Home Cities – Nuremberg, Germany

Depart the US to arrive in Nuremberg.  Welcome to Germany!   Transfer to your ship from the airport.* After boarding, the afternoon is yours to relax or do a bit of exploring. 

Nuremberg, Germany

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, followed by a visit to some of the local Christmas markets. Later, you can visit Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt, one of the world’s largest and most famous Christmas markets. You will also cross the Continental Divide via the Main-Danube Canal as the day ends.

Regensburg, Germany

Regensburg is one of Germany’s best preserved medieval cities, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Join a guided walking tour showcasing the city’s architectural highlights, including the Old Town Hall and the Porta Praetoria, before visiting the Old Town Christmas market. As an alternate option, sample some of Bavaria’s specialties—beer, sausage and pretzels. Or bike to the base of Walhalla where there is a neoclassical white marble temple inspired by the Parthenon 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.

Passau, Germany

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. Or, for the active adventurer, join a guided bike tour along the Danube. 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.

Melk - Vienna, Austria 

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. Afterward, enjoy a scenic cruise of the UNESCO-designated Wachau Valley before arriving in Vienna and exploring the local Christmas markets.

Vienna, Austria

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, you’ll visit the Christmas Markets. If you prefer a more active adventure, then join a guided bike along the Danube River. During the afternoon, visit the Schönbrunn Palace with a giant sparkling Christmas tree. This market presents a glittering and stellar Christmas experience

Budapest, Hungary

Budapest is one of Europe’s most regal and storied cities—and many of its most iconic sights can be seen right off the banks of the Danube. Your tour through this sprawling World Heritage city offers splendid views from the historic Buda Castle of the twin cities on both banks of the river. You’ll also visit Fisherman’s Bastion and see the marvelous Royal Palace, St. Stephen’s Basilica, Heroes Square, and much more. Later, explore this beautiful city’s Christmas Markets. As an alternative, you can hike to Castle Hill, walk along Fishermen’s Bastion, and take in all the iconic sites of Budapest with an active exploration

Budapest, Hungary - Flights Home to USA

Disembark the ship in Budapest and bid farewell to the city before preparing for your return flight home.

OPTIONAL PRE TOUR ADD ON

MUNICH, BAVARIAN ALPS, & CASTLES

Dec 1-4, 2024

Tour Cost: $699 per person based upon double occupancy

Dec. 1: USA-Munich, Germany

Depart your home city, trans-Atlantic flight en route to Munich

Dec. 2: Arrive Munich

Upon arrival at Munich transfer to our hotel. Balance of the day at leisure. Overnight Munich.

Dec. 3: Neuschwanstein, Oberammergau, & the Bavarian Alps

After breakfast we travel south to the Bavarian Alps to the village of Schwangau and Neuschwanstein Castle. Walt Disney used Neuschwanstein as his inspiration for Cinderella’s Castle at Disneyland. Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century palace dating to 1869 located in the Alps in the very south of Germany, near the border with Austria. In 1633, the small German town of Oberammergau faced a remarkable and fortunate turn of events during a time when the Plague ravaged most of Europe. During the 1600s, the Plague (also known as the Black Death) spread rapidly across Europe, leaving widespread devastation and death in its wake. Oberammergau, a picturesque village in Bavaria was not spared from the Plague. Legend has it that the Plague first arrived in Oberammergau when an infected villager returned home. However, something remarkable happened: the villagers’ prayers worked, leading to their immunity. No one else in the village died from the disease after that point. As a result of their miraculous survival, the people of Oberammergau made a solemn vow to God. They pledged that if spared from extinction, they would perform a “Play of the Suffering, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ” every ten years. The first performance was 1634. This tradition, known as the Oberammergau Passion Play, has continued to this day. The villagers traditionally paint their homes and buildings with fair tale and Biblical scenes. It really is a fairy land unlike any place you have ever visited! Return to Munich for overnight. (B)

Dec. 4: Munich – Nuremburg

This morning, we will visit the highlights of Munich. Munich, or München, is a city in Germany that traces its origins to the Benedictine monastery at Tegernsee, which was founded in 750 AD. The larger city proper dates to 1158. Munich became the capital of Bavaria in 1506 and became a center for the German counter reformation and for renaissance arts. Old town Munich is the central square and popular meeting place Marienplatz. Here you’ll find the fairy-tale-like Altes Rathaus and the gargoyle-adorned Neues Rathaus. The latter dominates the square and sees crowds gather below its neo-Gothic tower to watch the famous Glockenspiel in action. After our tour we drive north to Nuremburg to board the our Danube River cruise boat, the AmaSonata, and embark on the most incredible Danube River and Christmas Markets cruise! This tour is not recommended for persons with mobility limitations, wheelchairs, or walkers as Neuschwanstein requires considerable walking to castle and stairs inside the castle.