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Home / Cruise Lines / Emerald Cruises / Emerald Astra / Christmas Markets of Europe Cruise

Christmas Markets of Europe Cruise

  • Departure DateWed 2nd Dec 2026
  • Emerald Cruises Emerald Astra
  • 14 Night Cruise From Budapest
  • Call us on

Itinerary

  • Budapest
  • Bratislava
  • Vienna, Austria
  • Melk
  • Linz (Salzburg)
  • Kehlheim
  • Nuremberg
  • Bamberg
  • Wurzburg
  • Miltenberg
  • Rudesheim
  • Cologne
  • Amsterdam

What's Included

  • Wine, beer & soft drinks with lunch & dinner
  • Daily shore excursions
  • All gratuities on board and ashore
  • EmeraldPlus experience taking you to the heart of local culture
  • Exclusive Black Friday Sale: Save up to £200 Extra: Quote 'Black Friday' - Hurry ends 02 Dec!
  • WiFi

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Day 1 - Budapest

Arrive: Wed 02 December 2026

Budapest, Hungary’s capital, is bisected by the River Danube. Its 19th-century Chain Bridge connects the hilly Buda district with flat Pest. A funicular runs up Castle Hill to Buda’s Old Town, where the Budapest History Museum traces city life from Roman times onward. Trinity Square is home to 13th-century Matthias Church and the turrets of the Fishermen’s Bastion, which offer sweeping views.

Day 2 - Budapest

Depart: Thu 03 December 2026

Budapest, Hungary’s capital, is bisected by the River Danube. Its 19th-century Chain Bridge connects the hilly Buda district with flat Pest. A funicular runs up Castle Hill to Buda’s Old Town, where the Budapest History Museum traces city life from Roman times onward. Trinity Square is home to 13th-century Matthias Church and the turrets of the Fishermen’s Bastion, which offer sweeping views.

Day 3 - Bratislava

Arrive: Fri 04 December 2026 / Depart: Fri 04 December 2026

Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is set along the Danube River by the border with Austria and Hungary. It’s surrounded by vineyards and the Little Carpathian mountains, crisscrossed with forested hiking and cycling trails. The pedestrian-only, 18th-century old town is known for its lively bars and cafes. Perched atop a hill, the reconstructed Bratislava Castle overlooks old town and the Danube

Day 4 - Vienna, Austria

Arrive: Sat 05 December 2026 / Depart: Sat 05 December 2026

Vienna, Austria’s capital, lies in the country’s east on the Danube River. Its artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence. In the MuseumsQuartier district, historic and contemporary buildings display works by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and other artists.

Day 5 - Melk

Arrive: Sun 06 December 2026 / Depart: Sun 06 December 2026

Melk is an Austrian town on the River Danube, west of Vienna. It’s known for the 11th-century Melk Abbey, a vast monastery built high above the town. Gold statuary adorns its domed Abbey Church, and the huge library houses medieval manuscripts. The Marmorsaal is a baroque hall with a ceiling fresco and red marble walls. South of Melk, gardens surround Renaissance Schallaburg Castle, which hosts cultural exhibitions.

Day 6 - Linz (Salzburg)

Arrive: Mon 07 December 2026 / Depart: Mon 07 December 2026

Linz is a city in Upper Austria, straddling the Danube River midway between Salzburg and Vienna. Baroque buildings, including Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) and the old cathedral or Alter Dom, ring Hauptplatz, the old town’s main square. The riverside Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz has a major modern art collection. Across the river, the striking Ars Electronica Center focuses on society, technology and life in the future.

Day 7 - Kehlheim

Arrive: Tue 08 December 2026 / Depart: Tue 08 December 2026

Kelheim is a town and municipality in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the district Kelheim and is situated at the confluence of the rivers Altmühl and Danube. Kelheim has a population of around 15,750.

Day 8 - Nuremberg

Arrive: Wed 09 December 2026 / Depart: Wed 09 December 2026

Nuremberg is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 inhabitants make it the 14th-largest city in Germany.

Day 9 - Bamberg

Arrive: Thu 10 December 2026 / Depart: Thu 10 December 2026

Bamberg is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, laid out over 7 hills where the Regnitz and Main rivers meet. Its old town preserves structures from the 11th to 19th centuries including the muraled Altes Rathaus (town hall), which occupies an island in the Regnitz reached by arched bridges. The Romanesque Bamberg Cathedral, begun in the 11th century, features 4 towers and numerous stone carvings.

Day 10 - Wurzburg

Arrive: Fri 11 December 2026 / Depart: Fri 11 December 2026

Würzburg is a city in Germany's Bavaria region. It's known for lavish baroque and rococo architecture, particularly the 18th-century Residenz palace, with ornate rooms, a huge fresco by Venetian artist Tiepolo and an elaborate staircase. Home to numerous wine bars, cellars and wineries, Würzburg is the center of the Franconian wine country, with its distinctive bocksbeutel (bottles with flattened round shapes).

Day 11 - Miltenberg

Arrive: Sat 12 December 2026 / Depart: Sat 12 December 2026

Miltenberg is a town in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named district and has a population of over 9,000.

Day 12 - Rudesheim

Arrive: Sun 13 December 2026 / Depart: Sun 13 December 2026

Rüdesheim am Rhein is a town in the Rhine Valley, Germany. It’s known for winemaking, especially of Riesling wines. In the center, Drosselgasse is a lane lined with shops, taverns and restaurants. Nearby, Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet is a museum of automated musical instruments. Medieval Brömserburg Castle is home to the Rheingau Wine Museum, exhibiting wine paraphernalia from ancient times to the present.

Day 13 - Cologne

Arrive: Mon 14 December 2026 / Depart: Mon 14 December 2026

Cologne, a 2,000-year-old city spanning the Rhine River in western Germany, is the region’s cultural hub. A landmark of High Gothic architecture set amid reconstructed old town, the twin-spired Cologne Cathedral is also known for its gilded medieval reliquary and sweeping river views. The adjacent Museum Ludwig showcases 20th-century art, including many masterpieces by Picasso, and the Romano-Germanic Museum houses Roman antiquities.

Day 14 - Amsterdam

Arrive: Tue 15 December 2026

Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ capital, known for its artistic heritage, elaborate canal system and narrow houses with gabled facades, legacies of the city’s 17th-century Golden Age. Its Museum District houses the Van Gogh Museum, works by Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and modern art at the Stedelijk. Cycling is key to the city’s character, and there are numerous bike paths

Day 15 - Amsterdam

Depart: Wed 16 December 2026

Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ capital, known for its artistic heritage, elaborate canal system and narrow houses with gabled facades, legacies of the city’s 17th-century Golden Age. Its Museum District houses the Van Gogh Museum, works by Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and modern art at the Stedelijk. Cycling is key to the city’s character, and there are numerous bike paths

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