What it's like to take a European cruise in the winter

Are you someone who loves the idea of exploring Europe in the snow? What about visiting authentic Bavarian Christmas markets? Sipping mulled wine as you explore historical sites? Or maybe you just like the idea of seeing Europe during the off-season when its less crowded.

I recently retuned from a two-week cruise experience traveling Europe in the winter. Let me tell you why exploring Europe during the winter time should be at the top of your travel bucket list!

Cruise Itineraries

Many cruise lines offer cruise itineraries during the winter season that visit different regions of Europe. Many of these itineraries visit destinations that guests can visit in the summer time, in addition to other itineraries that are only offered in the winter.

Even if you have visited a certain region or area of Europe before in the summer time, traveling to the same destination during the winter months will offer a completely different experience.

On this most recent cruise adventure, I traveled with Viking Cruises on two cruise sailings, back-to-back. The first week of our trip was aboard one of Viking’s ocean ships, the recently launched Viking Neptune. The first portion of our trip we visited the Western Mediterranean with Viking’s ‘Iconic Western Mediterranean’ itinerary. The second week of the journey we sailed aboard one of Viking’s river ships, the Viking Tialfi. The second week of our trip we sailed along the Rhine River on Viking’s ‘Christmas on the Rhine’ itinerary.

The unique Christmas on the Rhine itinerary offered by Viking is only conducted during the winter season, from late November through the end of December. Additionally something unique about this cruise line is how many European itineraries they offer in the winter time, allowing us to additionally visit the Mediterranean on this journey.

Traveling during the winter time can offer travelers exciting cruise itineraries that may be different than itineraries offered during the summer or spring seasons.

Unique Cruise Offerings

Many cruise lines offer winter itineraries to Europe that are unique to the colder months. For example, Viking Cruises offers special winter itineraries such as ‘In Search of the Northern Lights’, taking guests through northern Norway as they sail through great snowy landscapes and make excursions to locations such as Tromso Norway to witness the northern lights.

Viking Cruises also offers special Christmas Market cruises in the winter months aboard their smaller river ships. Some of these Christmas themed cruises sail along European rivers such as the Rhine, Danube, Seine, and Moselle. These itineraries include Christmas themed excursions and more.

Additionally, Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) takes guests on journeys across the Mediterranean and through the Greek Isles on itineraries that visit destinations such as Greece, Portugal, Morocco, Spain, and Egypt. Some of these unique offerings are only conducted by NCL in the winter time. Often time these cruises come at a great price, and take guests to wonderful destinations during a time of year that is less crowded in Europe.

Environment and Weather

The weather during a European winter cruise depends on where in Europe guests choose to travel.

For example, on the first portion of our trip while we were in the Mediterranean, we experienced cooler temperatures around 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, with minimal rain and mostly sunny days.

On the second potion of our trip, while we were sailing along the Rhine River in Germany and Switzerland, we experienced temperatures as low as 19 degrees Fahrenheit, with our days filled with snow, sun, and no rain.

Cruising in Europe during the winter time will most likely mean that guests will need to bring a jacket or two, and maybe even their scarfs and gloves! However, these potentially snowy adventures are a lot of fun and offer guests a new perspective on European destinations.

If you are someone considering a winter European cruise, I highly recommend researching the weather in advance. Additionally, research the weather trends of years past for the areas you will be visiting. This will help you determine just how much cold weather gear you should bring along for your journey.

Before this trip, I was a little worried about how much it might rain. Until now I had never visited Europe in the winter time, and was unsure just how much it would rain on us. Because of this I brought a heavy rain jacket and an umbrella. Luckily, we only needed these things on one day of our 18-day trip!

A great majority of the trip it was sunny and cold, or snowy. I was delighted to discover just how beautiful Europe is in the winter, and after this trip I am already dreaming about planning another European cruise during the winter months!

Travel Logistics

The travel logistics of traveling during the winter time in Europe varies from traveling during the summer time. For instance, many popular destinations and locations within Europe are often far less crowded or busy during the winter time.

Fewer tourists means more time to explore locations without having to battle the crowds in order to see a popular destination. For example, on this trip I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Square of Miracles, the area around the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, was almost vacant compared to when I visited it in the summer time of 2014. We were able to explore the entire area and leisurely walk around the complex without feeling overly crowded by the amount of people visiting the site.

We discovered this was mostly the case for many of the destinations we visited on this trip. Most of the time we were amongst the only tourists or tour groups visiting an area or destination!

The only exception to the less-crowds rule, would be the Christmas markets in Europe. These beautiful and fun destinations draw crowds from all over, especially Europeans. Because of this, these areas were more consumed by visitors, but still not overly crowded.

We found the most crowded Christmas markets to be the ones in Basel Switzerland, Strasbourg France, and Cologne Germany. However, even though these areas were more busy, we never felt too overly crowded, and the level of people never diminished our experiences at these beautiful places.

We began our winter adventure at the very beginning of December, and leaving the United States we experienced no flight delays or difficulty traveling. We left Europe to return home about the middle of December, and while we experienced no delays coming home, we did notice there was overall more people traveling through the airports as it got closer to the holidays.

Budget 

Because the winter months are most of Europe’s off-season for tourists and travelers, we discovered that prices were much lower than they might have been in the summer time.

We stayed at a hotel in Basel Switzerland for two nights between our two cruises, and we were pleasantly surprised to discover just how reasonable in cost our hotel stay was, especially in Switzerland which can be known for its high prices.

Throughout the journey we felt like prices were generally lower everywhere we visited compared to summer-time prices.

Additionally, some cruise lines offer sales or cheaper cruise fares on their winter sailings, which is how we were able to add-on the Western Mediterranean portion of our trip this time around.

Packing

I am someone who generally tries my best to pack light for adventures. I don’t like to carry lots of bags with me on my trips, and I tend to get stressed when checking luggage, for fear of my bags getting lost. However, for a trip such as this one, we did need more room and ended up checking two bags.

Packing for a winter journey versus a summer adventure is quite different. Instead of swim suites and shorts, which take up very little room in your bag, you will need heavy and bulky winter gear such a large coats, scarves, gloves, and boots. Because of this, you may need to pack more than you would for a standard cruise vacation in the summer time.

I would still pack that all-important swim suit on your winter adventures! Most cruise lines have at least one pool onboard. Our Viking Neptune ship had three pools onboard that we spent part of our sea day visiting.

Local Activities and Festivities

Visiting Europe during the winter time means that guests will be able to explore and see many wintery and holiday festivities and traditions that in the summer time they couldn’t experience.

Traveling along the Rhine River and visiting several of Germany’s Christmas markets was a dream come true for me. As someone who loves Christmas, the snow, and has always wanted to visit Northern Europe, this Christmas themed itinerary was very special and will always be one of my all-time favorite cruise memories.

On this adventure we discovered that most of the destinations we were visiting had some sort of Christmas festival or celebration occurring during the month of December. This was something very unique, that can only be experienced when visiting Europe during the winter time.

Celebrating the Holidays

I have known several people who have chosen to take a cruise vacation during the holidays, and I think this can be a great option for families, friends, and couples looking to celebrate a little bit differently, while getting to do something very fun and making special memories.

Cruising during the holidays may mean that the initial cost of the cruise is more than cruises in the fall or spring, but sailing for the holidays means all fun and very little, to no work. Cruising for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years, means that guests can enjoy an exciting experience with their loved ones to celebrate a special time of year.

Conclusion

I highly recommend trying out a European cruise in the winter months! These itineraries are full of unique possibilities for guests to discover both new destinations, see a new side of a favorite location, or simply discover what cruising during the winter time is like aboard your favorite cruise line.

Even if you have visited many destinations within Europe during the summer months, there are so many new things to discover about Europe during the winter time.

Sailing in the winter time offers a unique experience, that may just become your new favorite way to cruise!