Your Tauck Cruise


Includes:


• All private Tauck shore excursions


• Guided visits to Christmas


Markets in Aachen, Rüdesheim,


Heidelberg, Baden- Baden, Strasbourg, Riquewihr & Colmar


• Walking tours of market cities and towns with local guides


• Visits to Old Town Heidelberg and historic Heidelberger Schlöss (Heidelberg Castle)


• Storytelling lecture in Strasbourg


• Cookie-baking demonstration & Siegfried’s Musikkabinett visit in Rüdesheim


• Visit to Baden-Baden’s legendary 19th-century Belle Èpoque Kurhaus casino


• Special lunch ashore in Heidelberg


• Traditional European Christmas dinner & holiday events aboard the riverboat


• All meals (7 breakfasts, 6 lunches & 7 dinners); all-day soft drinks; wine & beer with lunch & dinner aboard the riverboat


• Gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors & Tauck Cruise Director


• Service charges, taxes, porterage, airport transfers and applicable fuel surcharges


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Rüdesheim Holiday carols, children’s laughter, carousels... the season’s joyful noises reverberate across this little town on the Rhine as you browse the shops and stalls of its Weihnachtsmarkt, winding their way through its quaint cobblestone streets; the largest nativity scene in Europe adorns the market square. Even the Drosselgasse, a narrow lane famed for its wine bars, is all done up in yuletide green and gold. Heart-shaped lebkuchen, local favorites like schweinebraten and jägerschnitzel – and especially Rüdesheim Coffee, laced with locally produced brandy – tempt your taste buds. While in Rüdesheim, visit the unique Siegfried’s Mechanisches Musikkabinett, housed in a centuries-old castle.


Heidelberg With thousands of stars twinkling in the trees... hundreds of booths sprawling across five city squares... and an ice rink glistening in the shadow of Heidelberger Schlöss... you’ll think you’ve stepped inside a snowglobe at this shining Weihnachtsmarkt! Festooned with figures from the city’s history, the glowing Christmas Pyramid dominates the Marktplatz. On the Universitätsplatz, a carousel turns, and the scent of almonds and glühwein fills the air. You can skate to holiday tunes at the rink on the Karlsplatz... hunt for crafts at the Anatomiegarten... or stroll past the crèche on the Kornmarkt. You’ll also take a funicular to the medieval Old Town for a walking tour and lunch at the Hotel Zum Ritter St. Georg, and explore iconic Heidelberger Schlöss (Heidelberg Castle).


Baden-Baden The Black Forest’s special magic casts its spell over the Christmas Market of this famous spa town, set adjacent to its sumptuous Belle Èpoque casino complex, the Kurhaus, which screen icon Marlene Dietrich called


“the most beautiful casino in the world.” Cheered by the strains of local choirs and bands performing holiday music – or perhaps by the baaaas of bleating sheep from the market’s “living Nativity” – you can check out booth upon booth of carved wooden toys and ornaments, silver jewelry, decorative candles and goodies galore. Join us for a guided visit inside the 250-year-old Kurhaus, and explore more of Baden-Baden’s holiday charms as you wish.


Christmastime in Rüdesheim


Strasbourg Steaming mulled wine... gingerbread... Advent wreaths... a towering Christmas tree, dwarfed by soaring Strasbourg Cathedral... streets and buildings aglow with lights and decorations... bredle, the traditional holiday cakes of Alsace... the sights, sounds, flavors and smells of the Alsatian holidays surround you at Strasbourg’s Marché de Noël, the oldest and largest in France. A dozen themed markets fan out from the cathedral along the Grand Rue – the original Christkindelsmärik... the Bredle Market... the Kingdom of the Wine Growers... the Children’s Village... the Village of Sharing and others. Artisans show off their


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