The song played over and over in my head: “It’s the most wonderful time…” to be on a Viking river cruise on the Rhine, especially with its new-in-2022 itinerary ‘Christmas on the Rhine.’
The Rhine and the Danube are the two top rivers for cruising in Europe, and this year, Viking had 14 ships sailing Rhine river itineraries.
In late NOV, the ‘regular season’ of itineraries wraps up, and a number of ships continue sailing, shifting to Christmas itineraries.
Viking reps told me while sitting in the Viking Lounge on the Viking Sigyn, sailing between Basel and Amsterdam, that the company had a dozen ships sailing on the Rhine pre-pandemic, with 6 continuing cruising into the Christmas season.
In 2022, of the 14 Viking ships sailing Rhine river itineraries, 10 of them continued sailing for the four weeks leading up to Christmas on the company’s new itinerary. That’s a net increase of 4 additional ships offering Christmas market cruises.
Doubling Down on Christmas Markets
Along with the increased capacity comes an itinerary change this year that sees Viking doubling down on Christmas.
Previously, Viking’s ‘Christmas cruises’ were not Christmas market-focused, I was told. The new itinerary has “added stops, more tours, and more markets” and “formalized the identification” of these sailings as Christmas-themed.
Included and optional tours are now almost entirely Christmas market-focused, with a few excursions, like wine tours, retained from the full-season itinerary. In addition, Viking has added new ports of call to add more Christmas markets – standout changes to the Christmas on the Rhine itinerary include the port of call in Germany’s Black Forest, where the included tour is now the Freiburg Christmas market, as well as an all-new port, big-city Dusseldorf, whose Christmas market is close to Viking’s docking position.
That complete immersion in local Christmas culture is why I was so excited to be on one of Viking’s first ‘Christmas on the Rhine’ cruises.
As many Open Jaw readers know, I wear a couple of hats. In addition to serving trade readers of Open Jaw, I also produce and host World’s Greatest Cruises, a cruise/travel TV series on PBS television.
What could be more picturesque, inspiring travel television than a cruise on one the richest Christmas market rivers of Europe?
Viking’s week-long ‘Christmas on the Rhine’ itinerary spans four countries and visits at least one Christmas market every day – and sometimes, more than one. Each country and even each town, has its own festive traditions, which makes for a series of completely unique Christmas markets.
Remarkable Christmas Markets
Basel, Switzerland
Prior to sail away from Basel, Viking offers guests an included walking tour to the Swiss town’s Christmas market that winds through various squares and streets in its Old Town, each with its own towering, splendidly-decorated – and real! – Christmas tree. A one-of-a-kind Wish Book outside City Hall welcomes residents and visitors to write down their (often very touching) wishes for the season, in dozens of languages.
Freiburg, Germany
Freiburg, in Germany’s Black Forest, was our first German Christmas market, characterized by Freiburg’s mediaeval quaintness, extending from a regular farmers’ market in the square surrounding its lofty cathedral, which gives it its own flavour. I was particularly charmed by the incredible number of stands selling Christmas greens: boughs and wreaths and live holly and mistletoe, potted and cut flowers and berries, and Christmas bouquets.
I couldn't resist: I bought a bouquet and the staff of the Viking Sigyn kindly found me a vase. It gave my stateroom a perfectly festive feel.
Strasbourg, France
Our only call in France gave us a taste of French ‘savoir vivre,’ Christmas-style. France’s Alsace region has flip-flopped between France and Germany for centuries, so its market retains some German Christmas traditions with a charming French or regional twist: instead of red, German ‘gluhwein’ mulled wine, ‘vin chaud blanc Clementine:’ warm, white Alsatian wine with spices and orange slices suits my palate perfectly, for example. And the perfect marriage of French and German culture: Beignet Bretzels! Chocolate, no less! A couple of very happy cameraman!
Cologne, Germany
The biggest city whose Christmas market we visited on our Viking ‘Christmas on the Rhine’ cruise was everything you’d expect from a German Christmas market in a big city on a Sunday: crowds of families and couples and friends drinking gluhwein, snacking on German seasonal delicacies… all at the base of its imposing Dom.
But Cologne turns its Christmas market into a winter festival too: turning the square surrounding a mounted bronze sculpture into a skating and curling rink. Plus, a number of squares took on the atmosphere of Christmas in the days of yore, with costumed vendors, and booths with artisans like blacksmiths demonstrating their crafts. 
How River Cruising Means “Peak” Christmas Market Experiences
Cologne highlighted one of the best things about a Christmas market river cruise on the Rhine: arriving in town via the Rhine, which was the original transportation route and reason for a town’s location, meant our ship was often docked right next to Old Towns and their Christmas markets, allowing those of us who were happy to explore independently the opportunity to wander at leisure like an FIT traveller, while still having the luxury of unpacking once, and being transported to new destinations - and new Christmas markets - every day with ease.
Viking’s Christmas on the Rhine itinerary didn’t just immerse us in a dozen Christmas markets along the river. The cruise line brings Christmas on board, too, and in my next article, I’ll share how the crew of the Viking Sigyn helped guests celebrate the season on the ship.
For more information about Viking's Christmas Market Cruises, please visit its web site.
