Christmas Market cruises on the Danube are one of the most popular river cruises. They fill up as early as January for the following December and include touring some of Eastern Europe’s best cities, musical concerts, useums, hikes to ruins and of course, shopping.
Cruising the Danube River in Budapest at night Margie Goldsmith
I surprised myself by weeping with joy as the sounds of the violins, cellos and horns of the Vienna Imperial Orchestra echoed throughout the Locovitz Palace in Vienna, the same hall where Mozart first presented his 3 rd Symphony. Although it sounds like a cliché, the fact that the orchestra was playing Johann Strauss’ Blue Danube Waltz while I was on a 7-day Emerald Waterways ‘Christmas Markets and Danube Delights’ cruise on the river from Budapest to Nuremberg only enhanced the feeling of being transported. The voluptuously pastel cherubs and mythical figures painted on the gilded ceiling of the hall added to the storybook sensation. The private Viennese concert was one of the highlights of this cruise, which included visiting centuries-old churches, hiking to castle ruins, and shopping the famous Christmas markets.
I was lucky to be on this trip. Christmas Market cruises fill up early; they start booking in January and are usually sold out by spring. My cabin on the Emerald Sun was a sun-splashed suite with a glass-enclosed balcony and a floor-to-ceiling window looking out on the Danube where I could sit and watch the world float by. At dinner in the dining room, I’d watch the sky turn from blue to pink to violet and finally inky black. Each day, we’d dock in a different city in Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Germany, and transfer to a coach with a local guide for a walking tour followed by time to shop the colorful markets. Knowledgeable guides gave depth to topics like the history of the waltz, which is said to have caused a social revolution because it was 12 minutes long, involved twirling women showing off their ankles and being in contact with a partner. Only the peasants did it – the aristocrats refused.
Music Garden at the Aria Hotel Budapest Margie Goldsmith
Knowing the cruise only allowed a day and one-half in Budapest, I came early to spend a few days at the Aria Hotel Budapest considered one of the world’s top hotels. I was hooked from the moment I followed the marble black and white piano-key path from the lobby to the Music Garden, where a pianist played during the daily wine and cheese tasting. The hotel, entirely inspired by music (how could it not be with a name like ‘Aria?’) had four wings, each based on a theme and with different decor: Classical, Jazz, Opera and Contemporary.
An Opera Wing Room in the Hotel Aria Budapest Margie Goldsmith
My spacious room was in the Opera Wing with rich purple furnishings, a plushy bed and a Murano Venetian chandelier.
35-foot-long swimming pool at Aria Hotel Budapest Margie Goldsmith
Even the spa, complete with treatment rooms, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room had a 35-foot-long heated pool with the silhouette of a jazz band on the wall. And the Aria had the hottest bar in Budapest, the glass-enclosed rooftop Highnote Skybar overlooking St. Stephens Basilica and serving up bespoke cocktails in one-of-a-kind glasses.
I’d arranged a private walking tour with the hotel and learned that Buda with its many hills and Pest, the flat downtown area, were joined in 1873 to create Hungary’s capital and are now linked by eight bridges. As we crossed one the guide said, ‘be careful. Here there are no pedestrians, only survivors.’ We visited the Basilica of St Stephen, Hungary’s first King, whose mummified hand is taken out once a year and paraded around the square.
