Please note the tour price reflected on the brochure is subject to change. Due to seasonality, and taxes prices of the tour are subject to change without due notice. Please consult with the operator directly for the recent price.
Christmas markets on the Danube
Preferred
Overview
Highlights (Bullets)
- Enjoy Christmas on Danube Crusing
- Explore Linz, the second largest city in Austria.
- Visit Melk’s magnificent Benedictine Abbey, one of Europe’s largest
- Enjoy 2 nights in Prague, then visit multiple Christmas Markets on the scenic river route from Nuremberg to Budapest
Short Description
Celebrate the magic of the holiday season, starting with two nights in Prague. Embark upon your cruise in Nuremberg, stopping to visit some of the charming towns where many beloved Christmas traditions originated. Wander the stalls of Europe’s most traditional and enchanting Christmas Markets, shopping for handcrafted toys and gifts, sipping hot mulled wine and inhaling the fragrance of gingerbread and roasted chestnuts. Experience colorful local traditions in such picturesque locales as Regensburg, Salzburg and Vienna before concluding your cruise in Budapest, which offers its own festive take on the holiday.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive In Prague, Czech Republic
Arrive in Prague and check-in to your hotel. The remainder of the day is free to explore this beautiful and historic city.
Day 2: Prague
Meals: Breakfast
Your morning sightseeing tour reveals why Prague is considered one of Europe’s most attractive cities, with a historic city center that is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will see Rudolfinum, the National Museum, Wenceslas Square and the Hundertwasser Dancing House. Next, visit the 1,000 year-old Prague Castle and St. Vitus before walking over the romantic Charles Bridge to the Old Market Square, where you will find the capital’s famous Astronomical Clock, Tyn Church and the statue of Jan Husek. You will then have free time to shop at Prague’s renowned Christmas Market with its tempting assortment of handicrafts, toys and local delicacies.
Day 3: Prague – Nuremberg, Germany – Embarkation
Meals: Breakfast
Depart Prague after breakfast and drive through the pastoral countryside to Nuremberg. Visit the world’s largest Christmas Market, with over 100 red and white canvas-topped stalls offering unique crafts, toys, dollhouses, carved angels, freshly baked gingerbread, mulled wine and other seasonal delights. Tonight, gather on board your ship for a Welcome Dinner. The ship moors in Nuremberg overnight.
Day 4: Nuremberg – Continental Divide
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Enjoy a guided morning tour of this historic city with its fabulous Gothic churches, 900-year-old city ramparts, the house of artist Albrecht Dürer, Imperial Castle, and the Justice Palace courtroom where the War Crimes Tribunal sat in 1946. Following your tour, you will have free time to visit the city’s fabled Christmas Market and enjoy some hot mulled Glühwein – the souvenir mug is yours to keep!
Day 5: Regensburg
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Arrive in Regensburg after breakfast and enjoy a guided walking tour of this exquisitely preserved medieval city. Marvel at the beautiful churches, the homes of wealthy families, and one of Germany’s oldest bridges across the Danube. Your tour ends with a visit to a Christmas Market, with its festive stalls adorned with fir branches. This evening, you will enjoy a visit to the exclusive “royal” markets at the Thurn and Taxis Palace, a very traditional handicraft Christmas Market where you can watch craftsmen at work.
Day 6: Passau
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
After breakfast, you have three choices for how to spend the day. The first is a walking tour of picturesque Passau, a fairytale city founded more than 2,000 years ago, known for its fortifications and town squares like Rathaus, Domplatz, Residenzplatz, as well as St. Stephen’s Cathedral, home to Europe’s largest pipe organ. Afterwards, take some time to explore the town’s Christmas Market. Guests looking for a more active morning may instead join a guided bike tour from Passau to Erlau. Your third option is a full-day excursion to Salzburg, birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the setting for “The Sound of Music.” You will have time to visit Salzburg’s beautiful Christmas Market, renowned for local handicrafts and one-of-a-kind holiday presents, as well as a stop at the Christmas Market in Linz on the way back to the ship.
Day 7: Melk, Austria – Vienna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Today’s guided walking tour takes you to Melk’s magnificent 900-year-old Benedictine Abbey, one of Europe’s largest Baroque monasteries. You will see the famous library that inspired novelist Umberto Eco to write The Name of the Rose. You may also opt for a guided bike tour along the scenic Danube instead. During lunch, the ship cruises through the romantic Wachau Valley en route to Vienna, the “City of Music,” arriving this evening. You will have the chance to visit both the Maria Theresienplatz and Rathaus Christkindlmarkt markets tonight. The ship moors overnight in Vienna.
Day 8: Vienna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
This morning, you will have a chance to savor the Baroque elegance of Romantic Vienna through your choice of one of two different excursions. The first option is a panoramic tour of Vienna that guides you past the majestic Opera House, the former Imperial Palace of the Habsburg Emperors, Parliament, Town Hall and Vienna University. Afterwards, you will visit Vienna’s historic city center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and see St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Graben and the world famous Spanish Riding School. The second option is a walking tour of Vienna’s hidden treasures that takes you to secret places and sights like Ankeruhr, a whimsical Art Nouveau clock. Afterwards, spend some time enjoying the Christmas Market and holiday festivities at the Town Hall. Later, you can visit the Schönbrunn and Karlsplatz Christmas Markets, or join a guided bike ride to Klosterneuburg Monastery. The ship departs late this evening for Hungary.
Day 9: Budapest, Hungary
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Your morning excursion includes sightseeing in the cities of Buda and Pest spread over both banks of the river. You will see famed Heroes’ Square and Castle Hill, home to Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias Church and spectacular views of the Danube. Afterwards, take some time to explore the twinkling Christmas Market in the main square. After dinner, the ship will sail a special Illuminations Cruise past the city’s glittering riverfront. The ship moors overnight in Budapest.
Day 10: Budapest – Disembarkation
Meals: Breakfast
Your cruise comes to an end as you prepare for your homeward flight.
Availability
- Single Supplement: $ 320
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39 AMA Waterways Travel Reviews & Ratings
Christmas markets on the Danube
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Details
Flight & Transport Inclusions
All internal ground transport
Group Size
Standard Group - 25 + people
Cancellation policy
In the unfortunate event a participant must cancel travel, notice to AmaWaterways must be via email to Res@AmaWaterways.com, which must include a return receipt and read notation, or other writing stating clearly and correctly each guest’s name, ship name, start and end date of the cruise and a brief statement of the reason for cancellation. Other forms of notice are not sufficient. The effective date of the cancellation is the date we receive the written cancellation notice. Name changes, a substitution of a participant or a reduction in the number of guests in a stateroom are treated as a cancellation in that all applicable cancellation charges apply. Cancellation charges for bookings within charter and part-charter agreements are as per the charter contract. All other cancellation charges are per-person, based on the cancellation date, as follows:
29-7 days prior to departure
Cruise & Land Cancellation Charge: 80% of cruise and land price
Airfare Cancellation Charge (Economy Contract fares): $350 penalty
Airfare Cancellation Charge (Business/First Class Contract fares): $600 penalty
Other Charges (except insurance): 80% of all charges
Trip ID#:
ChrDanAma
Meals Included
5 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches and 5 Dinners
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