a food item, a gift, buy it because you might not see it again. But you know, a part of me also can't help but feeling all the markets are different, but they're all the same.

Dan:

Yeah.

Mikkel:

You know what I mean? Like you kind of see the same things over and over again. But the um risk you run is what if you don't see it again? And that did happen to us. I remember wanting salmon one more time, and we like just never saw it again past one of the cities that we were in. So if you are dreaming of something and you have your heart set on something and you saw a gift that you were like, oh, I would really like this for our home, or I know so-and-so my sister would like this, or whatever, buy it. Or you can kind of walk away and if you're still thinking about it, an hour later before you head back to the ship, go back and buy it. I've seen the question, are items different from city to city? And I think that answer that we just talked about kind of covers it. The items are similar, but like you said, Dan, those local foods might vary and decorations might vary as well. If you want something that's handmade, can you get something that that is handmade? We did see a lot of handmade things. Now we also saw a lot of things that we thought were shipped from maybe China over to these vendors, but you can tell what's local, like local spices we even saw. And don't hesitate to ask, you know, and you can tell by their answer if it is handmade or not. What about is there anything to buy if you don't celebrate Christmas?

Dan:

I would say the food.

Mikkel:

Well, yeah, the food too. But what about trinkets and treats and stuff?

Dan:

I think there was other stuff.

Mikkel:

Yeah, there was like regional art. We're not big shoppers. We we shop for food and drinks more than anything. But yeah, like you had said, those gloves, scarves, hats. Another thing to think about is that it's the holiday time everywhere in the city, not just at the Christmas market. So I recall seeing a lot of Black Friday sales, which was so funny to me because Black Friday is so American.

Dan:

Right.

Mikkel:

So they tap into those American sales too. And a lot of the clothing stores were doing Black Friday sales, which is just to say that there are gonna be shops that are doing Christmas sales, you know?

Dan:

Sure. Yeah. I'm pretty sure all the Black Friday sales we saw were more like campaigns, like all season long Black Friday sale. It's Black Friday. Instead of just one day, which is also funny. We should we should do that. We should have Black Friday all year.

Mikkel:

Yeah. But I think being realistic and what you can expect, you're not gonna see Hanukkah items at the Christmas markets, you're not gonna see Kowanza items. I didn't see anything but Christmas-wise Christmas intended gifts. I did see nativity things, like you said, there's a lot of great ornaments, but honestly, some of the ornaments, I think it's cool to be able to buy it there and say it's from the Christmas market in, let's say, Vienna, but I've seen some of like the same ornaments in a department store, you know.

Dan:

Yeah, yeah.

Mikkel:

So just be aware.

Dan:

Yep.

Mikkel:

Getting your purchases home. So now that you have all these souvenirs, can you mail souvenirs or gifts home from the ship? No, you cannot. I've never if you're listening to this and your ship arranged the transportation for your items through DHL or whatever shipping, let us know. But we've never encountered a river cruise ship ourselves that offers to ship it for you. While on AmaWaterways you can ship postcards from the ship any time of the year, which we love, we've never had anybody say yes to shipping things. So either you're gonna want to bring an extra piece of luggage or carry-on for the items to bring back, or you're gonna want to account for being off the ship and going to a local post office. You also want to look up if there are any holidays that you're not aware of during that time that are local European holidays specific to that country or maybe even that city. Nobody takes as many vacation days as Europeans, and the post office might be closed then or DHL. And you also want to check the hours and how far it is from the ship. So I would say the safer thing is to bring an extra piece of luggage, even if you have to check it, put that air tag in there and check it with your flight.

Dan:

And then it same rules apply, right? As far as carry-ons, you don't want any liquids or anything like that. Make sure you pack those in your check luggage and just be smart about it so you don't have any issues at the airport.

Mikkel:

Another thing to note is that I would recommend not wrapping any of your gifts that you put in your checked luggage or your carry-on. And the reason is because security could open them to see what's inside. I would say don't check any high, high valuables. Um, if you spent a lot of money on something, please don't check it just in case there are some dishonest people. I would say it's a lot of the time in the United States and TSA, we've heard stories. So you just want to, you know, be careful with that. Additionally, if you get leaded glass, like certain glassware that you buy at the Christmas markets or any canned or jarred patties, especially in France, that could trigger the security scanners. So you want to make sure that you're able to take that out and unwrap it and show the security people. I recall when we were dating, and two weeks after we started dating, I was actually going on my first river cruise with Viking. That was a Christmas markets cruise, and you love pate. And I said, I'm gonna bring it back for you. That was the most expensive thing because not only did I pay for pate, but it's considered a liquid because it's a cream. So I ended up having to check my bag at the airport, which cost way more than paying for it in advance, and I learned a valuable lesson. So now, whenever I see pate in France, I think, well, now I'm with you usually, but I think, how much do I want to check a bag to get this pate home? So we usually forego it. But that's just a little funny antidote to recall and um warn everybody listening who is tempted to bring that home that you're gonna have to check that or ship it back home. Speaking of ground, um, another question: what happens if the river freezes or if there's low water? Now, as the years go by and climate change is a thing, this is a really big concern travelers have, and we're not gonna sugarcoat it. The truth of the matter is if the ship cannot safely sail under bridges, and there are many on these rivers, the Danube and the Rhine in Europe, you might be bust to the next location. The good thing is they're not gonna leave you high and dry. Multiple reasons, but you are gonna get from point A to B, but your river cruise might turn into more of a land cruise. So, you know, there's nothing really you can do about that. I just want to say a realistic note about that. We did travel in December 2023 when the rivers were flooding and the rivers were too high to sail. So we actually started the river cruise in Bilshoffen when we were supposed to start in another location, maybe Nuremberg, I can't quite remember.

Dan:

It was, yeah.

Mikkel:

But yeah, that was a major issue that year. Um, and know that it affects all aspects of tourism and the residence of people living there, so you are not the only one dealing with it.

Dan:

Yeah, yeah. So we covered a lot of ground. What are some key takeaways?

Mikkel:

I would say a takeaway for me is this is a bucketless cruise. I think if you are looking for the magic of the holiday season, you are gonna be challenged to find it anywhere as strongly or warmly as Europe during the holiday season. How about you?

Dan:

Yeah, Europeans know how to really make a market special and and make it an experience, and it feels like a community and it it's very welcoming. So if this is on your list, I would say definitely go do that and uh you will not be disappointed just by the sheer variety of things, uh the the energy, it's really yeah, it's magical.

Mikkel:

I think even if you don't buy a single thing, and you don't have to, you know, there's plenty to do and see, there's plenty of photo opportunities. If all you want to bring back is photos, you're not gonna be disappointed. So definitely check out those show notes. Go look at that article that we have linked about the Christmas markets, all you need to know for those photos. Keep those questions coming. We're happy to answer them at any time. Join our Facebook group that is also linked so you can continue the conversation with us. And happy holidays, no matter the time of year you're listening, and we will talk to you next episode.

Dan:

Bye, everybody.

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