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Riverside Mozart, Danube Holiday Delights with Christmas in Germany River Cruise ex Budapest to Passau
Cruise Riverside Mozart, Danube Holiday Delights with Christmas in Germany River Cruise ex Budapest to Passau
Cruise Line Riverside Cruises
Ship Riverside Mozart
Destination EU Rivers
Brief Description 10 night River Cruise sailing from Budapest to Passau onboard Riverside Mozart
Type of Cruise River
Departure Date 16 Dec 2025
Cruise Description This luxury cruise will put the Ho-Ho-Ho into your holidays! The sounds, sights, and flavors of the season beckon—in Budapest with its picturesque Castle District, impressive Parliament, and more; whimsical Bratislava, where amusing sculptures rise unexpectedly from the sewers and cannonballs from one of Napoleon’s visits remain lodged in the Old Town walls; and Vienna, the opulent domain of monarchs and musicians. In each port, visit traditional Christmas Markets to sample the Glühwein (warm mulled wine) and sizzling sausages—hot off the grill, and to shop for holiday gifts at the inviting wooden stalls. Even Mother Nature is in the gift-giving spirit as you pass through the stunning Wachau Valley with its riverbank castles and terraced vineyards. Christmas Eve and Day are in Passau, Germany’s lovely City of Three Rivers, for a holiday to remember!

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
It is no coincidence that many filmmakers have chosen Budapest as a backdrop. Take EVITA (1996), for example – most of the scenes were shot not in Buenos Aires, but in Budapest. Anyone walking through the city, in the shadow of the State Opera House or across elegant Szabadsag ter (Freedom Square) in the V. district, sees and feels it immediately. Budapest impresses. It is a metropolis and a spa city. It is Paris, Florence and Vienna in one. Many buildings were copied here. In fact, the Palais Batthyany, is an exact copy of the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. A must: the castle district. Pastel-colored houses, built by their owners to be close to the Royal Palace. Or the National Gallery. Or the Labyrinth: it also served as a prison. Its most famous inmate: Vlad Tepes from Transylvania, who went down in history and stories as Count Dracula. And another suggestion. It is best to simply drift through Budapest. Then you will always come across enchanting stores like the Madison Perfumery. It is housed in the rooms of a 19th-century pharmacy. Not only the fragrances are enchanting, but also the furniture and accessories in the back room, all of which are original.

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA
Once understated and unknown, since the turn of the millennium it has become something of a pearl on the Danube alongside Vienna and Budapest. Small, quaint and quiet, it shows its splendor at the castle, but also and especially in the old town where you will find fine buildings, such as the rococo Palais Esterhazy, where the Russian composer Anton Rubinstein once lived. Yet all this grandeur is rivaled by a canal worker, of all people, who speaks for the humor of the Slovaks. They have dedicated a bronze monument to him. Cumil (Man at Work) is the name of the sculpture by artist Viktor Hulik. He mischievously looks out of a manhole cover at passers-by like a gawker. Subtle humor in the face of grand statues – this is a theme in this neat city.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA
This is the city of classical music. It’s Mozart and Strauss. It's street art on a sandy beach and fun in the countryside. It’s bohemia and bourgeoisie and the finest baroque. And of course Art Nouveau. It’s bad-tempered waiters in great coffee houses. It’s Sigmund Freud and Gustav Klimt and Adolf Loos and Friedensreich Hundertwasser and Sisi and many others. It is the Spanish Riding School, an event for horse lovers. And of course it is the city of Schmah (jokes anyone?) and scandals, on which the Viennese feast like cows on fresh grass on the alpine pasture. Last but not least: Vienna is the city on the Danube. Although it was not always so. The Viennese Danube river front is an artificial structure which was only created in the 19th century. Before that, the Danube flowed past Vienna in many arms through floodplains and uninhabited areas. Today, the Riverside can also dock right in front of the city. And then it starts. Marvel, wonder and rejoice. Vienna is a dream.

KREMS, AUSTRIA
Krems has much to offer; museums, historical buildings like churches and abbeys, shopping and restaurants and most of all wine. Krems is surrounded by vineyards and they produce some of the best quality wines of Austria.

MAUTHAUSEN, AUSTRIA
Visit Mauthausen concentration camp - a place of memory and a site of political and historical education or explore the Austrian countryside with a visit to Steyr or St. Florian.

LINZ, AUSTRIA
Austria’s third largest city and famous for its baroque styled Main Square, beautiful old town center, great shopping, the Schloss Museum and the Mariendom which can hold 20.000 worshippers.

ENGELHARTSZELL, AUSTRIA
Not even 1000 souls call Engelhartszell home. Best known for the abby and the newly opened Schütz Art Museum.

PASSAU, GERMANY
The city sits at the confluence of three rivers and had therefore military importance. The fortress Veste Oberhaus now houses the museum and the Dom features a great organ.
Sailing Dates
16 Dec 2025
Pricing
Please enquire for pricing
Cruise Itinerary
Date Port Arrive Depart
16 Dec 2025 Budapest, Hungary Embark Overnight
17 Dec 2025 Budapest, Hungary
18 Dec 2025 Bratislava, Slovakia
19 Dec 2025 Vienna, Austria Overnight
20 Dec 2025 Vienna, Austria Overnight
21 Dec 2025 Vienna, Austria Overnight
22 Dec 2025 Vienna, Austria
22 Dec 2025 Krems, Austria
23 Dec 2025 Mauthausen, Austria
23 Dec 2025 Linz, Austria Overnight
24 Dec 2025 Linz, Austria
24 Dec 2025 Engelhartszell, Austria
24 Dec 2025 Passau, Germany Overnight
25 Dec 2025 Passau, Germany Overnight
26 Dec 2025 Passau, Germany Disembark
All itineraries and ports of call at the discretion of the cruise line subject to local weather conditions and may change without notice.

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