Danube Christmas Delights

Immerse yourself in Linz’s festive spirit with a walk to explore its notable past and visit the Christmas market. Admire the city’s modern sites along the Danube by foot and learn the history of this municipality once owned by the Habsburgs. Continue along the bank to reach Old Town, where you can revel in the yuletide atmosphere and admire its baroque town houses until you reach the Hauptplatz. Here, you may step inside the New Cathedral, if the church’s schedule allows, and admire its ornate interior. Also hosted in the Hauptplatz is the local Christmas market. Browse market stalls brimming with handicrafts and seasonal delights, and marvel at the festive lights. Keep the cold at bay as you sip on a spiced, warm glühwein. Enjoy free time to browse the stalls and search amongst the handmade ornaments, pottery and jewelry for the perfect Christmas gift.

Enjoy a sweeping culinary excursion through picturesque landscapes. Along the way, stop to sample the region’s delicious bounty. You will begin with a drive through rural farmlands outside Linz where fields are fed by Danube waters. Your destination is the small and tranquil village of Gutau, where life is lived at the easy pace of the seasons. At a local farm, a bread maker invites you to a demonstration and shows you how to bake your own loaves using local techniques. Continue to St. Oswald and its Mittendorfer Schnapsmuseum and distillery. Enjoy a tour of the facility to see how schnapps is made from locally grown ingredients. Learn more about the spirit at the museum, where you can sample three different flavors. Make a stop at Seyrhof to enjoy a farm-fresh plate of cured meats, bacon, cheese and bread before returning to your ship.

Honor the memory of the victims of World War II during a solemn visit to the Mauthausen Memorial. From 1938 to 1945, Mauthausen and its subcamps operated as notorious Nazi slave labor camps, imprisoning a total of around 190,000 and killing at least 90,000 people. Today, it is a site of remembrance and education, preserving the memory of those who perished here. During your guided exploration, learn about the camp’s brutal history as you see sites such as a former barracks that housed prisoners and the Quarantine Yard, where new arrivals to the camp were indoctrinated. View the infamous “Stairs of Death,” where prisoners were forced to carry heavy granite blocks up 186 steps to the top of the quarry. You will also have free time to visit the Commemoration Site including the “Room of Names,” a hall displaying the names of all known persons who died at the camp.

Explore the medieval gem, Český Krumlov, and immerse yourself in the yuletide atmosphere. Meet your guide and step into the Bohemia of old during a guided stroll. At the town’s highest point, see Český Krumlov Castle and admire its Renaissance style, the stone arches of the Cloak Bridge, and the Upper and Little Castles. Walk over the Bear Moat, where bears have been kept since 1707, and pass the Castle Gate, pharmacy and monastery. Back in the town center, view the Renaissance Town Hall, House of the Prelate and Gothic Church of St. Vitus. Savor a delicious lunch of traditional festive fare at a local restaurant and enjoy free time to explore at your leisure, perhaps visiting the Christmas market, to browse for traditional crafts and handmade gifts for you to take home.