Benefits of Taking a Christmas Market River Cruise as a Family

Does your family love the holiday season? Do you wish you could travel and experience Christmas in different destinations? Well, what if I told you that you could?? There are so many possibilities when it comes to taking a family vacation and experiencing the holidays in destinations around the world. One of my family’s favorite ways to experience Christmas in different destinations is by visiting Christmas markets. You can easily visit Christmas markets in one destination. However, a Christmas market river cruise will allow you to explore the holiday markets in numerous destinations. And you won’t need to pack and unpack your suitcase, because your accommodations are right on the riverboat! If you need more encouragement to take one of these river cruises, here are some more benefits.

Benefits of Taking a Christmas Market River Cruise as a Family

Experience Different Christmas Cultures

Every part of the world seems to have different cultures and traditions for Christmas. You can easily experience many of them as a family when you take a Christmas market river cruise. Most ships include visits to multiple cathedrals and abbeys while in port.

The best part is the crew members on the ship are always willing to share their holiday traditions. You may even get to participate in a few of them while on board!

One of my favorite places to cruise and check out the Christmas markets in Germany. You can read about some of the best German Christmas markets here.

See Destinations Without the Crowds

Summer is a popular time to vacation in Europe. However, when you take the time to go on a Christmas market river cruise as a family, you can see many of the same sights without the summer tourists.

Yes, people will be there for the markets. But the atmosphere is quite different. People are in the holiday spirit as they gather with family and friends to make memories.

When you are not shopping at a market, you will have little time to explore museums and other nearby attractions. Those are practically empty during the holiday season.

Sweet Treats

Can you imagine a vacation where you can indulge in all sorts of sweet treats with your family? I can and honestly, I have!

Here are a few of the common sweet treats you will find at Christmas markets:

• Schmalzkuchen – Balls of fried dough rolled in sugar. They are normally available in vanilla and lemon flavors.
• Lebkuchen – These are gingerbread cookies that are normally shaped like hearts. Sometimes they are covered with chocolate or sugar icing.
• Pfannkuchen – Crepes filled with Nutella, cream, or fruit. Maybe all three!
• Heibe Schokolade – Hot chocolate.
• Maroni – Roasted chestnuts.

You should also keep an eye out for potato pancakes, which are also called kartoffelpfannkuchen. Potato dumplings are popular too. You may see them labeled as kartoffelknodel.

Lots of Mulled Wine

Okay, so if you have younger kids, they might not be as excited about the mulled wine as you are. However, you can drink it at every Christmas market if you want. They can simply have hot chocolate or heibe schokolade! Or you can find them a nonalcoholic version of the mulled wine at certain vendors.

Every vendor has their own mulled wine, or gluhwein, recipe. Most of the time, it is some type of red wine mixed with oranges, cinnamon, and cloves.

It’s delicious and warm and will help you through all the holiday shopping you still need to do!

No Shoveling Snow

Your Christmas market river cruise may be full of snow. You simply won’t need to shovel any of it while on your family vacation!

Okay, so there is no guarantee you will actually have snow while on your family river cruise. Sometimes it snows. And sometimes it doesn’t.

Embrace whatever happens and enjoy the fact you don’t need to deal with the snow if it does fall.

Decorations and Ambiance

The ambiance of destinations changes once the Christmas decorations are put up. They change even more as soon as the Christmas markets open for business.

Imagine the fun, laughter, and celebrations you can have with your family when you embrace traveling during the holiday season. Family pictures can be taken in front of stalls or within medieval city centers.

Add in the roasting chestnuts, warm fire pits, and Christmas trees, and you may never want to leave until the holidays are officially over!

You may be wondering how these six things equal the benefits of taking a Christmas market river cruise as a family. Well, they all allow you to travel together and make memories you will cherish for a lifetime. If you have ever wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of real life during the holiday season, a river cruise is one of your best options. I wrote a blog post about tips you need to be aware of when choosing to take a Christmas market cruise. Read it here to learn more about this amazing way to travel as a family.

So, are you ready to book a fabulous Christmas market river cruise as a family?

If you said yes, I would like to invite you to schedule a time for us to chat by clicking here. When you click on this link, you will be taken directly to my digital calendar to schedule a time that is convenient for you. During our call, we can discuss all the upcoming Christmas market cruises and I can book yours immediately.

If you are not quite ready to book your Christmas market river cruise for your family, you can always sign up for my newsletter here. This will ensure you always receive the travel information I share throughout the year.