Sparkling lights, the festive sounds of children dressed as angels singing carols, enticing smells of hot-mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, and sweet treats of every kind, and timeless wonders on this 8-day cruise are a feast for all your senses. Budapest’s Vörösmarty Square, where all products sold in the market are guaranteed to be traditionally handmade; Vienna, with its impressive Christmas markets that seem to appear around every corner majestically; Nuremberg’s festive Christkindlesmarkt, the largest and oldest Christmas market in Germany; Regensburg’s Christmas Market at Thurn and Taxis Castle, considered one of Bavaria’s most beautiful and romantic; and Prague, with its renowned Christmas Market in the Old Town square;—along with many others throughout your journey aboard MS Amaverde—are yours to explore.
Highlights
Visit Vörösmarty Square, the oldest of all the Christmas Markets in Budapest
Discover the magnificent Benedictine Abbey, which now houses a museum
Join a tour of Regensburg, showcasing the city’s architectural highlights
Enjoy Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt, one of the world’s largest Markets
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Buda Castle quarter in Castle Hill and Heroes’ Square, Budapest offers an unmatched combination of culture and tradition. Your city tour begins with a visit to the vibrant Great Market Hall. The remainder of this tour takes you to both the Buda (hilly) and the Pest (flat) sides of the river. Afterward, visit Vörösmarty Square, the oldest and the most spectacular of all the Christmas Markets in Budapest.
The “City of Waltzes” offers a treasure trove of gems just waiting to be discovered. Join a tour showcasing its regal splendors, such as the majestic Opera House and the former Imperial Palace of the Habsburgs, before concluding in Vienna’s historic city center. Afterward, visit the Rathaus (Town Hall) Christmas Market. If you prefer a more active adventure, then join a guided bike ride to Klosterneuburg Abbey. During the afternoon, visit the Schönbrunn Palace with a giant sparkling Christmas tree. This market presents a glittering and stellar Christmas experience. Cap the day off with “Vienna by Night” Christmas Markets at the beautifully decorated Maria Theresaplatz Christmas Market, set amongst the world-renowned sights of Vienna’s majestic Ringstrasse, and at the illuminated Rathaus, Vienna’s largest Christmas Market.
High on a rocky outcrop lies the Melk Abbey, one of Europe’s most revered Baroque monasteries. Visit this magnificent Benedictine Abbey, which now houses a museum chronicling its history and a famous library with countless medieval manuscripts. Alternatively, go on a guided bike ride around Melk.
Join a walking tour of this 2,000-year-old city, noted for its Gothic and Italian Baroque architecture and St. Stephen’s. Go in search of Bavarian-style crafts at the Christmas Market. Alternatively, you can travel through the serene Austrian Alps to Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart. Your full-day excursion in Salzburg includes a walking tour of the UNESCO-designated Old Town, its magnificent cathedral, and its Christmas markets, including the Hellbrunn Palace, where its inner courtyard is turned into a romantic backdrop for one of the most beautiful Christmas Markets in Austria. For the active adventurer, join a guided bike tour along the Danube.
Regensburg is one of Germany’s best-preserved medieval cities, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Before visiting the Old Town Christmas Market, join a guided walking tour showcasing the city’s architectural highlights, including the OldTown Hall and the Porta Praetoria. As an alternate option, sample some of Bavaria’s specialties—beer, sausage, and pretzels. Or bike to the base of Walhalla, where the Parthenon inspires a neoclassical white marble temple in Athens. Later in the day, you’ll be treated to one of Bavaria's most beautiful and romantic Christmas Markets at Thurn and Taxis, where you can watch artisans make their unique arts and crafts.
Enjoy a scenic morning cruise as the ship crosses the Continental Divide via the Main-Danube Canal to Nuremberg. Join a city tour of WWII highlights and then walk through Nuremberg’s cobblestone streets to the Imperial Castle and 900-year-old city ramparts. Alternatively, you can taste your way through the city with a Franconian specialties tour, which introduces you to bratwurst, rotbier (red beer), and lebkuchen(gingerbread). Later, you can visit Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt, one of the world’s largest and most famous Christmas Markets.
Day 8: Nuremberg | Disembark
1 Breakfast
Disembark the ship and bid farewell to Nuremberg as you prepare for your flight home.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$3,699
Please confirm embark/disembark locations before reserving flights, as this itinerary operates in reverse on alternating departures.
Select a Date
Category E
Piano Deck, fixed window. Private facilities, 170 sq ft
Select a Date
Category D
Piano Deck, fixed window. Private facilities, 170 sq ft
Select a Date
Category C
Cello Deck, French Balcony. Private facilities, 170 sq ft
Select a Date
Category BB
Cello Deck, French Balcony & Outside Balcony. Private facilities, 210 sq ft
Select a Date
Category BA
Violin Deck, French Balcony & Outside Balcony. Private facilities, 210 sq ft
Select a Date
Category AB
Cello Deck, French Balcony & Outside Balcony. Private facilities, 235 sq ft
Select a Date
Category AA
Violin Deck, French Balcony & Outside Balcony. Private facilities, 235 sq ft
Select a Date
Suite
Violin Deck, French Balcony & Outside Balcony. Private facilities, 350 sq ft
Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Meyer Smolen
TrustScore 4.8 | 175 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 175 reviews on
7 hours ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.