Festive Season on the Blue Danube Discovery with 2 nights in Prague
10 Day River Cruise Budapest to Prague - Dec 12-19, 2021
Our business manager (my daughter) Leigh Ann Mobley has exclusive access to this itinerary and sale date. If you are interested in this one please contact her at 918-618-2344 or email Leigh@thejoyoftravel.net
Vacation overview
Sail in winter on the Danube River with exciting stops and panoramic views in Austria and Germany. At this time of year, the towns and cities are festively illuminated and dressed, each in its own particular style and tradition. Christmas markets abound, and the strains of carols and aroma of gingerbread fill the air. Embark your Avalon Suite Ship® in Budapest, and sail up the Danube River to Vienna, Austria. Here, Christmas markets are scattered throughout the city, with the largest located in front of the city hall. Join a traditional city sightseeing or a guided culinary walk through the Christmas market to taste some of the local traditional specialties. Glide through the winter wonderland of the Wachau Valley, and visit Austria’s majestic Benedictine Abbey in Melk. You’ll love a guided walk through Passau, with its narrow streets and beautiful patrician houses, and the Christkindlmarkt set against the stunning backdrop of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Sail further up the Danube River, and you’ll come to the medieval walls of Regensburg, the only German city not bombed during WWII.
Your last stop along the Danube River is 1000-year-old Nuremberg, famous for one of the oldest Christmas markets in Germany. After guided city sightseeing, be sure to explore the many stalls and try some spicy gingerbread and Glühwein! Disembark your ship and travel to beautiful Prague, Czech Republic. See the sights with a Local Guide, and then explore on your own. Browse for last-minute gifts at the Christmas mar-ket, and don’t miss the beautifully decorated tree in Old Town! The perfect ending to a holiday cruise on the Danube!
Itinerary:
Day 1 BUDAPEST (EMBARKATION)
Time for Coffee, and Confections
Flights into Budapest must arrive by 2 pm.
Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.
With a free day to explore before your cruise, take time to take photographs on the Royal Palace grounds in this treasure trove of historical architecture. Enjoy the warmth and glow of Christmas tradition before boarding your Suite Ship®.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO VIENNA
Day 2 VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Vienna Waltzes and the Beautiful Blue Danube
Enjoy sailing the Danube, which shares dozens of miles with Hungary and Slovakia. Relax on the to see the rolling landscape and red-rooftops of the Slovakian capital of Bratislava come into view.
DISCOVERY Enjoy an Austrian Cookie Tasting while sailing to Vienna.
This evening in Vienna, you may choose to join an Optional Excursion to attend a Royal Waltz Concert for an unforgettable evening of music in an elegant hall.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN VIENNA
Day 3 VIENNA
Royal Collections, Amusing Attractions, and Culinary Confections
CLASSIC Take a Guided Tour of Vienna to see the Imperial Palace complex—the winter residence of the Imperial family, OR:
DISCOVERY Join a Guided Culinary Tour of Vienna’s magical Christmas Advent Markets to sample Sachertorte and Apfelstrudel.
Join a Guided Optional Excursion to Schönbrunn Palace—a Habsburg Empire summer home for 300 years.
Spend free time on your own to enjoy the Christkindlesmarkt, or relax by the fire’s glow in a Viennese café this evening.
Later, relax on board with live entertainment.
OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO KREMS
Day 4 KREMS
Christmas Magic in the Austria’s Wine Country
CLASSIC Join a Guided Walk to explore this small valley town, seemingly untouched by the new world.
During lunchtime sail through the picturesque Wachau Valley to Melk.
MELK
Ornate Architecture and Scenic Splendors
CLASSIC Take a Guided Tour of Melk’s magnificent Benedictine Abbey to marvel at its frescoed ceilings, statues, incredible library, and ornate pipe organ.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO PASSAU
Day 5 PASSAU, GERMANY
Go for Baroque in Passau–Where the Danube, Inn, and Ilz Rivers Meet
CLASSIC Join a Guided City Walk to learn more about this beautiful “City of Three Rivers.”
Alternatively, join a full day Guided Optional Excursion to Salzburg—the city of Mozart and learn how Austrians celebrate Christmas.
Meet your ship back in Passau after your selected activities for sailing.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO REGENSBURG
Day 6 REGENSBURG
Magical Regensburg—Bavaria’s Medieval Miracle
CLASSIC Join a Guided City Walk and see Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) and Porta Pretoria—built in 179 AD as the entrance to Castra Regina fortress.
DISCOVERY Enjoy a Christmas Traditions Lecture on board.
DISCOVERY Later, indulge in a Beer Tasting on board.
This evening, enjoy live entertainment after dinner as you cruise toward Nuremberg.
AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO NUREMBERG
Day 7 NUREMBERG
Living Heritage and History Lessons
CLASSIC Choose a Guided Sightseeing of Nuremberg—with its medieval architecture, gilded fountain, gothic cathedral, and Kaiserburg Castle, OR;
CLASSIC Take a Guided Tour of the historic Nuremberg Rally Grounds—used by the Third Reich
Spend free time on your own to browse the spruce stalls of the Christmas Markets of Nuremberg. Sample favorite Bavarian fare—from dozens of bratwurst varieties, gingerbread, mulled blueberry wine, and countless other culinary delights of the Christkindlmarkt.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN NUREMBERG
Day 8 NUREMBERG (DISEMBARKATION)–PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
Welcome to Prague! Explore the City of 100 Spires
Enjoy free time to explore the Golden City of Prague and its surrounding countryside. Consider sampling delicious plum dumplings and traditional Pilsner lager beside the Vltava River.
Day 9 PRAGUE
Gothic Cathedrals, Grand Castles, and Great Cuisine
CLASSIC Take a Guided City Walk, and visit the Hradčany Castle Grounds; see St. Vitus Cathedral, and Old Town’s Astronomical Clock.
Spend the afternoon on your own to browse the exquisite Christmas Markets of Prague. Stroll through the brightly colored wooden stalls for ornaments and handmade toys and handicrafts.
Day 10 PRAGUE
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.