Christmas Markets Along the Danube (2012)

Nuremberg • Regensburg • Passau • Aschach • Melk • Vienna
  • 8 days
  • from only:
  • $1095
  • $137 per day
    River Cruise Only
  • 9 days
  • from only:
  • $1995
  • $222 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
IN THIS SECTION:
Detailed Itinerary
It's Included
Featured Accommodations
Trip Extensions
Munich, Germany
Vienna, Austria
Optional Tours
Know Before You Go
Air information
LearnMore
Interested in learning more? Our Travel Counselors are ready to assist you
Request A Call Request A Call

Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your River Cruise, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

Read More Request A Call
CT

Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two vacations to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the Grand Circle Cruise Line River Cruise that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • International airport transfers to and from your ship or hotel are available for purchase
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your vacation
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your vacation with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of Grand Circle Cruise Line vacations to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

(Vienna)

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Newark, New York (JFK), Washington, DC (Dulles)

11hrs

Atlanta, Philadelphia

12hrs

Boston, Minneapolis, Tampa

13hrs

Dallas, Denver, Detroit

14hrs

Houston

10hrs

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco

15hrs

San Francisco, Seattle

16hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Vienna, Austria. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

(Nuremburg)

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Boston, Detroit, New York (JFK), Washington, DC (Dulles)

11hrs

Atlanta, Chicago, Newark

12hrs

Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Seattle

13hrs

Denver

14hrs

Dallas, Tampa

15hrs

San Francisco

17hrs

San Diego

19hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Nuremburg, Germany. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the Grand Circle Cruise Line family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on a Grand Circle Cruise Line trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-221-2610
or click here.

ALSO SEE:
Photo Gallery
View all River Cruises in Europe
Solo Friendly Travel
Frequently Asked Questions
Font Size: AAA
Print
Send To a Friend
Request a Call
Add To My Travel Planner

Post-Trip: Vienna, Austria

3 nights from only $545

Join us as we explore Vienna, a magnificent Old World city that has lost nothing of the grace and charm that has for centuries helped it stand out even in the dazzling company of other great European cities. This is a city of museums and music, art and architecture, and famous people from a storied past. Walk the streets where Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, and Freud strolled about on their daily business. Once the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Vienna came to symbolize the splendor of an age. Today the visitor to Vienna can recapture some of that feeling while wandering among the city’s palaces and cultural centers. With its beautifully preserved Baroque architecture and world-famous churches, Vienna is perfectly suited for the Christmas season. There is no better time to nestle comfortably in a real Viennese coffeeshop, with rich hot chocolate and extraordinary pastries. Vienna is a feast for the senses that you will not soon forget.

Single Supplement: FREE

Please note: Availability and price may vary by departure date. Please call for details.

Vienna, Austria, is a post-trip extension on the Nuremberg to Vienna itinerary and a pre-trip extension on the Vienna to Nuremberg itinerary.

It's Included

  • Accommodations: for 3 nights at the ARCOTEL Wimberger or similar
  • 3 meals: daily breakfast
  • Included tour: Vienna
  • Exclusive services of an experienced Grand Circle Program Director
  • All transfers
  • Optional Tours—Romantic Vienna Wine & Dine ($95 per person); The Best of Vienna ($85 per person)
Day 1
Day 1 Disembark ship/Optional Romantic Vienna Wine & Dine excursion

After breakfast, disembark and enjoy a tour of Vienna en route to your hotel. Your tour showcases the Ringstrasse, probably the greatest achievement of the Emperor Franz Joseph. In 1857, the Emperor ordered the demolition of the ancient city walls, which were no longer needed as fortifications and which were impeding the growth of the city. In their place was constructed an elegant 2.5-mile-long boulevard, encircling the Innere Stadt. The Neoclassic buildings along the Ringstrasse bring together all the greatest architectural styles in an exuberant celebration of all that seemed possible during the Industrial Revolution. You then walk to a typical Viennese coffeehouse, and stop in for coffee and cake. Our stroll continues along the city sidewalks, passing by the well-known Hofburg Spanish Riding School.

The balance of the day is free to relax or do some more exploring on your own. You’ll certainly want to visit Vienna’s Christkindlmarkt, the largest and most famous in Austria. Get a final taste of the Christmas Market tradition you’ve explored throughout your cruise as you browse through stall after stall offering unique handcrafts and traditional holiday foods. You may also consider a stroll through the old Jewish Quarter to see the only Viennese synagogue to have survived the 1938 Kristallnacht.

Your evening is free to do as you please. Ask your Program Director for interesting suggestions.

Or, join us this evening for an optional Romantic Vienna Wine & Dine excursion to a Viennese landmark, the Marchfelderhof, a traditional Austrian restaurant dating back to 1843. The sounds of Strauss and Mozart fill the restaurant, and if you like you can join in the dancing.
Day 2
Day 2 Vienna/Optional Best of Vienna tour

You have the day at leisure to relax, do some shopping, or explore this unique city on your own.

Vienna has served as home and inspiration to some of the world’s greatest artists, thinkers, and musicians. You’ll notice statues of Strauss, Mozart, Beethoven, and Mahler throughout the city, and see how music is such an integral part of Viennese life. The strains of waltz music emanate from the many cafés, and these harmonious melodies move outdoors to the sidewalks in good weather.

Or, consider joining an optional Best of Vienna tour to discover two of Vienna’s most beloved and beautiful sites: the Vienna Opera House and Hofberg Palace.

The first performance at the opening of the Vienna Opera House in May 1869 was Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and since then the company and its orchestra have been at the forefront of international musicianship, vocal expertise, and production values, with long associations with some of the greatest names in music, including Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss. Designed in a Neo-Romantic style that was not well received at the time, the stage and the company’s set and costume collections were severely damaged by Allied bombing in World War II. It reopened in 1955 and has been a prime destination for opera lovers ever since. It now presents 50 operas and 20 ballets annually. You’ll tour the house and learn about its illustrious history.

Please note: When the Vienna State Opera is not open, we visit Haus der Musik (House of Music) during this tour instead.

Then take a break and enjoy refreshments at the Hofberg Café before continuing on to the palace. The Imperial Apartments and the Imperial Silver Collection at the Vienna Hofburg are among the most frequently visited historic sites in Austria. Formerly the residence of the Habsburg rulers, the Hofburg contains the 19-room state and residential apartments of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth, which are open to the public. In an impressively staged exhibition, the Sisi Museum seeks to give the visitor an understanding of the myths and reality surrounding the figure of Empress Elisabeth. The Imperial Silver Collection is a fascinating museum containing the porcelain, glass, and silverware once used at the imperial table.

Your afternoon is free to pursue your own interests in the city. You can spend your evening as you wish.
Day 3
Day 3 Vienna

You have a day at leisure to further sample the delights of Vienna. Enjoy your day of discovery with an included day pass for Vienna's excellent public tram and trolley system. You may want to browse through one of the city's many museums, or visit the famous Spanish Riding School, known as much for its architecture as for the renowned Lipizzaner horses. You might also consider strolling the gardens of Maria Theresia’s Schoenbrunn Palace.

You are invited to accompany your Program Director for a chance to discover the park and gardens that surround Schoenbrunn Palace, or you can explore on your own.

Gather this evening with your fellow travelers to toast your memories over a Farewell Drink at your hotel, then enjoy dinner on your own.
Day 4
Day 4 Return U.S.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home.