CHRISTMAS MARKETS ON THE DANUBE

Passau is a German city located in the Southeast of Germany on the Austrian border. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Inn and Ilz. The Three Rivers City, as it’s also known, is unique for its three contrasting currents of blue, green and black. Old Town of Passau is home to towering buildings of striking architecture: the majestic fortress Veste Oberhaus, the Pilgrimage Church Mariahilf and St Stephen's Cathedral. Many of Passau’s attractions can be found in this area, including the New Bishop’s Residence, the Gothic Town Hall, as well as many churches and museums. Visitors can stroll along the riverfront promenades and romantic lanes whilst enjoying the picturesque landscape. For modern art, The Museum of Modern Art and Glass Museum Passau are recommended as they offer something a bit different. Theatre and cabaret are a popular evening pastime, with performances at the former Prince Bishopric Theatre or some lively cabaret and Jazz at the Scharfrichterhaus. Visitors will also find many traditional local Bavarian and Austrian cafes and restaurants offering a cosy atmosphere with home cooked food from local produce.

Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria (German: Oberösterreich). It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately 30 kilometres south of the Czech border, on both sides of the River Danube. The population of the city is 200,839, and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about 271,000. In 2009 Linz, together with the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, was chosen as the European Capital of Culture. Since 1 December 2014 Linz is a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities (UCCN) network as a City of Media Arts.

Linz is well known for its vibrant cultural scene and hosts a large number of events throughout the year, including the Linz Festival, Ars Electronica and Pflasterspektakel. The city also has a number of museums and galleries, including the Museum of Upper Austria, Linz Museum and Lentos Art Museum.

If you're looking for a city that has a little bit of everything, then Linz is definitely worth a visit. Whether you're interested in culture, history, art or just wanting to experience a new place, Linz has something for everyone.

Cruise through the Strudengau and Wachau valleys to Weissenkirchen, gateway to Dürnstein

It's difficult to explore the sights and sounds of Vienna without thinking of an elegant Strauss waltz or a memorable Brahms lullaby. This beautiful Baroque capital of Austria was for centuries the centre of the Habsburg Empire, retaining its grand spirit in the form of magnificent palaces and grand mansions peppering the Innere Stadt.

The city's cultural heritage is mainly musical, with great composers such as Strauss, Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert, Haydn and Mozart all having lived and performed here. Today, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the State Opera House help to keep alive the city's traditions by offering more classical music performances a year than any other city in the world.

While Vienna is a city of music, it's also synonymous with gourmet fare, cream cakes, superb coffee, the angelic strains of the Vienna Boys' Choir, and the proud prancing of the Lipizzaner stallions at the world-famous Spanish Riding School.

Starting out as a Celtic settlement on the banks of the Danube, Vienna became one of Rome's most important central European bases. Its favourable location on the strategic river contributed to the city becoming the stronghold of a mighty empire, reaching its peak during the tumultuous reign of the dazzling Habsburg dynasty.

At the end of the 19th century, the golden age of the Austrian Empire began to decline as Vienna's coffee houses filled with radical intellectuals such as Freud, Klimt and Mahler. The World War II Nazi occupation left scars, but Vienna survived to remain a captivating capital that blends Italian romanticism with Germanic orderliness.

Most of the city's tourist attractions are within the largely pedestrianised inner city area, which was once enclosed by the city walls. The walls have been replaced with the Ringstrasse, a wide ring road. Further out in the suburbs is the thrilling Prater amusement park with its massive Ferris wheel, and the opulent Schonbrunn summer palace. Visitors also should not miss a trip to the Vienna Woods, peppered with wine taverns called heurigen.

Vienna is truly a paradise for classical music aficionados, with unrivalled history, influence and majesty. But it's also a city of sophistication and class, a romantic outpost of old world grandeur shining through the heritage of imperial power.

Known as the 'Queen of the Danube', magnificent Budapest exudes a cultural sophistication that entices and enchants. It graces both sides of the river with grand historic buildings, regal bridges, and graceful tree-lined boulevards. The city's elegant beauty and romantic atmosphere has given it Parisian status among the Eastern European countries.

Budapest offers the visitor the familiarity of European grandeur with a distinct Hungarian flavour. This is evident in the neo-Gothic Parliament buildings, sidewalk cafes, and Magyar cuisine; classical concerts and Hungarian folk music; and the cobbled streets of medieval neighbourhoods and shady parks. Highlights for visitors include a river cruise on the Danube and a thermal bath in one of the Turkish-era bathhouses.

Budapest was originally two cities built on either side of the Danube, namely Buda and Pest. The two districts are still distinct in their contrasting makeup. The older and more charming Buda comprised of atmospheric cobbled streets, little picturesque coloured houses, and a medieval, neo-Classical mixture of architecture set among the gentle hills of the west bank. It is famous for its historic Castle Hill, featuring the Royal Palace; museums and galleries; St Matthias Church; and the ramparts of Fisherman's Bastion.

Pest lies on a flat plain and is the commercial core of the city. It bustles with fashionable shopping areas and has characteristically wide, leafy boulevards. Andrássy Boulevard is the Champs-Elysées of Budapest, lined with a typical mosaic of architectural styles and buildings with the enormous Heroes' Square at the end.

A history of numerous wars and invasions, with repeated destruction and rebuilding, has created the Budapest of today, with an amalgamation of styles, created over time during periods of loving restoration by a proud and resilient nation of people; it is a city of charm and character and never drops out of favour with travellers.