RR32790
Celebrate the magic of the holiday season with a festive journey along the Danube River. After boarding your ship in Nuremberg, you will cruise through the charming region where so many of today’s most beloved Christmas traditions originated. Experience a number of enchanting Christmas markets in places such as Regensburg, Salzburg, & Vienna, each with its own local flavour & traditions. Conclude your holiday cruise in Budapest.
| Starting from | R32 790 |
| Package Validity | Set departure date: 20 NOV 2017. *** Book & pay by 25 JUL 2017 *** |
| Duration | 7 nights |
| Destination | Austria, Germany & Hungary |
| Starts in | Nuremberg |
| Ends in | Budapest |
{tab Description}
- 7 nights cruise in an outside stateroom on-board the AmaSerena
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner daily
- Unlimited wine, beer & soft drinks with lunch & dinner & unlimited sparkling wine & fresh juice with breakfast
- Captain's Welcome cocktail & Dinner
- Daily entertainment including cultural performances
- Assistance of a Cruise Manager
- Tours in each destination with guides
- Port charges & gratuities
{tab Day 1}
Nuremberg - Embarkation
Welcome Dinner
Board your cruise in Nuremberg. Tonight, gather on-board your ship for a Welcome Dinner. The ship will moor overnight in Nuremberg.
{tab Day 2}
Nuremberg - City tour & Visit Christmas Market & Cruise Main-Danube Canal
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, & 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 & enjoy some hot mulled Glühwein – the souvenir mug is yours to keep!
{tab Day 3}
Regensburg - Walking tour & Visit Christmas Market & Free Time at Thurn & Taxis Christmas Market
Arrive in Regensburg after breakfast & enjoy a guided walking tour of this exquisitely preserved medieval city. Marvel at the beautiful churches, the homes of wealthy families, & 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 & Taxis Palace, a very traditional handicraft Christmas Market where you can watch craftsmen at work.
{tab Day 4}
Passau - Walking tour & Christmas Market visit OR Passau bike tour OR Salzburg excursion
After breakfast, you have three choices for how to spend the day. The first is a walking tour of picturesque Passau, a fairy tale city founded more than 2,000 years ago, known for its fortifications & 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 & the setting for “The Sound of Music.” You will have time to visit Salzburg’s beautiful Christmas Market, renowned for local handicrafts & one-of-a-kind holiday presents, as well as a stop at the Christmas Market in Linz on the way back to the ship.
{tab Day 5}
Melk - Benedictine Abbey tour OR Danube bike tour & Wachau Valley cruise. Vienna - Visit Christmas Markets
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 & Rathaus Christkindlmarkt markets tonight. The ship moors overnight in Vienna.
{tab Day 6}
Vienna - City tour & Christmas Market visit. Visit Christmas Market OR Klosterneuburg Monastery bike tour
This morning, you will have a chance to savour the Baroque elegance of Romantic Vienna through your excursions. You will have a panoramic tour of Vienna that guides you past the majestic Opera House, the former Imperial Palace of the Habsburg Emperors, Parliament, Town Hall & Vienna University. Afterwards, you will visit Vienna’s historic city centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, & see St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Graben & the world famous Spanish Riding School. Afterwards, spend some time enjoying the Christmas Market & holiday festivities at the Town Hall. Later, you can visit the Schönbrunn & Karlsplatz Christmas Markets, or join a guided bike ride to Klosterneuburg Monastery. The ship departs late this evening for Hungary.
{tab Day 7}
Budapest - City tour & Visit Christmas Market & Illuminations Cruise
Your morning excursion includes sightseeing in the cities of Buda & Pest spread over both banks of the river. You will see famed Heroes’ Square & Castle Hill, home to Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias Church & 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. (B, L, D)
{tab Day 8}
Budapest - Disembarkation
Your cruise comes to an end as you prepare for your homeward flight.
{/tabs}