CITIES & PORTS

FRANKFURT
Located on the River Main, Frankfurt is the transportation center of Germany and home of the European Central Bank & the German Stock Exchange.  Every year, the scent of roasted chestnuts, mulled wine and grilled sausages fill the air above the Roemerberg during the holiday season. Frankfurt’s Christmas Market is famous for a number of traditional Christmas delicacies.

ROTHENBURG
To the west of the Franconian countryside is the medieval city of Rothenburg,  Germany’s best-preserved medieval town. As you stroll the cobblestone streets, you are spellbound by the city’s 700-year-old charm. The quaint buildings with the original half-timbered walls and the town hall square are lined with festively decorated booths. 

NUREMBERG
After your Nuremberg City Tour experience the world’s best known Christmas Market visited by more than 2 million people every year. Located inside this medieval city’s walls on the Market Square around the St. Lorenz Church, the Christmas Market if filled with specialty stalls and booths. Nuremberg’s street lamp posts are decorated with Christmas symbols, garlands of natural fir and colored lights.  Try the famous Nuremberger Lebkuchen (gingerbread) and the original Nuremberger Wuerstle (small grilled pork sausages). 

PASSAU
Passau is one of Germany’s oldest cities situated at the confluence of the Inn, Ilz & Danube Rivers. Passau is a beautiful and fascinating fairy-tale town with cobblestone streets and the famous baroque Cathedral of St. Stephen.

REGENSBURG
Situated in Eastern Bavaria, Regensburg is one of Germany’s oldest towns, founded by the Romans in 179 A.D. Today it is a prosperous city with 3 universities and many landmarks dated to the Middle Ages.  Enjoy a Regensburg Walking Tour through one of the most visited cities in Germany and its Medieval Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and spend time at the colorful Christmas Market.

MELK ABBEY & GLUEHWEIN TASTING
Visit & tour the Melk Abbey, an Austrian Benedictine abbey and one of the world’s most famous monastic sites. The impressive Baroque abbey was built between 1702 and 1736.  Later enjoy a mug of hot mulled wine before boarding your ship.

VIENNA
Enjoy a Vienna City Tour.  For over 600 years, the magnificent baroque capital city of Vienna was the seat of the mighty Hapsburg Emperors, a heritage that has bestowed it with many dazzling palaces and monuments: the lavish Hofburg Palace, the impressive Vienna Opera House and the majestic Ringstrasse. The capital is also known as the “City of Music” for having once been the home of composers such as Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart and Johann Strauss.  Maybe visit the Schoenbrunn Palace dressed for the season.

EUROPEAN CHRISTMAS MARKETS
Enjoy this magical time of year as Europe’s countries hold steadfastly onto Old World holiday tradition and transform into fairy-tale Christmas settings. The sights and sensations of the holiday season are everywhere with the tastes of chocolate covered Lebkuchen (gingerbread), sizzling grilled sausages and spiced hot “Gluehwein” (mulled wine).  Shop for ornaments, crafts, candles, nutcrackers, winter hats, roasted nuts and other traditional items.