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Call us on 138 747 (AU), 0800 447 913 (NZ), contact your local Viking travel advisor or visit viking.com | 27 and, like wine, can be cheap and cheerful or expensive and complex. The mainstay of all are winter warmers – woollen socks, scarves, mittens, beanies and gloves – plus a small selection of handmade arts and crafts. TOUR NOTES: The upfront cost of the tour includes accommodation, three daily meals, plus house wine and beer with lunch and dinner, a daily tour, and gratuities. You'll need money for everything else and here's the big tip: cash is king in many markets, so be sure you've got plenty of euros on hand. BONUS TIP: If you choose to spend time on your own off the ship, I highly recommend Google Translate or a similar translation app. Our Hungarian guide tells us (almost proudly) that the local language is one of the hardest for English speakers to learn, so while charades and pointing may get you a little way, it's better to be safe. TAKE ME TO CHURCH There are ABC travellers – "another bloody church" – and there are people like me who can't get enough stained-glass windows and depictions of the Madonna and Child. If you too are drawn to religious history, art and architecture, there are holy places aplenty during this Viking cruise. In Central Europe, St Stephen is the name in everyone's prayers – though I learn the one spelt with an E was the King of Hungary, the other, with an A, a martyr who was stoned to death (and, bizarrely, is the patron saint of stonemasons and bricklayers). St Stephan's Cathedral in Passau features the biggest cathedral organ in the world. The St Stephen's Basilica in Budapest sits adjacent to the city's second Christmas markets, and the soaring, Gothic St Stephen's in Vienna – the tallest in Austria and dating back to the 12th century. It's also next to a market, and is the centre of converging pedestrian malls, each with a unique and magical fairy light installation. In Krems we make a half-day stop to see Göttweig Abbey, a World Heritage-listed Benedictine monastery overlooking the Wachau Valley. It's surrounded by 26 hectares of vineyards, which have been used continuously since 1083. This article was originally published in Escape.com.au on 4 June 2024. Jana Frawley travelled on our 8-day Danube Christmas Delights voyage. BUDAPEST, HUNGARY HANDMADE ORNAMENTS