Rhine vs. Danube: Which Christmas Market Cruise Should You Choose?
Choose the Rhine or the Danube by the towns on the sailing, not by which river sounds more festive. Cologne and the Rhine Gorge are one list. Budapest, Vienna and the Wachau are another.
It’s All Cruises · October 25, 2026
Pick the river whose towns you want open while you are there. Avalon names the Rhine towns. Celebrity names a Danube list. Several Viking Christmas rows name the river and leave the ports Not listed.
Quick facts
| Metric | Details |
|---|---|
| Rhine towns on the Avalon sample | Amsterdam, Cologne, Rhine Gorge, Rüdesheim, Mainz, Kehl, Breisach, Basel |
| Danube towns on the Celebrity sample | Budapest, Hungary, Scenic Budapest, Bratislava, Slovakia, Vienna, Austria, Wachau Valley, Melk, Austria, Passau, Germany, Regensburg, Germany, Nuremberg, Germany |
| Viking Rhine port list | Not listed |
| Viking Danube port list | Not listed |
| Hours in each market | Not listed |
| AmaWaterways Christmas tag | Not listed |
Rhine and Danube Christmas sailings
| Route | Ship | Line | Nights | Next departure | Matching dates | Ports | Sample fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmastime On The Romantic Rhine Southbound | Avalon Envision | Avalon Waterways | 7 | December 1, 2026 | 2 | Amsterdam, Cologne, Rhine Gorge, Rüdesheim, Mainz, Kehl, Breisach, Basel | $6,229, panorama suite, departure December 15, 2026, checked October 13, 2026 |
| Christmas on the Rhine | Viking Alruna | Viking | 7 | November 28, 2026 | 7 | Not listed | $3,499, standard, departure November 27, 2027, checked October 13, 2026 |
| Danube Christmas Delights | Viking Aegir | Viking | 7 | November 29, 2026 | 6 | Not listed | $3,299, standard, departure December 16, 2027, checked October 13, 2026 |
| 7-Night Danube: Christmas Markets | Celebrity Boundless | Celebrity River Cruises | 7 | December 2, 2028 | 2 | Budapest, Hungary, Scenic Budapest, Bratislava, Slovakia, Vienna, Austria, Wachau Valley, Melk, Austria, Passau, Germany, Regensburg, Germany, Nuremberg, Germany | $7,436, veranda, departure December 16, 2028, checked October 14, 2026 |
A town-first choice
- Choose the Rhine sample if Cologne and the gorge are the days you care about. The fare is a panorama suite on December 15, 2026, checked October 13, 2026, and the next recorded departure is December 1, 2026.
- Choose the Danube sample if Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna and the Wachau are the list you wanted. Celebrity's cabin on that sample is a veranda, with a 2028 departure.
- Viking's Christmas on the Rhine and Danube Christmas Delights have fares and empty port lists. Use them for price and date, not for a town-by-town market check.
- Nuremberg appears on a different Celebrity Christmas row in the set. Do not assume it is on the Budapest sailing.
- A 7-night length is common to these samples. The river is the difference, not the number of nights.
- Market calendars still have to be checked against your date. This table does not open or close a stall.
Fares are marketing prices, confirmed when you book.
Frequently asked questions
Should I pick the Danube for the markets?
Pick the Danube sample when you want those towns. There is no quality ranking in the table.
Why are Viking's ports blank?
The row did not include them. The title still says Rhine or Danube. The stops are Not listed.
Do these fares match?
No. They are different years, cabins and lines. Read the fare cell with its date.
Can I see both rivers on one Christmas week?
Not on these 7-night samples. A longer combination would be a different itinerary.
Filed under river, christmas markets