Winter Christmas Market Cruise - Germany & Austria

Two River Cruises. Two Entirely Different Kinds of Decadence.

Some trips are about checking places off a list. These are about settling in, unpacking once, and letting Europe seduce you properly—one glass of wine, one storybook street, one “well, this is ridiculous” meal at a time.

In the next two years, I’m hosting two very different river cruises through Dorothy Travel. One is wrapped in Christmas lights and old-world charm; the other is drenched in olive oil, wine, chocolate, and unapologetically good French food. You may have a favorite already. Frankly, I’m having trouble choosing one myself.

Part One: Christmastime on the Danube

December 1–7, 2027 | Nuremberg to Vienna | Avalon Impression

This is the European Christmas-market cruise people dream about: Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Melk, and Vienna, all dressed up in lights, garlands, gingerbread, and enough mulled wine to make even the grumpiest among us feel festive.

We’ll sail aboard the beautiful Avalon Impression, with cozy meals, wine and beer at lunch and dinner, Happy Hour, included excursions, Wi-Fi, port charges, taxes, and onboard gratuities. You’ll wander markets with wooden stalls and handmade gifts, visit Melk Abbey, sample Austrian holiday treats, and end in imperial Vienna—where Christmas somehow manages to look even more like a movie set.

The cruise begins in Nuremberg on December 1, 2027, and cabins are already moving. A $500-per-person deposit holds your place, with final payment not due until September 2027. There are only 18 cabins in our group allocation, so this is not one to admire from afar until the good rooms are gone.

This is the trip for you if your idea of holiday magic involves medieval towns, a warm drink in your hand, no cooking, no decorating, no wrapping paper, and absolutely no one asking you to carve a turkey.

See the full Christmas Market cruise details and reserve your cabin →

Part Two: Delicious Decadence in France

July 18–25, 2028 | Arles to Lyon | Rhône & Saône Rivers

Then there is France. Dear lord, France.

Our Delicious Decadence: A Culinary River Cruise Through France will sail from Arles to Lyon in July 2028, traveling through Provence and Burgundy with more than a dozen tastings and chef-led experiences woven into one very delicious week.

Think olive-oil tastings, Avignon’s Les Halles market, cooking classes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Beaujolais wines, Valrhona chocolate, nougat in Montélimar, local cheeses, Chardonnay cellars, and Lyon—the city that treats food less like a hobby and more like a religion. We’ll spend two evenings docked in Lyon, giving us proper time to enjoy one of Europe’s great food cities rather than merely wave at it from a bus window.

This intimate hosted sailing is capped at 128 guests and has only one 2028 departure. Your cruise includes meals, wine and beer with lunch and dinner, Happy Hour, excursions, Wi-Fi, port charges, taxes, and onboard gratuities. The group discount is a juicy $1,500 per person off retail pricing, with Deluxe Staterooms beginning at $3,599 per person, based on double occupancy.

And yes, Nick and Bob will be along for this one too. We’re also considering a little optional pre-cruise detour for the boys at Cap d’Agde and Piémanson Beach before we meet the ship in Arles. Because we contain multitudes. And occasionally very little luggage.

This is the trip for you if you believe travel should taste like something; if a market, a vineyard, a tiny chocolatier, and a long table full of interesting people sounds like your kind of spiritual practice.

Explore the France Culinary Cruise →

Whether you choose twinkle lights on the Danube or butter, wine, and sunlight in Provence, these are both trips designed for people who are done with ordinary vacations. Come with us. Europe is calling, and she’s being extremely persuasive.