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We invite you to pack up your needles and join us for an enchanting holiday journey aboard Holland America's Nieuw Statendam. This 13-day round-trip voyage from Rotterdam visits the glowing Christmas markets of Germany, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and England.
This is a knitter's dream itinerary, steeped in rich knitting tradition at the most festive time of year. Wander medieval market squares wrapped in fairy lights, warm your hands around a warm mug, and browse stalls overflowing with hand-knit mittens, wool socks, and traditional sweaters in patterns passed down for centuries. With overnight stays in both Helsinki and Stockholm, you'll have unhurried time to explore the markets after dark, when they are at their most magical.
Onboard, participants will enjoy knitting classes, social gatherings, and pampering from Holland America's attentive staff. In port, shop for unique souvenirs and take excursions highlighting Christmas markets, textile arts, culture, and history. Explore festive harbors by day and return to familiar comforts each evening, where you'll have time to rejuvenate before your next adventure.
Tanis Gray looks forward to sharing her passion for colorwork and Scandinavian design with everyone on this cruise. Her welcoming, meet-you-where-you-are teaching style makes her the ideal knitting expert for this Christmas market voyage. Knitters will not just gain new skills but will go home with a deeper appreciation for the fiber traditions of every region they visit.
Classes taught onboard will include Stranded Colorwork â?? Akureyri Hat, Mosaic Knitting with Estonian Braids - Winter Cowl, Stranded Colorwork with Latvian Braids Holiday Stocking, Double Knitting 101 - Bridgerton Cowl, Bohus Knitting - Modern Bohus Hat, and Cabling Without A Cable Needle - Jump Rope Hat.
13-Day Baltic and Scandinavian
Christmas Markets Knitting Cruise Highlights
Craft Cruises selects itineraries offering various activities to help bring each port to life. Whether you explore on your own or on a tour, these enriching encounters ensure everyone goes home with memories that last a lifetime.
Shop for gorgeous yarn at Amsterdam's leading yarn shops, including Stephen & Penelope, home of Westknits.
From the port of Kiel, many guests travel to Hamburg, home of the historic Rathausmarkt Christmas market beneath the grand town hall and the maritime Jungfernstieg market on the Alster. German markets are the gold standard for hand-knit hats and mittens, and Hamburg has a thriving independent yarn scene with hand-dyed German wool.
In Estonia, experience the coolest "Old Town" in modern Europe: Tallinn. Tallinn has retained its medieval character and is home to some of Europe's best design studios and art galleries.
Tallinn's Christmas market on Town Hall Square was voted the Best Christmas Market in Europe, on a square that raised Europe's first public Christmas tree in 1441, is a knitter's highlight. The medieval Old Town's "Sweater Wall" and craft passages overflow with hand-knit woolens in traditional Estonian and Baltic patterns. Estonia is also the home of Haapsalu lace and the island knitting of Muhu and Kihnu.
Shop for locally produced lace shawls and a wide range of knitwear at the Estonian Handwork Union craft guild stores.
In Helsinki, shop for yarn at Snurre, featuring Finland's largest selection of natural fibers.
Helsinkiâ??s St. Thomas Market on Senate Square is filled with more than a hundred wooden huts of Finnish design, handicraft items and locally produced wool goods. With an overnight in port, you can enjoy the market after dark when the lights are at their most beautiful.
Spend the day in Stockholm exploring the architectural beauty of Old Town, strolling through five centuries of Swedish history at the Skansen Open-Air Museum, or shopping for Swedish yarn at one of several popular yarn shops located throughout the city.
In Stockholm, the Stortorget market in Gamla Stan is the oldest Christmas market in Sweden, set among picture-perfect red wooden huts. The open-air Skansen museum hosts a traditional market and Lucia celebrations and on departure, the ship treats you to scenic cruising through the Stockholm Archipelago.
Copenhagen at Christmas is pure hygge, with Tivoli Gardens transformed into a glittering winter wonderland and open-air markets along colorful Nyhavn. Denmark is one of the most exciting yarn destinations in the world, with celebrated shops and brands and a deep Nordic/Faroese knitting tradition.
Shop at Knitting for Olive, Sommerfuglen and Uldstedet, Denmark's most popular yarn stores, and see work by many popular Danish designers.
From Dover, reach London's festive markets along the South Bank and at Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland, or visit historic Canterbury, just minutes away with its own Christmas market, beautiful cathedral and medieval charm.