Discovering Christmas markets? A new winter cruise explores 20 of France's markets.

The Christmas markets come alive during the season, with rows of twinkling lights and the sweet scent of mulled wine.

A new cruise offers the opportunity to visit 20 Christmas markets in a single trip.

European Waterways' new "Christmas Markets Cruise" sets sail from Strasbourg, France and travels through Alsace-Lorraine, a French region close to the German border.

Aboard Panache, a 12-passenger hotel barge, passengers can visit markets while enjoying six junior suites with attached bathrooms, a communal dining area, cocktail bar, and a heated spa pool.

Derek Banks, managing director of European Waterways, informed CNBC Travel that the cruise costs $7,990 per person when based on double occupancy. Alternatively, guests can charter the entire barge for $87,000.

On the cruise, daily guided tours, wine, and meals, all prepared by an onboard chef, are provided.

The Christmas markets

In Strasbourg, there are guided tours to 13 Christmas markets, six of which are also found in Colmar, and one additional market in Haguenau.

The historic city of Strasbourg, known as the capital of Alsace and the "capital of Christmas," hosts France's oldest Christmas market, Christkindelsmärik.

Visitors can discover 13 Christmas markets located throughout the Old Town of Strasbourg, and stroll through Place Gutenberg and la Petite France, the city's historic districts.

In Colmar, a town and commune in Alsace, visitors can discover its charming half-timbered houses and medieval architecture. The town is particularly popular during the holiday season, when guests can explore Old Colmar's six Christmas markets, including a gourmet market, local produce markets, and a children's Christmas market.

The only daily open Christmas market in north Alsace is located in Haguenau, a small town renowned for its traditional Alsatian Christmas market experience and wooden and clay nativity scene, as per Alsace's tourism authority website.

Besides Christmas markets, the cruise offers "extra holiday-themed guided tours," according to Banks. These include trips to the Meisenthal Glass Bauble factory in Lorraine, known for its traditional mouth-blown glass baubles, and the Musée du Chocolat, Strasbourg's Chocolate Museum.

Reservations for European Waterways' 2024 and 2025 Christmas cruises are now open, a company representative informed CNBC Travel.

Other Christmas-themed cruises

The company offers holiday-themed cruises on a larger ship, with Christmas cruises hosted on a triple deck 128-passenger cruise ship featuring 64 cabins.

Seven holiday season itineraries are available from November to December on the luxury cruise line.

The eight-day 'Classic Christmas Markets' itinerary is our most popular Christmas market option, according to a company representative who spoke to CNBC Travel.

The trip includes visits to nine Christmas markets and a sail from Nuremburg to Frankfurt, with stops at Bamberg, Rothenberg, Würzburg, Wertheim, and Wiesbaden.

The price range for the "Classic Christmas Markets" cruise is between $2,299 and $6,899 per person, based on the room type, as stated on the company's website.

The representative stated that we provide Christmas market cruises in various European destinations to highlight distinct regional traditions for our guests. In each region, the chosen markets are both well-known and lesser-known.

Uniworld offers holiday-themed cruises that visit multiple countries, such as the 13-day "Grand Christmas & New Year's" cruise that stops in Austria, Germany, and Hungary, and the 11-day "Enchanting Christmas & New Year's" cruise that sails through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary.