The essentials for this trip.
This is Cooee's only river-cruise format — different shape from our other small-group tours. Up to 156 guests on the ship (vs our usual 16), all-inclusive pricing, unpack once and the towns come to you. Two seasonal variants produce two completely different trips: spring tulips with Keukenhof gardens day-trip, or December Christmas markets across Vienna, Nuremberg, Würzburg and Cologne.
15 days, fully scoped.
All meals onboard are full-board with regional wines included at lunch and dinner. Days marked with country tags note the border crossings. Days marked 🚢 are scenic-cruising days — no shore excursion, river-and-castle viewing from the sun deck.
Welcome to Hungary. Group transfer from Budapest (BUD) airport to your ship at the Pest waterfront — embarkation from 3pm. Welcome dinner with first sailing. The Parliament Building illuminated at night from the river is worth the trip alone.
Buda Castle and Fisherman's Bastion morning — UNESCO-listed views over Pest. Free afternoon for the thermal baths or Great Market Hall. Hungarian folk-music and goulash dinner onboard.
Slovak capital — the smallest of the Danube's four capital cities, and the youngest. Old Town walking tour, UNESCO Bratislava Castle, the medieval coronation route. Afternoon sailing toward Austria.
Schönbrunn Palace (the Habsburg summer residence — 1,441 rooms) and the Hofburg (the winter residence). Free afternoon for Café Central, Sachertorte at Café Sacher, or Klimt at the Belvedere. Optional Mozart-Strauss palace concert evening (~$95 add-on, included in luxury tier).
The most scenic Danube day. Melk Abbey morning — the Benedictine monastery overlooking the river, baroque library and frescoed church. Afternoon scenic cruising through the Wachau wine valley with Krems and Dürnstein viewing. Wine-tasting onboard with Riesling and Grüner Veltliner pairings.
German baroque town at the confluence of three rivers (Danube, Inn, Ilz). St Stephen's Cathedral — home to one of the largest pipe organs in the world (17,974 pipes). Daily noon organ recital.
UNESCO medieval old town — one of the best-preserved in Europe. Stone Bridge (12th century, the oldest bridge in Germany). Bavarian sausage lunch in a historic tavern that's been operating since 1146.
Imperial Castle, WWII Documentation Centre at the former Nazi rally grounds (heavy but essential), and the Hauptmarkt. December departures: the original Christkindlesmarkt — documented from 1628, almost four centuries of unbroken tradition and the model for Christmas markets worldwide. Ginger spice cookies, mulled wine, hand-carved nutcrackers.
Würzburg Residenz — UNESCO baroque palace, the Tiepolo ceiling fresco is the largest in the world. Franconian wine tasting in the historic cellars. Rothenburg ob der Tauber afternoon — the most-photographed medieval town in Germany.
Free morning in Frankfurt's Römerberg old town and St Bartholomew's Cathedral (where Holy Roman Emperors were crowned). Sail afternoon onto the Rhine via the Main canal connection — engineering marvel linking the Black Sea to the North Sea.
The most photographed stretch of the Rhine — castles every kilometre, including Marksburg (the only Rhine castle never destroyed), Rheinfels, and Stahleck. Wine tasting onboard with Rhine Riesling and Spätlese pairings. Pure scenic-cruising day with sun-deck commentary.
Cologne Cathedral (Köln Dom) — UNESCO Gothic giant, 632 years to build, world's largest Gothic façade. Old Town walking tour. Eau de Cologne workshop (Cologne is where the perfume style originated, 1709). December departures: the cathedral-square Christmas market is one of Germany's largest.
Sail into Amsterdam early morning. Canal cruise through the UNESCO-listed canal ring (built 1613-65). Anne Frank House timed-entry visit. Free evening for the Jordaan district or Rijksmuseum.
April-May departures: Keukenhof tulip gardens day-trip — 7 million tulip bulbs across 32 hectares (only open mid-March to mid-May). Other seasons: free Amsterdam day for the Van Gogh Museum, Albert Cuyp market, or canal-bicycle hire. Farewell gala dinner onboard.
Disembark after breakfast. Group transfer to Schiphol airport (AMS). Most Brisbane connections via Singapore or Dubai.
The moments that make this trip.
The experiences our travellers remember years later — the things you book this trip for.
Wine-region tastings
Wachau Valley (Austria) Riesling and Grüner Veltliner, Würzburg Franconian whites, Rhine Valley Spätlese — all included on shore excursions and at onboard wine pairings.
Christmas markets (Dec)
Vienna, Nuremberg, Würzburg and Cologne — Europe's four greatest Christmas markets in a single trip. Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt is the original.
Spring tulips (Apr-May)
Keukenhof Gardens day-trip from Amsterdam (April departures only — 7 million bulbs across 32 hectares). Tulip fields by bicycle option.
Wachau Valley
Cruise the most scenic stretch of the Danube — vineyards, hilltop monasteries (Melk Abbey), and medieval Krems and Dürnstein.
Vienna concert evening
Optional Mozart-Strauss concert in a Vienna palace setting — included in luxury tier, $95 add-on otherwise.
Onboard bicycles
Each ship carries 30+ bicycles for guest use in port cities. Particularly good in Budapest, Vienna, Nuremberg and along the Rhine.
No hidden surprises.
River cruise pricing notoriously varies in what's bundled. Cooee's Avalon partnership is genuinely all-inclusive — every shore excursion, regional wines at every meal, premium beverage package, all crew gratuities, even onboard Wi-Fi. The headline number is the actual number.
✓ Included in the tour price
- 14 nights aboard Avalon Vista or similar luxury river cruise (max 156 guests, all outside cabins, balcony available)
- All meals onboard — daily breakfast, lunch, dinner with included regional wines at lunch and dinner
- All shore excursions in every port (Cooee tour-leader led)
- Premium beverage package — cocktails, premium wines, beer, soft drinks all-day
- Onboard entertainment: classical recitals, regional folk evenings, Mozart-Strauss palace concert (Vienna, when scheduled)
- Onboard bicycle access in ports (free, first-come-first-served)
- Wachau Valley wine tasting; Würzburg Franconian wines; Rhine Riesling pairings
- Keukenhof gardens day-trip (April departures) or alternative Amsterdam excursion
- Group airport transfers Budapest arrival and Amsterdam departure
- Onboard Wi-Fi, gym, library, sun-deck whirlpool, panorama lounge
- All gratuities for ship crew (typical $200-300 USD value not paid separately)
- 24/7 emergency support
– Not included (typical extras)
- International flights to Budapest / from Amsterdam (typical AU$2,200 economy / $7,000 business via Singapore or Dubai)
- Travel insurance (mandatory)
- Premium shore excursions: helicopter Wachau ($295), private Sachertorte high-tea ($89), Anne Frank private tour ($149)
- Spa treatments onboard
- Drinks not in beverage package — top-shelf spirits, premium champagne
- Tipping for tour-leader/local-guides on shore excursions ($5-10/day at discretion — separate from ship crew)
- UK ETA / EU ETIAS authorisations (when applicable from 2026)
2026 & 2027 departure dates.
Twin-share starting prices in AUD for outside cabin (no balcony). Single supplement: from $2,995. Balcony cabin upgrade: from $2,500-4,500 additional pp depending on departure (highly recommended for Wachau and Rhine Gorge scenic days). Luxury suite tier: from $4,995 additional. Christmas-market departures command premium pricing and sell first.
| Departure | Status | From (AUD pp) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2026 · 12 AprTulip season | Available | $7,999 | Enquire → |
| May 2026 · 10 MaySpring | Few seats | $8,299 | Enquire → |
| Aug 2026 · 9 AugSummer | Available | $8,499 | Enquire → |
| Oct 2026 · 11 OctAutumn | Few seats | $8,299 | Enquire → |
| Dec 2026 · 7 DecChristmas markets | Sold out | $8,999 | Join waitlist → |
| Dec 2026 · 14 DecChristmas markets | Few seats | $8,999 | Enquire urgently → |
| Apr 2027 · 11 AprTulip season | Open | $8,199 | Enquire → |
| Dec 2027 · 6 DecChristmas markets | Open | $9,199 | Enquire → |
Keukenhof gardens day-trip is the spring-only addition — only operates mid-March to mid-May. Mild weather (12-20°C), 13-15 hours of daylight, vineyards greening up, fewer fellow guests than peak summer. Most photogenic spring trip in Europe.
Cold (1-7°C), short daylight (8 hours), but the four headline ports — Vienna, Nuremberg, Würzburg, Cologne — host four of Europe's most extraordinary Christmas markets. Mulled wine, gingerbread, hand-carved nutcrackers, illuminated old-towns. Sells 6+ months ahead.
Reviews from this exact tour.
Danube river cruise at Christmas — Budapest to Nuremberg over the markets fortnight. The boat was small, the dining was first-class, and our tour director knew every market in every stop. A completely different European experience from summer. We've booked the Rhine for 2026.
Spring departure with the Keukenhof tulip day. Effortless way to see Europe — unpack once, the towns come to you. The ship's chef kept finding regional specialties from each new country. Our most relaxing European trip ever.
Ready to unpack once?
From $7,999 pp twin-share. December Christmas-market departures sell 6-12 months ahead — book early for cabin choice. Deposit of 25% confirms your booking. Speak directly to a Brisbane-based river-cruise specialist about cabin tier, balcony upgrade, and pre/post extensions to Prague or Berlin.
Specific to this cruise.
Enquire about Danube River Cruise
Tell us your preferred season (spring tulips vs Christmas markets), cabin tier preference (outside / balcony / suite), and any specific concerns. We'll come back within 1 business day with availability, full itinerary PDF, deck plan, and a tailored quote — including international flight options from Brisbane.