- Overview
- Trip Outline
- Trip Includes
- Trip Excludes
- Gallery
Celebrate Christmas and experience all the pleasures of this joyous time of the year amidst the grand imperial cities of the magnificent Danube.
Immerse yourself in majestic surroundings, sample festive treats at The Yuletide markets and enjoy a superb gala dinner on Christmas Day. Enjoy seven visits and tours including guided tours in Vienna, Salzburg or Linz, Budapest and Bratislava: and visits to Esztergom, Melk Abbey and Schönbrunn Palace. Also experience our on-board classical quartet recital and Hungarian Christmas folklore show.
- 7 Nights / 8 Days
- 22nd December 2024
- Ship: MS William Wordsworth
- Home Port: Budapest
- From £1,899 per person
Day 1: Budapest
Day 2: Esztergom
Day 3: Bratislava
Day 4: Melk
Day 5: Salzburg / Linz
Day 6: Vienna
Day 7: Budapest
Day 8: Return Home
Itineraries
Day 1
Date : 22/12/2024
Budapest
Arrive at the airport for your flight to Budapest from where you will be taken to your cruise ship, now glimmering in festive glory. The dedicated crew are there to welcome you on board, ensuring you settle in and familiarise yourself with this first-class floating hotel.
Day 2
Date : 23/12/2024
Esztergom
Overnight we have cruised upstream to Esztergom, one of Hungary’s oldest towns, a royal capital during medieval times and today the seat of the country’s archbishop. We have a guided tour of the famous neoclassical basilica, standing sentinel over the Danube on the border with Slovakia, and boasting one of the world’s largest altarpieces and a wealth of priceless religious artefacts.
Day 3
Date : 24/12/2024
Bratislava
We awake on Christmas Eve to Slovakia’s fast-emerging capital city, Bratislava. After a delicious breakfast, we begin the day with a fascinating guided tour. Until recently swathed in the drab uniformity of Communism, the city has rekindled the splendour of its imperial past in its beautifully restored old town.
Day 4
Date : 25/12/2024
Melk
We awake on Christmas Day amidst the enchanting surroundings of the Wachau Valley where the landscape is blanketed with vineyards and dotted with ornamental villages. After breakfast you visit the remarkable Melk Abbey. Nothing quite prepares you for your first sight of this enormous honey-coloured building, standing resplendent above the surrounding countryside and perhaps even more atmospheric at Christmas time.
Day 5
Date : 26/12/2024
Salzburg or Linz
As we glide on past these truly beautiful seascapes, undiscovered beaches with secret coves and tiny traditional hamlets, unchanged for decades, we arrive at the pretty little seaside village of Trstenik on the Peljesac Peninsula. Nestled at the foot of the rolling hills behind, this picturesque, secluded spot is famed for its wine production where generations of families have produced excellent wines for hundreds of years.
We remain moored overnight, so take dinner at your leisure in this charming spot, where you can really feel like you are getting away from it all!
Day 6
Date : 27/12/2024
Vienna
During the early hours, our ship has stealthily crept into port, and you awake to find yourself in twinkling Vienna.
There are few places that can so delightfully evoke the spirit of Christmas than here – where the elegant imperial facades, their decorations glittering in the glow from a thousand Christmas lights, the sound of classical carols floating on the crisp air and the irresistible smell of candyfloss and roasted chestnuts is truly reminiscent of Christmas from a bygone age. There has been a Christmas market here since the Middle Ages and today the markets held over the festive period sell a huge range of seasonal gifts and mouth-watering treats.
Day 7
Date : 28/12/2024
Budapest
This morning’s cruise brings us to Brac, the largest of the islands on this dramatic stretch of coastland; a typically Mediterranean landscape where its spectacular beaches give way to high pine forested uplands, and where a rich harvest of vines, olives and orange trees crowd the fertile valleys.
We head to the picturesque town of Bol, and you might like to take the opportunity for a swim from the stunning beach. During lunch back on board we cruise back into historic Split, principally famous for a single building, the Emperor Diocletian’s huge palace, one of the greatest structures of the Roman Empire.
Day 8
Date : 08/10/2024
Return Home
Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.
- Free Superior drinks package
- Full board
- Complimentary on-board tea & coffee
- Program of daily tours & visit
- Complimentary on-board Wi-Fi
Flights
