Day
1
You embark on the vessel in the late afternoon in Nuremberg.
Our tour manager will then welcome you with a cocktail
before the welcome dinner on board. The ship leaves
Nuremberg in the evening.
Day 2
This morning takes you through the final stretch of
the fascinating Main-Danube Canal. Embark on an exciting
optional boat
trip through the lovely "Danube Gorge to Weltenburg
Abbey" (€ 35) in Kelheim. The monastery,
founded by Irish or Scottish
monks in about 620 AD, is the oldest monastery in Bavaria.
After a short tour of the abbey church you can taste
the famous
dark beer of Weltenburg, which is brewed here in the
oldest monastery brewery in the world. Return to your
ship at midday in
magnificent Regensburg, one of Germany’s best
preserved medieval cities. A Regensburg sightseeing
tour (€ 15) will show
you the city’s architectural highlights, including
the Old Town Hall and the Porta Pretoria. In the evening
there will be a
Bavarian evening on board.
Day 3
After breakfast, arrival in Passau, where the rivers
Inn and Ilz join the Danube. Enjoy a walking tour (€ 15).
During this walk
round the old quarter of Passau your knowledgeable
guide will point out many buildings that bear witness
to its historical
importance in the so called three river city. Above
all, you will be especially impressed by the St. Stephen's
cathedral, with
the world's largest organ (17,974 pipes and 233 registers),
the new Bishop's residence and the town hall. Afterwards
you can
get to know the Mozart-City Salzburg during an excursion
(€ 50), starting in Passau and ending in Linz.
The old town of
Salzburg with its world famous baroque architecture
is one of the best-preserved city centres north of
the Alps and was
adopted by UNESCO in 1997 in the list of World Cultural
Heritages. Salzburg is also the birthplace of Wolfgang
Amadeus
Mozart. In the afternoon the vessel already arrives
in Linz. A guided walking tour (€ 15) through
the former Cultural capital is
available. Linz is one of the most important Austrian
cities. After dinner the vessel starts in direction
to the Wachau.
Day
4
Cruise through the narrow Strudengau and reach the
Wachau Valley. The ship will dock in Melk/Emmersdorf
before
breakfast. An interesting excursion through the Wachau
(€ 45) is planned. A coach takes you to Dürnstein,
one of the best-
known wine villages in the Wachau. A walk through
it allows you to appreciate its glorious position.
Thereafter you drive
through the picturesque landscape of this district
to the 900-year old Benedictine abbey of Melk. During
a guided tour you
see the rooms of the prelature, the emperor aisle,
the marble hall, the altars and the library. There
after you can, depending
on the availability, listen to an organ concert at
the church. At the end of the tour we invite you
for a glass of wine in a local
restaurant. During lunch your vessel continues in
direction to the Austrian Capital Vienna, where the
ship moors in the
evening. After dinner on board, you can enjoy 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.
Day 5
A Vienna sightseeing tour (€ 30) includes an
overall impression of the most important sights Vienna
has to offer. The tour
takes you along the Ringstrasse, Schwarzenbergplatz,
passing by Charles church (Karlskirche) as well as
the stunning opera
house. There you have some free time to visit the
building or to do some souvenir shopping. Last stop
is the well known and
one of kind, St. Stephan’s cathedral, which
you can admire from the inside. In the afternoon
you can participate in the
optional excursion to Schoenbrunn castle (€ 35),
one of Vienna’s most beautiful buildings. Alternatively
you can book the visit
to the Hofburg Imperial Palace (€ 35). For more
than seven centuries, the great empire of the Habsburgs
was ruled from the
Imperial Palace. After your dinner on board you can
book the “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.
Day
6
After midnight, the vessel continues the cruise downstream
from Vienna to nearby Slovakia where the ship moors
in the
morning. A Bratislava sightseeing tour (€ 30)
reveals the city’s major sights. From 13 -century
Bratislava Castle, you’ll enjoy
breathtaking views overlooking three countries-Slovakia,
Austria and Hungary. In the afternoon you can book
the optional
excursion to the Little Carpathians (€ 35) or
to the Imperial Festival Palace Castle Hof (€ 35).
During the excursion to the Little Carpathians you
can encounter the beautiful scenery with vineyards
and small towns at
heir foot similar to a string of pearls. Also you
will visist the former royal castle Cerveny Kamen
(Red Stone). Later you can
enjoy a wine tasting and a visit of a small private
ceramic factory.
Castle Hof is a magnificent complex that was built
in the early 18th century. Unique in Europe, this
world of adventure has
ever since become a top destination for those who
seek culture, nature and delight and want to explore
the fascinating world
of the Baroque in all its authenticity and diversity
in an historical ambience.
On the second-last evening of your Danube cruise,
the captain will be delighted to welcome you to the
Captain’s Gala
Dinner. The ship’s indefatigable orchestra
will make the final evening one to treasure, with
tunes and rhythms to suite all
astes.
Day 7
Arrival to Budapest, the famous capital of Hungary,
in the morning. Enjoy the Budapest sightseeing tour
(€ 30) which leads
as well to historic Buda Castle, from where you have
a splendid view of the twin cities of Buda and Pest
spread over both
banks of the river. Your tour also features 500-year-old
Matthias Church, St. Stephen’s Basilica, distinctive
Fishermens
Bastion, the marvellous Royal Palace and much more.
In the afternoon you have the choice between two
excursions. You
can visit Castle Gödöllö (€ 40).
Castle Gödöllö, which is located about
30 km from Budapest, was built in the 18th century.
In
he era of the imperial monarchy it became a symbol
of Empress Elisabeth, who was nick-named „Sisi” and
loved by the
Hungarians. Later you continue the trip to a Csarda
(horsefarm), where you will witness an unforgettable
performance of
Hungarian horsemanship. Or you decide to discover
the small artist-settlement Szentendre (€ 30).
There are many museums
and contemporary galleries representing the rich
traditions of the visual art. One of the most visited
museums of the whole
country, the Kovács Margit Museum, is also
located here.
This evening the ship will take you for a night-time
cruise (incl.) with a Hungarian folklore group along
the Danube, passing
under the city’s numerous bridges.
Day 8
Disembarkation is after breakfast in Budapest. End
of the program.
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