Christmas on the Rhine River is such a magical experience. It resonates "holiday cheer", throughout the region. For Christmas lovers, this is a must see!

We began our cruise in Basel, Switzerland on the beautiful Avalon Panorama. This was our first River Cruise and it was awesome! Such a contrast to Ocean Cruises. It was fantastic to get to know most of the 154 passengers onboard, or at least recognize them to say hello. There will people representing around 20 different nationalities.

This cruise was much more than Christmas Markets.  Within each town we discovered amazing people, local culture and fabulous food and drinks. We cruised to Breisach to visit the Black Forest, Colmar France for some wine tastings, Strasbourg, France to see the cathedral and it's beautiful stained glass windows and some of the most beautiful Christmas Markets.

From France we traveled to Heidelberg, Germany for the most iconic town to explore the Markets. We even stopped for the local coffee, picture in our photos.  The special ingredient is a local favorite! Let's just say it warms you up. 

We made our way up the Rhine to Mainz and Rudesheim Markets and then to cruise the most beautiful stretch of the river decorated with castles on each side of the river. It was interesting to learn about the history of the river and castles along the way.

Our last stop was an overnight stop in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  While the Christmas Markets have not opened her just yet, we had a wonder full overnight stay in Amsterdam.

The staff of the Avalon Panorama was so amazing. They made sure each and every passenger felt comfortable and appreciated.

Until we sail again.

Leslie