Arrive in Prague and check-in to your hotel. The remainder of the day is free to explore this beautiful and historic city.

Your morning sightseeing tour reveals why Prague is considered one of Europe’s most attractive cities, with a historic city center that is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site. See Rudolfinum, the National Museum, Wenceslas Square, and the Hundertwasser Dancing House. Next, visit the 1,000-year-old Prague Castle and St. Vitus before walking over the romantic Charles Bridge to the Old Market Square. Find the capital’s famous Astronomical Clock, Tyn Church, and the statue of Jan Husek. Have some free time to shop at Prague’s renowned Christmas Market with its tempting assortment of handicrafts, toys, and local delicacies. 

Depart Prague after breakfast and drive through the pastoral countryside to Nuremberg. Tonight, gather on board your ship for a Welcome Dinner. The ship moors in Nuremberg overnight. 

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, have 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 two 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 and 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. 

The ship arrives this morning in Linz, where you have a choice of three different excursions. The first option is an excursion to Salzburg, Mozart’s birthplace. Take a walking tour of the historic center made famous by the “Sound of Music.” The second option is a walking tour of the second largest city in Austria, and the third option is a guided bike tour that shows you around the Old City Center, along the Danube River, and past the ultra-modern Ars Electronica Center. This afternoon, those that didn’t head for Salzburg before may enjoy a special highlights tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Today’s guided walking tour takes you to Melk’s magnificent 900-year-old Benedictine Abbey, one of Europe’s largest Baroque monasteries. Observe 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. Later, the ship cruises through the romantic Wachau Valley en route to Vienna, the “City of Music,” arriving this evening. The ship moors overnight in Vienna. 

This morning, have a chance to 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 Habsburg 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, as well as the Rathausplatz Christmas market. The second option is an Alte Donau guided bike tour. This afternoon, visit the Schönbrunn and Karlsplatz Christmas Markets, and this evening the festivities continue with visits to both the Maria Theresienplatz and Rathaus Christkindlmarkt markets. 

Disembark your ship today and transfer to your hotel in Vienna.

This morning take a walking tour of Vienna’s hidden treasures that takes you to secret places and sites like Ankeruhr, a whimsical Art Nouveau clock.

Bid farewell to Vienna as you prepare for your return flight home.