Cruise
I Don’t Celebrate Christmas. Then I Took a Viking Christmas Cruise
Article and photography by Judi Cohen (Traveling Judi)
When my sister-in-law and I looked at an eight-day Viking Rhine River Christmas cruise from Basel to Amsterdam, I said yes for the itinerary and the ship. Neither of us celebrates Christmas. I was drawn to the medieval towns, the castles and the opportunity to experience several European cities and towns during the festive season. The idea of seeing Christmas markets in several countries was especially appealing. But I wondered whether a Christmas cruise was suitable for someone who had never celebrated Christmas and wasn’t particularly interested in shopping. What surprised me most was that I didn’t need to celebrate Christmas to enjoy this Christmas cruise.
By the end of the journey, I realized the magic wasn’t really about religion or tradition. It was about atmosphere, food, music, history, friendship and the simple pleasure of being somewhere beautiful at a special time of year. And, as I’ve learned, those are the things I increasingly want to bring home from travel.
Memories, Not More Stuff
Somewhere along the way, I stopped bringing home souvenirs from my travels. My house is full enough already. I don’t need another decorative object to dust and store, that may someday need to be donated. What I want now are memories, the kind that don’t take up shelf space, yet become more valuable with time.
So, I boarded the festively lit Viking Honir with no intention of shopping my way down the Rhine. Between the markets in Switzerland, France, and Germany I managed to resist most of the goods on offer. Mostly.
I came home with four finger puppets, and four glühwein mugs from my favourite Christmas markets. That’s it.
In Rüdesheim, Germany, I wandered into a tiny stall filled with hand-stitched felt animals and storybook characters. I expected to spend five minutes there. Nearly an hour later, I was still looking. The artisan patiently rearranged her creations and told me about her work without ever making me feel rushed. Eventually, I selected four finger puppets for my grandchildren. I tucked the puppets into care packages, knowing my young grandchildren would play with them rather than display them.
Meaningful shopping, I realized, isn’t necessarily about finding something expensive or spectacular. Sometimes it’s about meeting the person who made something and can imagine exactly who will love it.
The mugs are different. They aren’t Christmas decorations; they’re part of the Christmas market ritual. At many European Christmas markets, glühwein is served in a reusable souvenir mug, with a small deposit added to the price. You can return the mug and get your deposit back or keep it as a souvenir. I kept four. I’ll take them down from my shelf during the holidays, fill them with something warm and, for a few minutes, be transported back to a cobblestone street in a European town.
Finding Christmas on Board
I was certainly living the season aboard the gracious 190-passenger Viking Honir. The ship was decorated for Christmas, but never felt overdone. Trees, greenery, and twinkle lights created a festive atmosphere without turning the ship into a theme park.
There were classical performances, holiday sing-alongs, gingerbread-cookie decorating and ornament painting for guests who wanted to embrace the season. I could choose how much Christmas I wanted. There was plenty of holiday atmosphere, but there were also quiet spaces on board, opportunities to learn about the destinations, and regional food.
After a cold afternoon walking through market stalls, returning to Viking Honir felt like coming home. Crew members greeted us by name, remembered our coffee preferences and were genuinely happy to see us return. That warmth was just like I felt on many previous Viking cruises and why I keep returning.
The food reinforced the sense of place. Regional flavours appeared throughout the cruise, with Alsatian influences around Strasbourg and hearty German dishes farther north. Holiday desserts and warming drinks added to the seasonal atmosphere.
Check in Once and Enjoy the River
One of the greatest advantages of a river cruise during the festive season is the simplicity of it. You wake up somewhere new, explore the sites and markets, and then return to your warm floating home. For me, that is increasingly luxurious. A river cruise also offers a wonderful sense of continuity. The river becomes the thread connecting each destination with the scenery changing outside your window as the ship gently moves.
For travelers considering a European Christmas trip, a Viking Christmas Cruise offers the variety of a multi-city European vacation without the constant packing, unpacking, and transportation logistics.
The Moments I Couldn’t Buy
Our journey began in Basel, Switzerland, where I had my first taste of the season. From there, the itinerary took us through some of the Rhine’s most evocative destinations. Strasbourg, famous for its Christkindelsmärik, dating to 1570, is home to one of Europe’s oldest Christmas markets. The city’s historic centre, lined with half-timbered buildings and elaborate decorations, and wall to wall crowds seemed almost designed for the season.
From Strasbourg, I joined an excursion to Gengenbach, a picturesque town in Germany’s Black Forest. I knew little about it beforehand. I certainly didn’t expect its historic town hall to become the star of the visit. During Advent, the windows of the Gengenbach’s historical town hall are transformed into a giant Advent calendar. As the days of Advent pass, another window is revealed, creating a theatrical countdown to Christmas.
I had never thought about Advent calendars before. Standing with the crowds on a rainy night in Gengenbach, I was fascinated by the idea of turning something as simple as counting the days into a community celebration.
Finding a bakery and sitting down to enjoy a slice of black forest cake right in the Black Forest of Germany felt almost too perfect to be real.
When Food Takes You Home
In Mannheim, it was food rather than shopping that transported me. A plate of reibekuchen, crispy German potato pancakes served with applesauce, reminded me of the potato latkes of my childhood that, for a moment, I wasn’t thinking about Christmas at all.
I was thinking about home and the delicious crispy potato latkes my Hungarian mother made. This is one of the unexpected gifts of travel. A taste or smell can collapse decades in an instant, connecting somewhere unfamiliar with somewhere deeply personal.
The Rhine Gorge Was the Real Gift
If I had to choose one afternoon from the entire trip as the highlight it would be cruising along the Rhine Gorge. As Viking Honir sailed between Rüdesheim and Koblenz, I settled onto the sun deck with a blanket, and a mug of hot chocolate. The landscape unfolded like a storybook with vineyard-covered hills, medieval castles and small villages along the river. We had maps marked with numbers corresponding to the castles. As each one appeared, our cruise director announced it over the ship’s speakers with stories of robber barons, feuding dynasties, sieges and centuries of European history. For hours we watched the Rhine pass by. There was nowhere we needed to be and nothing we needed to buy.
More to Remember
I didn’t need markets filled with purchases to feel that I had experienced Christmas on the Rhine. I needed an artisan who took the time to tell me about her work, a taste of potato pancakes that transported me back to my childhood, a castle-lined afternoon along the Rhine, and a hospitable crew that made this river cruise feel like home.
The greatest gift of this Viking Christmas cruise was discovering that I didn’t have to celebrate Christmas to experience its joy. I only had to be willing to say yes to something unfamiliar.
Perhaps the best reason to take a Christmas cruise is not necessarily to come home with more things, but to come home with more to remember.
