Celebrate the magic of the wonderful winter season with a fascinating luxury river cruise beginning in historic Prague. Continue on your small ship cruise to Nuremberg, crossing the Main-Danube Canal. Visit charming towns where so many Christmas traditions began, visiting enchanting Christmas markets and sharing local traditions in medieval Regensburg, musical Salzburg, vibrant Vienna and more. Conclude your special holiday luxury cruise in magnificent Budapest.
Highlights
Explore Prague, considered one of Europe's most attractive cities
Visit the world’s largest Christmas Market, with over 100 unique stalls
Walk across Passau, a fairytale city founded more than 2,000 years ago
Join a guided bike ride to Klosterneuburg Monastery at Vienna
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Arrive in Prague and check-in to your hotel. The remainder of the day is free to explore this beautiful and historic city.
Day 2: Prague, Czech Republic
1 Breakfast
Discover Prague with a choice of a city tour or a castle hike. Both will reveal why Prague is considered one of Europe’s most attractive cities, with a historic city center that’s recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See all the key highlights, including the 1,000-year-old Prague Castle and Old Market Square, where you will find the famous Astronomical Clock. You will then have free time to explore Prague’s renowned Christmas markets in the Old Town Square.
Day 3: Prague, Czech Republic
1 Breakfast
Beer has a long and illustrious history in the Czech Republic with the first brewery established in 993. Beer is a core part of the country’s national identity, so join a Czech beer tasting and discover for yourself what makes the Czech’s beer some of the very best in the world.
*Czech beer tasting may take place on Day 2 or Day 3 of this itinerary
Day 4: Prague, Czech Republic | Regensburg, Germany | Embark
Check out of your Prague hotel and drive through the countryside to Regensburg, one of Germany’s best-preserved medieval cities, which you’ll discover on a guided walking tour showcasing the city’s architectural highlights, including the Old Town Hall and the Porta Praetoria. Be treated to one of Bavaria’s most beautiful and romantic Christmas Markets, then drive to Vilshofen where you will board the ship for your Christmas Markets on the Danube cruise. Then, join Vilshofen locals and fellow guests for a glass of beer and a traditional German pretzel ashore at a festive Oktoberfest celebration.
During the season of Advent, beautiful Passau dresses in her Bavarian holiday splendor, which you will discover on your walking tour through the city and at its Christmas market at St. Stephen’s Square—also home to its magnificent cathedral. Go in search of unique crafts, including Bavarian-style houses and glass ornaments.
Linz is known for being the city of Christmas crèches and its ever-popular Linzer torte. While here, you have a choice excursions. The first is a morning walking tour through Linz’s old city center and by the Mozart House, where he composed the Linz Symphony in only three days, as well as visit Linz’s Christmas markets. Or you could go on a guided bike tour along the Danube River. Alternatively, enjoy a full-day in Salzburg with a walking tour in the historic center, famous for its religious history, Baroque architecture, and as the birthplace of Mozart. While there, visit the beautiful Christmas Markets, renowned for local handicrafts and unusual holiday presents. During the afternoon, you can visit the charming mountain town, Česky Krumlov, located just over the Czech-Austrian border.
After reaching Weissenkirchen, you’ll have a choice of excursions. Join a walking tour in Dürnstein and then visit the magnificent Benedictine Abbey of Melk. For a more active adventure, bike along the Danube River or hike up to Dürnstein Fortress where Richard the Lionheart was once held captive and enjoy incredible views of the river and village below. Alternatively, you can visit a local boutique where you’ll enjoy a tasting of special apricot treats. If you’re a wine connoisseur, you won’t want to miss the excursion to a local winery where you can sample some of the Wachau Valley’s finest wine.
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. If you prefer a more active adventure, join a guided bike ride through Vienna. Then spend the afternoon at the Schonbrunn Christmas Markets and catch a glimpse of the giant sparkling Christmas tree, followed by a free evening on your own.
Enjoy a Bratislava city tour, including a visit to Bratislava’s charming Christmas Market, or an invigorating castle hike from Vienna up to Bratislava castle and see such sights as the tree-lined Hviezdoslav Square, the narrow House of the Good Shepherd, Michael's Gate and the Old Town Hall. As an alternative, visit the Austrian palace of Schloss Hof, located near the Slovakian border. In the evening, explore Vienna’s festive Christmas Markets.
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. The remainder of this tour takes you to both the Buda (hilly) and the Pest (flat) sides of the river. Afterwards, you’ll visit Vorosmarty Square, the oldest, richest and the most spectacular of all the Christmas markets in Budapest. As an alternative, you can hike to Castle Hill, walking along Fishermen’s Bastion and take in all the iconic sites of Budapest with an active exploration.
Day 11: Budapest, Hungary | Disembark
1 Breakfast
Your cruise comes to an end as you prepare for your homeward flight.
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.
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 | 126 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 126 reviews on
23 hours ago
For our first trip to Costa Rica, Adventure Life designed a tour that meets the interests, ecological and adventure, of our party; but also takes into account our physical limitations sine we are all septuagenarian. We are looking forward to the trip.
John Zent
1 day ago
Adventure Life is my favorite travel company due to their genuine care for their customers. They make every effort to ensure a wonderful travel experience for you. Their personal touch really gives the customer a lot of confidence with their travel plans and the trip leaders are always outstanding. They are truly consistent and accountable with the great service they provide. I can't thank Adventure Life enough for the incredible trips I have enjoyed thanks to them and their attention to detail.
Tim Duffy
2 days ago
Kevin Moore working with me and providing very timely answers to all my questions.
Sharon Worsham
2 days ago
Adventure Life coordinated all our domestic air travel in Argentina as well as
Multiple tours in four cities. Every thing went perfectly smooth. All the local companies were on schedule and very professional. We will surely use Adventure Life on future travels.
customer
3 days ago
Franny helped us put together a great itinerary, was very responsive and so helpful. We ended up not being able to use Adventure Life for our trip, but would definitely use them in the future.