When Do Christmas Markets Start?

[cruisingmimi]

We did our first Christmas Markets river cruise w/ GCT this past December and loved every minute of it! We are thinking of doing another one this year as we have some friends that would like to go who have not river cruised b4.

 

I wondered if anyone could tell me when the markets will open this year. I know it coincides w/ the Advent season but not sure of the dates.

 

Also considering the Prague/Budapest cruise this year as we did the Danube in Dec. Has anyone done Christmas Markets in Prague or Budapest? I wondered if there was a comparison between the 2.

 

It's such a fun experience!

 

Thanks to all.

 

Mary

[BigGuy25]

I'm also looking forward to the responses to this thread. We did our first river cruise in the fall of 2008 and loved it. We've been saying that we think we'd enjoy a Christmas Markets cruise.

[RET P3 FE]

I believe they usually start November 23rd

[franski]

They usually start around the beginning of Advent. I just checked one of the websites (check the Roll call for Christmas markets - as there are a couple of links in there...) - and the start dates are a bit varied. Earliest I could see was \november 19th - but most start on the 22nd or 23rd of november.

[steamboats]

In Germany the Christmas Markets usually start on Friday night prior to the first of Advent which is Friday Nov 26th this year. Other countries are starting earlier (Budapest is usually early, this year it´s Friday Nov 19th).

 

steamboats

[ea6b5]

Which of all the cruises are availabe is the best for a Europe Chirstmas Market cruise? Starting from where to where and cannot go for more than 8-9 days. This working soul can only get so many days off, so I would like to hear which one would be the best bang for the buck!

[caviargal]

Avalon has a 7 night "Christmas in Germany" itinerary with stops in Wurzurg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Miltenberg, Wetheim and a visit to Rothenburg ober der Tauer. We did this trip last year and liked it; nice variety of ports, lovely ship. It was our first river cruise so we wanted a shorter itinerary and we began our trip with 4 nights in Berlin.

 

We have been to the markets now four times (3 on land trips) and always leave the states on Thanksgiving Day. They are open when we arrive and most close on Christmas Eve. Some smaller towns have markets that only open certain days or hours so it depends where you visit and when in terms of what will be open.

[UKBayern]

Nürnberg is the most famous one in Germany.

[RET P3 FE]

Which of all the cruises are availabe is the best for a Europe Chirstmas Market cruise? Starting from where to where and cannot go for more than 8-9 days. This working soul can only get so many days off, so I would like to hear which one would be the best bang for the buck!

 

 

Check out GCT "Christmas on the Danube",9 days, less the $2,000 pp including air fm NY. Only 3 optionals on the cruise(Documentation center in Nurnberg, Salzburg and concert in Vienna.

We went last year and enjoyed so much that we rebooked the same trip for this December

[brownblonde]

For those who don't have a lot of time, check out going to Chicago. Daley Sq has one. Plenty of the food you get in Europe and also the famous Kathy Woffert store has one set up there. guewine also Don't have to worry about the euro. Just a thought, besides Chicago has a lot to see.

[RET P3 FE]

For those who don't have a lot of time, check out going to Chicago. Daley Sq has one. Plenty of the food you get in Europe and also the famous Kathy Woffert store has one set up there. guewine also Don't have to worry about the euro. Just a thought, besides Chicago has a lot to see.

 

 

Trivia

 

For those of you that have been to the Nurnberg market

This Christmas messenger from Nuremberg is even known as far away as in the USA. The Chicago "Christkindlmarket" which was established in 1996 and is modelled on the Nuremberg market, is opened every year by the previous year's Nuremberg Christmas Angel – with the prologue spoken in English.

[cruisingmimi]

Thank you all for the info. I will check out the itins. to see which ones will be open when we want to go.

 

Ret P3 FE: we did the same cruise w/ GCT last year. It was so wonderful. We did the optional Nuremberg, Salzburg, & Vienna concert also. Loved every minute of it.

 

We went 12/1-12/8. When did you go?

 

Mary

[RET P3 FE]

We went 12/10-12/19 (give or take a day) Nurnberg to Vienna. We had snow in Nurnberg and Salzburg and very cold/windy in Passau

We're going again this year 11/30-12/8 same itinerary.We'll probably skip the concert in Regensburg and go to the Thurn and Taxis palace market,also skipping Melk Abbey and Vienna concert.

In a way I'm a little upset over the flights to there as we don't land until 2:56 in the afternoon,however we're flying during normal sleep hours which means we'll "hit the ground running"

[cruisingmimi]

We missed each other by a week! LOL

No snow in Nurnberg and only what we saw in the distance on the Swiss Alps. Passau was a nice day. Many people did the palace market and said it was wonderful, wished we had gone there. Some took taxis after the concert.

 

I think that's better to arrive in the pm so you won't have jet lag. We got there 10 am and had to wait for our cabins, etc. so you feel like the day is wasted anyways.

 

Enjoy your cruise. We haven't decided yet whether we'll go. GCT called me the other day to tell me they had some specials but it was mid Nov. - like the 11th or 13th so I am not sure it would be during Christmas Markets. I haven't checked the later dates when the markets will be alive. We are leaving Thurs. for our 1st Alaska cruise so I have been packing and doing last minute stuff.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Mary

[Willsot]

Most German Christmas markets start the last week in November and run up to Christmas eve.

[cruisingmimi]

Thank you all for your information.

 

Mary

[brownblonde]

For those of you that would like to give up river boats, go to Chester Country Travel.com and our beautiful T/A has a great trip going. We did it in 2006. The guide is from Germany many yrs. ago and we have traveled many times with him. He goes to the less advertised mkts that are real neat. You really see the locals there not all the planned tours. Can't beat her trips first class and so friendly.

[caviargal]

For those of you that would like to give up river boats, go to Chester Country Travel.com and our beautiful T/A has a great trip going. We did it in 2006. The guide is from Germany many yrs. ago and we have traveled many times with him. He goes to the less advertised mkts that are real neat. You really see the locals there not all the planned tours. Can't beat her trips first class and so friendly.

 

 

Have you done both to actually compare? Christmas markets are not "planned tours" and are not staged for the benefit of river cruise passengers. You are not forced to follow tour guides and tours are actually short and do not focus on the markets. We research the port and often will hop on a train or bus to visit another near by town or village that looks interesting. One can be adventurous quite easily, just as on a planned land tour.

 

We have been to the markets a number of times by land on our own in Germany and Austria and once on a river cruise and find that the larger and more popular markets are every bit as interesting as the small, just different. We have seen wonderful entertainment at the main market in Munich, were in the middle of a Good Santa - Bad Santa interaction in Salzburg, followed a "burning" wagon laden with revelers down the streets of Salzburg one afternoon when we got caught up in the festivities and discovered dozens of children dressed as Santa giving out candy to other children on December 6th, a major holiday, in Garmisch.

 

There is charm and wonder everywhere, one just has to be open to it.

[caviargal]

For anyone interested, here is a link to my husband's photos of our Avalon Christmas market cruise:

 

http://www.davidgphotoart.net/

 

Click any photo to enter the site, then choose "Slideshows" at the top of the page, and there is a link to Avalon Germany Cruise 2009.

[txladycruiser]

For anyone interested, here is a link to my husband's photos of our Avalon Christmas market cruise:

 

http://www.davidgphotoart.net/

 

Click any photo to enter the site, then choose "Slideshows" at the top of the page, and there is a link to Avalon Germany Cruise 2009.

 

 

Nice photos!! Wish either my husband or I were professional photographers!!

 

 

Karen

[brownblonde]

For anyone interested, here is a link to my husband's photos of our Avalon Christmas market cruise:

 

http://www.davidgphotoart.net/

 

Click any photo to enter the site, then choose "Slideshows" at the top of the page, and there is a link to Avalon Germany Cruise 2009.

This photo's were really lovely. I know I reconized some areas. Your weather along the river looked like our experience on the Rhine,Main,Danube Oct/Nov 2004. Looking forward to seeing it in the summer. Have also been in Sept when the grapes were being harvested. All those towns are just so cute.

Eleanor