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Rhine Christmas Markets
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Rhine Christmas Markets River Cruise
A private evening concert in the domed Baroque staircase hall of Bruchsal Palace, a mini-train ride to Siegfried’s self-playing musical instrument collection, and butler service delivered straight to your suite, this Rhine sailing from Scenic leans further into all-inclusive luxury than most river cruises attempt, and you get to experience it all as you sail through Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands aboard one of Scenic’s five-star Space-Ships.
4.84
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112 reviews
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Cruise Line: Scenic -
Ship: Scenic Space-Ships -
Duration: 7 Nights
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Departure: Nov - Dec
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Rhine Christmas Markets Cruise Itinerary
Between the Heidelberg Tun’s staggering scale and Cologne’s Rhineland-record Christmas tree, the week leans on a handful of standout stops rather than just market after market. Here’s how the days unfold, sailing from Basel to Amsterdam.
Day 1
Zurich to Basel
Land in Zurich and transfer to Basel, where the crew welcomes you aboard your Space-Ship for an evening reception to kick off the cruise. Flights should land in Zurich before 01:00 PM to make the connection.
Day 2
Breisach, Germany
Spend the morning enjoying the ship’s suite service before arriving in Breisach that afternoon, then choose a guided tour of Colmar’s medieval lanes and Christmas markets, or head to Freiburg instead for a walking tour taking in its 13th-century cathedral, one of the few buildings in the city to survive wartime bombing.
Day 3
Kehl, Germany
Wake in Kehl, the gateway to Strasbourg, and join a local guide for a walking tour of the city before free time at its Christmas markets, among the largest and most visited in Europe.
Day 4
Mannheim, Germany
Mannheim, nicknamed the chessboard city for its grid layout and the birthplace of Mercedes-Benz founder Carl Benz, is your gateway to Heidelberg today, whether that’s a brief orientation walk with free time to explore, or the fuller historical tour taking in Heidelberg Castle and the enormous Heidelberg Tun wine barrel in its cellar. In the evening, an exclusive private concert awaits at Bruchsal Palace, complete with a welcome drink and a performance by professional musicians in the palace’s Baroque theatre room.
Day 5
Rüdesheim, Germany
Rüdesheim’s vineyards have been producing wine for around two thousand years, and a mini-train from the pier carries you to Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum, where roughly 350 instruments from the 18th and 19th centuries play themselves, before free time to wander the town.
Day 6
Rüdesheim to Cologne, Germany
Cruise the Rhine Gorge at dawn, past vineyards and castles, before reaching Cologne, home to the largest Christmas tree in the Rhineland. A walking tour takes in Cologne Cathedral and its markets, with the ship departing after dinner to leave plenty of time to soak in the atmosphere.
Day 7
Düsseldorf, Germany
Düsseldorf’s Old Town and the grand Königsallee both come alive for the season, and a guided walking tour introduces the city’s festive traditions before free time at its Christmas markets.
Day 8
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Disembark in Amsterdam and transfer to the airport for your onward or homebound flight.
Please book your flight to depart from Amsterdam after 10:00 AM.
Day 1
Amsterdam, Netherlands
This afternoon, board your Scenic Space-Ship and settle into your room. Later, raise your glass to the days ahead at this evening’s welcome reception.
Please book your flight to arrive in Amsterdam before 06:00 PM.
Day 2
Düsseldorf, Germany
Düsseldorf’s Old Town and the grand Königsallee both come alive for the season, and a guided walking tour introduces the city’s festive traditions before free time at its Christmas markets.
Day 3
Rüdesheim to Cologne, Germany
Cruise the Rhine Gorge at dawn, past vineyards and castles, before reaching Cologne, home to the largest Christmas tree in the Rhineland. A walking tour takes in Cologne Cathedral and its markets, with the ship departing after dinner to leave plenty of time to soak in the atmosphere.
Day 4
Rüdesheim, Germany
Rüdesheim’s vineyards have been producing wine for around two thousand years, and a mini-train from the pier carries you to Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum, where roughly 350 instruments from the 18th and 19th centuries play themselves, before free time to wander the town.
Day 5
Mannheim, Germany
Mannheim, nicknamed the chessboard city for its grid layout and the birthplace of Mercedes-Benz founder Carl Benz, is your gateway to Heidelberg today, whether that’s a brief orientation walk with free time to explore, or the fuller historical tour taking in Heidelberg Castle and the enormous Heidelberg Tun wine barrel in its cellar. In the evening, an exclusive private concert awaits at Bruchsal Palace, complete with a welcome drink and a performance by professional musicians in the palace’s Baroque theatre room.
Day 6
Kehl, Germany
Wake in Kehl, the gateway to Strasbourg, and join a local guide for a walking tour of the city before free time at its Christmas markets, among the largest and most visited in Europe.
Day 7
Breisach, Germany
Spend the morning enjoying the ship’s suite service before arriving in Breisach that afternoon, then choose a guided tour of Colmar’s medieval lanes and Christmas markets, or head to Freiburg instead for a walking tour taking in its 13th-century cathedral, one of the few buildings in the city to survive wartime bombing.
Day 8
Basel to Zurich
After breakfast, you will be transferred from your final port of Basel to the airport for your onward or homebound flight.
RHINE CHRISTMAS MARKETS CRUISE SHIPS
RHINE CHRISTMAS MARKETS CRUISE HIGHLIGHTS
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Rhine Christmas Markets Cruise Review
Rhine Christmas Markets FAQs
Why does the cruise list Zurich as a starting point if boarding happens in Basel?
Zurich is simply the nearest major airport with good international flight connections. You’ll board the ship in Basel itself, not Zurich, so the “Zurich to Amsterdam” routing you’ll see on the booking pages describes your overall journey rather than where the ship actually starts sailing from.
How big is the Heidelberg Tun, and can you still drink from it?
Built in 1751 from around 130 oak trees, it can hold roughly 219,000 litres of wine, enough to fill close to 300,000 bottles, making it the largest wine barrel in the world. It’s been empty for most of its life, though: originally built to store wine paid as tax by local growers, it started leaking within a decade and was retired from actual use not long after, so today it functions purely as a (very large) curiosity, complete with a small dance floor built on top.
What makes the private concert at Bruchsal Palace worth the detour?
Bruchsal is the only Baroque prince-bishop’s palace on the Upper Rhine, and its central feature is a staircase by the architect Balthasar Neumann, often called the finest Baroque staircase anywhere, built around an open, light-filled void that draws the eye straight up to a painted dome. The palace was almost completely destroyed in the Second World War and rebuilt with painstaking historical accuracy, so the theatre room hosting the concert is itself a piece of that restoration story.
Did Freiburg Cathedral really survive WWII bombing intact?
Remarkably, yes, almost entirely. Allied bombing raids in November 1944 destroyed roughly 80 per cent of Freiburg’s old town, yet the cathedral’s spire and most of its structure came through with only minor damage, an outcome so unlikely that it’s still discussed locally as something close to a miracle. It remains one of the few genuinely medieval cathedral spires in Germany that was never significantly rebuilt after the war.
Are any on board salon and spa services available?
Scenic’s ships feature a salon, spa, and wellness area offering a variety of services. Please note that salon and spa services are not included in the price of your river cruise or ocean voyage, and are charged as extras.
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