Christmas Markets open during tour times?

Sorry for all the Christmas Market questions, we are in the throes of making our decision. I was reading reviews and saw a comment about how the Christmas Markets were not open when the tours were scheduled, which were always in the morning.

For those who have gone, can you give me an idea of the number of Christmas Markets you were able to visit when they were open?

Also, were you able to go to any night Markets?

I guess the broader question is also...how do you find out the actual hours you are in port on the various itineraries? That doesn't seem to be part of the day to day descriptions.

Thanks again for your help and patience,

Ann C.

I guess the broader question is also...how do you find out the actual hours you are in port on the various itineraries? That doesn't seem to be part of the day to day descriptions.

With river cruises you generally can't get any precision on port hours as unlike ocean cruises the times are not booked long in advance.

The water level, other traffic, lock maintenance etc. all play a part in your captain deciding when exactly to leave or arrive.

You will often see a note if there is daylight cruising planned, but aside from that unless it specifically states that you will be in town for an evening it is wise to assume that you will be sailing soon after the afternoon tours return to the ship, generally during dinner.

Christmas markets usually open at 10am or 11am and run until 7pm, 8pm or 9pm. A few close at 10pm even. Depending on which town you are in the market will not be close to the port, i.e. you are docked away from the town centre, like in Nuremberg and Strasbourg for example. To make the most of your time in those ports, spending lots of time at the markets rather than an hour, you might need to skip an afternoon tour. And as Mark_T has already said, beware that the information given can change at short notice. Embarkation day is a particularly tricky one to figure out, for maximum enjoyment you might want to add one or two pre-cruise days. It has been mentioned several times on this board that on a seven day cruise you my see no more than five different towns, i.e. five markets, but that really depends on your itinerary as Cologne city has several markets alone! Yet if you are rushed through the day you might only see one of those for one hour. I hope past cruisers can help you with particular cities. Have you narrowed down your choices yet?

notamermaid

Even though the markets open late in morning, if you are in a Christmas market town for a morning tour and afternoon sailing, you should have an hour or so of free time at the end of the tour that will allow you to visit the market before returning to the ship for lunch. I have experienced ships that delayed lunch to allow for that free time.The morning hours in markets are not crowded making for a nice, if not exciting, visit that is great for photography. If your ship overnights in a town, you should have an opportunity to visit the market at night. Careful reading of the itinerary will help understand the timing of the visit.

Christmas markets usually open at 10am or 11am and run until 7pm, 8pm or 9pm. A few close at 10pm even. Depending on which town you are in the market will not be close to the port, i.e. you are docked away from the town centre, like in Nuremberg and Strasbourg for example. To make the most of your time in those ports, spending lots of time at the markets rather than an hour, you might need to skip an afternoon tour. And as Mark_T has already said, beware that the information given can change at short notice. Embarkation day is a particularly tricky one to figure out, for maximum enjoyment you might want to add one or two pre-cruise days. It has been mentioned several times on this board that on a seven day cruise you my see no more than five different towns, i.e. five markets, but that really depends on your itinerary as Cologne city has several markets alone! Yet if you are rushed through the day you might only see one of those for one hour. I hope past cruisers can help you with particular cities. Have you narrowed down your choices yet?

 

notamermaid

Thanks, that is very helpful. We are leaning towards a two day pre tour in Prague (or just go on our own) then join AMAWaterways in Nuremberg to Budapest. Other choice is Uniworld which we've sailed on before. Any suggestions?

Even though the markets open late in morning, if you are in a Christmas market town for a morning tour and afternoon sailing, you should have an hour or so of free time at the end of the tour that will allow you to visit the market before returning to the ship for lunch. I have experienced ships that delayed lunch to allow for that free time.The morning hours in markets are not crowded making for a nice, if not exciting, visit that is great for photography. If your ship overnights in a town, you should have an opportunity to visit the market at night. Careful reading of the itinerary will help understand the timing of the visit.

Thank you. I'm assuming we could stay for the afternoon if we were willing to skip lunch on the ship. I would really like to do an evening market or two.

Lots of good food at the markets!

It gets dark and the lights come on fairly early that time of year. On each of our two market cruises we had a couple evenings for "shopping."

Annc,

We have been on two Christmas / New Year cruises that started in Nuremberg and ended in Budapest. Both times we spent a few days before hand on our own in Nuremberg...easy to get to by train from Frankfurt and the hotel we stayed in was right there inside the old town.(Hotel Victoria). Wandering the markets on our own time without having to worry about catching the shuttle back to the ship was relaxing and enjoyable. We also had the time to explore historical sites without feeling rushed. A €20 cab fare got us to the dock.

RB

Just make sure you sail when the Christmas Market season is on, not before or after! They are actually Advent markets.

Lots of good food at the markets!

It gets dark and the lights come on fairly early that time of year. On each of our two market cruises we had a couple evenings for "shopping."

Perfect! Thank you so much! Did you have a favorite?

Annc,

 

We have been on two Christmas / New Year cruises that started in Nuremberg and ended in Budapest. Both times we spent a few days before hand on our own in Nuremberg...easy to get to by train from Frankfurt and the hotel we stayed in was right there inside the old town.(Hotel Victoria). Wandering the markets on our own time without having to worry about catching the shuttle back to the ship was relaxing and enjoyable. We also had the time to explore historical sites without feeling rushed. A €20 cab fare got us to the dock.

RB

Great tip. We will go a couple days early to adjust to the time change and not be zombies on the first days of the trip. I'll look up the hotel you stayed at. We were thinking of going to Prague, either on our own or as an extension instead of staying in Nuremberg.

Just make sure you sail when the Christmas Market season is on, not before or after! They are actually Advent markets.

Thank you, we will go in early December I believe.

Just make sure you sail when the Christmas Market season is on, not before or after! They are actually Advent markets.

Always good to remember that. Rule of thumb for maximum enjoyment: 1 December till 22 December, very many before that (depends on the year) and a few after that, meaning last day usually 23 December with closure over Christmas, a few reopen after Christmas (exceptions specific to towns possible). Non-touristy small markets may only be open at weekends.

The cities have their Advent market days listed online, often with a separate page within the or even separate from the general tourist pages.

For Prague to Nuremberg transfer please refer to the river ports section or start a new thread with your specific query, lots of past cruisers have done that route.

notamermaid

If you decide to skip lunch on the ship, be sure you know the sailing time. Sometimes sailing takes place during lunch.

If you have days in Prague and are serious about Christmas markets, you should check out a day trip to Dresden. Dresden has one of the most important markets in Europe with great 'Stollen'. Google private tours in Prague. You will find several options for Dresden day trips.

If you have days in Prague and are serious about Christmas markets, you should check out a day trip to Dresden. Dresden has one of the most important markets in Europe with great 'Stollen'. Google private tours in Prague. You will find several options for Dresden day trips.

Another great tip. Thank you so much, I will look into it!

Perfect! Thank you so much! Did you have a favorite?

No way can I pick just one. Many cities have more than just one market.

Annc,

Any chance you have lots of time to spend in both cities? We've been to Prague, but not at Christmas. It too, is a great city.

RB

OP—We did Uniworld’s Nuremberg to Vienna Christmas cruise 2 years ago. We flew into Nuremberg a few days early staying at a hotel within walking distance of the huge market. It was a good move because it allowed us 2 days to enjoy the market, the concerts in the churches and the other entertainment on the square and a few surrounding shops. This cruise also stopped at a town (name escapes me) and we went to a market around a castle which was open into the evening and was lovely. In Vienna we had adequate time to visit several of the markets. Another fun event during the cruise was a sleigh ride thru the Black Forest—they ended up using a wheeled vehicle due to low snow fall but it was still beautiful.

OP—We did Uniworld’s Nuremberg to Vienna Christmas cruise 2 years ago. We flew into Nuremberg a few days early staying at a hotel within walking distance of the huge market. It was a good move because it allowed us 2 days to enjoy the market, the concerts in the churches and the other entertainment on the square and a few surrounding shops. This cruise also stopped at a town (name escapes me) and we went to a market around a castle which was open into the evening and was lovely. In Vienna we had adequate time to visit several of the markets. Another fun event during the cruise was a sleigh ride thru the Black Forest—they ended up using a wheeled vehicle due to low snow fall but it was still beautiful.

Thanks for all the information. I am coping it all to our files.

If you have days in Prague and are serious about Christmas markets, you should check out a day trip to Dresden. Dresden has one of the most important markets in Europe with great 'Stollen'. Google private tours in Prague. You will find several options for Dresden day trips.

If you get a chance to go to Dresden's Christmas Market do it! We were in Dresden this past December also visiting Berlin. After 3 CM cruises Dresden is my favorite my husband loves

Rothenburg.

Second seating

If you get a chance to go to Dresden's Christmas Market do it! We were in Dresden this past December also visiting Berlin. After 3 CM cruises Dresden is my favorite my husband loves

Rothenburg.

 

Second seating

I was reading about Dresden today, it looks wonderful. Will definitely find a way! Thank you!

Thank you. I'm assuming we could stay for the afternoon if we were willing to skip lunch on the ship. I would really like to do an evening market or two.

We just got back from a Rhine CM cruise. Before we went, I thought evening markets would be most festive, and it is indeed nice to get to one or two after dark. However, weather at that time of year is pretty gloomy, and the sparkly lights and festive air really show to advantage at any time of day.

mlld3536,

great to hear that you had a fantastic time (read most of your cruise blog linked from another thread). That is an interesting thought about the weather. While we often have sunny days in December overall natural light is reduced and on gloomy days street lighting can come on in the morning even!

Perhaps the OP might like to check the times of the sunset in Germany (I have put in Passau on the Danube as an example): https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/germany/passau

notamermaid

We missed one and a half Markets. In Bamberg, we left just as the market was opening (11 or 11:30am on a Sunday) I ran through to grab my brat & beer (had to at every market!) while my husband finished up drinking all the rauchbier at the tavern. The other we missed was.... Miltenberg? One town we visited midweek and it was only open on weekends. In that town, we went to a brewery & taven (sense a theme? My husband is an avid homebrewer and that's why we did a mainly German markets itinerary - NUE -BSL) and I had my brat from the butcher/lunch shop :-)

We had no evening markets on our cruise itinerary but had a couple nights in NUE on our own ahead of time and BSL at the end to enjoy those wonderful markets at night....