Many of our signature holiday traditions and customs - Christmas trees, Silent Night, gingerbread, nutcrackers, St. Nick, and candy canes - come to us from Germany and Austria.

Tantalize your senses

Fragrances of roasted chestnuts, gingerbread, strudel, sugar-coated baked apples, and hot mulled wine at the Christmas Markets will tantalize your senses and warm your spirits. Grand luminous and decorated Christmas trees adorn town squares. And bands and choral groups entertain you as you shop for that one-of-a-kind gift for someone special at home. These are typical scenes of Germany and Austria's famous Christmas Markets, and this is what you will get to experience.

Enjoy the medieval atmosphere of Nuremberg's main Christmas Market, the largest and most well-known in Germany, and as you walk around, don't forget to taste Nuremberg's famous gingerbread. Stroll through lively Regensburg, and as you visit the town's romantic Christmas Market, why not indulge in steamed dampfnudel, dumplings with vanilla sauce. While in Passau, a quintessential German town with Italian flair, you'll enjoy the Christmas Markets with unique crafts like hand-painted porcelain and Bohemian glass ornaments. And in Linz, "The Town of Christmas Creches," you'll marvel at the small clay figurines that represent the people of a typical village - the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker.

You'll listen to dramatic sounds of an organ recital at the old convent in Durnstein, one of the prettiest towns on the Danube, and the orchestral sounds of a Mozart and Strauss concert in Vienna. All this and more, in two countries of culture and elegance, will make certain a joyous start to your holiday festivities.

Who will enjoy this cruise: Those looking to experience Europe at the most magical time of the year. Gone are the peak spring through fall crowds, and what's left is a very intimate, up-close look at the local citizens and their holiday customs. Make this holiday season one you'll never forget!