United Kingdom
USAMany of the world’s best Christmas markets lie along the Rhine River – and a festive cruise onboard Riverside Debussy allows you to see them all in serious style.
Many of the world’s best Christmas markets lie along the Rhine River – and a festive cruise onboard Riverside Debussy allows you to see them all in serious style.
This week-long festive odyssey begins and ends in Frankfurt, where the sprawling Christkindlmarkt has been running since 1393, complete with a towering Spruce tree at its heart. From here, the itinerary sweeps you through imperial Mannheim, where one of Europe’s largest Baroque palaces is around the corner from a market of more than 200 stalls, and into Speyer, a 2,000-year-old town with Roman origins where fairy-lit chalets cluster between medieval gates and the great Kaiserdom Cathedral, built, extraordinarily, in 1030!
Kehl adds a touch of small-town charm after the scale of Strasbourg and Basel – the former home to one of Europe’s oldest markets attracting millions of visitors each year, the latter with 160 wooden chalets selling warming Swiss raclette and läckerli (traditional Swiss gingerbread).
SET SAIL
Duration: 6 nights
Where: Frankfurt, Germany | Mannheim | Speyer | Strasbourg, France | Basel, Switzerland | Kehl | Mannheim | Frankfurt
When: Late November & December 2025
Ship: Riverside Debussy
Price: From £4,405pp (premium all-inclusive with excursions)
Christmas holidays are a busy time for most, so if you’re limited on time but are still looking to get away for a merry mini break, this three-night sailing is the answer, combining magical markets of Germany and Switzerland in just a few days. Start in Frankfurt, before sailing south to Mannheim and Speyer. Mannheim’s international market unfurls around its iconic water tower, filled with everything from Hungarian lángos (fried bread) to Nordic knitwear, while Speyer’s half-timbered lanes glow with stalls selling authentic German pretzels and Pfälzer wine.
A full day in Strasbourg – often referred to as the ‘Capital of Christmas’ – allows you to browse the enormous Christkindelsmärik, admire the vast Christmas tree, and still find time for the city’s chic boutiques and French pâtisseries. A final stop comes in Basel, a European cultural melting pot where Switzerland, France and Germany meet, and whose market has been crowned one of the most beautiful in Europe.
SET SAIL
Duration: 3 nights
Where: Frankfurt, Germany | Mannheim | Speyer | Strasbourg, France | Basel/ Huningue
When: Late November & December 2025
Ship: Riverside Debussy
Price: From £2,088pp (premium all-inclusive with excursions)
Heading north from Switzerland, this six-night sailing gives the full spectrum of Christmas along the Rhine – from the quaint small town feel of Kehl to the grand spectacle of Cologne.
Explore Mainz illuminated beneath its Romanesque dome, where an 11-metre Christmas pyramid depicts the nativity scene in twirling tiers of carved wood. In Bonn, the birthplace of Beethoven, a Christmas market spreads across central Münsterplatz beneath the composer’s statue, where a nearby Ferris wheel and generous ice rink add to the city’s festive buzz.
Cologne is a serious showstopper come Christmas time – home to seven themed markets, including the iconic stalls underneath the twin spires of its Gothic cathedral, to the riverside ‘Harbour Market’ – as well as fantastic entertainment in the form of more than 100 stage shows. The journey closes in Düsseldorf, where the central ‘Altstadt’ transforms into a labyrinth of wooden chalets.
SET SAIL
Duration: 6 nights
When: Late November & December 2025
Where: Basel/ Huningue, Switzerland | Kehl, Germany | Mannheim | Frankfurt | Mainz | Bonn | Cologne | Düsseldorf
Ship: Riverside Debussy
Price: From £4,502pp (premium all-inclusive with excursions)
Perhaps it’s your first time on a river cruise – or maybe you just want a festive escape without committing to a full week away – then this three-night sailing delivers concentrated magic.
Over just a few days, you’ll drift between storybook towns and lively cities, each dressed in glittering lights and alive with the warm, fuzzy sights, sounds and smells of Christmas. From Mannheim’s Baroque grandeur to Frankfurt’s traditional stalls selling mouth-watering bratwurst – it’s a burst of festive cheer, with plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere ashore before returning to Riverside Debussy’s warm hospitality.
Onboard, you’ll learn about the history of Glühwein and how the iconic winter drink came to be, before sampling red, white and even rosé variants!
SET SAIL
Duration: 3 nights
When: Late November & December 2025
Where: Basel/ Huningue, Switzerland | Kehl, Germany | Mannheim | Frankfurt
Ship: Riverside Debussy
Price: From £1,905pp (premium all-inclusive with excursions)
