Christmas Markets Holidays

Celebrate the festive season this year on one of 120 uniquely tailored tours & river cruises showcasing Europe's renowned Christmas Markets. Take a river cruise along the Danube and the Rhine to soak up the culture of Europe’s historic Christmas Markets in quaint town centres and palace squares, filled with modern and traditional stalls and the aroma of mulled wine and Christmas baking.

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15 Days Amsterdam to Budapest

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9 Days Munich to Zurich

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8 Days Munich to Budapest

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15 Days Budapest to Amsterdam

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Discover Must do highlights on a tour of Europe's Christmas Markets

Rothenburg and the Romantic Road

Rothenburg and the Romantic Road

Visit picturesque Rothenburg on the Romantic Road with cobblestoned streets, and alleyways filled with quaint Christmas Markets stalls. The Christmas Shop is famous for its stunning displays.

Christmas Market River Cruise

Christmas Market River Cruise

River cruise along Europe's mighty rivers, crossing up to five countries, stopping along the way to enjoy the colourful Christmas markets, from Budapest to Paris.

Vienna's Christmas Dream Market

Vienna's Christmas Dream Market

There are many Christmas markets in Vienna but the Vienna Christmas Dream Market, in front of the City Hall, offers an unforgettable winter festive scene.

Warm Christmas Treats

Warm Christmas Treats

Roasted chestnuts, mulled wine or steaming hot chocolate; decorative cookies and pastries, warm and fresh from the bakery. Sample each region's unique festive specialities as you explore the Christmas Markets for trinkets and trimmings for your tree.

Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg, France

Take a walking tour of the Christkindlmarkt, host to 300 wooden stalls that light up the heart of the World heritage-listed Grande Île. Fairly lights and Christmas cheer light up this ever popular French Christmas market.

Recent Reviews What our clients are saying about their European Christmas Market tours

Advent on the Rhine   , VIC, Australia, Dec 2023
We would have to say that we could NOT fault the ship Amados Riva. The standard of the food in the restaurant and the buffet was of high standard and quality like a 5 star venue. The rooms were beautiful and the ship was new and made you feel special. The Staff was very friendly and extremely helpful, in all we would not hesitate to recommend this ...read more company to travel with, and we would be happy to book our next cruise again with them, and booking with Global Journeys also made it smooth. They always replied to emails promptly and they were easy to keep in contact with. A Happy Traveler!
Great cruising vessel, new and clean and modern and spacious   , WA, Australia, Dec 2023
A lovely cruise with TravelMarvel. Unfortunately the water levels were too high in parts but the Tour Director and Ship's Captain were amazing in rearrangement the itinerary at short notice to accommodate as many Christmas markets as possible. Our docking was always walking distance to the attractions. Just too much food!
Relaxing and interesting cruise through heart of Europe   , TAS, Australia, Nov 2023
We booked this cruise mid year, our first ever river cruise, to see parts of Europe we hadn't previously been to. Also for the xmas markets. The first part of our expectations was absolutely met, but for the first few days, Xmas markets were few and far between. It was a little too early it seems. I'm not sure how much information the cruise company ...read more gets about the markets, but I know there were a lot of disappointed people.

The crew were fantastic, I couldn't fault them, they gave 110% but there was still a feeling that we should have had more information before leaving and maybe a couple of the locations for tours might have been better, particularly the Cathedral at Krems. This tour was a bit of a non event as much of the building was closed. The Vienna concert evening was expensive for what it was and not particularly well organised, there was a lot of standing around before people were shown to their seats, not good for over passengers. The concert was also very short. We did another one in Vienna a week later, half the cost and lasted another 40 minutes.

All the tour guides were great though. Very informative and often funny. Great history lessons to be had. The food was excellent, varied and plentiful for a first time cruiser, there were some old hands who had done multiple cruises that didn't agree, so maybe that needs looking at. The entertainment was fun and well done, Dressen was always on the go making sure everyone was happy.

Janina worked really hard to ensure everyone was informed and catered for. Her port talks were excellent. I would have liked to have seen more scenery as we sailed along , most of our movements were done at night, possibly partly because of the shorter days too. All in all it was great , we both enjoyed it very much.
Our first river cruise experience was nothing but AMAZING!   , WA, Australia, Dec 2022
We would like to thank Toni our travel advisor at Global Journeys & the rest of the Avalon Tranquility 2 crew for making our holiday cruise getaway a memorable and relaxing experience. From getting in touch with yourself to enquire at first, to sorting out our trip, I couldn’t believe how easy everything was.

Onboard the cruise, EVERY crew member ...read more made sure we are ALWAYS looked after and they even made time decorating our room & making a cake to celebrate my birthday. Every place we went throughout the cruise was remarkable and we also loved the part where we were given ample time to be able to roam around & explore each town/place on our own without having to rush. Overall the experience was delightful and we can hand on heart say it will not be our first & last as we will definitely book with you again in the future.

Explore More Your guide to travelling

7 Festive Foods to Enjoy at the European Christmas Markets

18 June, 2018

7 Festive Foods to Enjoy at the European Christmas Markets

Indulging in rich and delicious food and drink is a quintessential part of the experience when you visit traditional European Christmas Markets. Truth be known, it is the coldest time of year in Europe and when you come from the Southern Hemisphere you will be feeling it. Layered clothing and...

Explore Six Festive European Christmas Markets with Albatross

15 June, 2018

Explore Six Festive European Christmas Markets with Albatross

If you are travelling to Europe over the festive season you need to visit to one of the beautiful Christmas Markets. The Christmas Market tradition dates back to the middle ages, and are an important event on the European festive season calendar for locals in current times too. Enjoy An...

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