Christmastime on the Danube (Westbound)

Melk is an Austrian town on the River Danube, west of Vienna. It’s known for the 11th-century Melk Abbey, a vast monastery built high above the town. Gold statuary adorns its domed Abbey Church, and the huge library houses medieval manuscripts. The Marmorsaal is a baroque hall with a ceiling fresco and red marble walls. South of Melk, gardens surround Renaissance Schallaburg Castle, which hosts cultural exhibitions.

Grein is a municipality in the district Perg in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. It lies on the Danube River.

Passau, a German city on the Austrian border, lies at the confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers. Known as the Three Rivers City, its overlooked by the Veste Oberhaus, a 13th-century hilltop fortress housing a city museum and observation tower. The old town below is known for its baroque architecture, including St. Stephens Cathedral, featuring distinctive onion-domed towers and an organ with 17,974 pipes.

Regensburg, a Bavarian city on the Danube River in southeast Germany, is known for its well-preserved medieval core. The 12th-century Stone Bridge, a 310m-long icon with 16 arches, crosses the river to the old town. The 13th-century Regensburg Cathedral, a twin-spired Gothic landmark, is home to the Regensburger Domspatzen choir. Walhalla, a Parthenon replica just east of the city, honors illustrious Germans.

Nuremberg is the largest city of the German federal state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 inhabitants make it the 14th-largest city in Germany.

Nuremberg is the largest city of the German federal state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 inhabitants make it the 14th-largest city in Germany.