If you are in the mood for a traditional Christmas, visit the Christmas markets of Europe with Europeanbarging.com’s European Christmas market cruises. These street markets are a holiday tradition that dates back centuries and draw visitors to the continent from all over the world.
Christmas markets are held during the four weeks of Advent, and signal the start of the holiday season. They usually start in the last week of November and last until the third week of December. Some markets, however, may stay open until New Year’s.
The first Christmas markets were held during the Late Middle Ages in what is now Germany. Today, you can find Christmas markets not only all over Europe, but in many other parts of the world as well. They are known by various names, including Christkindlmarkt and Weihnachtsmarkt.
Guests not only can enjoy seasonal food and drinks but also shop for traditional crafts to take home as souvenirs or gifts. There is no better way to experience Europe than by wandering through the various markets, enjoying foods such as roasted chestnuts and warm stollen and sipping hot cups of mulled wine.
These markets also feature open-air entertainment from stages scattered throughout the site. You can enjoy performances ranging from gospel music to modern and traditional Christmas tunes. There may also be rides and other things to do such as skating.
Europeanbarging.com offers several cruise itineraries, which go down the Danube River or the Rhine River. These cruises allow you to visit multiple Christmas markets over the course of the cruise.
Its four-night Rhine South cruise starts in Cologne, Germany, where the biggest Christmas market is held in front of its historic Cathedral. You can also visit the Medieval Christmas Market, which is held on the banks of the Rhine and features jesters, minstrels and other forms of traditional entertainment.
The cruise then takes you to other German Christmas markets, including Koblenz, where you can enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride; Rudesheim, where the “Christmas Market of the Nations” has 120 stalls from twelve countries; and Fussen. You then proceed to France, where you visit markets in Strasbourg, Colmar and Mulhouse.
The four-night Danube Cruise allows you to visit Passau; Vienna, where there are more than 25 markets all over the city; Budapest, where one of the oldest markets in Hungary is held; and Bratislava.
Although the major itineraries last around seven days, there are shorter ones available. The five-day Rhine and Dutch cruise starts in Strasbourg, continues to Cologne and ends in Amsterdam. The five-day Seine cruise lets you visit Christmas markets all along the Seine, starting in Paris, and then continuing on to Rouen, Caudebec en Caux and Honfleur.
The inclusions for the seven-day itineraries include the cruise, free Internet on board, use of bicycles on the ship and meals with wine provided during dinner. The shorter itineraries include a beverage package.
There are some offers from Amawaterways and Arosa Cruise lines. Amawaterways is offering $1000 off per person on the Dec 18th departure of the Iconic Christmas Markets and $1000 off per person on the Dec 19th departure of the Christmas Markets on the Rhine. Discounted prices start at $2499 for the 7 night cruise, all meals, wine with dinner as well as a 1 hour daily happy hour, free Wi-Fi and all excursions. Discount offer ends Sept 29th 2023.
Arosa has a 4 night Danube Christmas Markets with 20% off departing Nov 29; Dec 3, 7, 11, 14,15, 18 and 19th. On the Rhine River, there is the 5 night Rhine Christmas Markets departing Nov 23, 28; Dec 3, 8, 13 an 18th. The 5 night Rhine Christmas Markets City Experience is offering cruises on the new Arosa Sena, departing Nov 23, 28; Dec 3, 8, 13 and 18th. Both cruises are offering 20% off. Discounted prices start at $578 for 4 nights and $895 for 5 nights. Discount offer ends Aug 29th 2023.
Holland is a small country in Europe. Its modern name is the Netherlands. It is a country where many world-famous icons came from. Visiting this beautiful country allows you to discover its windmills, bulb fields, wooden shoes, masterpieces of the Old Masters, the canals of Amsterdam, the many Spring Gardens of Holland, the famous Holland tulips, and many more. If you are planning for that Holland tour as your next travel destination, here are some of the events and places that are not to be missed:
Spring time Tulips in Holland
BOLLENSTREEK’ Flower Parade
Holland tulips and other beautiful flowers are in bloom in springtime, usually from March through May. The parade is usually scheduled in April. This big flower festival draws almost one million spectators every year.
The Bloemencorso Bollentsreek is a big flower event that happens every year. Dozens of floats are creatively decorated with tulips, hyacinths, narcissi, and other flowers to represent a variety of themes annually.
Aside from dressed-up floats, many participants parade their own cars decorated with different flower bouquets.
The parade spans 42 kilometers, from Noordwijk to Haarlem.
Gardens of Appeltern
This is a 23-hectare park, the largest garden idea park in the Netherlands. People come here to find inspiration for their own gardens. Visitors will see the latest gardening trends and innovations that they can use to build or improve their gardens at home. The highlight of your visit to this beautiful park is a walk around the park, called the Appeltern Whisper Tour.
They have over 200 inspiring gardens. Inside the park is the Discovery Island where the young and old can play and discover nature.
Every year they have different activities. They even offer workshops.
Het Loo Palace and Gardens
This sprawling palace and gardens are found at Koninkiij Park in Apeldorn. The Paleis Het Loo gardens were reconstructed to their 17th-century original design by Queen Mary II and King-stadtholder William III. They were known as the first residents and the founders of the Het Loo Palace.
The garden screams of a Dutch Baroque design. There are symmetrical parterres, historical planting, and amazing fountains.
The main purpose of the gardens was to give prestige, impress visitors, and establish the status of both William and Mary.
During the 19th century, the garden was filled with sand and later transformed into a landscape park. The park has different kinds of trees and shrubs. During the 1980’s it was remodeled back to its original Baroque style.
Different contemporary and historical flowers are in bloom each season. The Het Loo Palace and Gardens has already been officially recognized as a botanic garden, it is a reward to acknowledge its decades-long dedication to horticultural professionalism.
From the months of April to October, visitors get to enjoy the fountains in the palace. In comparison to the gardens of Versailles, the garden at Het Loo is thought to be more modest in terms of scale. The fountains are a different story, though. The fountains at Paleis Het Loo constantly spout fresh water because of the high level of the groundwater which actually surpasses the French varieties. The King’s Leap (Koningssprong) was considered to be the highest spouting fountain in the whole of Europe at 13 meters.
Visitors will find sculptures of the goddesses and gods from Greek mythology, in the center of the garden, such as Venus, the goddess of love.
Keukenhof Gardens
The Garden of Europe is also referred to as the Keukenhof Gardens. It is recognized as among the world’s biggest flower gardens. It is located in the beautiful town of Lisse. It is in the province of South Holland, just south of Haarlem and in the southwest area of Amsterdam. This whole space is known as the “Dune of Bulb Region”. The park actually covers an area of about 32 hectares, housing almost 7 million flower bulbs yearly.
The sprawling garden is popular for its colorful tulips. Aside from tulips, other flowers are featured in the park, like daffodils, roses, irises, hyacinths, lilies, and carnations.
The Keukenhof Gardens is open all year round, featuring Different activities that take place like festivals and private affairs.
Tulip Land
Holland is popular for its tulips. Keukenhof Gardens is home to 7 million flower bulbs that bloom from March to April. Crocus season starts in March, followed by hyacinths and daffodils. Then by mid-April to early May gorgeous tulips are in full bloom, creating a sea of amazing beauty.
Holland may very well be called the Tulip Land with the many different tulip farms. There are tulip farms in Noordoostpolder, Flevoland. Tulips may also be found along the coast of The Hague and Leiuden.
Sights and Events in Belgium
Nearby Belgium also has interesting places to visit too.
Park and Castle of Beloeil– this 25-hectare park and castle are one of the most popular places in Belgium. Real ancient furniture still adorns each room of the castle. The rich history of the place is also showcased by one-of-a-kind collectible pieces still found all throughout the castle. The French garden is a marriage of water and greens. Activities are suspended as of this writing because of the global pandemic.
Castle and Gardens of Freyr – this castle and gardens are located 50km from Brussels South Airport. The Dukes of Beaufort-Spontin used this castle as their summerhouse. This place is rich in history as 20 generations have lived there. Marvel at the different fountains and the 300-year-old orange trees all around the garden. Be amazed by the 6-kilometer hedged small mazes.
Fernelmont – The Castle of Franc-Waret and its Natural Gardens– the Fernelmont castle farm is the last remaining original medieval building in Franc-Waret in Fernelmont, Namur, Belgium. A moat surrounds the castle which is adorned by beautiful French gardens. An English-style garden covers more than 120 hectares of the palace. This castle built around the 1300s has an imposing porch dungeon. This is a huge limestone structure that features a central arched entrance which is located between two hemispherical projecting parts. It is recognized as an exceptional heritage site of Wallonia.
The Royal Greenhouses in Laeken– this is open for three weeks each year starting from mid-April to the first week of May. This is in time for springtime wherein a lot of colorful flowers are in bloom. The Greenhouses are part of the Royal Park, hence it is closed to the public for most of the year.
Europeanbarging offers short river cruises through Holland and Belgium on Arosa and Croisi Cruise lines as well as 7-night cruises on AmaWaterways. A Holland Tulip river cruise is a great way to see more of Holland and Belgium and their gardens. Some of the gardens would need to be visited as a pre or post-cruise trip as they are not on the rivers or canals. For more information or to check availability, contact Jan at 888-869-7907 or jan@europeanbarging.com.
Heidelberg is a city located in southwestern Germany, along the canals of the Neckar River. It was first recognized in 1196. It was the capital city of the Rhenish Palatinate. Later, it became the place of residence of the electorate counts palatine up to 1720.
The city was devastated during the Thirty Years’ War in 1622. It was almost completely wiped out by the French in 1689 and 1693.
Heidelberg is a university town. Its 2016 census revealed that it has a population of 159,914, with roughly a quarter of that figure are students.
It is the fifth-largest city in Baden-Wurttemberg.
The oldest university in Germany and one of Europe’s most reputable universities is in this city, the Heidelberg University, which was founded in 1386. The university played a leading role in the era of humanism and Reformation.
The city’s library is the oldest existing public library in Germany, it was established in 1421. A few months after announcing his Ninety-five Theses, Martin Luther came to Heidelberg to defend them, that was in April of 1518.
During World War II, the city was the stronghold of the Nazi party. Between 1933 and 1945 was known as the Nazi period.
In 1934-1935 the State Labor Service and students at Heidelberg University built the Thingstätte Amphitheater in the northern part of the town. This amphitheater was where Nazi Party events were held. After just a few months, the sprawling Ehrenfiedhof Memorial Cemetery was opened, which completed the last project of the Nazi Party in the city. It was in the southern part of the old town.
German troops left the city on March 29, 1945, after destroying the old bridge, the city’s valued river crossing. Allied forces penetrated the town the next day and the civilian population voluntarily surrendered.
It was said that the city was not targeted by Allied bombing raids because the U.S. Army wanted to use it as a post-war garrison.
The city is known as the scientific hub in Germany as there are some internationally renowned research labs near Heidelberg University, including Max Planck Institutes and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.
For centuries it has been an art hub, especially literature. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network even awarded it as a “City of Literature”.
The city is a favorite tourist destination because of its popular romantic cityscape, including The Philosopher’s Walk, the old Baroque town, and the Heidelberg Castle.
The popular landmark, Heidelberg Castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance buildings located north of the Alps. it was demolished in the 17th and 18th centuries and has only been rebuilt partially. The castle is a towering figure from the Konigstuhl hillside. Visitors can go there via the Heidelberger Bergbahn funicular railway which runs from Kornmarkt all the way to the summit of the Kongistuhl.
The earliest castle structure was built before 1214. A second structure was built in 1294. In 1537, though, a lightning bolt struck and destroyed the upper castle.
The present structures were improved in 1650, unfortunately, wars and fires destroyed these structures. Portions were rebuilt but another lightning bolt struck in 1764.
You can visit Heidelberg and her castle from most Rhine River Cruises. We offer from 4 – 15 day cruises. Checkout our website for cruise itineraries. Contact us for more information and current promotions: 888-869-7907 or jan@europeanbarging.com
Have you ever dreamed of visiting an enchanting land of castles and rolling countryside? If so, Rudesheim, Germany is the place for you to visit. It lies along the Rhine River, it’s decorated with an abundance of castles and it is one of the most romantic cities you will visit in Germany. A Rhine River cruise will take you to this amazing land and where you can indulge in its wonders.
Rudesheim is one of the Rhineland’s best known wine villages and offers many sightseeing attractions to its visitors. This fascinating village is on the route of many Rhine river cruises.
History of Rudesheim
The original name of Rudesheim is Rudesheim am Rhein. It is situated in the Rheingau region at the foot of the Taunus Mountains and is a primary center of the Rhine wine industry. It was first mentioned in 864. The Brömserburg, an early castle of the archbishops of Mainz, was rebuilt as a residence around 1200 and later belonged to the knights of Rudesheim. Now, it is home to amazing historical collections and a wine museum. Half-timber houses, narrow streets, and old inns give the town its medieval look.
What to see in Rudesheim
One of the attractions in this riverside town is Siegfried’s MechanicalMusicCabinetMuseum. This is the first museum collection of automated musical instruments in Germany. You will be mesmerized as you look at this impressive collection.
Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet Museum is housed in Brömserhof, a noble court built in 1542. It covers an exhibition space of more than 400 square meters and has one of the largest and most beautiful collections of mechanical music boxes. There are around 350 exhibits of mechanical instruments dating back to the 18th to the 20th century – from delicate musical boxes to a huge piano-orchestrion. The museum also collects tools and machines for manufacturing barrel organs, cardboard music, piano rolls and musical box plates.
Siegfried’s MechanicalMusicCabinet Museum displays music boxes of the past as well as traditional techniques in making the musical boxes and music rolls. It’s interesting to learn how these instruments work and how their place in society has evolved. The museum is located above the river front area of shops and tasting rooms. Near the museum you will find more shops, tasting rooms and restaurants.
“I had no idea such musical instruments existed in the past – this was my highlight in one of my visits to Rudesheim. Jan Baumgartner”
The village of Drosselgasseis another sightseeing attraction in Rudesheim. Here you can stroll along the cobble-stone streets and enjoy the village atmosphere. Drosselgasse has a number of taverns and tempting beer gardens. The Rheingau’s famous Rieslings, Sekt and locally distilled brandiesare readily available if you are interested to taste them all. Wine enthusiasts can learn how wine is produced in the Rheingau, can visit the wine museum at the Bromserburg castle.
The mighty slate rock Lorelei in the Romantic Rhine Valley is yet another pride of Rudesheim. This rock rises up almost vertically to 145 yards/132m above the water-level. Downstream the river is squeezed into its narrowest and deepest point 24 yards/22m. So the Middle Rhine at this point used to be very difficult to navigate and the correct passage, today, is clearly marked with buoys.
Even in the 19th century, reefs and rapids made this area extremely dangerous for ships to pass. According to legend, a siren called “Lorelei” bewitched the hearts of the sailors and when they looked up to the rock, their boat crashed and they sank.
Rudesheim is so captivating you shouldn’t pass by without visiting it. It’s location, architecture, and wines make the town a favorite stop along the Rhine for tourists. So get on-board a Rhine River cruise and be prepared to explore this wonderland!
We offer short Rhine River Cruises of 4- 6 nights as well as 7 night and longer cruises along the Rhine River of Germany. Cruise lines we work with are AmaWaterways,Arosa Cruises, Croisi Europe and Viva Cruises. For information, please contact us at 888-869-7907 or jan@europeanbarging.com
Cologne, Germany is always worth a visit as it offers new things to discover with every trip. Whether you explore the city on a bike or on foot, you can experience the city’s most beautiful and culturally-enriching sites through the museums of Cologne.
From Roman Empire relics to the place where Eau de Cologne was born, as well as a museum solely dedicated to chocolate, and collections of some of the world’s greatest art pieces, exploring the city’s museums is like going on a treasure hunt.
For starters, here are some of the top museums in cultural Cologne:
Situated next to the Cathedral of Cologne, The Roman-Germanic Museum is mainly a collection of archeological artefacts from 1000 centuries of settlement history in Rhineland, as well as Cologne’s Roman heritage. The heart of the collection is literally the famous Dionysus Mosaic.
Built on a Roman villa’s foundations and around the 70 ft2 mosaic unearthed in 1941, the museum has since been open to the public. Other museum highlights include the largest Roman glass vessel collection in the world, the goldsmith art of Merovingians, stone weapons and tools from the Neolithic age, and the 50-ft tall tomb of Roman veteran legionary Lucius Poblicius that dates back to 40 AD.
Josef Haubrich donated his collection of modern art to Cologne at the conclusion of WW II. It included pieces by Emil Nolde, Marc Cha-gall, and Otto Dix. Three decades later, the city received 350 pieces of art as a gift from Peter and Irene Ludwig on condition that a new museum would be built by the city.
The Ludwigs’ donation laid down the foundation for one of Europe’s most significant museums of contemporary and modern art. The museum houses 900 Picassos, the biggest pop art collection outside the United States, and valuable works by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Alexander Rodchenko, among others.
A science center, Cologne’s Odysseum is an experience house of knowledge. It prides itself as a knowledge communication place, and metaphorically uses the epic Odyssey as a journey. It is a museum ideal for inquisitive children.
The museum sees human development as one open ended journey, and science as both progress and problem. Odysseum’s subject is the challenge of how to shape the future. You can experience the adventure of discovering the knowledge about the future through the various experience stations scattered on an area of 5,500 m2.
The Chocolate Museum is dedicated to, you guessed it right, chocolates! Its 4,000 sq2 m area contains everything you may want to know about your favorite confectionery.
Explore chocolates’ 5,000-year cultural history, and follow the journey of the cocoa bean – from the time it is roasted until it becomes a wrapped chocolate bar! Go through each step of the production process that culminates in a tall, 200-kg fountain of melted chocolate – ready for sampling!
Used as headquarters by Nazi Germany’s Secret State Police (more notoriously known as the Gestapo) from 1935 to 1945, the building now houses the NS Documentation Centre of Cologne.
You can pay tribute to the Nazi atrocity victims NS Documentation Centre. Exhibits document Cologne’s own experience under the Nazi regime. Former victims and prisoners wrote over 1,800 inscriptions and epitaphs while trapped inside the prison’s walls.
In the year 1824, art collector and university professor Ferdinand Franz Wallraf donated his collection of art works to the city. Johann Heinrich Richartz, a Cologne merchant, then provided the funds for a museum to contain the precious art pieces 30 years later; thus the museum’s name.
Cologne’s oldest museum features European art that spans many centuries – from the Middle Ages up to the 20th century – spread over the museum’s three floors, with each story dedicated to a particular period.
An ethnographic museum, Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum explores the similarities and differences of past and present world cultures. The museum has two areas: 1) Understanding the World, and 2) Shaping the World.
The exhibits take a look at all sides of different human cultures that include, religion, identity, and living concepts. The interactive multimedia shows let museum visitors immerse themselves in various cultures, and experience different perspectives.
Throughout the city of Cologne’s rich history – beginning with the oldest Roman settlements – churches have been built on the same place where the Kolumba Museum now stands.
During the medieval ages, Saint Kolumba parish was the biggest and most dominant in Cologne. To properly showcase the parish’s power, the magnificent Kolumba Church was built. It stood proud until 1943, when it was demolished tragically – together with the rest of Cologne – by an Allied forces’ air strike. The ruins have mainly remained untouched, except for a diminutive octagonal chapel built by Gottfried Böhm in 1949 to commemorate the bombing.
The oldest fragrance factory in the world lies just across the street from Wallraf-Richartz Museum. More popularly known as Eau de Cologne’s birthplace, Farina Fragrance Museum takes visitors to 3 centuries of fragrance history.
On display are art pieces, furniture, and various authentic objects from the original production site of Johann Maria Farina, an Italian perfumer who created the world renowned scent in 1709. Among his most notable customers were Kings Louis XV and Frederik the Great.
The Museum Schnutgen features a valuable medieval art collection in one of the oldest churches in Cologne. A lot of pieces in the collection, by themselves, are worth a trip already. These include the expressive St. George Crucifix, the unique filigree ivory carving Comb of St. Heribert, and the magnificent Parler Bust.
The gamut of the exhibits range from stone and wooden sculptures, valuable goldsmith artworks and stained glass to rare textiles and ivories. One distinctive museum feature is its wide, 1,000-year old exhibition space. The aura and stillness of the Romanesque St. Cecilia Church make experiencing the beauty and spiritual vibrancy of the art pieces possible.
Experience a glorious trip from ancient Greece that will take you all the way to the present, while reminiscing the triumphs and defeats of sports history’s leading athletes.
The permanent exhibits feature medals, clothing, sports equipment that include the Benetton Renault Formula One race car of Michael Schumacher, as well as many other sports memorabilia. Themed areas are dedicated to the Olympiad, new trend sports, and German gymnastics, among others.
The Municipal Museum was built in Dutch Renaissance style back in the 1600s. The armoury was originally used as a weapons arsenal.
Today, it is home to Cologne’s Koelnisches Stadtmuseum that offers an insight into the economic, spiritual, and daily living in Cologne and its people – back from the Middle Ages up to the present day.
Cologne Cathedral’s Treasury is arguably Germany’s biggest and richest. Initially intended to be a collection of relics, which were deemed as the real treasure during the Middle Ages, the artistic and monetary value of the settings were not of primary importance.
Not the conventional type of museum of today, practically everything on display are still used ecclesiastically. Contents of the treasury reflect the changes in the history of the cathedral that through centuries survived robberies, and gained gifts from emperors, popes, and bishops.
Devote one visit to tour the museums of Cologne, both the popular and the secluded ones, and you’ll understand why the city is considered as one of the top tourist destinations not only in Germany, but the whole of Europe as well.
Arosa river cruise line offers Rhine and Holland river cruises from 4 – 8 nights and they start and end in Cologne. A pre or post night stay to visit the museums of Cologne would be a great addition to a scenic Rhine River cruise. Booking a short Advent (Christmas Markets) cruise this fall from Cologne, you get the added benefit of enjoying the 7 Christmas Markets that Cologne is known for.
Cologne Cathedral Christmas Market
Contact Europeanbarging to assist in finding the best special offers in booking a river cruise – and hotel accommodations to visit Cologne museums. 888-869-7907 jan@europeanbarging.com
