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Baltic Christmas Markets
Northern Europe’s Christmas markets tap deep into our ideas of what Advent is all about.
OverviewSo many of our Christmas traditions originated in these medieval cities, amidst the snow-covered cobbled streets, the frosted windows and frozen rivers.
During late November and December the squares in these beautiful northern cities, surrounded by medieval merchants’ houses, are filled with bright stalls, infusing everywhere with a spirit of Christmas cheer, whilst the smells of cinnamon, gingerbread and Christmas baking fill the air. Each country we visit has its own traditions. In Germany you can warm yourself with Glühwein whilst choosing wooden figurines for the tree or mantle-piece. In Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens you can sip ’gløgg & æbleskiver’, a hot and spicy drink made from red wine and traditionally accompanied by round, pancakes served with sugar and jam.
Hamburg and Helsinki have many markets spread through the city. Several cities set up ice rinks, and of course there are Christmas trees and lights everywhere. Besides visiting the markets, we will have time to tour the cities, sometimes with local guides. From Oslo we travel out to the village of Baerums Verk whose old wooden buildings host its picture postcard perfect Christmas market. From Bremerhaven we travel to the idyllic artist’s village of Worpswede. Kiel’s market includes stands from Kaliningrad with Russian woollens and amber jewellery. And Tallinn lays claim to the world first public Christmas tree, dating back to 1441. From Warnemünde we get 2 markets for the price of one - the magnificent market in nearby Rostock and the smaller one in Warnemünde itself.
There are markets in St Petersburg too, but our day there will be spent touring the city and Hermitage. So come and cruise the Baltic with us and make Advent 2012 one to remember.
Please note that restaurant Iunches are not included on this holiday except in St Petersburg, though picnic lunches will be available from the ship.
Please do check the individual itineraries for your chosen date as the UK departure ports and individual ports of call on each cruise vary!
Holiday Information SheetAll Holiday Information sheets are in PDF format. You will need Acrobat Reader or a similar program to view these. To download Acrobat Reader visit get.adobe.com/reader.
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