Christmas Markets: Vienna

Posted on Saturday, September 24, 2011

Images of St. Nicholas- with his devilish nemesis, Krampus- Advent wreaths, twinkling lights, roasting chestnuts, sausages and kartoffelpuffer (potato cakes), hot glühwein and fruity punsch... all signs of Christmastime in Vienna! Many Christkindlmarkts big and small grace Austria's capital at yuletide, and you'll explore two of the major ones. Magic's in the air at the Wiener Christkindlmarkt  on the Rathausplatz in front of the city hall, Vienna's oldest and largest Christmas market... live music, tastefully lit trees, holiday arts and crafts, tempting treats and smiling faces are everywhere. And at the opulent Schönbrunn Palace, you'll tour rooms that the Habsburgs once lived in, and browse through lovely hand-blown glass ornaments, red Viennese hearts, Victorian-style sweets and other treasures in the palace's own, equally impressive Christmas Market... guaranteed to warm your heart.

Christmas Markets: Passau

Posted on Saturday, September 17, 2011

Navigating the narrow lanes and archways of this Bavarian town on the Danube and Inn rivers is a pleasure any time of year- but never more so than now, when the Christmas Market transforms Passau's historic Baroque center into a wonderland brimming with bratwurst, lebkuchen, glühwein and good cheer. At the center of it all is St. Stephan's Cathedral, whose massive pipe organ- the largest in Europe- stars in concerts throughout the season. Your day in Passau includes a visit to Café Simon to see how they've been making their delicious gingerbread for four generations.

Christmas Markets: Regensburg

Posted on Saturday, September 10, 2011

Sausages and song are big in Regensburg, as your visit to its centuries-old Christkindlmarkt on the Neupfarrplatz will attest. Market goers feast on the city's famed sausages, along with steamed dampfnudel dumplings, gingerbread, roast chestnuts and, naturally, glühwein from Bavarian claret, as they admire the work of glassblowers, chandlers and potters, and listen to the joyous strains of the acclaimed Regensburger Domspatzen choirsome of whose alumni will perform on your riverboat tonight! The Thurn und Taxis family's Palace of St. Emmeram is the setting for your exclusive tour and visit to its private Christmas Market.

Christmas Markets: Nürnberg

Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2011

On Nürnberg's main market square opposite the Church of Our Lady sits the most famous Christmas Market in Germany, with its iconic, golden-haired Christmas Angel and charming Zwetchgenmannle ("Plum People")- unique to Bavaria and made out of fruits, nuts, and figs, and dressed in paper and cloth. By the time Christmas Eve rolls around, this "Little Town from Wood and Cloth" will have welcomed two million folks from around the globe, delighting them with its authentic ornaments, Christmas candles, cookies, tasty fruit loaves, tangy gingerbread, handmade toys and glühwein- including you!

Christmas Markets: Riquewhir

Posted on Saturday, July 23, 2011

Aside from the electricity that lights up its intimate Christmas Market every December, this Alsatian village hasn't changed much since its days as a Winzerdorf (wine village) in the 16th century. Fortified by glühwein, you'll stroll among stalls laden with crafts and local delicacies, set among historic half-timbered houses and shops dressed in yuletide finery... it's like a fairy tale come to life!

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