Dipping into the vault for memories of one of the most romantic Christmas markets in Europe: the night market in the grounds of a medieval castle in Regensburg, Germany!

In December, 2025, we’re off to film a Christmas market river cruise on the Danube for Season 4 of World’s Greatest Cruises. (You can join us on this festive sailing, getting into the holiday spirit, seeing behind-the-scenes as we film an episode of the series, and meeting fellow supporters of PBS! For more information, click here. )

Although I've cruised and filmed on the Danube many times, I’ve never sailed on a Danube Christmas market river cruise – but a few years ago, before World’s Greatest Cruises, I did sail on a Christmas market river cruise on Germany’s Main River, a waterway that connects via the Main-Danube Canal to… you guessed it: Regensburg.

And I dug up this video above from that memorable Christmas market cruise to refresh my memory and start planning all of the heartwarming festive content we're going to film.

That's because… flash forward to this December, Regensburg is where our Christmas market river cruise on the Danube this holiday season begins, and I can’t wait to return to this fairytale market, the Romantic Christmas Market at Thurn and Taxis Palace, all the more magical at night with torches, fires in hearths and twinkling lights.

It’s just one of several Christmas markets in this utterly charming historic city in Germany’s Bavaria… and one of dozens in cities and towns along our Danube route from Regensburg, to Passau, Germany, picturesque riverside towns and the majestic capital of Austria, Vienna, folksy Bratislava, Slovakia, and festive Budapest, Hungary.

Four countries, each with its own charming holiday traditions, arts and crafts, food and drink and joyous community festivities.