This
cruise starts in Budapest, Hungary's throbbing capital
city, and leads first along the Danube upstream to the
Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. Highlights of the journey are
sightseeing tours of Bratislava, Vienna, Salzburg, Passau
and Regensburg. The visit to the Benedictine Abbey at
Melk and the cruise through the adjacent picturesque
landscape of Austria's Wachau district are truly memorable.
On this trip to the heart of Europe you will not only
enjoy its wonderful scenery but also learn much about
its countries, cultures and peoples.
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Day
1
You embark in the Hungarian capital Budapest 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 Budapest.
In the evening a gypsy band and a Hungarian folklore group will entertain
us as while cruise along Budapest’s impressive illuminations.
Day 2
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 morning we
offer a tour of the city (€ 30), while in the afternoon you can
discover the small artist-settlement Szentendre (€ 30). Szentendre
became a creative place of an artist-settlement in 1926. Especially well
worth seeing is the main place Foetér, surrounded by impressive
buildings from the time of rococo and baroque. A culinary highlight is
perhaps the marzipan museum – „Szabo”. The ship leaves
Budapest in the afternoon.
Day 3
This morning we arrive at the city of Bratislava, capital of the Republic
of Slovakia, which celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 1991. We will
pass below the colossal new ‘SNP’ suspension bridge across
the Danube, and then have a sightseeing tour (€ 30). The gorgeous
old town has maintained its gothic-baroque style. The tour takes you
past St. Martin's cathedral and the Grassalkovich Palace up to the hill
from where you have a stunning panoramic view of the city and surrounding
area. A walk through the historic old centre leads you past St. Martin’s
cathedral, many palaces, and the Michael gate. At midday the vessel starts
cruising towards Vienna where you already moor in the evening. After
dinner 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.
Day
4
After breakfast we offer a tour (€ 30) of this wonderful city Vienna
- home to the waltz, coffee houses, the Prater park and one of the world's
finest opera houses. This is where Marie-Antoinette grew up and where
Mozart died, and for 600 years it was the hub of the vast Hapsburg Empire.
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 5
In the morning you can enjoy the beautiful stretch of the Wachau from
the sundeck. The ship moors in Melk/Emmersdorf at midday. An interesting
excursion through the Wachau (€ 45) is planned. A coach takes you
to Duernstein, 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. Afterwards 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 at a local restaurant. In the afternoon a local farmer
will give you a lecture about the most famous fruit of the Wachau, the
apricot, and
you will get the opportunity to try and buy different products made of
apricots, such as chocolate, soap or schnapps. After dinner the vessel
continues this journey to Linz.
Day 6
The ship ties up in the large riverside city of Linz in the morning.
This is an interesting city, though visited by comparatively few river
cruise ships. You can participate in a city walk (€ 15) through
the former cultural capital and enjoy a piece of the famous “Linzer
Torte”. Afterwards you can get to know the Mozart-City Salzburg
during an excursion (€ 50), starting in Linz and ending in Passau.
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
vessels reaches Passau, Bavaria’s most easterly city, where the
excursion participants rejoin it. This city’s impressive Baroque
cathedral houses the largest church organ in the world (with 17,388 pipes
and 231 registers), and most of its main sights are very close to the
Danube. You can explore on your own, or join a walking tour (€ 15)
of the highlights with a local guide. The vessel will leave Passau in
the evening and spend
the night cruising through Bavaria towards Regensburg.
Day 7
We arrive in Regensburg at forenoon, 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. Regensburg is one of the best –preserved
medieval cities in Germany and its many historic buildings are most impressive.
After lunch embark on an exciting optional boat trip through the lovely "Danube
Gorge to Weltenburg Abbey" (€ 35). 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. In Kelheim
the participants of the excursion rejoin the vessel. The vessel leaves
Kelheim during dinner.
Day 8
Disembarkation is after breakfast in Nuremberg. End of the program.
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