Danube Christmas Markets River Cruises Add Evolve 2027

Published on Dec 18, 2025, 9:21 am CST

5 min read

Key points

National Geographic Lindblad says Evolve will join its Europe river lineup in 2027 and add holiday season sailings
Christmas Markets on the Danube is an eight day itinerary with multiple routes and a starting price published from $7,110 per person excluding flights
Christmas and New Year's on the Danube is an 11 day holiday voyage published from $12,770 per person excluding flights
Both itineraries focus on major Danube markets including Budapest, Bratislava, and Vienna with optional time in Salzburg or Český Krumlov
Evolve is listed as a 120 guest river ship with 60 cabins, and National Geographic Lindblad positions it as added capacity for strong demand

Impact

Booking Window: Holiday season Danube sailings are capacity constrained and tend to sell quickly once dates open
Published Starting Prices: Expect published lead in fares from $7,110 for Christmas markets sailings and $12,770 for the longer Christmas and New Year's voyage excluding flights
Flight Planning: Most guests will price flights into Budapest and home from Vienna, so open jaw airfare and buffer nights matter
Route Choice: Multiple routings and optional Salzburg or Český Krumlov days make it worth comparing the exact week and direction before paying a deposit
Winter Operations: Fog, ice, and river conditions can shift daily timing and shore logistics even when the overall itinerary holds

National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions says it will add a new river ship, Evolve, to its European river lineup in 2027, with holiday season itineraries focused on Danube Christmas markets. The change matters most for travelers trying to secure December European river cruise space, where capacity is limited and the season is short. If you want Budapest and Vienna markets by ship in 2027, start planning around open jaw flights, deposit timing, and which week and routing best matches your must see ports.

Danube Christmas markets river cruises are getting new 2027 capacity because Lindblad is positioning Evolve as an added ship for strong demand, and as the way the brand extends its European river program into winter.

Evolve is described as a 120 guest ship with 60 cabins, and it is slated to set sail in 2027. Lindblad's CEO Natalya Leahy framed the move as a response to rising demand while keeping the company's style of expert led travel intact.

Who Is Affected

Travelers targeting Europe's Christmas market weeks on the Danube, especially those locked into school breaks or fixed vacation windows, are the main audience. If your priority list includes Budapest, Bratislava, and Vienna markets, plus a choice between Salzburg and Český Krumlov, these itineraries are built around exactly that mix.

You are also affected if you plan open jaw air, because the long holiday voyage is published as starting in Budapest and ending in Vienna, which is a different airfare problem than roundtrip city pairs. Finally, travelers who dislike summer crowds, and prefer colder weather with seasonal events, are the ones most likely to see Evolve as a practical new option rather than just another ship announcement.

For earlier context on the two ship Europe river buildout, see Nat Geo-Lindblad Adds River Cruises, Second Ship Coming. For the broader demand backdrop, see Europe Christmas Market River Cruises Fill For 2026.

What Travelers Should Do

Start with the calendar math. If you care about a specific market week, treat ship selection as secondary and lock your target dates first, then choose the routing that best matches your must see ports and day of week patterns for markets. Build in buffer nights on both ends, because winter air delays and missed connections are more common, and because open jaw itineraries are easier when you are not trying to fly the same day you embark or disembark.

Use decision thresholds before you pay a non refundable deposit. If your airfare is more than the cruise deposit, and you cannot hold it or cancel it cheaply, wait until your cruise booking is confirmed with the exact start and end cities, and the operator's final payment schedule, then buy flights. If cabins you want are disappearing, reserve the cruise first, then buy flights only after you have a written confirmation, and a clear path to change fees you can live with.

Over the next 24 to 72 hours, monitor three things: the exact Danube routing for each departure week, the inclusion set that changes your true trip cost, and the practical logistics of transfers for optional Salzburg or Český Krumlov days. As you compare weeks, remember that holiday river programs can be sensitive to winter river conditions and daylight, which can change the feel of port time even when the itinerary names stay the same. If you are comparing non winter Danube dates too, bookmark 2025 European River Cruise Water Level Outlook as a reality check on how river conditions can reshape operations.

Background

National Geographic Lindblad's Europe river plan is built around small ship capacity, and that is exactly why adding one more 120 guest ship can matter in December. Christmas market river cruises compress demand into a narrow window, and the highest visibility ports, like Budapest and Vienna, have finite berthing and excursion capacity, so the constraint is not only cabins, it is also the whole on shore system that supports a ship call.

On the first order layer, more capacity means more inventory for travelers who were previously pushed out a year or two, or priced into a different river. On the second order layer, the extra ship pushes pressure into air and hotel patterns, because many travelers add at least one hotel night in Budapest or Vienna to protect embarkation and disembarkation, and because open jaw flights can price differently depending on the day and routing. A third ripple shows up in shore operations, where popular markets, private performances, and landmark access windows become the scarce item, so the best move for travelers is to compare inclusions and the pacing of port days, not just the headline list of cities.

Lindblad's published Danube holiday lineup includes an eight day Christmas Markets on the Danube option with multiple routes and published lead in pricing from $7,110 per person, excluding flights, plus an 11 day Christmas and New Year's on the Danube holiday voyage published from $12,770 per person, excluding flights. That longer sailing is published as starting in Budapest and ending in Vienna, and it highlights experiences such as after hours access at Melk Abbey, and a stop in Passau tied to a cathedral organ concert, which is a hint that the program is selling exclusivity as much as scenery.