Festive Austria with Christmas in Germany

TRAVEL HISTORY:

Day 1 Vienna, AT

Day 2 Melk, AT

Day 3 Linz, AT, Engelhartszell, AT, Passau, DE

Day 4 Passau, DE

Day 5 Passau, DE

There’s still time to make this a Christmas to remember with a festive journey along the dazzling Danube! Embark in Vienna, the “City of Music”, then cruise in pampered luxury through the UNESCO World Heritage Wachau Valley. Pass by regal riverbank castles, fortresses, and Melk Abbey, a true Baroque treasure. You also won’t want to miss time in the alpine jewel of Salzburg with its connections to Mozart, “The Sound of Music” movie, and one of Europe’s most breathtakingly beautiful Christmas Markets. Christmas Eve and Day are in Passau, Germany, where the three converging rivers, mighty cathedral, and beautiful Old Town will positively enchant you.

DATES
12/22/2027 12/26/2027	Danube Riverside Mozart	Festive Austria with Christmas in Germany	from 2,937.00 USD AVAILABILITY & PRICES

DESTINATIONS ON THE ROUTE

Day 1 - Vienna

													Vienna is a city that defies simple description. Over the centuries, it has been an imperial city, seat of the Holy Roman Empire, capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and capital of sovereign Austria. Today, Vienna retains the grand Baroque architecture, historic style, and Lebenskunst (art of living) that attracted famous composers like Mozart and Strauss. It's a wonderland of lavish palaces and cathedrals, world-class museums and music venues, atmospheric coffee houses, and romantic fiakers (horse-drawn carriages) clip-clopping past it all.

Day 2 - Melk

No visit to the Wachau Valley is complete without visiting Austria’s prettiest abbey. Built on a rocky promontory overlooking the Danube, Melk Abbey's origins date back to 1089. Today, it is one of Europe's finest examples of Baroque architecture, where Benedictine monks still farm the land and operate what is now the oldest school in Austria. Highlights include the library of ancient manuscripts, frescoed ceiling, stunning spiral staircases, and the ornate abbey church.

Day 3 - Linz

Austria’s third largest city, Linz is a European Capital of Culture worth exploring. Highlights include the Feichtinger House with its Glockenspiel, Castle Museum, Lentos Art Museum, and the Neo-Gothic Mariendom with its impressive stained-glass windows and 20,000-person seating capacity. A hike up Pöstlingberg Hill delivers outstanding views over the Danube and is best followed by a coffee and piece of scrumptious Linzer Torte, invented here as the world's first cake!

Day 3 - Engelhartszell

As early as 1293, the market town of Engelhartszell was known as a lovely place of recreation. Rich in history, its cultural highlights include the ancient Cistercian Abbey—a Trappist monastery known for centuries for its outstanding liqueurs, beers, and cheeses. The abbey church is among the country's finest example of Rococo architecture, while the town's Parish Church is decidedly Baroque. Other highlights include the imperial toll gate, 400-year-old blacksmithy, pretty Old Town center, and newly opened Schütz Art Museum.

Day 3, 4, 5 - Passau

Situated along the Route of Emperors and Kings where the Danube, Inn, and Ilz Rivers meet, Passau was settled as early as the Neolithic Age. During the Renaissance, this City of Three Rivers was a major manufacturing center of swords, crafting bladed weapons stamped with the Passau wolf, which legend claimed would grant invulnerability. Today, the most famous sights lining the narrow cobblestone streets of the Old Town are the artistic Town Hall and the Baroque St. Stephen's Cathedral with its green-domed towers and one of the largest organs in the world.

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