Christmas on the Danube

Welcome the winter season with a timeless trip down the Danube River. Board your cruise and relax as you are transported along beloved cities, where age-old culture is interwoven into seasonal specialties. Peruse handcrafted trinkets, traditional sweets, and infectious holiday cheer as you make your way through some of Europe’s most renowned Christmas markets. Your holiday tour begins with an overnight flight to Austria.
Hotel Name: MS Amadeus Brilliant

Arrive in Vienna, Austria’s capital city. As arrival times may vary, there’s no scheduled sightseeing today. Board your ship and settle in for a relaxing cruise along the Danube. Your home for the next six nights, this vessel features modern amenities, a panoramic deck café, panorama salon and bar, exceptional service, delicious cuisine, and wine with every dinner. Celebrate with a welcome dinner on board, filled with holiday spirit.
Dinner Included

Admittance: Christmas Markets
The Christmas Markets in Europe typically open the last week of November and close on Christmas Eve. The tradition began in the Middle Ages in Central Europe, what is now Germany, eastern France and Austria, and now there are markets in many European countries. There is usually a Christmas tree, a nativity scene and many booths selling traditional regional toys and foods, and also beer and glühwein or vin chaud (hot mulled wine). Some famous markets are in Nuremberg, Cologne, Frankfurt, Strasbourg (France) and Rothenberg. As many as 3 million people will visit each one every year.

It is time to step off the ship and explore. After walking along the pier to reach your coach, join a local expert on a panoramic city tour and see Vienna's architecture, including Hofburg Palace, the Vienna Opera House, and the Ringstrasse. Then, discover Vienna on foot while walking through the city’s charming cobblestone streets towards the awe-inspiring St. Stephen’s Cathedral and festive Christmas market. (Use caution, as these cobblestones may become slick with frost.) The afternoon is yours. Perhaps you’ll join an optional excursion to Schönbrunn Palace, the Habsburgs’ summer retreat, to enjoy its festive atmosphere and courtyard Christmas market.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included
Dinner Included

Admittance: 6-Night Danube River Cruise
Carving its way through ten European countries, the Danube is the perfect waterway to take in the area’s best landscapes, charming vistas, and riverside castles. With a 6-night cruise, make your way through Austria and Germany.

Journey through the Wachau Valley, dotted with castles and hillside houses, as you cruise to the quaint town of Emmersdorf. Relax and take in the scenery before visiting the cobblestone streets of Dürnstein and the 900-year-old Benedictine Melk Abbey. Enjoy some time dedicated to exploring this ancient town. Later, get a taste of local tradition at a Glühwein party before returning to the ship.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included
Dinner Included

Visit Area: Vienna
This is the capital city of Austria, located on the Danube, with a population of over 2 million in the metro area. It is known as the “City of Music” because of the numerous famous composers who have lived and worked here, such as Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms, and also as the “City of Dreams” as it was home to Sigmund Freud. Some of its primary sights are Schonbrunn Palace, Hofburg Palace, Opera House, Belvedere and St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Vienna is also known for its coffee houses and restaurants.

Amid the early morning light, cruise past scenic valleys and charming riverside towns to Passau, situated at the meeting point of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz rivers. This morning, it's your choice! Enjoy a leisurely paced guided walking tour of Passau, the 2,000-year-old fairy-tale city also known as the “City of Three Rivers” and take in its ornate Baroque architecture, the cobblestoned streets, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral, home to Europe’s largest church organ -OR- join a hike with a local guide up to the pilgrimage church Mariahilf* and be rewarded with spectacular views over Passau.

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Dinner Included

Visit Area: Würzburg
This city of 125,000 is on the Main River, and traces of its history as a Bronze Age, Celtic and Frankish city can be found still. It was the site of one of the world’s largest witch trials in the 17th century with as many as 900 people executed. On one day in March 1945, 90% of the city was destroyed by British bombers and the firestorm which resulted. Now the city is an important administrative center and center of the local white wine industry.

With an expert guide, discover Regensburg, one of Germany's best-preserved medieval cities. See the first stone bridge built over the Danube and the Porta Praetoria – a Roman gate built in A.D. 179. Stroll through Old Town to Regensburg's charming Christmas market spread across the Old Town’s streets and squares and marvel at the festive lights and decorations. Browse and shop at the brightly lit wooden huts holding seasonal ornaments, wooden toys, and local handicrafts. Or perhaps you’ll join an optional excursion and experience the beauty and magic of the romantic Christmas market at Thurn and Taxis Palace in Regensburg.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included
Dinner Included

Visit Area: Rothenburg
A town located in the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, Rothenburg is known as a well-preserved and picturesque medieval old town, a popular destination for tourists from around the world. It was a Free Imperial City from the late Middle Ages to 1803. Rothenburg is also part of the popular “Romantic Road” through southern Germany. Rothenburg, which translates to Red Fortress (or burgh, a medieval fortified settlement), refers to the red color of the roofs of the houses which overlook the river. The name may also refer to the process of retting (“rotten” in German) flax for linen production. In October of 1631, during the Thirty Year’s War, Johann Tserclaes wanted to quarter his troops in Rothenburg, but rather than allowing them entrance, the town defended its self, but was quickly defeated. After the winter, Tserclaes and his troops left the town poor and nearly empty. The townsfolk remaining in Rothenburg were stricken and killed by the Black Death in 1634. Without money and power, Rothenburg stopped growing, which is why the town was able to preserve its 17th century state. While buildings within the walled city reflect the city’s medieval history, some parts of the town are more modern in concession to the tourist trade.

Cruise across the continental divide to Roth and make your way to Nuremberg. After walking along the pier to reach the coach, join your local expert on a bus tour that will give you the first taste of the city. Then, continue with a walking tour of Nuremberg, taking you on a stroll through the historic city for more than an hour. See Old Town, the 900-year-old ramparts, and the Imperial Castle. Your city tour concludes at Nuremberg’s 17th-century Christmas market, which is Germany’s oldest. Wander among the wooden booths of local goods, where perhaps you’ll shop for handcrafted nutcrackers or treat your taste buds to Nuremburg’s famous Lebkuchen (gingerbread).

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Dinner Included
Hotel Name: Maritim Hotel

Visit Area: Nuremberg
Nuremberg has a population of 500,000 within the city itself and as many as 3.5 million in the metro area, and may be best known as the site of the Nazi war trials after WWII. It is located in Bavaria on the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal and the Pegnitz River, and has always been a strategic site. Its most important attractions are the Imperial Castle, the city walls, artist Albrecht Durer’s House and in winter, the oldest Christmas Market in Germany. It is an industrial center, with companies such as Siemens and MAN, and is also known for traditional products such as gingerbread and pocket watches called “Nuremberg Eggs”.

Disembark your ship in Nuremberg and continue on to Rothenburg, a town of medieval walls, fairy-tale houses, and Christmas markets. Join a local guide in nearby Würzburg,** a historic Bavarian city along the banks of the Main River. Embark on a leisurely paced walking tour exploring this Baroque city and its famous Würzburg Residence. This evening, join your fellow travelers for a farewell dinner and toast to the end of your journey along the Danube.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included

Visit Area: Regensburg
This is a city at the confluence of the Danube and Regen Rivers in Bavaria, and its medieval center is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It dates from the Stone Age, and the Romans were here in the 1st century. Its 12th-century Stone Bridge over the Danube opened up important trade routes between medieval Europe and Venice, and helped it become an economic center. Other attractions are St. Peter’s Cathedral and the Old Town Hall.

Say goodbye to Germany as your tour draws to a close.

Breakfast Included

Visit Area: Passau
Passau is in Lower Bavaria near the Austrian border, and is known as the “City of Three Rivers” because the Inn and Ilz Rivers join the Danube there. It dates from the Stone Age, and became an important religious center in the 8th century. Its major attractions include St. Stephan’s Cathedral, with the world’s largest organ, and the Bishop’s Castle. Passau was famous for manufacturing swords and other weapons during the Renaissance.