Day 1
Embarkation on the vessel in Passau, the city where
three rivers meet. The ship leaves port in the
afternoon and takes you
through a lovely stretch of the Danube known as the
Schloegener Schlinge. After these first scenic
impressions of the
Danube, our cruise director will welcome you with
a cocktail before the official welcome dinner.
Day 2
At midday, the vessel puts into port at Vienna. The
afternoon is at your disposal to discover the metropolis
on the Danube.
The city of music and joie de vivre where Sachertorte
and Heuriger are just as famous as St. Stephen's
Cathedral and the
Imperial Palace. See all the important sights on
our Vienna sightseeing tour (€ 30) or explore
this city full of tradition on your
own.
The ship leaves Vienna in the evening, heading downstream
to Budapest.
Day 3
After lunch you reach Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
Budapest is a city made up of two parts: Buda and
Pest, built on
opposite banks of the Danube. Buda is the older and
more graceful part, with its cobbled streets and
medieval architecture,
while Pest is the administrative and commercial centre,
with wide avenues and impressive 19th-century public
buildings. East
meets West in this fascinating city, and this can
be seen in the variety of shops and restaurants.
This afternoon you may join
a city sightseeing tour (€ 30), or look around
Budapest at your leisure. After an excellent Christmas
dinner you may attend
Christmas mass in one of Budapest´ churches.
Day 4
In the morning you can explore the city on your own.
After lunch the vessel leaves Budapest. Passengers
who booked the
excursion to Szentendre and Esztergom (€ 35)
will leave the vessel. In the meantime the ship
cruises to Eztergom where it
docks in the evening to pick up the participants
of the excursion. Departing form Budapest you drive
along the Danube to the
small artist’s village of Szentendre. After
a walk you continue to the imposing ruins of Visegrad,
from where you have a
marvellous view of the Danube „knee”.
Next stop is Esztergom, the highlight of this tour.
The city is dominated by the 1820
built and largest neo-classical basilica of the country,
one of the largest churches in Europe. Following
the visit of the
Basilica, we await you with a wine tasting before
you board the vessel in Esztergom.
Day 5
In the morning the ship moors in the city of Bratislava,
which was founded over 2,000 years ago. Now capital
of Slovakia, it
was also capital of Hungary for a while during the
late Middle Ages, which is a good illustration of
how the chequered
histories of these central European countries are
inter-related. A sightseeing tour (€ 30) reveals
the city’s major sights. From
13th-century Bratislava Castle, you’ll enjoy
breathtaking views overlooking three countries-Slovakia,
Austria and Hungary.
During lunch the cruise continues to Vienna.
After dinner on board you have the possibility to
participate in the optional excursion “Sound
of Vienna” (€ 46) where the
Salonorchester „Alt Wien“, one of the
famous interpreters of classical music, sparks off
a unique firework of the most
beautiful on its highest level.
Or you can join the excursion “Vienna at night” (€ 35).
You will drive through the Wienerwald to the Kahlenberg,
the best view
point in Vienna. From here, you can overlook the
vineyards and the city of Vienna. Continue to the
traditional wine village of
Grinzing, where you visit a typical Heurigen pub.There
is no better way to learn about the Viennese laid
back atmosphere
and coziness, then enjoying a glass of wine, trying
spreads with bread, and listening to „Heurigen” music.
At the end of this
tour enjoy some of the beauties of Vienna at night,
as we take you along the illuminated Ringstrasse
where you can admire
the gorgeous buildings.
Day 6
You sail past the famous town of Duernstein this
morning, and dock in the wine growing town of Melk/Emmersdorf,
at the
western end of the Wachau. A coach excursion can
show you more of the beautiful Wachau area (€ 45),
of which the
highlights are a drive through the region and a guided
tour of the Benedictine Abbey at Melk. This excursion
also includes a
gluehwein tasting. You leave Emmersdorf after lunch
and continue upstream this afternoon, past the large
Austrian city of
Linz to reach the border with Germany. On the last
evening of your journey on the Danube, the captain
of the vessel will be
delighted to welcome you to the Captain’s Gala
Dinner.
Day 7
The vessel arrives at Passau, the town where the
rivers meet. Disembarkation after breakfast. End
of the program. |
