--- type: cruise schema_type: TouristTrip id: 3d984b7f-0268-478b-903e-9033c706bab8 slug: 2189718 voyage_code: EWXS021226.2 cruise_line: Emerald Cruises ship: Emerald Astra departure_date: return_date: nights: 14 embarkation_port: Budapest disembarkation_port: Amsterdam starting_price_usd: 7695.0 bookable: false last_updated: 2026-05-05T15:43:35Z --- # Christmas Markets of Europe from Budapest > Emerald Cruises · Emerald Astra · Dec 2 – 16   (14 nights) ## Quick Facts | Attribute | Value | |-----------|-------| | **Cruise Line** | Emerald Cruises | | **Ship** | Emerald Astra | | **Duration** | 14 nights | | **Departure Date** | N/A | | **Return Date** | N/A | | **Embarkation Port** | Budapest | | **Disembarkation Port** | Amsterdam | | **Starting Price** | 7,695 USD per person | | **Voyage Code** | EWXS021226.2 | ## Itinerary ### Day 1: Budapest **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Budapest, Hungary’s capital, is bisected by the River Danube. Its 19th-century Chain Bridge connects the hilly Buda district with flat Pest. A funicular runs up Castle Hill to Buda’s Old Town, where the Budapest History Museum traces city life from Roman times onward. Trinity Square is home to 13th-century Matthias Church and the turrets of the Fishermen’s Bastion, which offer sweeping views. ### Day 2: Budapest **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Budapest, Hungary’s capital, is bisected by the River Danube. Its 19th-century Chain Bridge connects the hilly Buda district with flat Pest. A funicular runs up Castle Hill to Buda’s Old Town, where the Budapest History Museum traces city life from Roman times onward. Trinity Square is home to 13th-century Matthias Church and the turrets of the Fishermen’s Bastion, which offer sweeping views. ### Day 3: Bratislava **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is set along the Danube River by the border with Austria and Hungary. It’s surrounded by vineyards and the Little Carpathian mountains, crisscrossed with forested hiking and cycling trails. The pedestrian-only, 18th-century old town is known for its lively bars and cafes. Perched atop a hill, the reconstructed Bratislava Castle overlooks old town and the Danube ### Day 4: Vienna **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Vienna, Austria’s capital, lies in the country’s east on the Danube River. Its artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence. In the MuseumsQuartier district, historic and contemporary buildings display works by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and other artists. ### Day 5: Melk **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Melk is an Austrian town on the River Danube, west of Vienna. It’s known for the 11th-century Melk Abbey, a vast monastery built high above the town. Gold statuary adorns its domed Abbey Church, and the huge library houses medieval manuscripts. The Marmorsaal is a baroque hall with a ceiling fresco and red marble walls. South of Melk, gardens surround Renaissance Schallaburg Castle, which hosts cultural exhibitions. ### Day 6: Linz **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Linz is a city in Upper Austria, straddling the Danube River midway between Salzburg and Vienna. Baroque buildings, including Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) and the old cathedral or Alter Dom, ring Hauptplatz, the old town’s main square. The riverside Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz has a major modern art collection. Across the river, the striking Ars Electronica Center focuses on society, technology and life in the future. ### Day 7: Kelheim **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Kelheim is a town and municipality in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the district Kelheim and is situated at the confluence of the rivers Altmühl and Danube. Kelheim has a population of around 15,750. ### Day 8: Nuremberg **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Nuremberg is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 inhabitants make it the 14th-largest city in Germany. ### Day 9: Bamberg **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Bamberg is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, laid out over 7 hills where the Regnitz and Main rivers meet. Its old town preserves structures from the 11th to 19th centuries including the muraled Altes Rathaus (town hall), which occupies an island in the Regnitz reached by arched bridges. The Romanesque Bamberg Cathedral, begun in the 11th century, features 4 towers and numerous stone carvings. ### Day 10: Wurzburg **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Würzburg is a city in Germany's Bavaria region. It's known for lavish baroque and rococo architecture, particularly the 18th-century Residenz palace, with ornate rooms, a huge fresco by Venetian artist Tiepolo and an elaborate staircase. Home to numerous wine bars, cellars and wineries, Würzburg is the center of the Franconian wine country, with its distinctive bocksbeutel (bottles with flattened round shapes). ### Day 11: Miltenberg **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Miltenberg is a town in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named district and has a population of over 9,000. ### Day 12: Rudesheim **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Rüdesheim am Rhein is a town in the Rhine Valley, Germany. It’s known for winemaking, especially of Riesling wines. In the center, Drosselgasse is a lane lined with shops, taverns and restaurants. Nearby, Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet is a museum of automated musical instruments. Medieval Brömserburg Castle is home to the Rheingau Wine Museum, exhibiting wine paraphernalia from ancient times to the present. ### Day 13: Cologne **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Cologne, a 2,000-year-old city spanning the Rhine River in western Germany, is the region’s cultural hub. A landmark of High Gothic architecture set amid reconstructed old town, the twin-spired Cologne Cathedral is also known for its gilded medieval reliquary and sweeping river views. The adjacent Museum Ludwig showcases 20th-century art, including many masterpieces by Picasso, and the Romano-Germanic Museum houses Roman antiquities. ### Day 14: Amsterdam **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ capital, known for its artistic heritage, elaborate canal system and narrow houses with gabled facades, legacies of the city’s 17th-century Golden Age. Its Museum District houses the Van Gogh Museum, works by Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and modern art at the Stedelijk. Cycling is key to the city’s character, and there are numerous bike paths ### Day 15: Amsterdam **Arrives:** 12:00 AM · **Departs:** 12:00 AM Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ capital, known for its artistic heritage, elaborate canal system and narrow houses with gabled facades, legacies of the city’s 17th-century Golden Age. Its Museum District houses the Van Gogh Museum, works by Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and modern art at the Stedelijk. Cycling is key to the city’s character, and there are numerous bike paths ## Pricing Prices shown are per person based on double occupancy in USD. | Cabin Type | Starting Price | |------------|----------------| | Ocean View | $7,695 | | Balcony | $15,417 | | Suite | $24,617 | ## Ship Information ### Emerald Astra #### Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Passenger Capacity | 0 | | Crew | 0 | | Gross Tonnage | 0.0 | | Length | 0.0 ft | | Total Cabins | 0 | ## Ports of Call ### Budapest *Coordinates: 47.4984, 19.0408* Budapest, Hungary’s capital, is bisected by the River Danube. Its 19th-century Chain Bridge connects the hilly Buda district with flat Pest. A funicular runs up Castle Hill to Buda’s Old Town, where the Budapest History Museum traces city life from Roman times onward. Trinity Square is home to 13th-century Matthias Church and the turrets of the Fishermen’s Bastion, which offer sweeping views... ### Bratislava *Coordinates: 48.1484, 17.1073* Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is set along the Danube River by the border with Austria and Hungary. It’s surrounded by vineyards and the Little Carpathian mountains, crisscrossed with forested hiking and cycling trails. The pedestrian-only, 18th-century old town is known for its lively bars and cafes. Perched atop a hill, the reconstructed Bratislava Castle overlooks old town and the Danu... ### Vienna *Coordinates: 48.2092, 16.3728* Vienna, Austria’s capital, lies in the country’s east on the Danube River. Its artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence. In the MuseumsQuartier district, historic and contemporary buildings display works by Egon Schiele, Gustav... ### Melk *Coordinates: 48.2265, 15.35* Melk is an Austrian town on the River Danube, west of Vienna. It’s known for the 11th-century Melk Abbey, a vast monastery built high above the town. Gold statuary adorns its domed Abbey Church, and the huge library houses medieval manuscripts. The Marmorsaal is a baroque hall with a ceiling fresco and red marble walls. South of Melk, gardens surround Renaissance Schallaburg Castle, which hosts ... ### Linz *Coordinates: 48.3069, 14.2858* Linz is a city in Upper Austria, straddling the Danube River midway between Salzburg and Vienna. Baroque buildings, including Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) and the old cathedral or Alter Dom, ring Hauptplatz, the old town’s main square. The riverside Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz has a major modern art collection. Across the river, the striking Ars Electronica Center focuses on society, technology and... ### Kelheim *Coordinates: 48.8185, 11.8449* Kelheim is a town and municipality in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the district Kelheim and is situated at the confluence of the rivers Altmühl and Danube. Kelheim has a population of around 15,750. ### Nuremberg *Coordinates: 49.4505, 11.0805* Nuremberg is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 inhabitants make it the 14th-largest city in Germany. ### Bamberg *Coordinates: 49.8942, 10.8855* Bamberg is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, laid out over 7 hills where the Regnitz and Main rivers meet. Its old town preserves structures from the 11th to 19th centuries including the muraled Altes Rathaus (town hall), which occupies an island in the Regnitz reached by arched bridges. The Romanesque Bamberg Cathedral, begun in the 11th century, features 4 towers and numerous stone carvings. ### Wurzburg *Coordinates: 49.7943, 9.92749* Würzburg is a city in Germany's Bavaria region. It's known for lavish baroque and rococo architecture, particularly the 18th-century Residenz palace, with ornate rooms, a huge fresco by Venetian artist Tiepolo and an elaborate staircase. Home to numerous wine bars, cellars and wineries, Würzburg is the center of the Franconian wine country, with its distinctive bocksbeutel (bottles with flattene... ### Miltenberg *Coordinates: 49.7032, 9.25709* Miltenberg is a town in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named district and has a population of over 9,000. ### Rudesheim *Coordinates: 49.979, 7.92637* Rüdesheim am Rhein is a town in the Rhine Valley, Germany. It’s known for winemaking, especially of Riesling wines. In the center, Drosselgasse is a lane lined with shops, taverns and restaurants. Nearby, Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet is a museum of automated musical instruments. Medieval Brömserburg Castle is home to the Rheingau Wine Museum, exhibiting wine paraphernalia from ancien... ### Cologne *Coordinates: 50.9407, 6.95991* Cologne, a 2,000-year-old city spanning the Rhine River in western Germany, is the region’s cultural hub. A landmark of High Gothic architecture set amid reconstructed old town, the twin-spired Cologne Cathedral is also known for its gilded medieval reliquary and sweeping river views. The adjacent Museum Ludwig showcases 20th-century art, including many masterpieces by Picasso, and the Romano-Ge... ### Amsterdam *Coordinates: 52.3731, 4.89222* Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ capital, known for its artistic heritage, elaborate canal system and narrow houses with gabled facades, legacies of the city’s 17th-century Golden Age. Its Museum District houses the Van Gogh Museum, works by Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and modern art at the Stedelijk. Cycling is key to the city’s character, and there are numerous bike paths ## Booking Information - **Book This Cruise:** https://cruisepirate.ai/cruise/2189718 - **Compare Prices:** CruisePirate compares prices across multiple booking channels - **Price Alerts:** Set up alerts for price drops on this sailing - **Support:** Contact our AI-powered cruise assistant for personalized recommendations ### Why Book with CruisePirate? - Real-time price comparison across booking channels - AI-powered cruise recommendations - Transparent pricing with no hidden fees - Expert cruise search and filtering --- ## Technical Metadata - **Canonical URL:** https://cruisepirate.ai/cruise/2189718 - **Markdown URL:** https://cruisepirate.ai/cruise/2189718.md - **API Endpoint:** https://cruisepirate.ai/api/cruises/2189718/ - **Primary Image:** https://images.cruisepirate.ai/v3/static/cruise-lines/emerald-cruises/emerald-astra/other/79488.webp - **Data Source:** CruisePirate Cruise Database - **Last Updated:** 2026-05-05 15:43:35 UTC