Danube Christmas Markets 2025

Friday & Saturday, November 28 & 29, 2025, Fly Salt Lake City to Budapest

This morning we were up early and I met Lori at the airport for our trip to the Christmas Markets along the Danube! Our first flight was short and we had a long layover in Denver. We tried out all the lounges and Lori had time to get her work done. Me , I read Ina Gartens biography! As the time for our flight to Munich approached we made our way to the gate. We boarded in business class and found our seats! We settled in and did not have to get bags out again until we landed. The food and service was wonderful but we still did not sleep as well as we had hoped. During breakfast we put on eye gel patches and prayed for the best. When we got off the plane we immediately went to the Lufthansa help desk in hopes of getting an earlier flight to Budapest. We were told that there were no seats available but as we walked away we were called back and given boarding passes. We were told to go straight to the gate and show the passes to the person at the desk. We did this and while we were standing at the desk Connie and Gayle saw us and our foursome was complete. It was exciting to all get in at the same time.

Photo from Susan's Story, The Hungarian Parliament from the Danube at night When we landed in Budapest we did not have to clear any passport control as they did all that preflight. Connie and Gayle retrieved their large bags and we were met by our tour rep immediately. It was off to the coaches for a 35 minute ride to the ship. We claimed our keys and they took our bags immediately to our cabin. A short time later we all met for a walk into town. It was great to get out and walk and see the beautiful parliament building all lit up. We were docked at the Chain bridge so we could walk to a beautiful area. We made it back to the ship in time to clean up a bit before the welcome aboard reception and intro of staff plus the safety talk. We were served lovely appetizers and glasses of champagne during the talk. Then it was off to dinner. the food was fab and the wine flowed freely. There was a Hungarian Operetta show after dinner but we were too tired to go. It was off to the shower and then bed!!

· Today's Budapest pictures ·

Sunday, November 30, 2025, Budapest, Hungary

Photo from Susan's Story, Hero's Square in Budapest

This morning Lori and I headed to the gym around 7 and then it was off to breakfast with C and G. At 8:45 we boarded coaches for our city tour. We started with a drive around the city admiring all the bridges and amazing architecture, art nouveau, baroque, and neoclassical. We stopped at the Hero’s Square and then walked to an area filled with fun things to do including ice skating, museums, bike paths, and walking trails.

Photo from Susan's Story, Budapest scenery at night After the tour we had a light lunch and took off to the Christmas Markets. This was our first experience so we were enthralled by each cute stall. We tried our first langos, fried light bead with Nutella. We thought it was fabulous and can’t wait to have some more! We had time to hit both the markets before our all aboard time. Back on board we explored the ship and worked on a puzzle as we began our sail to Bratislava! We had our nightly port talk and then off to dinner. Excellent food and service! The staff knew our names after one day and you never have an empty glass! After dinner we continued to work on our puzzle in the lounge while we sang along with the Sounds of Motown with Benny our entertainer on board. A great start to our cruise!!

· Today's Budapest pictures ·

Monday, December 1, 2025, Brataslava, Slovakia

Photo from Susan's Story, Brataslava Castle on the hill from the Danube

Today we do not arrive to our destination until 11. Lori and Connie went to the walk on deck, I went to the gym, and Gayle had coffee. We all met for breakfast then went to the talk on Christmas traditions in 3 different countries including Austria and Wales. After the talks the pastry chef and the executive chef did a strudel making class. We enjoyed this very much but we arrived early in the city so we headed out to walk around before lunch. We made our way to the Blue Church and one Christmas market where we ran into Father Christmas.

Photo from Susan's Story, The colorful Christmas market in Brataslava We then made our way back to the ship and had a very light lunch before embarking on the walking tour of the city. It was a very walkable city and when the tour ended we were at the Christmas markets. These Christmas markets were mostly foods so of course we had to try some. We had our second, langos, fried bread but this time we had garlic butter, sour cream, and shredded cheese. This was our new favorite. It was delicious as was the mulled wine. We stayed out until time for the port talk. Then it was off to dinner. After dinner we played Bennys Music Bingo and had a great time. We then headed to the aft lounge and worked on another puzzle until the eyes closed and it was bedtime!!

· Brataslava pictures ·

Tuesday, December 2, 2025, Vienna Austria

This morning we awoke in Vienna. Again Lori, Connie, and I hit the gym or class and then met for breakfast! At 8:45 we boarded the coaches for the city tour. We were about 20 minutes out of the city and our guide told us the history of the area which included a lot of Hapsburgs, 22 to be exact. She also pointed out buildings with a variety of different architecture. On of the most interesting was the refuse burning plant which was very colorful. We arrived on the Ring Straße, ring road, and made our stop. Our tour continued on foot and of course our first stop was the Hofburg , home of the Hapsburg. It is 13 building with a lot of museums and the Spanish Riding School where they train the Lippinzzaner horses. We went past the stables and were able to see one of the magnificent animals. We saw a lot of buildings associated with musicians including Mozart and Strauss. We made our way to the Stephenplatz and the home of St Stephen’s Cathedral. St. Stephen’s Cathedral is not only Austria’s most important Gothic building but The Steffl, as it is affectionately known in Vienna, is much more than that. It is a landmark, a symbol of identity and synonymous with the reconstruction of the Republic after the Second World War. Construction of St. Stephen’s Cathedral began in the 12th century and its interior changed repeatedly over the centuries until it was finally given its current Baroque appearance. The tallest of its four towers is the south tower at 136 meters. The tower room, from which there is a gigantic view across Vienna, is reached via 343 steps. A total of 13 bells hang here. We went inside and although the interior is quite grand the windows are very plain! From the church our group broke up and we had the rest of the day on our own.

Photo from Susan's Story, Vienna Christmas market scenery We did not choose to go back to the ship for lunch but needing fortification we headed to Demels, home of the originsl Sachertorte. We had coffee, tea, and torte! Fortified we headed to the closest Christmas market! We did 7 markets in all and loved each and everyone. We did some shopping but not enough to fill Connie’s very large suitcase. We also shopped for a certain market mug that Gayle wanted. We even took Uber to get to the right market. All mission accomplished. We also had another langos and it was definitely the best do far. We made it back to the bus stop but the bus was late. We caught the last shuttle and made it back to the ship in time to cleanup and dress for our concert before dinner. We had a lovely buffet and then boarded the bus for Vienna. We enjoyed the concert so very much and the music, both sung and played, was incredible and the ballet was grand! Such a fun evening!! Now at the ship it was off to bed!!

· Vienna pictures ·

Wednesday, December 3, 2025, Durnstein, Wachau Valley, and Melk, Austria

Photo from Susan's Story, Melk Abbey form the Danube

This morning we went to the gym and then dressed for the day. After breakfast we got off the ship and did a walk through the small village of Durnstein. This area has beautiful buildings, sweeping views of the Danube, and vineyards. We made some photos and even stopped in a cute candy and liquor store. We had to be back on board at 9:45. We then set sail for Melk. As we sailed through the Wachau valley, Utta our cruise director did commentary. We saw a lot of monasteries and castle ruins.

Photo from Susan's Story, A church in the Wachau Valley on the Danube After we navigated the 22 miles it was time for our German buffet lunch! The foods were delicious and after lunch we docked in Melk. We decided to leave the ship before the walk-in tour and make our way own our on. We walked through the cute town looking in the windows and even going in some shops to Look at the beautiful handmade nutcrackers. We met our group at the turn to the small Abbey and made the climb up. We met our guide and toured the beautiful structure. As we went through the different room we were given the history and then we finished the tour in the magnificent library and church. Even though the library is under restoration it was still lovely!! We took the bus back to the ship as everyone had to be back on board at 5. We stopped for some hot tea, registered our credit cards, and then I showered and Lori went to the gym. As I finished dressing Lori arrived and I went to the lounge to journal while she showered. Connie and Gayle joined us for the disembarkation lecture and port talk. We then headed to dinner where we enjoyed another great meal. After dinner we went to Bennys FabABBAulous show and had a lot of fun. Then it was off to bed!

· Durnstein pictures · Wachau Valley Cruising pictures · Melk pictures ·

Thursday, December 4, 2025, Passau & Salzburg, Austria

Photo from Susan's Story, The view of old town in Salzburg from across the river

This morning we got up early and had a quick breakfast before we boarded 3 coaches headed to Salzburg. Of the 150 passengers on board 115 signed up for this excursion. The trip was scenic and our guide was knowledgeable but had the most annoying laugh. We made a WC stop about half way and in about 45 minutes arrived in Salzburg. We immediately gravitated to the local guide. She was wonderful and showed us the city not focused on the Sound of Music aspect. She did point out the Do, Re, Mi spot at Mirabelle gardens.

Photo from Susan's Story, A scene in the Christmas market in Salzburg After time ohhing and abhing at the gorgeous architecture, seeing the Mozarts house, and padding by the Christmas Markets we made our way to our lunch spot which was the oldest restaurant in the country. The building was lovely on the outside but when we stepped into the gardens and then into the dining area it was magical!! We had a great luncheon and then headed out to visit the markets. We enjoyed this very much but the highlight was the gluhwein and apricot hot punch. Connie wanted to go to the Steiff store and after that it was time to find our meeting point for the trip back. Back on the bus we made the trip to Passau and as soon as we were on board we sailed. It was a long but fun day. After a quick shower we met for our farewell toast and dinner. The only thing that spoiled the evening was the disembarkation talk. This was a day early because we are overnighting in Regensburg and a lot of people will not be back on the ship for dinner. We went to listen to the staff and passengers performances at karaoke after dinner and it was a bit late before we settled for the night!!

· Salzburg pictures ·

Friday, December 5, 2025, Regensburg, Germany

Photo from Susan's Story, The famous crooked bridge in Regensburg

Today we awoke to another grey and gloomy day with intermittent snow. After breakfast we left on a walking tour of the city. Our guide, Sandra, was young and so very organized, she presented the tour as if we were traveling through time. It was wonderful and so informative! At the end we had a free gluhwein and were left to explore the markets. We explored the large downtown market then decided to head to the ship for lunch.

Photo from Susan's Story, Christmas market in Regensburg After some hot soup and warming up we took the walking tour to the romantic market, lead by our tour director Jutta. this was the most beautiful of all the markets we had seen! We had a lot of fun exploring, trying kasserspaetzle, shopping the cute stalls. We had great plans for staying out and seeing the lights and having dinner at the market. We were happy when the lights came on about 4:30 and because we were all cold we could head back to the ship. Back on board it was hot showers, dinner, and a lively performance by a guest performer. We had packed earlier so we fell into bed after putting on our overnight face masks.

· Regensburg pictures ·

Saturday, December 6, 2025, Munich, Germany

Photo from Susan's Story, Christmas market on the Marienplatz in Munich

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Photo from Susan's Story, City Hall in Munich at night TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added, TEXT to be added,

· Today's Munich pictures ·

Sunday, December 7, 2025, Munich, Germany

Photo from Susan's Story, City Hall on the Marienplatz in Munich

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· Today's Munich pictures

Monday, December 8, 2025, Munich, Germany

Photo from Susan's Story, The grand hall in the Residenz Munich

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· Our Group, Crew, & Ship pictures · The 3 Churches we visited today pictures · Munich Residenz pictures ·

Tuesday, December 9, 2025, Munich to Salt Lake City

· Today's pictures ·

Danube Christmas Markets

November &l December 2025
4 Countries, 21 Markets, 7 City Tours

Susan Barrow's Story