Visit the Best German Weihnachtsmärkte / Christkindlesmarkt

The list of the top ten best Christmas markets in Germany include Nuremberg, Dresden, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Lübeck, Leipzig, Rothenburg, Cologne, and Dortmund.

photo credit: Sheep purple

A selection of the top ten best Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte) to visit in Germany is not easy. Every town in Germany seems to have a Christmas market in the run up to Xmas. In smaller towns the Christmas markets are often held only one or two weekends while in the larger cities markets operate from around 25 November to a few days before Christmas.

My list of the top ten best Christmas markets in Germany, not necessarily in a fixed order, include:

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Travel by Train from the Hauptbahnhof and FRA Airport for Rhein Boat Trips

Day trips and boat pleasure cruises on the Rhine River (Rhein) and Loreley Valley can easily be done from Frankfurt am Main Hauptbahnhof and Airport (FRA) in Germany.

photo credit: randwill

Regular day pleasure boat cruises on the Rhine River (Rhein) do not depart from Frankfurt am Main but can easily be arranged. Fast trains from the Hauptbahnhof and Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) allow even passengers with a few hour stopovers to enjoy cruising Germany’s most famous river and see popular sights including castles and the Loreley Rock. It is  a short train ride from the main station or directly from the airport to Rhine towns including Rüdesheim, Bingen, and Koblenz which are ideal departure ports for Rhine river valley day pleasure cruises.

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Top Cruising on the Rhine, Moselle, Main, Danube, and Elbe in Europe

The Rhine (Rhein), Moselle (Mosel), Main, Danube (Donau), and Elbe Rivers offer the best luxury riverboat cruise vacation trips in Germany.

photo credit: ♠ le max

Luxury riverboat cruises are a wonderfully convenient way to travel Europe. German rivers including the Rhine, Moselle, Main, Danube, and Elbe see many luxury multiple day riverboat cruises on cruise lines including Peter Deilmann, Viking River Cruises, Tauck, Amadeus Waterways, Arosa, and others. Cruises are available year round although spring, summer, and autumn are the most popular seasons to cruise German rivers.

When comparing prices bear in mind that not all internet reservation services can book all saving discounts, e.g. discounts for children or major anniversaries. Do compare rates and use a traditional travel agent if necessary to secure the best deals.

Note: Peter Deilmann will suspend riverboat cruises from the 2010 season.

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Fly to Flughafen Frankfurt, Hahn, Cologne-Bonn, Düsseldorf, and Weeze

Frankfurt International (FRA) and Düsseldorf (DUS) are the main airports in Western Germany. Low-cost airlines fly to Hahn (HHN), Cologne-Bonn (CGN), and Weeze (NRN).

photo credit: pravin8

Frankfurt International (FRA) and Düsseldorf Airports (DUS) are the largest airports in Western Germany and are mostly used by traditional full-service airlines. For cheap flights on low-cost airlines, it is often necessary to fly to the smaller and less convenient airports Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN), Cologne-Bonn (CGN), and Weeze (NRN).

Lufthansa and other full-service airlines often have internet-only specials that can compete well with low-cost airlines on price. Use major internet ticket reservation services to determine which flights are available before booking low-cost airlines to less convenient airports. Often, when a special fare is available on Lufthansa, flying to Frankfurt or Düsseldorf may be cheaper than the additional fees plus longer ground transportation times that need to be added to low-cost airlines ticket prices.

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The Rhein / Rhine / Rijn in Switzerland, France, Germany, Holland

The Rhine River, Europe’s premier waterway, flows from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

photo credit: jessicafm

Traveling along and on the Rhine River has long been popular. Europe’s premier waterway has been very important for commerce in the pre-industrial era and although the Rhine is now less vital for trade, the river is still very much used commercially. The Rhine is also very important for tourism. Boat cruises – from short day-trip excursions to multiple-day cruises – are very popular. The banks of the Rhine are also popular with hikes and cyclers while simply driving through parts of the Rhine Valley is most enjoyable too.

The Rhine River is 1,320 kilometer (820 miles) from its source in Alps in Switzerland to the North Sea in the Netherlands. The Rhine River is Der Rhein in German, Rhin in French, and Die Rijn in Dutch.

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Best Rhein Riverboat Trips from Köln, Bonn, and Düsseldorf

Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) offer cheap day trip cruises on riverboats on Rhine River (Rhein) from Cologne, Bonn, and Düsseldorf, to Remagen, Linz, and Koblenz.

photo credit: el_tommo

Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD), the largest operator of day cruises on the Rhine River (Rhein), offer many roundtrip cruises in both Cologne (Köln) and Düsseldorf. However, most Rhine River day cruises on this section of the Rhein are from Bonn to Linz. Many more cruises are available in the Middle Rhine (Loreley) Valley between Koblenz and Rüdesheim / Bingen.

Rhine River day pleasure boat cruises are generally available from late March to end October. The high season is from late April to early October when more Rhein cruises are operated. Winter cruises on the Rhine is rare but sightseeing cruises in Cologne (Köln) and Düsseldorf are popular during the Christmas market Advent season.

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Tour the Rhein and Loreley Valley on Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) Riverboats

Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) is the best-known day-trip riverboat cruise line on the Rhine River. Several further boats tour the Loreley Valley between Rüdesheim, St Goar, and Koblenz.

SS Goethe Historic Rhine Steam Boat

The Rhine River is a very popular day-trip destination from cities such as Cologne (Köln) and Frankfurt am Main. Trains run on both banks of the Rhein but nothing beats a cruise on the river itself. Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) has the largest number of boats on the Rhine River and many cruises through the lovely Loreley Valley. However, several further companies operate cruises on the Rhine and past the Lorelei.

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Short Riverboat Pleasure Trips from Frankfurt on the Mittel Rhein

Cruising on riverboat on the Rhine, especially the Mittelrhein with the famous Lorelei Rock, is a popular day-trip excursion from Frankfurt am Main, Airport or Cologne (Köln).

photo credit: Daxis

A day-trip excursion including a pleasure cruise on a riverboat on the Rhine River is for many travelers a highlight of a German vacation. Few tourists can afford luxurious, multiple-day riverboat cruises on the Rhine River (Rhein) but shorter day cruises are more common and fairly cheap. The Loreley Rock (Lorelei) is the most popular spot along the romantic UNESCO-listed Mittelrhein – many riverboats cruise this section of the Rhine River. Great public transportation links bring the Rhine within easy daytrip reach from Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt International Airport (FRA), Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Cologne (Köln).

Many cruise lines have special savings offerings for children, pensioners, birthdays, anniversaries, and even cyclists.

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Getting to DUS Flughafen Fast by Train, Car, Taxi, or Shuttle Bus

Trains provide the cheapest ground transportation to Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), Germany. Trains run from the downtown Hauptbahnhof and Ruhr cities Dortmund, Duisburg, Essen, and Köln.

Foto: Andreas Wiese, Düsseldorf International

Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) can easily be reached by public transportation. Trains are usually the cheapest and fastest way to get to Flughafen Düsseldorf either from the Hauptbahnhof in downtown or other cities in the region including Dortmund, Duisburg, Essen, and Cologne (Köln). Occasionally, bus services are available too but trains are generally the best option for most tourist and business travelers. Taxis and private airport shuttle services are more expensive but can also be a suitable alternative for small groups, families, and the infirm especially when traveling with heavy luggage or at off hours.

• Düsseldorf may also be spelled Duesseldorf – Dusseldorf is understood easily enough but incorrect.

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Cruising the Rhein, Mosel, Main, and Danube (Donau) Rivers

Cruise routings of multiple-day, luxury Rhine River boat cruises can be extended by adding the Moselle, Main, and Danube Rivers in Germany.

photo credit: matticgn

The Rhine (Rhein) River is enormously popular for both day trips and multiple-day cruises. Luxury European riverboat cruise liners such as Peter Deilmann, Amadeus, Viking, and Tauck cruise the Rhine both on the classic full Rhine route as well as by adding Rhine tributaries to form more interesting itineraries. It is even possible to cruise from the Rhine to the Danube basins by using the Main-Danube Canal.

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