Prague & Christmas Markets on the Danube

When you arrive in Prague, you will be met at the airport by an Emerald Waterways representative and transferred to your centrally located hotel for a three-night stay.

Today, you will have the opportunity to explore Prague as it is effortlessly enveloped by the wonder of the seasonal period. Your local guide will take you through the old town square, a cobblestoned area that perfectly captures the city’s architectural heritage.

EmeraldPLUS: Local dinner with entertainment

EmeraldEXCURSION: A guided tour of Prague

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Your tour director will be available to help you plan your day of independent exploration today. We would recommend going to one of Prague’s memorable Christmas markets, where colourful stalls owned by local craftsmen are full of handcrafted ornaments and freshly baked Czech Christmas treats.

DiscoverMORE: Tastes of Czechia

Meals Included: Breakfast

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred from your hotel in Prague to Nuremberg, to board your Emerald Waterways Star-Ship and start your river cruising journey along the Danube.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

This morning, relax as we cruise along the Main-Danube Canal to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed city of Regensburg, a city that miraculously came out of the Second World War more or less intact. Here, you’ll have the chance to see a 12th-century bridge crossing the Danube and some of the city’s architectural highlights, before your EmeraldPLUS excursion takes you into the heart of the Thurn und Taxis Palace Christmas market, where rows of quaint wooden stalls are adorned by row-upon-row of twinkling lights.

EmeraldPLUS: A traditional Bavarian band on board

EmeraldPLUS: A visit to the Christmas market at Thurn und Taxis Palace

EmeraldEXCURSION: A guided tour of Regensburg

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The cobblestone streets that weave through Passau make it look as though it has been pulled from a Christmas card, especially when a thin layer of fresh snow blankets the town. Your included walking tour of Passau will finish underneath the striking green domes of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, where a charming Christkindlmarkt full of festive souvenirs and freshly baked goods can be found.

EmeraldEXCURSION: A guided tour of Passau

DiscoverMORE: Tour to Salzburg (extra expense)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today, your included tour will take you into the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Melk Abbey, a Baroque palace that was gifted to monks almost a millennia ago. This afternoon, enjoy sailing through the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Wachau Valley, where Renaissance ruins and ancient castles pepper the surrounding landscape.

EmeraldEXCURSION: A tour of Melk Abbey

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Welcome to Vienna, where you will have every opportunity to discover the Baroque cityscape and a generous peppering of imperial palaces during your guided tour of the Ringstrasse and the city centre, both by coach and on food. After the tour, you are free to explore at leisure, perhaps venturing into the heart of one of Vienna’s many Christmas markets, each set in open squares across the city.

EmeraldEXCURSION: A guided tour of the Ringstrasse and Vienna

DiscoverMORE: An exclusive Viennese concert (extra expense)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today, enjoy learning about Slovakian culture as we take you into the heart of Bratislava, a capital where cultures really do sit side-by-side. A sightseeing tour of the city will introduce you to its architectural wonders, including the Gothic St. Martin’s Cathedral and the neo-Renaissance Slovak National Theatre, but the city’s Christmas markets are a true delight, as they showcase handcrafted souvenirs and traditional Christmas treats.

EmeraldPLUS: Home-hosted coffee and cake with a Slovakian family

EmeraldEXCURSION: A walking tour of Bratislava

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Offering a rich abundance of historical whimsy, Budapest is known for its architectural collections and the historic monuments that pepper both sides of the Danube. This UNECO World Heritage-listed city is a true delight at Christmas, when the locals take to thermal baths to beat the crisp chill of the season. Today, your guided coach tour will introduce you to Andrássy Avenue and the neo-Renaissance façades of the townhouses that can be found there, as well as a generous scattering of Christmas decorations.

This evening, a traditional Hungarian folklore show is certain to delight.

EmeraldPLUS: A traditional Hungarian folklore show

EmeraldEXCURSION: A guided bus tour of Budapest

DiscoverMORE: Tour to Szentendre (extra expense)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, it is time to say farewell to your fellow guests and disembark the ship for your transfer to the airport for your onward or homebound flight, taking memories of Europe at Christmastime and traditional treats with you.

Meals Included: Breakfast