Danube Enchanting New Year's

Passau

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.

Budapest

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.

Vienna

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.

Linz

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.

Passau

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.