- We are on a Christmas market river cruise on the Rhine.

(bell ringing) I'm Lynn Elmhirst, a travel journalist with a deep passion for sailing the high seas.

Navigating timeless routes on a world that's 70% water, cruising may be the most authentic way to travel.

Not to mention its spectacular scenery, fascinating ships, maritime traditions, and local people and cultures.

Join me on the "World's Greatest Cruises."

"World's Greatest Cruises" is made possible in part by the JERNE community of travel advisors: local business owners with experience cruising and planning cruises.

More information at JERNE.COM/CRUISE Today on "World's Greatest Cruises," we sail on a Christmas market river cruise northbound through four countries on the Rhine, from the river's origins in Switzerland, along the border of France, into Germany, and onwards to the Netherlands where it empties into the North Sea.

A Rhine river cruise is the stuff of legend at any season.

Sailing past dozens of castles and steep river banks covered in vineyards that remind us of the Rhine's historic and cultural importance for over 2000 years.

No other river in the world has as many ancient and famous cities and cultural centers along its banks, making a Rhine River cruise at any time of the year a cultural odyssey.

But this may be the most magical time to cruise the Rhine.

(upbeat music) This isn't just an ordinary Rhine River cruise.

This is a Christmas market, river cruise.

Everything that's special about the Rhine plus more.

- It is to start with a very special time of year in Europe, all in Christmas spirit.

- So we go to a Christmas market in a different community, from Basel, Switzerland, to France, to Germany, to the Netherlands.

And we visit a different Christmas market in big cities and small cities just about every day, or twice a day, actually.

- [Ivan] Even twice a day, exactly.

- [Lynn] Even twice a day.

- And we are, I would say, lucky on the Rhine that this part of Europe itself is quite into celebrating Christmas and into Christmas markets.

Just walking out to the same cities that we see throughout the year in completely different layout.

- In new clothes.

- In new clothes.

- Right, they're all bedecked for Christmas.

- It's really a more festive, more smiles on faces sense because everybody's happy about this time of the year, but also that is kind of transferred to our ship as well.

The guests traveling with us are celebrating Christmas, do have that additional spirit of festiveness and happiness of coming to this time of the year.

- Our ship is the Viking Sigyn, one of a fleet of river cruise vessels that the cruise line calls long ships in honor of its Scandinavian family heritage.

We're among fewer than 200 guests and over 50 crew members sailing on the Rhine through the heart of Europe in unmistakably Nordic style.

Minimalist lines, pale woods and rustic accents, the homey warm touches make us feel cozy, even as northern European winter approaches.

And for the Christmas season, the Viking Sigyn takes on a holiday atmosphere, enhancing the festive spirit we experience in all the towns along the Rhine as we're dropped on the doorsteps of medieval towns and major cities, each with Christmas markets with their own character and regional specialties.

(upbeat music) (horn blaring) Basel's the first navigable city near the headwaters of the Rhine in the Swiss Alps.

So it's the southern terminus and jumping off port for Rhine River cruises.

We have plenty of time before sail away to discover Basel and its Christmas spirit.

Christmas markets, and Christmas market River Cruises may be limited to the four weeks of advent before Christmas, but Basel's old town is the home to Johann Wanner's Christmas House that for over half a century has been spreading yuletide cheer year round.

Johann, merry Christmas.

Do you say merry Christmas every day of the year?

- Yes, we can do that because this is a special atmosphere here.

- This is the largest maker and purveyor of handmade Christmas decorations in the world.

In a society more and more dominated by mass produced, disposable Christmas decor, these 5,000 square feet of hand-blown and hand-painted glass Christmas decorations have played a large role in preserving European artisanal traditions, skills, and art forms.

It isn't just the scale of the store that astonishes.

The scale of the ornaments is amazing too.

From blown glass balls as big as my head, destined for enormous public Christmas tree installations to smaller scale ornaments with incredible detail, right down to the spun glass filaments, making up the tails on these birds or Fabergé egg inspired Christmas decorations that will make any holiday tree shine in any color of the rainbow.

From the height of elegance to hilarious kitsch, from traditional and timeless to on trend.

Year round collectors and Christmas lovers come to Johann for every imaginable style of Christmas tree decor.

I understand you've decorated some pretty famous places.

- Yeah, we decorated for the Pope, for instance, on the Piazza San Pietro in Rome, 30 meters high tree.

- Oh, my.

- This I got from the White House here because I decorated the tree.

- [Lynn] Oh, so in 2004.

- [Johann] Yeah.

- [Lynn] You decorated the White House.

- And we decorate for many celebrities, but I like the little boy that buys here with his pocket money.

- [Lynn] Seeing all of these precious decorations and families shopping reminds me of when ornaments were cherished treasures to be passed down from generation to generation.

That's what's inspired Johann over the years too.

- We have collected all these things here, family.

- Yeah, my mother had some like this.

This looks very 1960s-ish.

- And now my favorite.

This one - That is hilarious.

- It's very kitschy.

- It's very kitschy.

Who is it?

Is it a?

- But he touches my heart.

- There you go.

Oh, and this reminds me of my mother.

So that one touches my heart.

Outside Johann Wanner's, at this time of the year, Christmas is everywhere in Basel.

Its Christmas market's been voted the best in Europe.

And unlike other cities that focus their Christmas markets on one town square, Basel spreads its Christmas cheer throughout town.

There's Christmas everywhere you turn in Basel, around every corner we're seeing Christmas trees and lights and markets and happy faces everywhere.

- That's true.

There is Christmas everywhere, and the Christmas markets are connected.

And even around the church, there are stalls here around 100 stalls in this area only.

- You know, if you're going to visit Basel, Christmas is a very special time to do it.

- Absolutely, and could you smell walking through these stalls, you could smell yummy specialties that we eat around Christmas.

We have a special sausage that is really famous in Switzerland, but for Basel, we call it Blutwurst.

It's yummy.

What we see over there.

- [Lynn] And you call that a pyramid.

- [Beatrice] So you have candles.

- [Lynn] Right.

- [Beatrice] They heat.

- [Lynn] And it makes it spin, yes.

- Yeah, it makes it spin, exactly.

And that's what it does.

I mean, just looking at it wow.

In front of this beautiful church.

Perfect, I would say.

- Beautiful.

It is.

But my favorite Basel Christmas market experience is the annual giant Basel wish book outside city hall where locals and visitors can leave special Christmas hopes of love and peace and fellowship for friends and family and the world.

(upbeat music) On any Christmas Market River cruise, you're surrounded by holiday festivities at every port of call.

But here on Viking, the spirit of the season embraces you on board as well.

The Viking Sigyn has the cruise line's signature, Scandinavian style: pale wood, rustic materials, homey Nordic accents where holiday touches look right at home, snow or no snow falling along our route, and help us get into the festive spirit on board Basel is where three countries converge.

So almost as soon as we embark on the Rhine, we're already sailing into Germany.

Our first port of call is at Breisach near the town of Freiburg in Germany's legendary Black Forest.

Freiburg's Christmas market's held in the shadow of the 380 foot spire of its landmark, gothic cathedral.

The Christmas market's an extension of the year-round farmer's market, which makes it feel very local and very authentically small town.

(upbeat music) I've been here before, but not in the wintertime, and I've never seen the Christmas market.

So that is something really special we get to see today.

(upbeat music) - This one, it's not so common that you have it, that you can make candles yourself or color your candles yourself.

- Right, on a Christmas market.

- You can always buy candles, but not make them.

- Right, not make them yourself.

- So you dip it in.

- I think that worked, yes?

- [Shopkeeper] It worked, yeah.

- It's Christmas-y, Christmas colors.

Yeah.

(upbeat music) Thank you, merry Christmas.

- You're welcome, bye.

- Thank you.

- Bye.

- [Lynn] On our way back to the ship, I circle round back to the produce stalls, selling Christmas boughs and greens and mistletoe and holly and seasonal blooms for residents of Freiburg to deck their homes for advent.

Makes me feel like a local to pick up a bouquet for myself to bring home to the Viking Sigyn.

- Thank you, merry Christmas.

- [Shopkeeper] Merry Christmas.

- [Lynn] Well guest services kindly provided me with a vase.

And now my veranda state room feels not only Nordic, but also seasonal as the rest of the ship.

And very much like a home away from home, which is something I love about river and smaller cruise ships.

Daytime sailings in December may not be quite as green as other times of the year, but still help me feel connected to the Rhine River.

The slow boat approach of river cruising provides perspective and scenery you just don't get from land.

(upbeat music) For over 100 miles, the Rhine River forms the border between Germany and France.

Despite this very natural boundary, the Alsace region was part of many a violent tug of war over the centuries.

And Strasbourg was in an historically strategic position.

Its famous series of bridges and towers from the 1200s are still a reminder of its need for self-defense.

Today, the city is very French, but with a composite of French and German culture.

Our shore excursion to the Christmas market takes us to the historic core of Strasbourg, a world heritage cityscape of cheerfully colored half-timbered houses lining the canals and waterways.

The Strasbourg Christmas market is one of the oldest in Europe.

It's the oldest in France, and this is the only French Christmas market we're visiting on this river cruise.

Calling itself France's capital of Christmas, Strasbourg pulls out all the stops at its holiday market.

The square is dominated by a 100 foot tall Christmas tree said to be the tallest decorated Christmas tree in Europe.

Surrounding houses, shops, windows and balconies contribute to the festive tone, as do hundreds of market stalls, selling original arts and crafts and gifts.

There's no doubt Strasbourg's over 500 year old Christmas market has been influenced by neighboring Germany's traditions.

But Strasbourg has put its own very uniquely French twist on the festivities.

The Choucroute Alsacienne, so lots of sauerkraut, Alsace sausages and piles of sauerkraut.

(upbeat music) See?

The Alsace stork, the symbol of Alsace, with little hearts, Christmas style.

And celebrates Alsace's local traditions, symbols, tastes and style.

Even the mulled Gluehwein found at German Christmas markets gets its own spin here.

This is the white mulled wine of Alsace.

Normally I don't love Gluehwein 'cause it's red, and I find it very sweet, but it's a very cool day, and I think this will hit the spot.

(upbeat music) Oh, it's delicious.

It's white wine.

It's very citrus-y, and it's very warming.

Merry Christmas.

(upbeat music) It hits the spot.

It warms my hands too.

(upbeat music) Our Rhine River route takes us pretty close to the glassblowing capital of Germany, and Viking invited a well-known artisan onto the ship to demonstrate hand blowing glass for guests.

So many treasures can be created by hand blowing glass, including treasured Christmas ornaments.

I had a chance to meet the maker and try my own hand at this delicate and actually rather dangerous art.

Intense flame, incredibly fragile molten glass in the hands of a glass blowing newbie like me.

I was really worried I was going to, well, blow it.

- Lynn, for you it's the first time to blow an ornament.

- Absolutely the first time.

- All right, so we try it.

So we work here with propane.

- Oh, look at that.

- We work here with propane gas, and with propane gas, it's very difficult.

- [Lynn] Ah!

- Two important rules, Lynn, by glass flowing.

- Yes.

- No inhaling.

- No inhaling.

- And don't bite on the glass.

- That seems like a very good rule.

- Yes, all right.

- Okay, look at that.

- So, Lynn, very careful, only a little bit.

Take it in your mouth and blow, blow, blow, blow.

A little bit more, a little bit more.

Okay.

- Oh, not so good?

- Looks not bad, looks not bad.

- Not bad.

It's my first time.

- [Rolf] Yes.

- [Lynn] Okay.

- So now I'm heating up the point.

And when the point is hot enough, I can roll in some little pieces of colored glass.

- Oh, okay, so we have some blue and white colored glass.

- Yes, that's what I do next.

- You knew those were my favorite colors, right?

- All right, that's Bavaria colors, blue and white.

- The Bavarian colors, I see.

- That's the colors of my country.

So now the glass is hot enough, Lynn.

- Okay.

- And I go on the little pieces of colored glass.

- Oh, look at that!

- So now you blow a little bit, Lynn, a little bit more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, all right, that's fine.

- Oh!

- Okay.

- So, so far, I'm doing okay?

- So first part is, okay, so first part, but now.

- It's gonna get harder?

- Yes, really.

- How long have you been blowing glass, Rolf?

- So this year, 44 years.

- 44 years.

- Yes, yes, all right.

- Okay.

Oh, oh.

- So, so blow a little bit, not too much.

No, blow, blow, blow.

A little bit more, a little bit more.

All right, okay, okay, okay.

No, stop, stop, stop, more, more, no.

All right.

Wow, Lynn, you are a great artist.

Look at your ornament.

(Lynn laughing) Yeah, is that great for the first time?

- Thank you, really?

Is that okay?

- Really fine.

You make it fine now.

- Thank you so much.

Wow.

And do you know what my Christmas tree at home is blue and white, and it's like you knew.

- I love these colors.

- I know, and it's very wintry.

It's like ice and winter.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Ah, and I will hang it on my Christmas tree.

- [Rolf] Yes.

- [Lynn] And think of you.

- [Rolf] Thank you so much, thank you so much.

(upbeat music) - At any time of the year, there's a section of the Rhine River that for me is pure magic.

The middle Rhine is also called the Romantic Rhine.

That's because it's a 40 mile stretch of river with a castle almost every mile.

If you can believe that, it's just castle after castle after cliff covered with vineyards and quaint towns and villages along the river.

It's not just that it feels like you're immersed in a fairytale.

For me, it also really shows that river cruising may be one of the most authentic ways to see the heart of Europe.

This stretch of the Rhine has a higher density of castles than any other river valley in the world.

Even in December, I recommend bundling up and getting outdoors for the best seat in the house.

Even though you could travel along the middle Rhine by car or even train, land travel only gives you a view of the castles on the opposite bank at any one time from the river, especially if you position yourself on the sun deck, you have a 360 degree view of both sides of the river, so you won't miss a thing.

This is how when these castles were built, they were really experienced by ships sailing up and down the Rhine.

Each castle has its own story, but I still think my favorite remains Burg Pfalzgrafenstein perched on stone right in the river with a fanciful roof and, perfect for the holiday season, red trim on its white walls.

While it looks charming, its purpose was deadly serious.

In concert with the castle on the riverbank, they strung a chain across the river here to literally stop river traffic to extract tolls.

It's stories like these that bring the history, not just the charm of the Rhine to life.

The architectural wonders of the middle Rhine castles are top of mind as we join the ship's chef in the aquavit lounge for some baking and a local festive tradition that unites German fairytales, Christmas spices, and festive treats.

Chef, when I first boarded the ship, the first thing I noticed was the Christmas vignette with all of the gingerbread.

And it looked like it had been hand decorated.

- Yes.

- And now I've learned it's the guests.

- Most of our guests.

- Who help decorate the gingerbread houses.

Is that something you do every year at Christmas?

- Yes, of course.

It's every time we do, we have a Christmas cruise, We do that with our guests, and we present what they've done.

Let's try now - Ginger spiced cookies and baking date back hundreds of years in Europe, and fancy decorated gingerbread houses are said to have originated here in Germany with the fairytale Hansel and Gretel popularizing the confection in the early 1800s.

Gingerbread houses quickly became associated with Christmas and spread throughout the world.

- Look, you're doing very, very well.

- Is it okay?

- Yes.

- Okay, so now do we decorate the roof?

- Yes.

- Can I stop?

I wasn't breathing that whole time.

I need to take a breath.

(Lynn laughing) My gingerbread decorating handiwork is no architectural masterpiece of a Rhine river castle.

But nevertheless, festive mission accomplished.

Well, I feel very much in the Christmas spirit.

- Yeah, I feel very much as well.

- And I'm sure it makes guests feel very much like they're here at home on the Viking Sigyn.

Yes, exactly.

Well, I feel very much at home.

I kind of am regretting we don't get to smash it and eat it, but.

- To be honest, we can do that.

(Lynn laughing) - Can we?

- Yes we can, let's.

Go ahead.

(Lynn laughing) Yes!

- You said smash it.

What was I going to do?

So, (both laughing) one, two, three.

Mm, it's perfect.

That's exactly what gingerbread should taste like.

Mm, cheers.

- Cheers.

(both laughing) (upbeat music) - At the northern end of the middle Rhine, Koblenz is where the Rhine and Moselle Rivers converge.

Founded over 2000 years ago as a Roman military post, its name comes from the Latin for confluence, where the rivers meet.

Our arrival gives us a great view of Koblenz's over river cable car up to the fortress on the opposite river bank with all the illuminations brightening up the evening as we make our way to the Christmas market.

(church bells ringing) It's Saturday night in Koblenz, Germany.

I'm so glad we have a late sail away from Koblenz tonight.

That means we can visit the Christmas market at night.

For me, a big part of Christmas cheer is about twinkling lights, torches, candles, and fires in hearths that brighten the dark days of December, and night markets are when they shine brightest.

It adds to the magic of the booths of handmade Christmas ornaments, traditional decorations and toys, seasonal and regional delicacies.

So little love notes on gingerbread for your loved ones at Christmas.

The Christmas market at night has all the same ingredients as the market by day, but also a dollop of extra, let's call it Christmas spirit, especially on the weekend.

Saturday night's the night when friends and family and more friends and more family all come together at the Christmas markets.

Of course, there are all of the wonderful Christmas market things to purchase, but really tonight's the night when Advent Christmas markets become festive street parties.

(men laughing) (upbeat music) Onwards to our largest port of call.

Cologne is the largest German city on the Rhine, but even here, the Viking Sigyn's lucky enough to get a docking position right in the heart of the city within walking distance of Old Town and Germany's most visited landmark.

Reaching 515 feet into the skies, the cathedral's the tallest twin-spired church in the world.

The enormous scale of the cathedral is matched by the historic Christmas market it towers over.

(bells ringing) Right here in the square around the incredibly imposing Cologne Cathedral is one of the largest Christmas markets in Europe.

If you haven't finished your Christmas shopping on your Christmas Market River cruise yet, this will be where you can absolutely wrap it all up in a bow.

There are reportedly 150 stalls in the shadow of the cathedral.

No German Christmas craft or treat, essential gift, sweet or savory indulgence or classic festive market drink is missing.

But leave yourself time to explore the other markets and festivities in the squares and streets between the cathedral and the Rhine.

Each has its own character and features and specialties.

Celebrating the days of yore with booths that make you feel like you're wandering through a German village from over a century ago with old time booths, unusual offerings, costumed artisans demonstrating historic skills like blacksmithing or even adding musical flare.

(upbeat organ music) Even a historic statue becomes part of the festivities as the hub of a winter festival, complete with a once a year outdoor ice skating rink and winter games that bring out the young and the young at heart in the seasonal joy of gathering together outdoors.

A surprise sight during our lunch in the Viking Sigyn's dining room docked next door to Cologne and Dusseldorf reminds us that even on the historic Rhine new Christmas traditions are still being created today.

(upbeat music) As we sail north into the Netherlands and the end of our Christmas on the Rhine River Cruise, we also participate in some new Christmas traditions for us and our fellow guests aboard the Viking Sigyn, a Carol Singalong with the ship's crew and our newfound friends and a tree trimming party that lets us inscribe our own thoughts and wishes for the season on ornaments, which by hanging them on the tree, we hope will be shared by one and all.

(upbeat music) Until next time on "World's Greatest Cruises," wishing you fair winds and following seas.

(upbeat music) More information about "World's Greatest Cruises" and the ship and ports of call featured in today's program on our website at www.WorldsGreatestCruises.com.

"World's Greatest Cruises" is made possible in part by the JERNE community of travel advisors: local business owners with experience cruising and planning cruises.

More information at JERNE.COM/CRUISE Next time on "World's Greatest Cruises," we're exploring the cultures of some of Europe's arctic shores.

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And we participate in one of Polar Expedition Cruising's coolest traditions.