Day
1
Embarkation on the vessel in Passau, the city where three rivers meet.
The ship leaves 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 on board will welcome
you with a cocktail before the official welcome dinner.
Day 2
At midday the ship moors in the Austrian capital Vienna. On a Vienna
sightseeing tour (€ 30) you will get 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. Later you continue to the famous
Hundertwasser 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. To round up this excursion you will head back to the vessel along
the Danube canal. The ship leaves in the evening and heads for Budapest.
Day 3
In the morning you can enjoy a relaxing cruise around the ‘Danube
Bend’, passing Visegrad Castle, the busy town of Vác and
the abutments of a Roman bridge, which once formed part of a military
road from Gaul to Asia Minor. You continue past the shipyards of Obuda
to reach Budapest at midday. After lunch 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. This evening you may enjoy
an evening cruise on your ship, passing floodlit buildings on both sides
of the river and going under the illuminated Chain Bridge. This cruise
will be accompanied by the sounds of a lively gypsy band. The highlight
of this evening is the New Year’s Eve party aboard the Vessel.
See the New Year in a different setting and in an unusual way, and dance
with us into the New Year.
Day 4
This morning features a substantial ‘anti-hangover’ breakfast
so that everyone is fortified after the rigours of a long New Year’s
Eve! The ship casts off from Budapest at midday. Enjoy the whole day
aboard the Vessel as the wonderful winter landscapes float past you.
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 wine
tasting. In the late afternoon the cruise continues through the picturesque
regions of the Nibelungen and Strudengau.
Day 7
Arrival in Bavaria’s most easterly city – Passau. Disembarkation
after breakfast. End of the program.
|
