I’ve done some initial research, and there aren’t many cruises for less than a week in Germany. There is a list for your reference below, and I did find one with CroisiEurope for three nights. It’s technically in France on the border, but it’s a lovely area. You could fly into Basel, Stuttgart, or Zurich and do that before exploring Germany (Baden-Baden, Freiburg, Nuremberg) by car or train.
One determining factor will be where you want to be on Christmas Day. Many of the Christmas Markets close on the 23rd or 24th, so those won’t be available. It seems like you have two options for this:
- Spend Christmas day on a cruise. The Christmas markets won’t be open, but you’ll have all your food taken care of in the event stores are closed.
- Spend a few days over Christmas Day in a nice hotel or Airbnb with a kitchen. Hotel restaurants will be open, but I do like the idea of settling in one town for a few days at a house, buying groceries, and cooking a meal with family.
Both have advantages, and it’s totally up to you! Let me know if any of the cruises below appeal to you.
Cruise Options
Uniworld: Nuremberg to Frankfurt
- December 15, 2025 (7 Nights)
- From $4,599 per person
- Cruise Link
AMA Waterways: Amsterdam to Basel
- December 17/18/20, 2025 (7 nights)
- From $3,139 per person
- Cruise Link
AMA Waterways: Nuremberg to Budapest
- December 17/20, 2025 (7 nights)
- From $3,139 per person
- Cruise Link
Tauck: Dusseldorf to Basel
- December 21, 2025 (7 nights)
- From $4,190 per person
- Cruise Link
CroisiEurope: Strasbourg to Colmar and Back
- December 17/20, 2025 (3 nights)
- From $897 per person
- Cruise Link
Viking: Amsterdam to Basel
