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Classic Christmas Markets

Dec 9 - 16, 2027

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Barbara Ashley

Where in the World Vacations

barba@whereintheworldvacations.com

910-229-5055

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Full Itinerary Daily Overview Pricing

Overview

Discover villages with fairytale houses and a friendly, festive atmosphere. Share traditional holiday goodies with the people who made them. Watch as modern children abandon their usual electronics and discover the enchantment of hand-carved wooden toys, as scents of cinnamon and roasting nuts fill the air. Sail through Christmas country, trying Frankfurt's famous apple cider and Nuremberg's gingerbread. Throughout, cozy up to steaming mugs of glühwein (warm spiced wine) and do as the locals do by collecting different mugs from each stall and town you visit. Embrace the holiday spirit in Germany, the land where many Christmas traditions began, and find the magic of the season in the smiles that you meet along the way. Please note that most Christmas Markets in Europe end their season on the 23rd of December and will not be available after that date.

Trip Details

About Your Cruise Line - UNIWORLD Boutique River Cruises

Sailing With UNIWORLD Boutique River Cruises https://www.youtube.com/embed/dsjAErjSYgk Leading the Way since 1976 We were the first American company to set sail in Europe, and we’ve been revolutionizing the landscape of river cruising ever since. ...

About Your Ship - S.S. Audrey

About Your Cruise on S.S. Audrey Get to Know S.S. Audrey Set to sail the Rhine River and its Dutch tributaries, the next member of our Super ShipTM fleet is named for an acclaimed actress born in this region: beloved 1960s film star Audrey Hepburn...

Day 1 · Thu, Dec 9 · Frankfurt, Germany

Frankfurt

12:00AM

Arrive at Frankfurt International Airport. If you have arranged a Uniworld arrival transfer, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to the ship.

Day 2 · Fri, Dec 10 · Frankfurt, Germany

Frankfurt

12:00AM

Frankfurt is known as the “Mainhattan” of Europe, a financial powerhouse with soaring skyscrapers, but that’s done nothing to diminish the cultural heart of the city. Frankfurt’s old town, the Altstadt, is as charming as it gets, and has hosted so...

Included Excursion: “Taste of Christmas” Frankfurt Walking Tour

What better way to begin your holiday cruise than by sampling some of the seasonal specialties of this region? Join your local expert for an exploration of Frankfurt’s culinary delicacies, including holiday treats such as bethmännchen, a marzipan-...

Included Experience: Wiesbaden Twinkling Star Christmas Market

The Sternschnuppenmarkt (or “Twinkling Star”) Christmas Market in Wiesbaden is a delight for visitors young and young at heart, festively decorated and well-organized, with a colorful stage and a good mix of friendly vendors. There’s also a one-of...

Day 3 · Sat, Dec 11 · Wertheim, Germany

Wertheim

12:00AM

Located at the confluence of the Tauber and Main rivers, Wertheim is a lovely village dating back over a thousand years. It epitomizes the friendly, slow-paced small-town atmosphere of many German villages; here, residents greet each other by name...

Included excursion: Wertheim Walking Tour with Mulled Wine and Christmas Stollen Demonstration

While you're still onboard, enjoy a cup of mulled wine and join a stollen (traditional German fruitcake) baking demonstration by a master baker. Then venture into town where you’ll see the dramatic ruins of Wertheim Castle standing high above the ...

Day 4 · Sun, Dec 12 · Würzburg, Germany

Würzburg

12:00AM

This morning, you’ll head off to see the Würzburg Residence, a baroque-style palace famous for its gigantic ceiling fresco. Later, visit the town’s renowned Christmas Market, held in front of the old City Hall, for some one-of-a-kind gifts for fri...

Included excursion: Würzburg Residence Visit

This 300-room UNESCO World Heritage–designated residence was constructed over a period of 60 years in the 18th century. An extraordinarily lavish palace, it was created under the auspices of two Schönborn prince-bishops, Lothar Franz and Friedrich...

Included Excursion: Franconian Christmas

Travel through Franconia’s rolling hills and farms to the picture-perfect village of Aschfeld, which features a historic church with a defensive wall that protected residents throughout the Middle Ages, After your visit to the Heimatmuseum at the ...

Included Excursion: Würzburg Christmas Market Night Stroll

Just before dinner, we'll take a walk together to Würzburg’s glorious Christmas Market, which is held in the square in front of the old City Hall. Beautifully decorated wooden booths are illuminated by the soft glow of Christmas lighting, and the ...

Day 5 · Mon, Dec 13 · Kitzingen, Germany

Kitzingen

12:00AM

Rothenburg looks like something straight out of the pages of a storybook, with its medieval walls, cobbled streets, Gothic churches, and Hansel-and-Gretel houses. Join a local expert for an insightful walking tour, and then wander amongst the stal...

Included Excursion: Full-Day Rothenburg with Walking Tour and Christmas Market

Rothenburg really does look like a fairytale version of the Middle Ages. Great stone walls surrounding the medieval core stand tall, linking towers, bastions, and parapets, and timber-framed houses decked out for the holidays line the narrow cobbl...

Day 6 · Tue, Dec 14 · Bamberg, Germany

Bamberg

12:00AM

The fact that Bamberg still exists today is something of a miracle—it survived WWII bombing virtually unscathed. It’s a superb example of a medieval German city, one compact enough to explore on foot with a local expert. You’ll also have free time...

Included Excursion: Bamberg Walking Tour with Christmas Market

The entire heart of historic Bamberg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; it is yours to explore today. In the splendid late-Romanesque Imperial Cathedral you will find the only papal tomb in Germany, that of Pope Clement II (who was the bishop of Bam...

Day 7 · Wed, Dec 15 · Nuremberg, Germany

Nuremberg

12:00AM

For a holiday extravaganza, look no further than Nuremberg, which boasts the largest and grandest Christmas Market in all of Germany— and that’s really saying something. The “Gingerbread Capital of the World” pulls out all the stops during the hol...

Included Excursion: Nuremberg City Tour with Christmas Market

Beautiful at any time, Nuremberg’s Old Town is especially magical when dressed in all of its holiday splendor. Stroll through the castle gardens and enjoy breathtaking views of the city, then walk through a maze of cobblestone lanes down to the ce...

Included Excursion: Nights Out - Christmas Market Illuminations

You’ve seen Europe’s most iconic Christmas Market by day, now it’s time to appreciate it by night. After dinner, bundle up and head off ship to browse the endless rows of stalls peddling handcrafted goods and seasonal treats, grab a hot mulled win...

Day 8 · Thu, Dec 16 · Nuremberg, Germany

Nuremberg

12:00AM

Disembark the ship. If you have arranged a Uniworld departure transfer, you will be transferred to the Nuremberg International Airport for your flight home. Nuremberg is a medieval city located in northern Bavaria in Germany. It is Bavaria's secon...