Christmas Market river cruise?

Not me, but friends did one this past Nov/Dec and enjoyed it very much. Budapest to Bratislava to Vienna to Regensburg on the Danube.

Tina,

We are looking at going with friends in 2026. I have been searching on Google and YouTube. Lots of opinions about the Rhine vs Danube and which cruise company is "best". Right now I am most interested in a trip with Avalon, in part because they start or end in Vienna. I've still more work to do.

I have visited markets along the Rhine and the Danube; I preferred the markets (and cities) along the Danube.

We did the Regensburg to Budapest cruise with Gate 1 Travel in the Summer and it was fantastic.

We have done 4 Christmas market trips by train.

We did a Basel to Amsterdam Christmas Market Trip on Viking two years ago. The rooms, meals and staff were good. We enjoyed ourselves but regretted usually being afloat during the evening when the markets are their most beautiful and active. It sort of defeated the purpose of visiting Christmas Markets.

In another year we visited the Danube in the Spring on Viking (Passau to Budapest). Most of the docking locations were closer to sights that we wanted to see. We preferred the Danube. We are doing the Danube (Regensburg-Budapest) again this Spring.

We have had over 20 trips to Germany and surrounding countries by train. I like traveling by train better as we can spend the evening walking about towns we visit. My wife's feelings trains vs. Viking are pretty evenly divided. She likes not having to change rooms so often. The service on the Viking boats is consistently good.

I highly recommend Uniworld. River boats aren’t my preferred way of touring at all, but this was a really great time. We were on the Main, Frankfurt to Nuremberg. The balance of touring and free time was excellent. No feeling rushed. Well organized and a fun, professional crew.

I’ve been on Tauck during fall, another fine river boat option. The crowd is older. The crew is nice also. Everything, including tips, are included.

Best to compare PRICES in particular with river cruises.
We discovered Gate 1 Travel and they provide a great product at far less the price.
Compare with
AMA Waterways
Uniworld
Scenic
Viking
any others with good products.

We routinely save thousands taking Gate 1

I’ve been on bus trips for Christmas Markets and river cruises for Christmas markets and have fun on all of them, I guess you could call me a Christmas Market Junkie! I’ve been on the Rhine, the Danube and the Main. I have sailed on Uniworld, Grand Circle and Gate 1. The cruises are not that different, but the prices are! On the Rhine you experience Switzerland, France (Alsace), Germany and the Netherlands. On the Danube you experience Hungry (Budapest), Austria (Vienna and Salzburg) and Germany. On the Main you are in Germany.
Uniworld has the most unusual outings, Grand Circle has a longer cruise (more than a week) and Gate 1 is the most affordable.
Don’t worry about sailing at night and missing the lit up markets. The lights start coming on in the markets at 4:00 and it is dark by 5:00. Most of the ships stay in port until at least 7 pm.
The cruises are festive and fun and an easy way to travel which is why I keep going!

Wow! Thanks for all of your replies : ) I've never heard of Gate 1. I'll have to look into it. I do love the Main River - especially the Miltenberg area. I've never been to Budapest, so I'll also look into the Danube. Good to know that most stay at the markets until 7. What is the average time you're in a town? Do you have time to see other things if you want to see more than the markets?

On our Uniworld we were in “port” the entire day and into the evening. Generally the organized tour was in the morning, though a couple of places had an afternoon excursion- like to Weisbaden market (beautiful town square area) and the WW2 tour in Nuremberg ( a must in my book). We sailed at night, and were at our destination by 8 am. We enjoyed going to the top deck after dinner during night sailing and seeing the Christmas lights of the little towns along the way.

We had plenty of time to see the markets. Nuremberg was my favorite. My husband I would go through the markets and then explore the side streets. Wonderful wine bars, cafes, mom and pop shops, beautiful Christmas lights and holiday spirit were to be found away from the markets and less crowded. Sometimes there would be a farmers market. We bought some amazing homemade jams/jellies in Wurzburg. I am a zealot for free time to experience a place and our Uniworld tour enabled us to feel like we really experienced a locality vs just seeing highlights.

Following Convo.
We are interested in seeing it all and so it's hard to determine. We want Prague beginning or End, but we also want to find a way or option for a 3rd party excursion to Rothenburg, so thinking the Rhine is best? Any suggestions??
We are also looking into Avalon and Ama waterways of 2026, we are in our 50's. Viking seems great, but not wanting to pay for full trip over. a year in advance.

I have been researching Christmas Market Cruises for 2026. Prices do vary significantly. Look at what tours are included each day, perspectives regarding the food and alcohol. My impression is that the most expensive cruises are hyper-all inclusive and the lowest priced are hyper-ala carte. And of course, everything in between at their own price points.

Lots of folks posting about this topic on YouTube.

After my wife and I were in Europe this past summer, I started planning a potential Christmas market vacation. Of course my Instagram noticed and all the cruise lines posted ads. One that stood out as different was a husband and wife team who did their own tours independent of the major river cruise lines. After moving to Heidelberg, a husband and wife purchased a pair of river boats to cruise the Rhine and Danube just for a couple weeks in December. I haven't been on any of their cruises but the itineraries look interesting. They seem to visit multiple markets fairly affordably at least based on most river cruise prices. Info is on Instagram and probably other social media platforms. Perhaps access on line would be best at heleneinbetween.com/best-christmas-markets-europe. I do know with limited trips and ships they would have limited availability for this year. There was mention of a waiting list in an email I received.