True, Christmas is in less than a week, but my last five weeks have been looking a lot like Christmas!
For close to a year, I have been working on a Yuletide Markets River Cruise group with clients and we finally traveled! I have experienced Christmas markets in the UK and Ireland, but never the European cities of Budapest, Bratislava, and Vienna. Let me just say I am HOOKED on European Christmas markets!
Just what is a Christmas market? Dating back to the late middle ages (1300-1500’s), these markets celebrated the spirit of Christmas, first in Germanic countries, but now they have spread worldwide. You can expect to see food (pastries, bon bons, fresh baked sweet chimney cakes, langos, potato pancakes, flatbread pizza, gingerbread cookies, and so much more), hot beverages (Gluhwein is a popular option, but there is also hot chocolate, and spiced cider), Christmas music, open-air stalls with unique (and sometimes mass produced) gifts, lights, nativity sets and more. They are festive and filled with merriment! Locals may stop in for their lunch break, but they are a big draw to tourists and you can expect big crowds as it gets closer to Christmas.
Something unique to Christmas markets are the mugs that can be found at most markets. Ceramic mugs have a deposit of 5-10 Euros, plus your beverage. You may then use the mug again for additional drinks and choose to return the mug to get your deposit back, or keep it for a nice souvenir. I managed to bring home seven mugs fromm this trip and now I see it as a challenge to grow my collection each year.
River cruises are one way to visit several cities and enjoy the markets and this itinerary worked well for our group. Unpack once and visit multiple areas is win-win for many of us. To be moored in a city makes it easy to come and go as you please. (I’ve written about river cruising before and you can find that here.)
A benefit of a Christmas market cruise is that the cruiseline takes care of everything. Tours are included and generally they will drop you off at a market and make plans to pick you up again later. When crowds, traffic, and weather might be issues with winter travel, why not let someone else deal with the logistics and you just enjoy?
I find it hard to put into words the magic I found in these markets. Walking through the Vienna markets as snow gently fell; watching Christmas projections on the Basilica in Budapest; the seemingly endless food options in Bratislava. Life-size nativity scenes at each market are a prominent reminder that Christmas centers around the birth of Jesus. Christmas music wafts through the markets and it’s impossible to not get in the holiday spirit.
What do you think? Is Christmas season travel for you? Let’s talk about 2024!
Until then…Merry Christmas!
heywannago 