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Christmas Markets on the Danube Itinerary
Day 1 - Budapest (Hungary)
Embark your river ship in Budapest. Tonight there is a Welcome Dinner. (D)
Day 2 - Budapest
Enjoy a sightseeing tour including both Buda and Pest to see highlights including Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church. The rest of the day is at leisure to visit the festive markets. (B,L,D)
Day 3 - Bratislava (Slovakia) - Vienna (Austria)
From Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, you can enjoy a guided walking tour to the Old Town Hall and Mirbach Palace before enjoying free time to explore the city and its Christmas markets. Tonight, visit the Schonbrunn Palace Christmas Market and browse the stalls for traditional gifts and decorations. (B,L,D)
Day 4 - Vienna
The “City of Waltzes” offers a treasure trove of gems just waiting to be discovered. Join a tour showcasing its regal splendors, such as the majestic Opera House and the former Imperial Palace of the Habsburgs, before concluding in Vienna’s historic city center. If you prefer a more active adventure, then join a guided bike ride through Vienna. During the afternoon, visit the market at Schönbrunn Palace with a giant sparkling Christmas tree. Cap the day off with “Vienna by Night” Christmas Markets at the beautifully decorated Rathaus Christmas Market, Vienna’s largest Christmas Market. (B,L,D)
Day 5 - Weissenkirchen - Wachau Valley - Melk
After reaching Weissenkirchen, you’ll have a choice of excursions. Join a walking tour in Dürnstein and then taste some of the village’s distinctive wines. Or visit a local boutique to taste Durnstein’s special apricot treats, such as jams and chocolates. Prefer more active adventures? Join a guided bike tour from Weissenkirchen to Melk. For those not biking to Melk, you’ll sail through the UNESCO-designated Wachau Valley to Melk. Once in Melk, you’ll visit its magnificent Benedictine Abbey.(B,L,D)
Day 6 - Linz
Linz is known for being the city of Christmas crèches and its ever-popular Linzer torte. While here, you have a choice of three excursions. The first is a full-day visit to Salzburg where you’ll enjoy a walking tour of the UNESCO-designated Old Town, its magnificent cathedral and its Christmas Markets, including the Hellbrunn Palace, where its inner courtyard is turned into a romantic backdrop for one of the most beautiful Christmas Markets in Austria. Alternatively, you can choose a morning walking tour through Linz’s old city center and by the Mozart House, where he composed the Linz Symphony in only three days, as well as visit Linz’s Christmas Markets. Or you can go on a guided bike tour through Linz and along the city’s famed “Culture Mile” and the Danube. During the afternoon, you can join a half-day excursion to Salzburg. (B,L,D)
Day 7 - Passau (Germany) - Vilshofen
Enjoy a walking tour of Passau, a 2000-year-old fairytale city with cobblestone streets and Baroque architecture, to see the Gothic and Italian Baroque architecture, St Stephen's Cathedral and Christmas Market. The more active may choose instead to hike up to the impressive Veste Oberhaus Fortress or cycle along the Danube from Passau to Erlau. This afternoon cruise to Vilshofen for a private Oktoberfest celebration with beers and traditional music and dancing. (B,L,D)
Day 8 - Vilshofen
Disembark ship in Vilshofen. (B)
For navigational reasons the Captain of the ship reserves the right to modify the cruise itinerary.