Day 1
Your arrive in Prague and check-in the Le Palais
Hotel (Small Leading Hotel of the world). After welcome
through the tour
guide you can enjoy a welcome dinner in the hotel.
Day 2
There is a sightseeing tour (€ 40) of Prague in
the morning, visiting the magnificent castle area with
St. Vitus cathedral and
the Golden Lane on foot before going on a panoramic tour
of the city that Goethe called "the jewel in the
world's crown".
Spend the afternoon at leisure, perhaps visiting the
fascinating Jewish quarter or browsing through some of
Prague’s many
excellent shops. In the evening, your tour manager will
organise on request a visit to one of the multi-media
shows for which
Prague is world-renowned.
Day 3
Leave Prague and drive through the lovely countryside
of Southern Bohemia en route for ancient Nuremberg.
Before the
check in on the vessel you can enjoy a guided tour of
this city. The tour leads you to the major sites and
sights of the city,
from the medieval beginnings to the present.
In the later afternoon the vessel will be waiting to
welcome you.
After these first scenic impressions, the ship’s
tour manager will welcome you with a cocktail before
the official welcome
dinner. The vessel leaves Nuremberg in the evening and
sails downstream towards Kelheim.
Day 4
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 5
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 6
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 7
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 8
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 9
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. 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 10
Disembarkation is after breakfast. End of the program. |
