15 Day Across Europe Cruise - Lüftner Luxury river Cruises in Germany Europe

2000 kilometres across Europe, from Amsterdam at the North Sea to Budapest, the "Queen of the Danube" – a journey along Europe’s most important waterways (the Dutch canals and the rivers Rhine, Main and Danube). Its highlights are passing through the Rhine-Main-Danube canal, touring important and famous cities (Amsterdam, Cologne, Wuerzburg, Bamberg, Regensburg, Salzburg, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest), distinctive landscapes such as the Loreley stretch of the Rhine with its wealth of mythological associations, the wildly romantic Altmühltal valley, the Schlögener loops below Passau, the picturesque Wachau district, the "knee" of the Danube at Visegrad (also described as "Hungary’s Wachau") and seeing round imposing buildings on the river banks, such as the Benedictine abbey of Melk at the start of the Wachau and the cathedral of Esztergom high above the Danube. All this encompasses much of the art and culture that bears witness to thousands of years of European history.

Included Services

14-night cruise accommodation in an outside stateroom

superb dining with all meals included during your cruise (buffet breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, midnight snack)

coffee and tea after lunch and dinner

quality red & white wines from Europe’s great wine regions with every dinner on board the ship

welcome Cocktail, Welcome Dinner & Captain’s Gala Dinner

dutch folklore show on board

evening cruise “Budapest by Night” and folklore program

programs and features marked as “included” in the itinerary

daily onboard music performances by the on-board musicians

services of an experienced, multilingual cruise director

non-smoking environment (smoking permitted only on the Sun-Deck)

port taxes and local taxes

the modern wireless audiosystem “Quietvox” for all excursions during the cruise

CANCELLATION POLICY

121 days or more - 20%
120 - 90 days - 30%
89 - 60 days - 50%
59 - 30 days - 70%
29 - 0 days - 100%
Cancellations must be made in writing.

CRUISE ITINERARY
AMSTERDAM TO BUDAPEST

Day 1
You embark on the vessel in the late afternoon. Our tour manager will then welcome you with a cocktail before the welcome dinner on board. The ship remains moored overnight in Amsterdam.

Day 2
In the morning we have a city tour Amsterdam (€ 40) , highlighting its vivid history. On this drive through the capital of the Netherlands you will see its most important buildings and monuments and you will get interesting background information. Also you can enjoy the most popular attraction of The Netherlands – a cruise through the canals of the city. The ship sails from Amsterdam at midday and cruises south along the Amsterdam Rijnkanaal, through the flat polder landscape of Southern Holland to the old Hanseatic city Nijmegen. In the evening you enjoy a typical Dutch folklore show on board.

Day 3
This morning you cruise past the great industrial cities of Duisburg and nearby Essen, docking in Cologne in the early afternoon. There is then a guided city walk (€ 15) of this city, which was founded by the Romans and has long been an important trading centre. It is dominated by its vast Gothic cathedral, started in 1248 as a pilgrimage church to house the relics of the three Magi. The two spires are 157 metres high, and were not completed until 1880. Near the cathedral is the Hohenzollernbrücke, Europe’s busiest railway bridge - crossed on average by a train every two minutes. The vessel sails from Cologne in the evening and continues south along the Rhine.

Day 4
After passing Bonn, capital of West Germany from 1949 until 1999 when Berlin was restored as the reunified country’s capital, the vessel docks in Koblenz very early in the morning. This city stands at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. A walking tour (€ 15) shows you the highlights of the city. The ship continues its journey already at forenoon and sails for Ruedesheim, along what is probably the most famous and scenic stretch of the Rhine Valley. You pass hilltop castles, terraced vineyards and attractive riverside villages for 65 delightful kilometres. Your vessel docks in Ruedesheim in the afternoon. This charming old wine town is popular with tourists, and has a long narrow street, the Drosselgasse, lined on both sides with wine taverns. You may join a walking tour of the town (€ 20), with a visit to Siegfried’s Music Museum, where you can see all kinds of mechanical instruments from barrel organs and music boxes to horn
gramophones. The ship sails from Ruedesheim in the early evening.

Day 5
You’ll arrive in Miltenberg after midday. Miltenberg is a small town on a bend in the river. A walking tour takes you along its narrow cobbled streets with their gabled, half-timbered houses. Miltenberg’s sights include the historic church of Saint Johann Nepomuk, at the south end of the bridge, and the Gasthaus zum Riesen, one of the oldest hotels in Germany. Continue your excursion through Miltenberg and Wertheim (€ 30) with a coach drive to Wertheim. There you can enjoy a walking tour of this charming fairy-tale town situated at the confluence of the Main and Tauber Rivers. Pause to admire the imposing ruined castle that stands on a hill overlooking the town. You will also have the opportunity to visit the famous glass museum. The vessel leaves Miltenberg after lunch and reaches Wertheim in the evening. The vessel sails from Wertheim in the evening.

Day 6
You reach in the historic city of Wuerzburg in the morning. Here starts a walking tour (€ 40) of the town, including a visit to the Residenz, the beautiful Baroque palace built for the prince-bishops by local architect Balthasar Neumann between 1720 to 1744. The palace is famous for its great marble staircase, and for its frescoes by the Venetian master, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. During the city tour you´ll also enjoy a wine tasting in a well-known wine estate. In the afternoon it is possible to join an excursion (€ 25) to the worldwide known town Rothenburg which is mostly famous for its well-preserved medieval old town and of course the Christmas Store from Käthe Wohlfahrt. Your ship sails from Wuerzburg before dinner.

Day 7
In the early afternoon the sip moors in Bamberg. Bamberg is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Germany, and is on the UNESCO World Heritage register, with 2,300 buildings of historic interest. These include the Gothic cathedral, the old and new episcopal palaces and the old town hall, which is a quaint half-timbered structure on an island in the River Regnitz. A guided walking tour (€ 15) of the old city is optional. You are leaving Bamberg in the evening and spend the evening cruising south along the Main-Danube canal towards Nuremberg.

Day 8
In the very early morning you arrive in Nuremberg. Enjoy a sightseeing tour (€ 30) of this historic city. See the storybook 900-year-old ramparts, the Imperial Castle and the Justice Palace where the War Crimes Tribunal sat in 1946. The city tour leads you to the major sites and sights of the city, from the medieval beginnings to the present. In the afternoon you can join an optional excursion to the Nazi party rally grounds (€ 30), that form a site in the southeast of Nuremberg, where the Nazi party rallies were held from 1933 until 1938. To this day, the remains of the buildings with their immense proportions are a vivid testimony to the megalomania of the National Socialist regime. The ship will continue from Nuremberg in the evening.

Day 9
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 10
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 11
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 12
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 (€ 50). 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 13
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 their 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 tastes.

Day 14
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 the 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. After dinner you can enjoy a cruise, passing floodlit buildings on both sides of the river and going under the illuminated Chain Bridge. A gypsy band will be playing, and there will also be a performance on board by a Hungarian folklore group.

Day 15
Disembarkation after breakfast in Budapest. End of the program.