This Danube River cruise at Christmastime delights with the shining sights and sounds of the holiday season. Experience the beautiful traditions of the festive season amid 14th-century architecture and towns virtually unchanged since Roman times. Walk down narrow cobblestone streets lined with beautiful patrician houses and Christkindlmarkt stalls alight with glowing atmosphere of three beautiful countries. Sail through a winter wonderland and revel in the Advent season as each town is festively decorated, offering holiday wares and delicious fare to warm the heart.

Board your ship in Nuremberg, Germany, and visit this 1000-year-old city with a Local Guide. Browse Nuremberg’s Christmas market—one of Europe’s oldest. Be sure to try the city’s traditional gingerbread! Next, visit Regensburg—the only German city not bombed during WWII. Here, you’ll taste some of Germany’s famous beers and sausages. Next stop is Passau, known for its narrow winding streets lined with patrician houses, and the magnificent Italian baroque St. Stephen’s Cathedral which forms a perfect backdrop for the delightful Christkindlmarkt. In Melk, visit Austria’s majestic Benedictine Abbey, and enjoy a traditional Austrian cookie tasting as you cruise through a winter wonderland from the Wachau Valley to romantic Vienna. Here, where Christmas markets are scattered around the city, enjoy a culinary walk through the markets to taste some of the local traditional specialties.

Your European Christmas river cruise holiday ends in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, with guided sightseeing and free time to explore one more Christmas market and buy one-of-a-kind gifts.

Traveller Notes
Christmas markets generally operate from late November until the third week of December.