Enchanting Rhine and Yuletide Markets: Educational Trip
Date Posted: 23/12/2022
Eve from our Social Media team recently embarked on an enchanting Christmas journey sailing on the Rhine through Germany, courtesy of Riviera travel! Whilst onboard MS Oscar Wilde, Eve experienced the luxury of and beauty of this stunning ship and discovered all the adventures you can enjoy on a Yuletide Market Cruise!
“I recently had an amazing opportunity to embark on a trip to some of the most extraordinary Christmas Markets in Germany. As this was my first river cruise, I was unsure of what to expect, however this cruise exceeded my expectations! We started our trip arriving early in Dusseldorf. After a short transfer to Cologne, with our amazing Riviera Cruise Director Hugo, we met the luxurious ship MS Oscar Wilde. Upon our arrival I was shown to my balcony cabin. The room was beautifully decorated, spacious, and elegant. We were even left a bottle of bubbly to enjoy later that night! We dropped our suitcases off on-board and headed straight into Cologne. What a way to start the trip! We visited the most beautiful cathedral in the heart of the city which truly took our breath away. We had the privilege of being able to enter the cathedral and were overwhelmed at the sheer beauty of this historic masterpiece. Just a short stroll from the monument, we stumbled upon the Christmas Markets, of course we all had to have a few Glühwein’s (Mulled Wine). We shopped till we dropped until the sun started to set and the glowing strings of lights started to appear in the sky.
After visiting the Christmas markets of Cologne, we headed back to the ship and explored the amazing facilities that were available to us on board, including the fitness centre, wellness room, and the plunge pool. However, we didn’t fancy taking a dip as it was less than 5 degrees, and we couldn’t face the freezing temperatures on the top deck!
We witnessed some amazing views waking up on a morning, looking out my window to snow whilst sailing down the river Rhine. After a beautiful breakfast, we then headed up to the lobby where Hugo the cruise Director told us all about Rudeshiem, explained what would happen when we arrived and told us some of the sights we may see when we were there. Once we disembarked, we were met by our tour guide who talked us through some of the marvellous sights in this small quaint town. After our guided tour we had some free time, so we hopped on the cable car and explored the beautiful scenery of Rudeshiem. Once we explored the town, we all headed back to the ship. We indulged in an amazing three course meal and moved up to the lounge where we watched a local folklore band. It was great to see everyone getting involved with the entertainment and dancing together.
We woke up this morning moored at German Corner, where the Rhine Meets the Moselle River. We all set off on our second guided tour, on this tour we explored the historical streets and came across a beautiful church, it looked ever better in the snow.
A perfect way to get you in the Christmas spirit! After this we then had a walk around the Christmas markets and once again tried a Glühwein’s (Mulled Wine) or two. Tonight, was Gala Dinner, we all got dressed up and headed down to the lounge where we had pre dinner drinks and listened to Captain Tim make a speech, after a delicious second course the chefs then danced around the restaurant with the baked Alaska desert. What a show it was.
Today we set off on our adventures a little earlier- 9am to be precise. Stefan was our tour guide today in Bonn, he took us around and we learnt about the towns history and got to see Beethoven’s birthplace- a cute little house nestled in the narrow-cobbled streets. After a morning of exploring, we headed back to the ship and set sail at 12pm and started heading back to Cologne. Once we arrived, we had a full afternoon to explore Cologne again, which was amazing as we discovered another Christmas market which we did not get to visit on our first day!
My time onboard Oscar Wilde was magical. From charming markets filled with trinkets and tasty treats to splendid snowy views; this cruise was the ultimate winter wonderland experience. I would encourage anyone who loves the festive period and all things Christmas to book this cruise- it will be an unforgettable trip. Plus, a perfect Christmas present to look forward to next year!”
Would you love to go on a Christmas Cruise?
