Sail through Christmas country on this 8-day classic holiday cruise aboard River Queen, 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.
Highlights
Wertheim walking tour with mulled wine and Christmas stollen demonstration
Full-day Rothenburg with walking tour and Christmas market
Activity options vary depending on destination and operator. Activity level is determined by the range and intensity of activities you choose to participate in. Discuss with your Trip Planner which options are best for you.
Arrive at Frankfurt International Airport. If your cruise package includes a group arrival transfer or if you have purchased a private arrival transfer, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to the ship.
Frankfurt is known as the “Mainhattan” of Europe, a financial powerhouse with soaring skyscrapers as well as traditional Old Town architecture. Experience both aspects of the city today, with time to browse the local Christmas market, one of the best on the Continent. Other options include a “Taste of Christmas” walking tour featuring all sorts of sugary and savory treats or an excursion to the Christmas market in Wiesbaden.
Featured Excursion:
Wiesbaden Twinkling Star Christmas market
Choice of Mainhattan walking tour with Christmas market or “Taste of Christmas” Frankfurt walking tour
A special Captain’s Welcome Reception and Dinner will be prepared for you this evening. Please note that most Christmas Markets in Europe end their season on the 23rd of December and will not be available after that date.
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 as they do their daily shopping for fresh bread and sausage in tiny shops. On your guided walking tour of the village, you’ll hear a lot about daily life in Wertheim, as well as facts about the town and its history. Its many well-preserved medieval buildings—complete with low doors and tiny windows—attest to the inconveniences of life in the Middle Ages.
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 friends back home. Beautifully decorated wooden booths are illuminated by the soft glow of Christmas lighting, and the air is filled with the scent of roasted chestnuts and the sound of Christmas carols. One of the best ways to embrace a different culture is through encounters with local residents, which you’ll experience this afternoon in a typical Franconian village. Make new friends over hot drinks and homemade seasonal treats.
Featured Excursion:
Würzburg Residence visit
Choice of Franconian Christmas “Village Day” or Würzburg Christmas Market night stroll
Please note that most Christmas Markets in Europe end their season on the 23rd of December and will not be available after that date.
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 stalls at one of Germany’s oldest Christmas markets.
Featured Excursion: Full-day Rothenburg with walking tour and Christmas market
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 to visit not just one but four Christmas Markets and a captivating amount of nativity scenes located along nativity trail.
Featured Excursion: Bamberg walking tour with Christmas market
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 holidays, as you’ll see for yourself on a panoramic tour guaranteed to put you in a festive mood. You could not ask for a more perfect place to begin an exploration of Christmas traditions than Nuremberg. Stroll through the castle gardens and enjoy breathtaking views of the city, then walk through a maze of cobblestone lanes down to the central Market Square. There, spread out before the Church of Our Lady, is the largest Christmas Market in Germany.
Featured Excursion: Nuremberg city tour with Christmas market
A special Captain’s Welcome Reception and Dinner will be prepared for you this evening.
Day 8: Nuremberg | Disembark
1 Dinner
Disembark the ship. If your cruise package includes a group departure transfer or if you have purchased a private departure transfer, you will be transferred to the Nuremberg International Airport for your flight home.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$3,6992-3 travelers
Rates are dynamic and fluctuate based on capacity. Contact us for a specific quote.
Please confirm embark/disembark locations before reserving flights, as this itinerary operates in reverse on alternating departures.
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Classic
Magnificently appointed riverview stateroom (151 sq ft - 14 sq m) located on Moselle Deck. Handcrafted Savoir Beds of England, built-in closet, safe, hairdryer, individual thermostat, flat TV screen, and bottled water. Marble bathroom with Asprey bath and body products, plush towels, waffle bathrobes, and slippers
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Deluxe
Sumptuously appointed riverview stateroom (151 sq ft - 14 sq m) located on the Danube deck and Main Deck. Handcrafted Savoir Beds of England, built-in closet, safe, hairdryer, individual thermostat, flat TV screen, and bottled water. Marble bathroom with Asprey bath and body products, plush towels, waffle bathrobes, and slippers.
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French Balcony
Luxuriant appointed riverview stateroom (151 sq ft - 14 sq m) located on the Rhine Deck with a French balcony. Handcrafted Savoir Beds of England, built-in closet, safe, hairdryer, individual thermostat, flat TV screen, and bottled water. Marble bathroom with Asprey bath and body products, plush towels, waffle bathrobes, and slippers.
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Suite
Lavishly appointed riverview suite (214 sq ft - 20 sq m) located on the Rhine Deck with a French balcony. Handcrafted Savoir Beds of England, built-in closet, safe, hairdryer, individual thermostat, flat TV screen, and bottled water. Marble bathroom with Hermès bath and body products, plush towels, towel warmer, waffle bathrobes, and slippers. Additional special amenities and services.
Notes
Please Note: Fares are capacity controlled and are subject to change at any time without notice.
- All fares are per guest in US Dollars based on double occupancy unless otherwise noted.
- Single Supplement applies for single accommodation. Solo occupancy pricing is dependent on cabin type, contact us for details.
Initial deposit is 15% of cruise fare plus any additional port charges, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 130 days prior to departure by Check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
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1 day ago
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
1 day ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
1 day ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
6 days ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.