Enjoy a holiday like no other! Board the MS Amastella in Nuremberg and 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 and Vienna, each with its own local flavor and traditions. Celebrating the magic of the holiday season and concluding your holiday cruise in Budapest.
Highlights
Explore historic Nuremberg and its famous Christmas market
Sightsee in picturesque Passau, home to Europe's largest pipe organ
Visit Vienna's landmarks and tour the Schonbrunn Palace
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
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, take some free time to visit the city’s fabled Christmas Market and enjoy some hot mulled Glühwein – the souvenir mug is yours to keep!
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, 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.
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, and 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.” 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.
Today’s guided walking tour takes you to Melk’s magnificent 900-year-old Benedictine Abbey, one of Europe’s largest Baroque monasteries. 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. Visit both the Maria Theresienplatz and Rathaus Christkindlmarkt markets tonight. The ship moors overnight in Vienna.
This morning, 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 Hapsburg Emperors, Parliament, Town Hall and Vienna University. Afterwards, 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 Anker Uhr, 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.
Your morning excursion includes sightseeing in the cities of Buda and Pest spread over both banks of the river. 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, enjoy a special Illuminations Cruise past the city’s glittering riverfront. The ship moors overnight in Budapest.
Day 8: Budapest, Hungary | Disembark
1 Breakfast
Your cruise comes to an end as you prepare for your homeward flight.
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Cat. E
Violin & Cello Deck
French Balcony, 170 sq. ft.
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Cat.D
Piano Deck
Fixed Windows, 160 sq. ft.
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Cat.CB
Violin Deck
French Balcony, 155 sq. ft.
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Cat.CA
Violin & Cello Deck
French Balcony, 170 sq. ft.
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Cat.BB
Cello Deck
French Balcony & Outside Balcony, 210 sq. ft.
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Cat.BA
Violin Deck
French Balcony & Outside Balcony, 210 sq. ft.
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Cat.AB
Cello Deck
French Balcony & Outside Balcony, 235 sq. ft.
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Cat.AA
Violin Deck
French Balcony & Outside Balcony, 235 sq. ft.
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Suite
Violin Deck
French Balcony & Outside Balcony, 350 sq. ft.
Notes
Single supplement is 50%, except for Suites which are 100%.
The trip might have been the absolute best of our lifetime (thus far). We particularly want to commend our guide Peter in the Guilin area-he was so incredibly attentive, energetic, enthusiastic-and absolutely dedicated to ensuring that our meals were 100% vegetarian.
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