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Christmas along the Rhine - off the beaten path suggestions


Dreamin
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Christmas Markets along the Rhine- Need some suggestions of off the beaten path, special sites/food recommendations for the following stops:

Basel

Kaysersberg

Riquewihr

Strasbourg

Speyer and/or optional tour to Heidelberg (which should we do?)

Mainz or optional tour to Frankfurt (which should we do?)

Koblenz

Amsterdam

Also, we are staying in Amsterdam for an extra day. We want to enjoy some good local cuisine - any recommendations? We are staying near Amsterdam Central.

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Also, we are staying in Amsterdam for an extra day. We want to enjoy some good local cuisine - any recommendations? We are staying near Amsterdam Central.

 

I would recommend an Indonesian rice table (rijsttafel). We've gotten good food and service at a reasonable price at Indrapura on Rembrandtplein, but there are lots of options.

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Hello Dreamin,

 

Riquewihr is just great as a small place all year round, enjoy.

 

I prefer Mainz as a town, but really like the Frankfurt Christmas market. A difficult choice. The Christmas market in Mainz is probably also good. I think I might stay in Mainz to also include a visit to the Gutenberg Museum if I had the time.

 

In Koblenz I am not so keen on the market at Forum, it is tiny, the only interesting thing is the stand with the Hungarian leather, if it is there this year. The only one I like is the Jesuitenplatz and the crib at the Rathaus (go through the arches and see the "spitting" fountain). Probably my favourite shop is Café Baumann on Löhrstrasse, a little out of the way, cross the Friedrich-Ebert-Ring and go towards the main station. It is a coffee house full of cake and chocolate. Forget the Schloss (castle), unless you really want to take a photo of the facade. For views of Ehrenbreitstein stand on the Balduinbridge spanning the Moselle river. One of my favourite walks is coming into town via the Balduin bridge and passing under the arches "Im Paradies" with the art nouveau mural where you will find the Christmas market on Münzplatz (a square). There is a place I quite like called Kaffeewirtschaft. One of my favourites and truly German is the Altes Brauhaus near the Liebfrauenkirche.

 

For spectacular views of Koblenz head up to Ehrenbreitstein fortress (remember it gets dark early), if the cable cars aren't running and the ship cannot help with a shuttle or included excursion it is worth getting a taxi IMO.

 

If you like museums and old paintings the Mittlerheinmuseum in Koblenz does have some nice stuff.

 

Try Glühwein and the sausages, ask what the meat is, I have seen venison and wild boar offered, but they are not standard fare. Worth trying out if you have not had it before.

 

I like potato cakes and apple compote which can be had at almost any Christmas market in Germany, I should think.

 

Over to the experienced Rhine cruisers, I am a land trip girl, this being my home turf.

 

notamermaid

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xmaser,

 

I need to differ on this from a history point of view. Speyer is considered the one with more overall importance and impact for Germany as being the emperor's city whereas Heidelberg would be considered as a city of "king and university". Yet, a foreigner I would always advice to go to Heidelberg for history to see. So, I agree with you there. :)

 

And for food and café culture I should think Heidelberg has more to offer it being filled with students and tourists...

 

notamermaid

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notamermaid - I agree that an imperial city is very important. The story of the Emperors going to the Battle of Leipsic (sic) in 1813 is one of my favorite German legends. Sadly, remnants are almost non-existent; relics in the basement of the museum (certainly fine ones) and portions of the great cathedral are all I was able to find. As an historian I was keenly interested in 'Imperial Speyer' and disappointed in the meager leavings (thanks mainly to the French). I was the only person on the ship to visit the museum. And, I have recommended visiting those sites in Speyer. The town is a very pleasant visit with a small Chrismas Market.

 

For the tourist (foreigner or otherwise) I still think Heidelberg the more impressive site. In my family and my originally Germanic community, Heidelberg is part of the cultural memory. Undeservedly, Speyer was never mentioned.

 

I always appreciate and look forward to your posts. :)

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How much time will you be docked in Speyer? They have a very interesting Technical Museum. Trains and planes and automobiles along with motorcycles spaceships and boats. If this is your thing, it's several hours. Then there is the cathedral, Jewish Quarter, and small but nice Christmas market.

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How much time will you be docked in Speyer? They have a very interesting Technical Museum. Trains and planes and automobiles along with motorcycles spaceships and boats. If this is your thing, it's several hours. Then there is the cathedral, Jewish Quarter, and small but nice Christmas market.

 

If you dock in Mainz there is a lot to see in addition to the Christmas Market and Guttenburg Museum. There is also a Roman Ship Museum and the Chagall stained glass windows at ST. Stephens church. Last year they also had a large walkthrough exhibit of ice carvings. Put on your walking shoes!

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Thanks for so much info!

We will be docked in Speyer all day and part of the next morning - maybe we can do both Speyer and Heidelberg!

 

Where are the Ice Carvings in Mainz? Near the Cathedral?

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Thanks for so much info!

We will be docked in Speyer all day and part of the next morning - maybe we can do both Speyer and Heidelberg!

Avalon splits its tours and offers a half day in each. Our cruise was a little off because we had to dock unexpectedly in Mannheim, so were offered a full day excursion to Heidelberg, or do a morning excursion to Speyer and an afternoon excursion to Heidelberg. We actually opted to stay on the boat in the morning and take the afternoon excursion to Heidelberg because we didn’t want to have so much time on buses. In Heidelberg, there was an included tour of the Castle but we skipped that. We took the bus with the tour group but told the guide we would be leaving before the tour started. We walked down the stairs from the bus drop-off at the Castle (the tour took the bus from the Castle down to the Old Town so you didn’t have to walk if you didn’t want to, but since we were skipping the tour, we did our own thing). We explored on our own for a few hours – this town is gorgeous and the Market was fun – before meeting the tour group & guide back at the bus to head back to the boat.

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Avalon splits its tours and offers a half day in each. Our cruise was a little off because we had to dock unexpectedly in Mannheim, so were offered a full day excursion to Heidelberg, or do a morning excursion to Speyer and an afternoon excursion to Heidelberg. We actually opted to stay on the boat in the morning and take the afternoon excursion to Heidelberg because we didn’t want to have so much time on buses. In Heidelberg, there was an included tour of the Castle but we skipped that. We took the bus with the tour group but told the guide we would be leaving before the tour started. We walked down the stairs from the bus drop-off at the Castle (the tour took the bus from the Castle down to the Old Town so you didn’t have to walk if you didn’t want to, but since we were skipping the tour, we did our own thing). We explored on our own for a few hours – this town is gorgeous and the Market was fun – before meeting the tour group & guide back at the bus to head back to the boat.

 

That sounds like a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion!

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IF you should dock in Mannheim and don't want to ride busses, consider walking through Mannheim. The restored Schloss is magnificent and the Christmas markets are a good visit. The market in the Paradeplatz is a children's fairytale forest; the Kapuzinerplanken is a crafts and fine arts market (very nice); the Friedrichsplatz at the Wasserturm is the Mannheimer Weinachtsmarkt, a traditional Christmas market. All are easy walking within the altstadt and would easily fill a long morning.

There is also a market in Ludwigshafen across the Rhine - I haven't been to that one.

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Thanks for so much info!

We will be docked in Speyer all day and part of the next morning - maybe we can do both Speyer and Heidelberg!

 

Where are the Ice Carvings in Mainz? Near the Cathedral?

 

No, last year they were near the Bahnhof, in the old bus station. It was a little tricky to find as we went from St. Stephens church. It was much easier to get back to the ship from the exhibit . . .

 

Ask your program director for a map and route to take, print a map(make sure it shows the river, cathedral, and Bahnhof) or get a map on board. If it has St. Stephens, so much the better. All of those are walkable if you are moderately active. We got a bit lost, so get directions.

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Hello Dreamin,

 

Notamermaid - thanks so much for all of the info! Is it ok if I ask more specifics as I think of them? You are a wealth of knowledge!

 

happy to help, ask away but I fear I have told you almost all I know about the towns you mentioned. Strasbourg, Basel and Amsterdam are still on by bucket list, never been there.

 

I noticed you did not include Cologne in your list, are you not stopping there?

 

CPTTrips has recommended the ice carvings. I saw a short report on them last year on television. Looks impressive. I think I have found the website for them: http://eiswelt-mainz.de/ It says they are in Altes Postlager which is not far from and I think behind the main station. Sounds like an old postal sorting office or something, so a big place I suppose.

 

You have not mentioned the dates when you are travelling but if you happen to behind on the Rhine on Nikolaus day you I hope they give you a treat on the ship. It is only supposed to be for children but fun for adults too, brings out the inner child. :)

 

One thing that is certainly off the beaten track is the small railway museum in Koblenz-Lützel. They store mainly saloon (i.e. VIP) railway carriages and electric engines in there. On 10 December they get a visit from "Nikolaus" (nicely dressed up as the real Nikolaus, not a Santa Claus) with special treats for the children and other specials, like a model railway, for the day. Such fun for railway enthusiasts. Only German language available: https://www.dbmuseum.de/museum_de/standorte/dbmuseum_koblenz/veranstaltungen_koblenz/14908660/Programm_Koblenz.html?start=0&itemsPerPage=20

 

notamermaid

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Oh dear, bad English this morning. Corrections for post above: ... on my bucket list... ... if you happen to be on the Rhine ...

Sorry!

 

Speyer museum (the one in town, not the technical one) has an exhibition on Richard Lionheart, if that appeals to you: http://museum.speyer.de/en/current-exhibitions/richard-the-lionheart/ A new exhibition (designed for the whole family) on that probably most famous of British legends is starting in November: http://museum.speyer.de/en/vorschau/robin-hood/

 

notamermaid

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Both exhibits run into next year, exact dates are in the links. I have had another look at Mainz. The ice sculptures are in front of the Altes Postlager according to another link on the website. It is not clear how big the place is - looks like a massive kind of tent - but the picture gallery of last year looks impressive. I spoke to a local here yesterday who told me that if the ice sculpture is anything like the one she saw in France it is really good. She also finds the Mainz Christmas market nice.

 

notamermaid

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