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Spending the festive season in other countries is a great way to broaden your horizons and gain a richer understanding of the celebrations—and this 14-day cruise along the Danube delivers just that! Embark in Vienna, the City of Music, and cruise in pampered luxury, stopping at Christmas Markets to sample mouthwatering Advent specialties and soak up the jolly atmosphere. Visit Krems, gateway to the eastern Wachau Valley; Linz, birthplace of the Linzer Torte; the magnificent Benedictine abbey of Melk; and Budapest, the extraordinary capital of Hungary. Best of all, spend Christmas in Germany’s Passau; New Year’s Eve in Bratislava, Slovakia; and New Year’s Day in Vienna—a thrilling way to start 2025!
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.
First mentioned in 995 AD, Krems became prosperous as a trade center for salt and wine. Its cobblestoned Old Town is home to well preserved buildings, like the 15th-century Steiner Tor (city gate), symbol of the city. Also worth seeing: the Krems Art Mile with Austria's only caricature museum and the State Gallery of Lower Austria; 11th-century Göttweig Abbey; and wine! Surrounded by vineyards, Krems produces some of the country's best wines!
After the Third Reich's annexation of Austria in 1938, the tiny market town of Mauthausen became home to a Nazi concentration camp. Today, the former camp serves as a memorial to the 200,000 men, women, and children who were imprisoned and perished there—and a site committed to political and historical education.
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!
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.
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.
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.
One of the most beautiful cities in the world, the wonders of Budapest rise up along both banks of the Danube in a truly impressive way. Along with Heroes' Square with its Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, awe-inspiring Hungarian Parliament Building, and the lavish Castle District with photogenic Fishermen's Bastion, the city is home to a captivating Jewish district and the second-largest synagogue in the world, an intricate underground cave system, and some of Europe's most famous thermal baths.
Tulln, a historic town on the southern bank of Austria’s Danube, traces its origins back to Roman times, when it served as the fortress of Comagena and an important military and economic center. In the Middle Ages, its strategic position made it a bustling market town and a key stop along the Danube trade routes. Though heavily damaged during World War II, it was rebuilt and restored. Today, Tulln is known for its elegant architecture, cultural heritage, and lush gardens, earning it the nickname ‘the City of Flowers.