Now Is the Time! 2026’s European Christmas Markets River Cruises Are Just Months Away

A Feast for the Senses

“It’s definitely a feast for the senses and truly puts me in the spirit of the holidays,” emphasizes Susan Young, a Pavlus Travel & Cruise team member. Having sailed on several Christmas Markets cruises, she can’t wait to go back again. In particular, she likes vacationing in Europe without the summer crowds and exploring destinations ashore with cooler temperatures.

In addition, I’ve discovered a wonderful side effect — the strong camaraderie these holiday season cruises create between fellow cruise guests. People tend to bond over the festive shared experiences, whether they’re traveling as a couple, family, group of friends, or as a solo traveler. Frankly, it’s such a joyous, celebratory experience. — Susan Young, Pavlus Travel & Cruise

But with this year’s Christmas Markets sailing season just months away, the clock is ticking. Now is the time to talk with a Pavlus Travel personal travel planner about 2026 voyage options. While many cabins and suites are already booked, some space is still available, varying by line, ship and departure date. Rest assured that your expert Pavlus planner will look for the best options to discuss with you, and you’ll receive the best pricing and top-notch service, all with no service fees!

Prefer more time to savor the pre-cruise anticipation and have the best choice of accommodations? Then simply chat with the Pavlus planner about the wide range of 2027 or 2028 Christmas Markets cruises.

The AmaWaterways Christmas Markets Experience

Drilling down into the experience, what’s a Christmas Markets cruise all about? What are the top perks? What can guests expect?

For some firsthand “intel,” we chatted with Susan about her Rhine/Moselle Christmas Markets sailing on AmaWaterways’ 156-passenger AmaStella. “Sailing from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and disembarking in Basel, Switzerland, this holiday season journey proved fantastic for me all around, both aboard the ship and at destinations along the river,” she emphasizes.

Throughout the voyage, she and fellow travelers enjoyed AmaStella’s onboard activities, special holiday touches and seasonal entertainment. In the ship’s lounge, guest enrichment speakers or the line’s shore team members spoke about local holiday traditions. One night, the crew advised guests to put a pair of empty shoes outside their stateroom/suite door. Presto, in the morning, guests opened their doors to discover large, wrapped chocolate Santas in those shoes! That was both a local custom and a sweet surprise!

Guests also learned from onboard speakers about favorite local foods to taste, what local arts, crafts, and gifts to buy ashore, as well as what historic or other notable attractions to visit. Local musicians and performers joined AmaStella at certain ports for festive live entertainment. Throughout the voyage, the spirit of the holidays was “always front and center,” Susan notes.

For instance, one evening, guests and crew members — wearing red Santa hats, provided by AmaWaterways — gathered in the river vessel’s lounge to sing traditional carols and dance to modern holiday songs. At one point, they formed a conga line. With hands on each other’s shoulders, they looped around the lounge, singing and energetically dancing to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “Feliz Navidad.”

I’ll never forget that evening, a truly unbridled celebratory experience. — Susan Young, Pavlus Travel & Cruise

Ashore at Speyer & Strasbourg

But of course, in-depth shoreside exploring is often a top reason guests book a holiday season cruise. For instance, Susan ventured ashore at Speyer, Germany, for that destination’s Christmas Market, stretching along Maximilianstrasse, a main pedestrian zone. While it’s not Europe’s largest such market, that’s part of its charm, she believes. Strolling amid festive decor, holiday music, and booths selling local food specialties and beverages, she also shopped for local goods, crafts, and lovely holiday gifts. Plus, this market is near the city’s towering cathedral, so she popped in to admire the Romanesque architecture, before heading to a local café for lunch.

At Strasbourg’s robust Christmas Market, France’s oldest as it dates from 1570, river cruise guests will also eyeball handcrafted holiday gifts and gorgeous ornaments at a Christmas Market in the shadow of the city’s magnificent Romanesque-Gothic cathedral. This year’s market will offer 300 or so stalls, some serving such tasty Alsatian specialties as bredele (a Christmas biscuit) and spatzle (egg-based pasta). Susan bought a few inexpensive holiday ornaments depicting the famous White Storks of the region.

One humorous moment occurred on Susan’s trip when she spotted a tall, quite thin St. Nick decked out in his red suit sauntering along the Strasbourg market’s stalls carrying his own bag of purchases. Back on the ship one evening, a bit more realistic Santa appeared along with two “angel helpers” who provided AmaWaterways’ guests with a small gift. Many guests lined up to sit with Santa and make a holiday wish — as fellow guests, friends, or family members eagerly cheered them on.

Ashore, some guests also chose to attend special holiday events or religious services, and the ship’s front desk provided helpful suggestions for timing, transportation and other good-to-know details.

AmaStella’s Spaces

During Susan’s journey, AmaStella was absolutely resplendent inside for the holiday season. “In particular, the soaring, two-level Atrium with curved, open-air staircases on both sides of a glass elevator was quite impressive,” she says. “It was nicely outfitted with holiday décor, garland and lights as well as a large Christmas tree.”

Among AmaStella’s public spaces are a spacious Lounge, the Journeys Restaurant, and the specialty Chef’s Table restaurant. Good tip?

Definitely make a reservation on the first day onboard so you can enjoy a fantastic Chef’s Table dinner experience one evening, with the added bonus of dramatic scenic views out the restaurant’s aft wall of glass. — Susan Young, Pavlus Travel & Cruise

Guests can descend to the ship’s lowest Piano Deck via a half-stairway (the elevator does not go to this deck). Here, guests will discover a small Fitness Center, Hair Salon and a separate Massage Treatment Room. Atop the ship, the Sun Deck’s seating areas offer tables, chairs, and a sunshade canopy. Guests can also enjoy walking atop the deck, a humongous chess board, and a swimming pool.

Since a holiday season cruise operates during cooler weather, that pool — heated to 65 degrees — is typically covered. But Susan watched, as upon request, the ship’s crew uncovered it for one guest who desired a quick dip.

Deluxe Balcony Stateroom #312

Susan stayed in #312, a Deluxe Balcony Stateroom. That’s one of AmaWaterways’ signature dual-balcony staterooms on the upper Violin Deck. It offers both an exterior, open-air balcony with two chairs, accessible via sliding glass doors, as well as a small French Balcony area with sliding glass doors.

Just inside those French Balcony doors is a small glass table and a comfortable chair so even in cool weather, it’s easy to get up-close to the views unfolding outside. “I enjoyed sitting there, relaxing with a good book, sipping a glass of wine, reading about the next day’s planned activities, while also savoring the lovely outside scenery or lighting displays in riverside destinations,” she notes.

She slept well on her stateroom’s comfortable queen-size bed (convertible to two twins), outfitted with fine linens and pillows. The bed faces a large writing desk/entertainment console/shelf area. Guests will also discover:

• A mini refrigerator stocked with bottled water.
• Plenty of wardrobe hanging space and open shelves.
• Slippers and bathrobes for the guests’ use during the voyage.
• A private bathroom with one sink, a toilet, and shower (with both rainforest and regular shower mechanisms).
• Complimentary bathroom toiletries.

For 2026, pricing for a “Christmas Markets on the Rhine” itinerary with some space still available on AmaStella began (at press time) at $2,999 per person, double occupancy. Contact your Pavlus personal travel planner for all the departure and accommodations options on 2026 and 2027 itineraries of AmaWaterways or other river lines on multiple river vessels.

More Holiday Season Itineraries

Certainly, the Rhine and Moselle rivers as well as the Danube River are highly popular with travelers seeking a robust Christmas Markets experience. But other regions of Europe — such as France and Portugal — also have holiday experiences and markets.

Sailing roundtrip from Porto, Portugal, late fall/early winter itineraries typically give guests time to visit Porto’s intimate Christmas Markets to peruse charming, hand-made gifts (such as traditional items of pottery, linen, leather and wool) and festive treats. Porto doesn’t have one humongous Christmas Market, but rather numerous, more intimate ones spread around the city.

Having also sailed a Douro itinerary during the holiday season, Susan suggests this for those planning to visit Porto: “River cruisers might taste one local specialty — the sweet, brioche-like Bolo Rei or ‘King Cake’ with nuts and dried, crystalized fruit.”

During the late-in-the-year holiday season, France’s Seine River also offers many options for exploring the country’s Christmas Markets in Rouen and Paris, where cruisers can savor the escargot, roasted chestnuts, chocolates and cheeses.

In addition, holiday-centric shore excursions, such as those on Viking, often encompass everything from baking homemade gingerbread at a medieval abbey to participating in a Christmas ornament-making workshop and gazing at Normandy’s snow-covered landscapes.

Now Is the Time!

One factor is certain, though. Time is running out to book if you still desire to sail on a late 2026 Christmas Markets cruise. Many of these holiday seasonal voyages are well-booked already, but some space is still available on certain voyages. Just move quickly and chat today with a skilled Pavlus personal travel planner.

On November 25, 2026, for instance, AmaWaterways’ AmaSonata will set sail on a seven-night, “Iconic Christmas Markets” holiday-themed sailing from Budapest, Hungary, to Nuremberg, Germany. Guests will visit destinations in Austria, Germany and Hungary. At publication time, pricing started at $5,249 per person, double occupancy. Other departure dates and itineraries are also available.

Pavlus Travel & Cruise is also a top global seller of other luxury or upscale river lines including Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, Viking, Scenic, Emerald Waterways, Riverside Luxury Cruises, Avalon Waterways and others, which also have Christmas Markets sailings. Your Pavlus planner will help match you to the right river line and ship to match your personal travel style and preferences.

If you prefer to sail in the 2027 holiday season or beyond, the planner will also discuss the many options. Voyages farther out often have a wider range of available room/suite categories. Plus, you’ll have more time to plan and enjoy the anticipation of next year’s holiday season voyage.

Why Book a Christmas Markets Cruise with Pavlus Travel?

It’s simple. You’ll receive the absolute best prices and any exclusive offers or unadvertised deals that the agency negotiates with top travel suppliers. And this is all without any service fees — ever! Definitely, go to “Why Pavlus?” to learn more.

So, call today. Talk with a Pavlus personal travel planner about a fast-approaching 2026 Christmas Markets voyage, or alternatively a 2027 or 2028 holiday season voyage. Then start anticipating the festive sights, sounds, aromas, and décor of the season as the Christmas Markets of Europe await!