| |
Home > Uniworld > River Countess
 | Grand European Explorer (Bucharest to Basel)
Discount Code: 2147090414 | | Save 10% Off the Brochure Price - GUARANTEED! |
|
| | Operator | Uniworld | | Ship | River Countess | | Length | 30 Days | | Port Charges | Not Included | | Starting City | Bucharest, Romania | | Ending City | Basel, Switzerland | | Regions | Austria, Serbia, Romania, Hungary, Holland, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Germany, France, Croatia | | Rivers | Danube, Rhine, Main | | Departure Date | Apr 14, 2009 | | Return Date | May 13, 2009 |
|
Cabin Pricing
| |
Cat1 |
Cat2 |
Cat3 |
Cat4 |
| Brochure Price: |
$10099 |
$9599 |
$9099 |
$8199 |
| Our Price: | $9089 |
$8639 |
$8189 |
$7379 |
|
|
|
Only with AffordableTours.com receive 10% Off the Brochure Price - GUARANTEED!
| Sail the legendary Rhine, meandering Main, and enchanting Danube rivers from Switzerland to Romania. Explore the UNESCO World Heritage Old Towns of Bamberg and Regensburg, and the majestic European capitals of Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade, and Bucharest. Discover Renaissance palaces, baroque and rococo architecture, and Roman ruins. Follow pastoral scenes along the Main River and through the engineering marvel of the Main-Danube Canal, before traveling the enchanting Danube through the dramatic Iron Gates and towards the Black Sea. Be amazed by ten countries, three rivers, and countless chances to touch history. | _2147.jpg) |
|
ITINERARY
|
| |
 |
|
DAY 1: Depart Home Gateway City to Bucharest
DAY 2: Bucharest
Arrive in Bucharest where you'll be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to the hotel.
DAY 3: Bucharest
Transylvania Tour with visit to Bran Castle and Snagov Island.
DAY 4: Bucharest, transfer to Oltenita (embark)
Featured Excursion: Bucharest city tour
Enjoy a Bucharest city tour with a visit to the Palace of Parliament, the second largest building in the world. Then travel to Oltenita via motorcoach and embark the ship to begin your river-cruising journey. (BB, L, D)
DAY 5: Silistra (Varna and Black Sea Cruise)
Featured Excursion: Balchik, Varna and Black Sea
Enjoy the Balchik Botanical Gardens. Visit Varn's Archeological Museum, savor Bulgarian cuisine during lunch at a local restaurant, and enjoy an exclusive cruise on the Black Sea. (BB, L, D)
DAY 6: Rousse (Veliko Turnovo and Arbanassi)
Featured Excursion: Veliko Turnovo and Arbanassi
In Veliko Turnovo, see the Tzarevetz Fortress and enjoy a traditional Bulgarian lunch. After lunch, tour the Nativity Church in Arbanassi. (BB, L, Captain's Welcome Dinner)
DAY 7: Vidin (Belogradchik)
Featured Excursion: Visit Baba Vida Fortress and the spectacular Belogradchik Rock Formations
We will visit the Baba Vida Fortress before driving to Belogradchik, a fairy tale world made of weathered red sandstone. (BB, L, D)
DAY 8: Scenic Cruising Iron Gates, Kostolac
Relax onboard as we cruise the Iron Gates, a spectacular 80-mile long Danube gorge. (BB, L, D)
DAY 9: Kostolac, Belgrade
Featured Excursion: Viminacium Archeological Site
Explore the archeological site of Viminacium, a former Roman city with luxurious villas and an amphitheater. Over 32,000 unearthed artifacts and well-preserved structures show their former grandeur. (BB, L, D)
DAY 10: Belgrade
Featured Excursion: Belgrade city tour
We start our tour with a panoramic drive through Belgrade, which means 'White City' as it was destroyed 40 times and resurrected as many times. We will see Republic Square and the Belgrade Fortress in Kalemegdan Park. We'll cap things off with a visit to St. Sava Cathedral. (BB, L, D)
DAY 11: Batina
Featured Excursion: Full day Vukovar and Osijek with home-hosted lunch and school visit.
DAY 12: Budapest
Featured Excursion: Budapest by Night
Enjoy the day at leisure in Budapest and explore this fascinating city at your own pace. (BB, L, D)
DAY 13: Budapest
Featured Excursion: Budapest city tour
Irresistible Optional Tour: Visit to a horse farm in the Puszta with show
Your tour features the famous 19th-century Chain Bridge, the Great Synagogue, the Opera House, St. Stephen's Basilica, the Parliament Building, the Castle Hill district, and the 19th-century Fisherman's Bastion. (BB, L, D)
DAY 14: Bratislava
Featured Excursion: Bratislava city tour
During your tour through the Coronation City of Kings get acquainted with a sampling of the town's eclectic architecture. Pass the 17th-century palace, Old Town's Freedom Square, Peace Square, Bratislava Castle, Mirbach Palace and Primatial Palace. (BB, L, D)
DAY 15: Vienna
Featured Excursion: Vienna city tour
Irresistible Optional Tour: Enjoy a classical music performance, Vienna Woods
Capture Vienn's imperial history during your city tour. Travel the Ringstrasse, and visit St. Stephen's Cathedral. You'll then see the exterior of Figaro House where Mozart wrote
DAY 16: Vienna
Enjoy the day at leisure, exploring this fascinating city at your own pace. (BB, L, D)
DAY 17: Vienna
Featured Excursion: Schonbrunn Palace
Irresistible Optional Tour: Vienna Woods
From former hunting lodge to stunning palace rivaling Versailles, Schonbrunn Palace is a must see on any visit to Austria. Our visit will concentrate on the Imperial rooms and the era of Franz Joseph and his beloved Empress Sissi, whose popularity throughout Europe through the Gilded Age was unmatched by any before her. Mozart, Austria's most famous citizen was at the height of his creative powers when he lived here, writing perhaps his most famous works:
DAY 18: Cruising Wachau Valley, Krems, Vienna
Featured Excursion: Krems wine experience
Start the day with a scenic cruise through the Wachau Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape representing one of the most beautiful stretches of river valleys in Europe, en route to Krems. Today, we invite you on a different kind of journey to discover the fascination of wine. We'll take you to the best traditional and state-of-the-art wine domain where you'll experience a treat for all the senses, from the vineyards to the cellars. See, feel, smell the wines on a walk through the estate and taste the noble juice of the vine. (BB, L, D)
DAY 19: Melk
Featured Excursion: Melk Abbey
Upon arrival in Melk, be greeted by the 900-year-old Benedictine abbey situated high atop the granite cliffs of the Danube. The beautiful complex is a masterpiece of baroque art and architecture. During your tour through the abbey complex, the guide will bring history to life as you discover one work of art after another. (BB, L, D)
DAY 20: Passau
Featured Excursion: Passau walking tour and St. Stephan's organ concert
Irresistible Optional Tour: Venture through the Bavarian forest to the Bavarian Village Museum, or spend an afternoon cycling along the Inn River
Passau boasts a delightful layer of Italian style on quintessential German foundations. Explore the well-preserved town and visit St. Stephan's Cathedral, home to Europe's largest pipe organ, and site of your organ recital. (BB, L, D)
DAY 21: Regensburg
Featured Excursion: Regensburg walking tour
Regensburg, one of the finest medieval towns in Europe, captures 2000 years of living history with outstanding manmade monuments like the 12th-century stone bridge and the towering gothic cathedral. Our walking tour explores the architectural treasures of Old Town as well as the Cathedral of St. Peter, with magnificent stained glass windows dating back to the 14th century. Genuine Bavarian hospitality adds to the vibrant mix of art and culture of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. (BB, L, D)
DAY 22: Nuremberg
Featured Excursion: Nuremberg city tour
Toda's tour takes you through Nuremberg, an archetypal German medieval city encircled by mighty defensive walls and red-roofed buildings. The second largest city in Bavaria is the birthplace of Albrecht Durer and home to world-famous gingerbread and the pocket watch. It is also where the infamous Nazi rallies were held during World War II, and its courthouse (Room 600) held the memorable trials after the war. Discover the sights of Nuremberg during your panoramic tour before exploring the walled Old Town on foot. (BB, L, D)
DAY 23: Nuremberg
Enjoy the day at leisure, exploring this fascinating city at your own pace. (BB, L, D)
DAY 24: Bamberg
Featured Excursion: Bamberg walking tour
Awake in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Bamberg in the morning. Endowed with one of Europe's largest intact Old Town centers, you will see the imperial cathedral, the four-winged New Residence, the Town Hall lapped by the River Regnitz and the fisherman's village, 'Little Venice,' on your walking tour. During the afternoon, enjoy the lush scenery of the meandering Main River as you sail to Wurzburg. (BB, L, D)
DAY 25: Wurzburg
Featured Excursion: Wurzburg Residenz and wine tasting
Visit German's immaculate example of baroque architecture, the stunning Wurzburg Residenz, dating back to 1744 and another breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Site. This magnificent baroque palace with its magnificent gardens is one of the largest and most beautiful in Germany. It was built and decorated in the 18th century by an international team of architects and painters, including Tiepolo, sculptors and stucco-workers. Your tour will be capped off with a tasting of fabulous Franconian wines in the historical Residenz cellar. (BB, L, D)
DAY 26: Aschaffenburg
Featured Excursion: Aschaffenburg Old Town stroll
Relax this morning as we cruise the peaceful Main River before docking right in the heart of Aschaffenburg. King Ludwig I called it his 'Bavarian Nice' due to its Mediterranean flair. The imposing landmark, the mighty castle 'Schloss Johannisburg' and the 'Pompeiianum' - a Roman villa rebuilt on plans discovered in Pompeii - are only two of the many examples of the long and rich history of this town which we will discover during our guided Old Town stroll. (BB, L, D)
DAY 27: Rudesheim
Featured Excursion: Gondola ride to Niederwald Heights
Irresistible Optional Tour: Dinner, wine and entertainment at a local restaurant in Rudesheim
Rudesheim is one of the most scenic wine towns of the Rhine Valley. Board a mini-train for the short trip to the Niederwald Gondola. During the ride and once on top, you will be stunned by scenic vistas of Rudesheim, the vineyards of the Rheingau and the Niederwald monument, a symbol of German unity, perched on top of the heights. (BB, L, D)
DAY 28: Speyer (Heidelberg)
Featured Excursion: Full-day tour of Heidelberg
Heidelberg, home of German's oldest university and forever immortalized by Sigmund Romberg's operetta The Student Prince, is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe. Your tour of Heidelberg takes you to the romantic ruins of the courtyard of Heidelberg Castle and through Old Town. (BB, D)
DAY 29: Strasbourg
Featured Excursion: Strasbourg canal cruise
Situated halfway between Paris and Prague, the Alsatian town of Strasbourg is known as the 'Crossroads of Europe.' It is home to a magnificent gothic cathedral, beautiful half-timbered houses and also the seat of the European Parliament. See Strasbourg in the way it has been seen through the centuries-on a canal cruise. You'll also see Petite France, the picturesque old quarter that seems as if it has been lifted from the pages of a fairy tale with its timberland houses adorned with flower boxes. (BB, L, Captain's Farewell Dinner)
DAY 30: Basel (disembark), transfer to airport (return flight) |
| ^Top |
| |
|
| | |
|
|
WHATS INCLUDED
|
|
|
|
|
26-night cruise in a riverview stateroom on the stunning
2 nights at the superior first class JW Marriott Bucharest (or similar) with breakfast
All meals onboard
Complimentary fine wine during dinner, bottled water in your stateroom, and 24- hour specialty coffee during your cruise
21 shore excursions fully hosted by English-speaking guides
State-of-the-art Quietvox portable audio headset system on all shore excursions
Complimentary use of bicycles during your cruise
Exciting onboard entertainment
Exclusive Epicurean Adventurer Program
2 Captain's Welcome and 2 Captain's Farewell Dinners
An experienced Cruise Manager and attentive, all English-speaking staff
All transfers on arrival and departure days
Pricing Categories for Itinerary is as follows:
| Category 1 |
Category - 1 |
| Category 2 |
Category - 2 |
| Category 3 |
Category - 3 |
| Category 4 |
Category - 5 |
Cabin upgrades are available upon request!
Prices exclude additional port charges of $364 and a cruise fuel surcharge of $0 and are per person, cruise-only, based on double occupancy. | | ^Top |
| |
|
| | |
| Note: All prices, itineraries, accommodations and dates are subject to change without notice and at any time by the river cruise operators. Availability is limited and must be reconfirmed at time of booking. Please call us toll free at 1-800-342-0019 to confirm availability and current pricing on all our discounted specials. The prices on this website are not guaranteed until a deposit has been made. We are not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes in these prices until a booking has been confirmed by one of our agents. | | |
Already Booked? 
Click
to see ship photos
