World's Greatest Cruises filmed on board a Viking "Christmas on the Rhine" river cruise, sailing from Basel, Switzerland, and visiting France and Germany before ending our Rhine river cruise in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

That's four countries in one week and sometimes, we visited more than one Christmas market a day! In small, medieval towns and urban centers, each with its own regional and national colors, flavors, sounds and scents.

Here are World's Greateast Cruises' host and producer Lynn Elmhirst's favorite Christmas markets from a Viking "Christmas on the Rhine" holiday river cruise.