Breisach - Strasbourg - Rudesheim - Koblenz - Cologne

While Rüdesheim's Christmas market is great, especially in the evening, I found Koblenz's sort of trashy. Koblenz itself is just OK, not particularly exciting, a modern city of shopping centers, mostly; I would proceed from the docks to the train station for the 12-minute ride to attractive Braubach, the site of Marksburg Castle, which can be toured between 11 and 4 in winter: www.marksburg.de Don't know where your boat will be. But from the Rhine docks, about a block inland, you'll find a bus line #1 stop on Rheinstrasse. Buy a daypass (Tagesticket, price level 4, 8,10€ each) from the driver and ride the bus to the train station; then catch a train to Braubach. Alternatively, make the trek to the station on foot. The pass covers both bus and train. Once in Braubach you can walk uphill to the castle in about 20 minutes, but if conditions warrant you might want to take a taxi. "Bavaria Ben" has a trip report with dining tips for Braubach: http://www.bensbauernhof.com/bb2005twoweeksmoselrhine.html

Lynn, There are a few posts that list lots of info in detail concerning the Christmas Markets. I am also going and received lots of great suggestions. Hopefully Jo will see this and give you great ideas (she lives there)

My information is for Cologne only, I'm not knowledgeable of other cities: I believe the big Christmas Market in Cologne is in Neumarkt Square (it is the oldest, at least), and there are others at the Dom (cathedral), Rudolfplatz and markt. (Though some prefer the market at the Dom because it makes a beautiful back.) You can try mulled wine, buy Christmas gifts, etc. There are additional (though maybe less traditional, I'm not sure) markets at the Chocolate Museum beside the river. If you want a more relaxed and village-like market, you can venture a little further to the one in Stadtgarten park. I would definitely recommend going inside the Dom, it is beautiful. If you want to, you can climb the tower and see a great view. Cross the bridge over the Rhein River closest to the Dom, with all the locks on it. Nice view of the city from the other side. The Rudolfplatz market is right next to one of the medieval city gates, fun to walk through and remember how long it has been standing there. Cologne is famous for its local beer--kölsch. They serve it in small glasses because it is not highly carbonated, and would go flat if they served it in large glasses. It is light but tasty. If you pass by some of the delicious bakeries, pick up a Weckmann. One of the cute little baked bread men with a lolly and a clay pipe.

If your boat is stopped in Rüdesheim, then you won't want to travel too far away from the town. While in Rüdesheim, take the chairlift up to the Germania statue. It goes over the vineyards and you get a fantastic view of the Rhine from up here. That said, though Rüdesheim does an outstanding job of decorating for the Christmas market, and the town is cute and has a wonderful location, this was my least favorite market of all that I have visited. It is supposed to be international, and the stands from Scandanavia, Nepal and Mongolia are worth your time, but it seemed like there was a tremendous amount of cheap, tacky, kitschy stuff at this market. Way more than any other market I have ever been to. It really detracted from the atmosphere for me. For restaurants though, you have a huge choice with pretty good prices for a tourist town, just walk around, check the menu and prices and go in. It only takes about an hour to walk around the whole town and market if it isn't the weekend. If you drink, have a Rüdesheimer Coffee, made with Asbach, the cognac that is produced here. Koblenz has an old town with some wonderful sightseeing, I recommend going to their town website to be surprised by how much is there. Cologne has an amazing amount of sites to see, much more than just the cathedral. Do a bit of research on this city too.