Danube River Christmas Markets Cruise

Day by Day Itinerary
 

Every day brings fresh delights and new places to visit on our Danube River Christmas Markets Cruise.

You'll travel through beautiful scenery and visit lovely towns in Hungary, Austria and Germany, with an optional excursion to the Czech Republic at the end of the cruise.

Day 1 (Saturday 6 December - or sooner) :  Leave the US

You can either make your own arrangements to travel to Budapest, or else take advantage of the air addon to the cruise fare (see below for costs/details).

You should leave the US today or earlier, so as to arrive in Budapest on Sunday (or sooner) in time for the start of the Christmas Markets Danube River Cruise.

If you're taking the optional pre-cruise extra cruise from Paris to Amsterdam, you'll of course be starting your travels on or before Wednesday 26 November.

If you're not taking the optional extra cruise, you might want to consider arriving in Budapest a day early - we'll be coordinating a day tour and transfer to the ship for those who arrive a day early.

Day 2 (Sunday 7 December)  :  Board our cruise boat, the Amalegro, in Budapest

If Amadeus Waterways is providing your transfer, you will be met at the airport and transferred to the pier to embark your river cruise ship.

The crew will be preparing the cabins for arriving passengers, and you are given access to your cabin as soon as it becomes available, generally by 4pm.

You can spend your time relaxing in the ship’s lounge or doing some exploring on your own in Hungary’s beautiful capital.

After dinner this evening there will be a Gypsy performance on board.

Included meals - Dinner

Day 3 (Monday 8 December) :  Budapest

Included Budapest Tour :  After breakfast, a morning sightseeing tour includes historic Buda Castle, where we have a splendid view of the twin cities of Buda and Pest spread over both banks of the River.

The tour also features 500-year old Matthias Church, St. Stephen’s Basilica, distinctive Fisherman’s Bastion, the marvelous Royal Palace and much more in this city, the former co-capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, redolent with splendid palaces and magnificent buildings.

After lunch, the ship starts its cruise to Vienna.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 (Tuesday 9 December) :  Vienna

Included Vienna Tour :  We arrive into Vienna after breakfast, and set off on a coach and walking tour of one of Europe’s most elegant and romantic cities. Your tour features the remarkable Ringstrasse, lined with imposing palaces and grand residences, encircling the medieval Innere Stadt (Inner City). See the magnificent Hofburg Palace, glorious St. Stephan’s Cathedral with its gleaming spire and the beautiful State Opera House.

Vienna Christmas Market, Leisure Time & Optional Tour :  Return to the ship for lunch.

During the afternoon, make your way to the Rathausplatz, site of Vienna’s Christmas Market. Begun on a small scale in 1294, it has grown to be Austria’s largest Christmas Market and truly transforms beautiful Vienna into an enchanted holiday wonderland.

During your free time, you may want to take a ride on a traditional horse-drawn fiaker, have some mouthwatering Viennese pastry such as the famous Sacher Torte, or visit the wonderful Art History Museum.

After dinner onboard ship, you may want attend an Optional concert. Held in one of the city’s palaces, the concert features compositions by Mozart and Strauss performed by a Viennese orchestra. Cost of this concert is approximately €60.

The ship leaves Vienna shortly before midnight after a magical day in this glorious city.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 (Wednesday 10 December) :  Melk

River Cruising & Included Melk Abbey Tour :  We cruise through a beautiful untouched stretch of the Danube called the Strudengau, arriving in Melk.

Disembark for an excursion to the dramatic 900-year-old baroque Melk Abbey, perched on sheer cliffs high above the Danube. Its cherub-filled library boasts 365 windows—one for every day of the year. The interior of the abbey’s church is a kaleidoscope of red, orange and gold—with a magnificent carved pulpit and shimmering ceiling frescoes.

The ship continues cruising through the evening, and docks in Linz in the early hours of the morning.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 (Thursday 11 December) :  Linz (Salzburg) Passau

Travel Insider Bonus :  Free Tour to Salzburg -  After breakfast, disembark for a coach excursion to Salzburg, birthplace of the great composer Mozart (the city is celebrating the 250th anniversary of his birth this year) and one of Europe’s major music centers.

See the stunning exterior of Schloss Mirabell, featured in the classic film, The Sound of Music. You’ll enjoy a walking tour featuring Salzburg Old Town, a gem of baroque architecture that is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the courtyard of baroque St. Peter’s Church, the former home of Mozart, and charming Getreidegasse.

 Getreidegasse is Salzburg’s most famous shopping lane surrounded by high, narrow houses and lined with enticing shops with wrought iron guild signs and secluded courtyards.

Have lunch as it suits you at a local restaurant and then enjoy some free time to explore on your own. You’ll find Christmas Market stalls and decorations in various places around the city, especially in Mirabell Square.

In the late afternoon, we'll drive to Passau, where the ship has sailed to meet you. The ship remains docked here overnight, so you can disembark for an evening stroll after dinner if you like.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 7 (Friday 12 December) :  Regensburg

The ship docks in Regensburg after breakfast.

Included Regensburg Tour, Christmas Market & Leisure Time :  After lunch, disembark for a walking tour of the town, one of Germany’s largest and (since it suffered virtually no damage in World War II) best-preserved medieval cities, now a World Heritage site.  See the gleaming spires of Gothic St. Peter’s church with its stained glass, the Old Town Hall and the 12th century Stone Bridge, which is Germany’s oldest bridge. After the tour, you’ll enjoy a visit to the town’s Old Corn Market, which is the location of Regensburg’s venerable Christmas Market.

You have time to stroll through the stalls and do some shopping at your own pace.

This evening we'll enjoy a Bavarian folklore performance on board.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8 (Saturday 13 December) :  Nuremberg

River Cruising :  During the morning, enjoy your passage through the amazing engineering marvel, the Main-Danube Canal.

Included Nuremberg Tour & Christmas Market :  After lunch, disembark ship in Mühlhausen and drive to Nuremberg for a panoramic tour of this medieval city surrounded by 13th-century walls. Today Nuremberg evokes the notorious post-World War II war crimes trials, but throughout its history, the city was known for its handcrafts, particularly toys and fancy metalwork. You’ll see where the trials were held and the grounds where Nazi rallies were held, as well as the imposing Imperial Castle.

After the city tour, visit the city’s renowned Christmas Market. With a 400-year history, Nuremberg’s Christkindelsmarkt (Christ Child Market) is one of Germany’s largest and most famous.

Amidst beautiful holiday decorations, you’ll stroll past stall after stall offering everything from ceramics and porcelain to Christmas decorations and toys. Sample mouthwatering local delicacies from hot mulled wine and marzipan to Nuremberg’s famous bratwurst and gingerbread.

Nuremberg Leisure Time :  After the tour, you have free time to do some shopping or explore on your own. Perhaps you’ll visit the Germanic Museum, containing the largest collection of Germanic art and culture from pre-history to the present. You return to the ship, which has sailed to Nuremberg to meet you, for dinner.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9 (Sunday 14 December) :  Cruise ends in Nuremberg, optional tour on to Prague

After breakfast, disembark and make your way to the airport for your flight home, or extend your vacation any which way you choose.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Note - If you've chosen the tour extension to Prague, please read on below

Day 9 (Sunday 14 December) :  Optional Extension to Prague

Today we'll leave the Amalegro in the morning and then travel by luxury motorcoach to Prague in the Czech Republic, where you'll be spending two or three nights in the lovely Metamorphis hotel, centrally located in a historic building full of character and charm.

On our tour we'll include two stops.  We stop for lunch in the beautiful medieval castle town of Cesky Krumlov.

This picturesque town, dating back to the 13th century, has been made a World Heritage site due to its well preserved mix of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture.

It has a lovely main town square, and delightful quaint shops, as well as an impressive castle overlooking the river and town.

A second stop is in the town of Ceske Budejovice, a town also known by its German name of Budweis, and original home of Budweiser beer.  This town has a beautiful town square with colorful medieval and baroque buildings, and is the largest town square in the Czech Republic.

We arrive into Prague late afternoon.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Optional Extension to Prague Day 10 (Monday 15 December) :  Prague City Touring

After breakfast, our morning sightseeing tour reveals why Prague is considered one of Europe’s most attractive and best preserved cities.

See the thousand year-old Hradcany Castle, the Old Town, the Jewish ghetto and many other major sights. The afternoon is free to wander through the Christmas markets with their tempting assortment of handicrafts, toys, wood carvings, and ornaments.

Mix with the locals at Wenceslaus Square, or enjoy one of the charming cafés or restaurants.

Included meals - Breakfast

Optional Extension to Prague Day 11 (Tuesday 16 December) :  A full free day in Prague

After breakfast this morning, some people will choose to return home, while others will enjoy a full day at leisure in and around Prague, to spend any way you choose.

And perhaps a concert this evening as a special way to end your Prague stay?

Or, at the very least, a special dinner in one of the many wonderful restaurants, with most of the best restaurants seeming to be located in underground cellars hundreds of years old.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Optional Extension to Prague Day 12 (Wednesday 17 December) :  End of Extension

You can of course stay longer if you wish, but for most of us, our tour comes to an end today, unless you've chosen to extend it further with your own arrangements.

Included Meals: Breakfast