8-Day European Christmas Market River Cruise on Scenic Opal Review

We went on our first ever river cruise with Scenic! Seeing Christmas markets all over Europe has been such a dream of ours, and this year we finally made it come true. We boarded the Scenic Opal, a luxury river cruise that holds about 150 passengers, for an 8-day cruise starting in Basel, Switzerland and ending in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

// ABOUT US //

// INSTAGRAM //

// TIKTOK //

// SUBSCRIBE //

// TRAVEL //

0:00 Start
0:22 Zurich, Switzerland
2:11 Basel, Switzerland
2:39 Boarding the ship
2:49 Cabin tour
3:58 First day on the cruise
4:49 Strasbourg, France
6:22 Baden-Baden, Germany
8:55 Heidelberg, Germany
10:33 Rüdesheim, Germany
11:22 Koblenz, Germany
12:25 Cologne, Germany
13:53 Amsterdam, Netherlands
15:00 Food
16:45 Dress code
17:30 Age
18:28 Schedule
19:22 Least favorite part
19:43 Favorite part
20:24 Departure
20:47 Cost
21:23 Itinerary

[mckenna]

Oh, my gosh. YES!!! ✨️ 🎄 ❤ ✨️
This is an absolute bucket list!

[katieh.]

This is amazing. I never knew such a trip / itinerary even existed. Another thing to add to my bucket list! 🎄

[JohnBriddon]

We really liked watching this video and found it very helpful. Your filming is excellent and makes watching it, easy and enjoyable!

[jimwarrick]

Omg y'all are adorable. And I'm completely enamored with the Christmas Market cruise. Absolutely have to go after watching this, thank you!

[takewalk]

Omg this is just such magic. I am so in for this if it happens next year!

[lynsmith]

Have done several cruises with Scenic, going on our next in May. Loved every one. The crew have always been amazing and go out of there way to make sure you’re happy.

[Clutching.My.Pearls]

We did this exact river cruise on Avalon Waterways but in March. Its a lovely amazing tour and we loved Rudesheim best. Now I'll think about this for a Christmas trip. Thanks ❤

[kathyromack]

We are booked for a rhine river cruise in Dec 2024 but have experience with the Strasbourg and Cologne Christmas markets from a Rick Steves tour back in 2017. Excited to visit Cologne again as it was so so cold when we first went we ended up skipping a vast majority of it. We actually did Strasbourg and Cologne on our own that time so it was nice to not have any time constraints. For nutcrackers, your best bet would have been to purchase them from the Käthe Wohlfahrt store. We purchased 4 of them there. Not a cheap thing but quality nutcrackers that will last forever!

[SusanSmith-dndx]

Such a wonderfully informative and filmed video. Enjoyed learning about this river cruise because of how it was presented!

[whatsupwithwy]

This is so amazing, all of the food looks delicious. My husband and I are doing a land tour in December and will have several stops at Christmas markets. Thanks for sharing this awesome video.

[joansarratt]

Great video! Thanks so much for sharing. I’m going on my 1st river cruise to the Christmas markets in Nov, 2024. This was an excellent orientation.

[einfussganger]

Just got back from a similar trip, only in springtime, going the other way (Amersteram to Basel). I very much enjoyed your video showing what it looks like in winter all decorated for Christmas. It's a magical part of the world.

[tappininsocal]

Thanks for this. SO many questions answered.

[HoneymoonAlways]

It's hard to pick a favorite, but I think our favorite Christmas market was in Baden-Baden, Germany. Have you been to any of these Christmas markets?

[michelechrisgander]

Really enjoyed your video! Have always wanted to do the Christmas Markets and this certainly made it enticing! Your scenes of the snow covered trees was magical! And love your detailed comments about the food on Scenic. Hadn’t considered this line before, but will have a look at that for a possibility for our a Danube cruise next autumn. And love that your cabin came with a husband! 😂🤣😂🤣 Will look for more of your travel videos.

[carolinacadabra]

What gorgeous scenery from your ship! All that and Christmas markets too.

[ladyloquitavida]

Merry Christmas Michelle and Dan! Gary and I just returned from an 11 day trip to Munich. We visited Christmas markets in Spain, France, Austria, and of course Germany. It was absolutely heavenly, but we are certainly happy to be back home in Portugal!
Thanks for sharing your your adventures with us, ... maybe next year we'll try your suggestions and leave all the driving to someone else! Boa natal to you both! 🎄🎅🎁💕

[lorriepatterson]

Bill and I are so envious! We want to do this. Love Christmas markets❤

[LeslieEasterday]

We are researching our Christmas market river cruise so, I really appreciate your video. And thoughts about the tours and how to spend as much time at the markets as possible.

[lee-annecreery]

Thank you VERY much for this travelog. My husband & I are going to be travelling on the same ship this coming December for our 25th Anniversary. I had many questions about ports, bus rides, and especially attire; which you both have answered well. You didn't show your "fancy dinner" or discuss the butler service, so that will be a mystery. One thing you did answer was questions about the Christmas Markets. I am so very excited for this trip (we will be doing in reverse order), and I think we will end extremely satisfied, and I hope warm! Thanks again.