European Holiday Markets

Nuremberg, located 110 miles north of Munich, is the second-largest city in Bavaria, boasting a population of 500,000. Save for its significance during World War II, it doesn't always get the spotlight it deserves. Yet, once you set foot in the walled medieval Old Town, you'll realize what a treasure the city is, especially if you can snag one of its famous Lebkuchen, Christmas gingerbread cookies dating to the 13th century. Even better: If you're there during the holidays, you can visit Christkindlemarkt, the city's world-famous Christmas market.

Nuremberg, located 110 miles north of Munich, is the second-largest city in Bavaria, boasting a population of 500,000. Save for its significance during World War II, it doesn't always get the spotlight it deserves. Yet, once you set foot in the walled medieval Old Town, you'll realize what a treasure the city is, especially if you can snag one of its famous Lebkuchen, Christmas gingerbread cookies dating to the 13th century. Even better: If you're there during the holidays, you can visit Christkindlemarkt, the city's world-famous Christmas market.

The largest medieval city in Germany and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2006, Regensburg was founded in 179 A.D. by the Romans. It eventually became the second-richest city in the Holy Roman Empire, prized for its trade of "White Gold," otherwise known as salt. It was even once the capital of Germany until it was moved to Munich. Fortunately, most of the city was spared destruction during World War II. With Romanesque and Gothic structures, courtyards, squares and a stone bridge, the city of roughly 150,000 residents makes you feel as if you're stepping straight into a storybook setting.

For river cruise operators, Linz is used mainly as a waypoint from which shore excursions set off to other, grander locales like Salzburg, Austria or Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. And while the city is more of a place of work than a place to visit, it is a counterpoint to many other stops on a typical Danube River cruise itinerary. A quick tour through town (there really doesn't need to be any other kind) can provide relief for anyone suffering from "quaint European village fatigue syndrome." Linz is the third-largest city in Austria, with a population of 190,000 inhabitants; it's also the capital to the state of Upper Austria. Once known as the country's centre of industry (and hometown of Hitler), Linz is making a name for itself in the world of computer art and digital design. When you dock there, you will likely notice sculptures along the water's edge and a modern building with glowing LED lights, which is the Ars Electronica Center, a museum and development facility for new media arts. Also directly across from your ship will be Brucknerhaus -- named after composer Anton Bruckner -- a famous concert hall and home to the Bruckner Orchestra. The rising fortunes of Linz were officially recognized when the city was made a European Capital of Culture in 2009. Many cruise lines dock in Linz and offer shore excursions to nearby Salzburg, a couple hours away by bus. Salzburg is set in the forested foothills north of the Alps mountain range, and the Salzach River divides the city. The northeastern half of the city is the new town -- mostly businesses and transport links -- and the southwestern bank of the river is home to the charming Altstadt (Old Town) with its baroque churches and one of Europe's oldest medieval fortresses. Salzburg's Old Town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. Home to Mozart, Haydn and setting of "The Sound of Music," Salzburg is a wildly popular stop for music-lovers of all kinds and tourists of all ages. In fact, the city gets 8 million visitors a year, an estimated 300,000 of which visit Salzburg each year simply because it's so prominently featured in the film musical "The Sound of Music." So soak it all in and sing it out loud while you're in town. Walk the Getreidegasse, a busy shopping street, and happen upon the house at number 9, where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born. Pace the gardens of Mirabell Palace; "Do-Re-Mi" was sung on its steps. During the holiday season, enjoy the festivities and decorations of Salzburg's impressive Christkindlmarkt (Christmas market), and if you feel like singing a carol, the lyrics to "Silent Night" were written here, as well.

Visitors come to Vienna with high expectations of lavish palaces, ornamental parks, cakes piled high with whipped cream and the strain of Strauss waltzes. They're rarely disappointed; this is a city that trades on its glorious past, revelling in its heyday, when Gustav Mahler was conducting the Vienna Philharmonic, Sigmund Freud was inventing psychoanalysis and the coffee houses were abuzz with the banter of middle-class intellectuals.

Yet, as much as it lives in the past, Vienna has hauled itself into the present with elegance and style. Visitors will discover a compact but diverse, multicultural city, with a thriving art and design scene, some truly fabulous shopping, superb contemporary art collections, and acres of gorgeous parks and gardens. Here, you'll find a happy devotion to the good life, whether it's sipping a cocktail at one of the hip bars on the Danube Canal or the gemutlichkeit (the Austrian term for "cosiness") of tasting wines grown on the hills around the city in a traditional pub garden in the village of Grinzing.

Because most of the big attractions are around or inside the Ringstrasse, the circular boulevard that encloses the first district, or city centre, Vienna is easy to explore. In fact, you could spend days in the first district alone, shopping on the elegant Karntnerstrasse, exploring St. Stephen's Cathedral and countless other Baroque churches, devoting time to galleries and museums and immersing yourself in the famous coffee culture.

The many river cruise lines that call on the city provide a mere snapshot of this thriving centre of European culture with little deviation from the very well-trodden tourist trail. But Vienna caters to a diverse range of interests, and the good news is that if you come back for more, or want to explore it alone, the city is a snap to navigate independently.

Visitors come to Vienna with high expectations of lavish palaces, ornamental parks, cakes piled high with whipped cream and the strain of Strauss waltzes. They're rarely disappointed; this is a city that trades on its glorious past, revelling in its heyday, when Gustav Mahler was conducting the Vienna Philharmonic, Sigmund Freud was inventing psychoanalysis and the coffee houses were abuzz with the banter of middle-class intellectuals.

Yet, as much as it lives in the past, Vienna has hauled itself into the present with elegance and style. Visitors will discover a compact but diverse, multicultural city, with a thriving art and design scene, some truly fabulous shopping, superb contemporary art collections, and acres of gorgeous parks and gardens. Here, you'll find a happy devotion to the good life, whether it's sipping a cocktail at one of the hip bars on the Danube Canal or the gemutlichkeit (the Austrian term for "cosiness") of tasting wines grown on the hills around the city in a traditional pub garden in the village of Grinzing.

Because most of the big attractions are around or inside the Ringstrasse, the circular boulevard that encloses the first district, or city centre, Vienna is easy to explore. In fact, you could spend days in the first district alone, shopping on the elegant Karntnerstrasse, exploring St. Stephen's Cathedral and countless other Baroque churches, devoting time to galleries and museums and immersing yourself in the famous coffee culture.

The many river cruise lines that call on the city provide a mere snapshot of this thriving centre of European culture with little deviation from the very well-trodden tourist trail. But Vienna caters to a diverse range of interests, and the good news is that if you come back for more, or want to explore it alone, the city is a snap to navigate independently.

Visitors come to Vienna with high expectations of lavish palaces, ornamental parks, cakes piled high with whipped cream and the strain of Strauss waltzes. They're rarely disappointed; this is a city that trades on its glorious past, revelling in its heyday, when Gustav Mahler was conducting the Vienna Philharmonic, Sigmund Freud was inventing psychoanalysis and the coffee houses were abuzz with the banter of middle-class intellectuals.

Yet, as much as it lives in the past, Vienna has hauled itself into the present with elegance and style. Visitors will discover a compact but diverse, multicultural city, with a thriving art and design scene, some truly fabulous shopping, superb contemporary art collections, and acres of gorgeous parks and gardens. Here, you'll find a happy devotion to the good life, whether it's sipping a cocktail at one of the hip bars on the Danube Canal or the gemutlichkeit (the Austrian term for "cosiness") of tasting wines grown on the hills around the city in a traditional pub garden in the village of Grinzing.

Because most of the big attractions are around or inside the Ringstrasse, the circular boulevard that encloses the first district, or city centre, Vienna is easy to explore. In fact, you could spend days in the first district alone, shopping on the elegant Karntnerstrasse, exploring St. Stephen's Cathedral and countless other Baroque churches, devoting time to galleries and museums and immersing yourself in the famous coffee culture.

The many river cruise lines that call on the city provide a mere snapshot of this thriving centre of European culture with little deviation from the very well-trodden tourist trail. But Vienna caters to a diverse range of interests, and the good news is that if you come back for more, or want to explore it alone, the city is a snap to navigate independently.