Danube Christmas Markets

(191 Reviews)
100% Recommended

Deborah Mitchell

Kansas City, MO
River/Ocean Cruise and All-Inclusive Specialist

I've always been something of a wanderer, having moved on a regular basis as a young child. I was lucky to have many national parks as my backyard, giving me opportunities to explore: Zion National Park, Everglades National Park, Shenandoah Nation...

Prague

I love the Danube so much that I have now done the Christmas Markets twice, two years in a row!  Once with AmaWaterways, and once with Uniworld.


 The Danube is the second largest River in Europe and the itinerary of this particular Danube cruise is a distinct and interesting one. The ship docks in Buda (Hungary), Vienna, Melk, Linz (in Austria) with an optional side tour to Salzburg. Then on to Passau, Regensburg and Nuremberg (Germany) with an add-on in Prague, the city of one hundred spires. You can do this either direction. The scenery along the way is wonderfully diverse as you glide by village church spires, medieval castles, the neon lights of cities, forests, rolling hills and a series of 16 locks that take you from the lower Danube River and into the higher monumental Main Danube Canal.


The Christmas markets are both inviting stalls with crafts and food and lively centers for holiday socializing. Each city displays their unique food and drink to the locals as well as to tourists who've traveled there to be part of the festivities. A vast assortment of traditional Christmas decorations, clothing, wooden toys, wax candles and unique handmade items are all on offer.  The selection of things to buy is endless. 


Friends of all ages meet in the city square for steaming cups of gluhwein (mulled wine)or  hot chocolate. In Nuremberg, there are sausages and sauerkraut sandwiches. In Prague, there is the raclette with bread and crepes. In Regensberg, there is a wonderful warm potato dish...among many other awesome types of foods and sweets.


Some of my favorite cruise recollections...-- The fabulous hot chocolate at the Schonbrunn Palace Market in Vienna.  -- The Private Christmas Markets at Thurns and Taxis -- The elegant Austrian church where Julie Andrews was married in 'Sound of Music'. -- The mouthwatering breakfast waffles served aboard the M/S AmaSonata. -- The spectacular library in Melk's Benedictine Abbey. -- A cup of steaming mulled wine in Pest's Market Square. -- Touring the Hidden areas of Vienna. -- Experiencing  Prague's Christmas Market  -- The village of Durnstein with all their apricot sweets -- The horse-drawn Christmas buggies in Zwiesel.  -- Nuremberg's world famous sausages and sauerkraut sandwiches.  -- The swans that swam beside the ship when we were docked in Vienna  -- The apricot schnapps I tasted in the charming town of Melk. 


This year, I will be experiencing the Christmas Markets on the Rhine River...stay tuned!

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