Christmas markets, classical music, palace visits and winter days on the river: my December 2019 journey aboard Avalon Passion brought those experiences together on Christmastime on the Danube – Eastbound.
The wider trip included time in Prague before the river journey and more exploring in Vienna after Budapest. Along the way, my daily posts captured both the big sights and the smaller moments: passing through locks, following one Christmas market into another, and stopping for garlic soup and goulash.
Prague: music, Charles Bridge and the Lennon Wall
The trip began with time in Prague. By December 8, I was sharing photographs from our first day and a half in the city.
One evening, we attended a classical concert in a historic church. The next morning brought visits to Charles Bridge and the John Lennon Wall. Music and city walks were already part of the journey before the Christmas markets along the cruise route.
Nuremberg: the Christmas-market journey begins
We visited Nuremberg’s Christmas market on December 10. Red-and-white stalls, wooden Christmas decorations and gold-costumed figures filled the photographs from our visit.
The markets became a thread running through the trip. Nuremberg introduced that part of the journey in Germany; later, Vienna and Budapest gave us more opportunities to explore their own seasonal stalls and food.
For someone considering a Christmas-market river cruise, that variety is part of the appeal: the markets sit within a larger journey of city visits and time on the water.
Regensburg—and a look at life on the river
On December 11, we visited Regensburg, Germany, exploring its historic old-town setting and Christmas stalls.
That same day, I also wrote about the locks we passed through along the way. They were a reminder that the sailing itself offered things to watch between destinations. Alongside the market visits and walks ashore, the ship’s progress through the waterways became part of the story.
Avalon Passion was our base for the cruise, connecting these different stops as we traveled eastward.
An Austrian day with “Silent Night” connections
On December 12, we visited Arnsdorf and Oberndorf in Austria. My notes centered on their connections to “Silent Night”—a particularly fitting subject for a December journey.
This outing brought a different kind of Christmas experience into the trip. Alongside shopping and tasting at the markets, there was time to explore places associated with a familiar carol.
We also visited Salzburg that day. Our photos capture the hilltop fortress above the wintry riverside and a festive stop with Christmas-market mugs.
Melk Abbey and the Wachau Valley
The next day brought a visit to Melk Abbey and a cruise through the Wachau Valley.
The combination gave us both an excursion ashore and a stretch of scenic sailing. Not every day needed to revolve around a market: the abbey visit and the river landscape added another side to our December travels.
Vienna: Schönbrunn and a Christmas-market food tour
Vienna brought a visit to Schönbrunn Palace and a foodie tour through the Christmas markets. My post shared those two experiences together: a palace visit and a chance to explore the city through its seasonal food.
A food tour gave the markets a place in the day beyond browsing the stalls. It also continued the mix that ran through the trip—major sights, walks around the city and stops to eat along the way.
Budapest: one Christmas market leading to the next
My December 16 post from Budapest was brief: the Christmas markets were “cool,” and one seemed to lead into the next.
That small observation captures the way I experienced this part of the visit: moving between market areas and finding more to explore. Budapest added another city’s Christmas atmosphere to the journey after the German and Austrian stops.
Our photos also captured the tree outside St. Stephen’s Basilica and the Chain Bridge in winter haze.
More time in Vienna
After Budapest, we returned to Vienna for more exploring. On December 18, our visits included the Hofburg Imperial Palace and St. Michael’s Church.
There were more Christmas-market food stops, too, including garlic soup and goulash. Those final notes bring the story back to a combination that defined much of the holiday: sightseeing, markets and something to eat between visits.
This extra time was part of my wider trip, beyond the eastbound river-cruise route. It gave Vienna a second chapter after our first palace visit and market food tour.
Christmas aboard Avalon Passion
The seasonal theme continued aboard the ship. My photos include a plate of Christmas cookies: chocolate-dipped biscuits, jam-centered cookies and other small treats.
One dinner menu also reflected our time in Austria, with choices including Viennese potato soup, Wiener Schnitzel and pumpkin strudel. The photographed menu is from our 2019 sailing; offerings on other departures may differ.
What made this a Christmas journey
Looking back through the posts, the trip brought together several different ways to experience the season. There was classical music in Prague, the “Silent Night” connections in Austria, Christmas markets in Nuremberg, Vienna and Budapest, and time on the river between excursions.
The abbey and palace visits added variety, while the food stops supplied some of the everyday details. The journey was as much about those combinations as any single destination.
For travelers considering a similar holiday, I would look at the whole itinerary: which markets you want to experience, what other visits interest you, and whether you want extra time in a city before or after the cruise. This story describes my December 2019 trip; current itineraries, excursions and market schedules may differ.
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