Christmas on the Rhine & Main

Explore Frankfurt’s highlights and contrasting architecture, then visit its historic Christmas market. From your ship, follow your guide on foot along the Main River to Römerberg, the city’s main square. Here, immerse in the holiday atmosphere of its Christmas market. Browse stalls full of elaborate and creative decorations set amid the picturesque backdrop of the old town. Continue through the restored medieval district, which suffered heavy bombing during World War II. Learn about its time as one of the Holy Roman Empire’s most important towns and as a site of coronations. Stop at the colorful Kleinmarkthalle, pass St. Paul’s Church and see the Goethe Haus, a writer’s house museum and birthplace of poet and author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Then, enjoy free time to further explore the Christmas market at your leisure, before returning to your ship.

Discover Heidelberg, a town so steeped in charm that it stood at the center of the German Romantic movement. Join your guide for a drive to Heidelberg, then ascend to the majestic Heidelberg Castle, a treasure trove of Renaissance-era buildings. Built during the early 13th century, it was once the residence of the Palatinate monarchy. Descend into the Old Town for a walking tour to the turreted Heidelberg University. Along the way, pass a festive Christmas market, its vendors filling the Market Square with holiday cheer. See the school’s tower, where unruly boys were incarcerated for misdeeds, and the Red Ox tavern, where they boasted to their mates about their imprisonment. Share a special lunch with a group of modern-day students and hear their views on attending Germany’s oldest university. After, enjoy free time to browse the Christmas market, before returning to your ship.

Set out on a guided tour of Mainz, a city that boasts more than 2,000 years of history. Board your motor coach and drive to Frankfurt. Here, walk with your guide through the streets of the old town, stopping to explore Mainz Cathedral, which is more than 1,000 years old. See its six magnificent towers and step inside, if services allow, to admire hundreds of years of religious works and the tombs of once powerful prince-archbishops. Stroll past medieval houses and storefronts to the Gutenberg Museum, dedicated to the inventor of movable type and book printing. Founded in 1900—500 years after the birth of Johannes Gutenberg—the museum features an exhibit that covers the history of the printed word. Browse its many books and printing technologies, including a replica of Gutenberg’s workshop. After free time in Mainz, transfer to your ship in Frankfurt.

See Frankfurt’s historic center and discover its Jewish heritage through the stories of three prominent families. Meet your guide and visit the city’s medieval district, which was carefully restored after it faced heavy bombing during World War II. Stroll past its charming half-timbered houses as you learn about the rich history of this area. Pause at Römerberg, the city’s main square, and see its impressive town hall. Next, head to the Jewish Museum Frankfurt to explore the multi-generational legacies of three families who made their home in the city. Discover the Senger family, who fled tsarist Russia and survived the Nazi regime in the heart of the city. Explore the historic rooms of the Stadtpalais to uncover the incredible success of the Rothschilds and walk through the private collections of the intertwined Frank and Elias families for a closer look at their story.