2026 Danube Holiday Markets Cruise with Uniworld

Luxury Christmas market river cruise aboard S.S. Maria Theresa

Experience Europe’s most enchanting Christmas markets aboard Uniworld’s luxurious S.S. Maria Theresa, sailing the Danube through Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Germany during the festive season.

This 2026 Danube Holiday Markets cruise is a beautifully atmospheric way to visit some of Europe’s finest Christmas markets, including Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Salzburg and Passau, while enjoying the comfort of an all-inclusive boutique river cruise.

Your journey begins in Budapest, where you board the opulent S.S. Maria Theresa for a seven-night festive sailing through the heart of Central Europe. Along the way, enjoy baroque architecture, winter scenery, Christmas traditions, seasonal treats, concerts, guided excursions and time to browse charming market squares.

Mulberry Travel can arrange your complete Uniworld Christmas market river cruise package with flights, transfers, hotel extensions and tailor-made arrangements before or after your sailing.

Details

2026 Danube Holiday Markets river cruise
7-night all-inclusive cruise aboard S.S. Maria Theresa
Budapest to Passau festive itinerary
Visit Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Germany
Christmas markets in Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Salzburg and Passau
Included shore excursions and festive experiences
All gratuities onboard included
Flights, transfers and hotel extensions available
Tailor-made arrangements with Mulberry Travel

Price on request

availability and pricing vary by departure date and cabin category

Luxury Danube Christmas Market River Cruise

Celebrate the festive season on the Danube

A Danube Christmas market cruise is one of the most magical ways to experience Europe in winter. Rather than moving between hotels, you unpack once aboard S.S. Maria Theresa and sail between elegant capitals, riverside towns and festive market squares decorated for the season.

From Budapest’s grand boulevards and Bratislava’s old town to Vienna’s imperial architecture, Salzburg’s alpine setting and Passau’s cathedral square, this itinerary brings together some of Central Europe’s most atmospheric Christmas destinations.

With Uniworld’s all-inclusive style, elegant ship design, fine dining and curated excursions, this is a wonderfully refined alternative to a traditional Christmas market city break.

Uniworld 2026 Danube Christmas market river cruise

DETAILED ITINERARY

Budapest to Passau aboard S.S. Maria Theresa

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2026 Danube Holiday Markets Detailed Itinerary

Danube Holiday Markets cruise with Uniworld

Day 1 – Budapest, Hungary – Embark

Arrive in Budapest, where you will be transferred to S.S. Maria Theresa to begin your Danube Holiday Markets cruise.

Settle into your stateroom and enjoy your first evening onboard this elegant Uniworld ship.

Day 2 – Budapest, Hungary

Located on opposite sides of the Danube, Buda and Pest each have their own distinctive character. Explore Hungary’s capital with a choice of included tours and enjoy time at Budapest’s celebrated Christmas market.

A special Captain’s Welcome Reception and Dinner is prepared this evening.

Day 3 – Cruising the Danube and Bratislava, Slovakia

Sail along the Danube before arriving in Bratislava, Slovakia’s charming capital city. Discover the old town with a local expert and visit the Christmas market, where seasonal stalls, festive food and local traditions bring the city to life.

Day 4 – Vienna, Austria

Vienna is one of Europe’s great festive cities, famous for imperial architecture, classical music, cafés, pastries and atmospheric Christmas markets.

Enjoy your choice of included tours and time to experience Vienna during the most magical time of year.

Day 5 – Krems and Melk, Austria

Spend time in the Wachau Valley, one of the Danube’s most beautiful stretches and a UNESCO World Heritage landscape.

Enjoy festive excursions in the region, with scenery of vineyards, abbeys, baroque towers and winter river views.

Day 6 – Linz and Salzburg, Austria

Your ship docks in Linz, from where you can travel to Salzburg, Mozart’s birthplace and one of Austria’s most beautiful festive cities.

Set in an alpine landscape, Salzburg is especially atmospheric at Christmas, with a charming old town, cathedral square and seasonal market traditions.

Day 7 – Passau, Germany

Arrive in Passau, where three rivers meet close to the German-Austrian border. Enjoy a guided stroll through this handsome riverside town and visit the Christmas market set around the cathedral square.

A special Captain’s Farewell Reception and Dinner is prepared this evening.

Day 8 – Passau, Germany – Disembark

Disembark S.S. Maria Theresa in Passau. Transfers to Munich Airport, flights home or onward hotel stays can be arranged by Mulberry Travel.

Itinerary, excursions and timings are subject to change due to water levels, public holidays, local closures and other operational factors. Christmas market opening dates may vary by destination.

S.S. MARIA THERESA

Opulent Uniworld ship on the Danube

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Uniworld Danube Holiday Markets inclusions

WHAT’S INCLUDED

All-inclusive Uniworld festive cruising

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UNIWORLD

Explore Uniworld Boutique River Cruises

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Christmas Markets on the Danube

Festive highlights in Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Germany

This itinerary brings together some of Europe’s most atmospheric festive destinations, making it ideal for clients looking for a luxury Christmas market river cruise with culture, scenery and comfort.

Budapest Christmas Markets

Budapest is one of Central Europe’s most elegant capitals, with festive stalls, seasonal food, illuminated architecture and the Danube creating a spectacular winter setting.

Bratislava Christmas Market

Bratislava’s compact old town is especially charming during the festive season, with a relaxed atmosphere, traditional Slovak treats and local crafts in the heart of the city.

Vienna Christmas Markets

Vienna is one of Europe’s great Christmas market cities. Imperial palaces, grand squares, classical music and café culture combine with beautifully decorated festive markets.

Salzburg Christmas Market

Surrounded by alpine scenery, Salzburg offers one of Austria’s most atmospheric Christmas settings, with its historic old town, cathedral square and musical heritage.

Passau Christmas Market

Passau’s Christmas market is set around the cathedral square, with festive stalls, ornaments, seasonal treats and a beautiful riverside old town where three rivers meet.

Why Choose a Danube Christmas Market Cruise?

A Danube Christmas market cruise offers a relaxed and luxurious way to visit several festive cities in one journey. Instead of packing and unpacking between hotels, your ship travels with you from Budapest to Passau.

During the day, explore historic towns, Christmas markets and winter scenery. In the evening, return to the warmth and comfort of S.S. Maria Theresa for fine dining, all-inclusive drinks, elegant surroundings and Uniworld’s attentive service.

This style of holiday is particularly suited to travellers who want the atmosphere of Europe’s Christmas markets without the complications of arranging multiple hotels, trains and transfers independently.

FAQs about Danube Holiday Markets Uniworld Cruise

Mulberry Travel

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Andy Williamson

just wanted to say thank you for all your help booking the Grand National trip aboard the British Pullman. We all had a wonderful day and everything was organised so well. They arranged reserved seating on the coach transfers for us and my wife managed the whole day despite her cancer, such was the care taken.

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Maggie

Dear Lee and all the Mulberry Travel Team, We just wanted to thank you for organising such a wonderful trip to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Everything ran so smoothly from start to finish. The Hotel Mayfair was absolutely perfect for us, comfortable, elegant, and ideally located. The drivers throughout the weekend and for our airport transfers were excellent, especially Riswan, who drove us to and from the races. He was not only professional but also a wonderful guide, sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge of Paris and France, which really added to the experience. Attending the Arc itself was something we had wanted to do for many years, and we’re so glad to have finally experienced it. Thank you again to you and your team for arranging everything so beautifully. You took all the stress out of the trip for us and we are very grateful. It truly was a memorable weekend. Warm regards, Maggie, Richard & Eleanor

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H. Ware

I cannot recommend Sasha at Mulberry Travel highly enough. Her exemplary service, talent at curating trips and attention to detail as well as support while you travel is unsurpassed. I continue to use Sasha for my travel and have recommended her to friends and colleagues.

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Anonymous

Sasha and her colleagues did a fantastic job helping organising our honeymoon, arranging everything; sorting the flights and transfers and picking the hotels for the two centre trip to Verona and Lake Garda that we wanted. Everything went smoothly from the flights, the transfers from Verona airport to the hotel in Verona, between Verona and Sirmione and the return to the airport, the hotels and the Opera (which was a highlight).

Posted 9 months ago

Thiona McQuiston

Dear Sasha thank you for organising our trip to Florence to take in the Andrea Bocelli Teatro del Silenzio concert at Lajatico it was amazing as was your organisation of the trip. We had a wonderful time all thanks to you Andrea, Placido and the other guests. I would have no hesitation in booking with you in the future. Kind regards Thiona

Posted 10 months ago

This was our first trip with a tour group It was a wonderful experience The hotel accommodations were perfect The dinner experience was wonderful Our driver to the event was great We can’t say enough about this wonderful trip Very organized

Mr & Mrs Gray

Exceptional company who are responsive at all times .Outstanding communication and all arrangements were perfect

Wendy Taylor

We have just returned from seeing Andrea Bocelli in Italy. The whole trip was organised by Mulberry Travel. I cant recommend them highly enough. They organised everything from flights to transfers to accommodation and also tickets for the concert. Everything ran seamlessly. The Hotel L'Orologia in Florence was one if their recommendations. It was beautiful and centrally situated on a lovely piazza. Transfers to and from the airport and the concert ran like clockwork. I will certainly be booking with Mulberry Travel again for any trips. It took the worry out of organising myself which I would normally do.

Jane Stonehouse

Sasha and Mollie were fantastic from the initial enquiry to the final plans . Every aspect of the trip was amazing and the Concert was truly amazing ! I cannot praise Mulberry Travel enough . A wonderful trip ! Thank you 😊

Richard Goodenough

We booked the British Pullman for my wife’s birthday and Mollie Ellis your Consultant could not have done more for us. She answered any questions that I had and kept in touch from the initial booking through to our day out to Bath. We had a fantastic day and I will certainly book through Mollie and Mulberry travel in the future.

Robert Hawkins

We contacted Mulberry Travel to enquire about a 2025 Monaco F1 package as we could find nothing that suited us in Australia. Sasha was incredible and put together a wonderful package for us. The whole booking process was so easy and we were kept informed every step of the way. Our trip leaves us with fantastic memories. Thankyou Sasha and Mulberry Travel. We certainly recommend this company to anyone in UK or Australia

Posted 11 months ago

Nick Phillips

I recently booked a cruise to include tickets to Monaco Grand Prix for a special birthday surprise. Sasha contacted me via email so as not to spoil the surprise. This attention to detail continued along with timely correspondance throughout the whole planning period. The cruise was a great success but the hotel recommendations and even private hire transfers from airport, hotel and cruise port were all part of the very professional service and nothing was too much trouble. I would happily recommend Mulberry Travel to friends and family and will definitely use their services again. Thank you.

Fantastic service, before, dueing and after by the team

Posted 1 year ago

Hilary Ware

Sasha has been the most amazing partner in planning and arranging travel. Her care, responsiveness and creativity is outstanding. I am deeply appreciative of all she has done and look forward to planning future trips with Sasha.

Siobhan O'Shea

Thank you Lee for organising our trip so well. So professional, organised, proactive and helpful. It was a wonderful trip and we will certainly recommend Mulberry Travel to friends and family.

Neil Sheridan

Thank you, Mulberry Travel, for putting together an amazing trip to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary to Venice, returning to London via Paris on the iconic and timeless Venice-Simplon Orient Express. Big thanks to Mollie and Sasha in particular for all their efforts to make it such a memorable experience.

Carl

Mollie, put together a surprise trip for my wife's 50th on the Orient Express to Venice. The whole process was organised and delivered to perfection. Highly recommed their services.

Amanda Brooker

We unfortunately had a 9 hour delay on the Orient Express and I cannot commend enough Mulberry Travel and in particular Sasha who was in constant communication with us informing and reassuring us along the way. Excellent company.

Jim Scott

The service rexceived from Mulberry Travel from booking to the lead up to the trip was freindly, seamlessly and efficient taking all the worry out of the process. Many thanks.

Anita Jones

Booked a holiday on the Orient Express to Venicewith the lovely Sasha she sorted everything for us all we had to do was select the Hotel we wanted to stay in Venice for 3 nights . Nothing was to much trouble and answered any question we had very quickly ... would highly recommend Mulberry Travel to book holidays and so glad we came across them. Thank you all again for your help in booking us a fantastic holiday.

Fred Seymour

I recently travelled to Vienna and stayed in a five star hotel San Souci. After spending two days in Vienna my son and myself boarded the famous Orient Express train back to Paris and then onto London with Eurostar premium. The whole trip was organised by Mulberry Travel who arranged everything to perfection. I would recommend Mulberry travel to anyone. They took great care to ensure that we did not have any problems with our itinerary. The train ride on the Orient Express was in my opinion one of the best experiences of my life.

2026 Danube Holiday Markets Cruise with Uniworld

Luxury Christmas market river cruise aboard S.S. Maria Theresa

Price on request

Luxury Danube Christmas Market River Cruise

Celebrate the festive season on the Danube

DETAILED ITINERARY

S.S. MARIA THERESA

WHAT’S INCLUDED

UNIWORLD

Christmas Markets on the Danube