Danube River Christmas Market Cruise - 8 December Vienna

 

8 December                Vienna            The Start of our Danube River Christmas Markets Cruise

This morning we left our hotel and took a taxi to the dock where the river cruises are located.  Our ship is the M/S River Aria, built in 2001 and capable of carrying 162 passengers and a crew of 38.

Our cruise will take us along the Danube River,  from  Vienna to Nuremburg, with stops at Linz, Melk, Passau, and Regensburg.  We will end our cruise after a two extra days in Nuremburg in Munich where we will enjoy their Christmas Market.

The Danube is one of Europe’s legendary rivers, rich in scenic splendor and surrounded by history and architecture.  It is Europe’s second largest river (after the Volga), flowing 1770 miles through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine before emptying into the Black Sea.

Today we had the rest of the day to unpack, explore the ship, and settle in before our cruise starts tomorrow.  In the afternoon we went to the ship’s lounge to meet some people who will be traveling with us.  Our Trip Leader is Stefan, who was also our trip leader on the Rhine River Cruise Christmas Markets in 2019.

Our Cabin

River Aria

Our Ship Sailing on the Danube