DAY 1 DEPART USA
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.
DAY 2 ARRIVE IN BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Arrive in Budapest and transfer to your hotel. The balance of the day is free to relax or begin exploring this beautiful city.
DAY 3 BUDAPEST
Budapest, spanning the banks of the Danube, is the liveliest and most cosmopolitan metropolis of Eastern Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage site. See the highlights of the city on a sightseeing tour. The massive hilltop castle complex with the impressive Fisherman's Bastion and historic Matthias Church are sights not to be missed. This afternoon is at leisure. There is time to explore on your own, relax, or shop for peasant embroidery, Herend porcelain and paprika. (B)
DAY 4 BUDAPEST / EMBARK SHIP
Enjoy a free morning in Budapest. This afternoon, transfer to your luxurious river cruise ship, where your crew waits to welcome you. Step aboard and settle in for an enchanting week of cruising. Tonight gather for a Welcome Dinner. (B,D)
DAY 5 BRATISLAVA / CRUISING
Stop in Bratislava for a tour of the Slovakian capital and free time to explore more and shop. Tonight, enjoy a music performance on board your cruiser. (B,L,D)
DAY 6 VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Sightseeing in Vienna includes Hofburg Palace, the National Library, Ringstrasse and St. Stephen's Cathedral. There is time to shop in the Karntnerstrasse and to enjoy delicious sachertorte or apfelstrudel in a cafe. (B,L,D)
DAY 7 DURNSTEIN / MELK
Cruise through the Wachau Valley and stop in Durnstein for a walking tour. See the baroque Stiftskirche with its blue facade and, above town, spot the ruins of the castle where Richard the Lionheart, the King of England, was imprisoned in 1192. Continue to Melk. A guided tour takes you to the magnificent Benedictine Abbey, one of Europe's largest baroque monasteries. Tonight, sample some of the region's excellent wines. (B,L,D)
DAY 8 LINZ / PASSAU, GERMANY
After breakfast, take an optional full day excursion to fascinating Salzburg and its Sound of Music sights, or cruise through Upper Austria to Passau in Germany. (B,L,D)
DAY 9 REGENSBURG
In magnificent Regensburg, a walking tour will show you the architectural highlights, including the Old Town Hall and the Porta Pretoria gates to an ancient Roman fort built in 179 A.D. (B,L,D)
DAY 10 CRUISING / NUREMBERG
After a scenic morning on the river, enjoy an afternoon tour of Nuremberg with its fabulous Gothic churches and elegant patrician houses. (B,L,D)
DAY 11 DISEMBARK IN NUREMBERG / PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
Disembark after breakfast. Heading east, stop in the spa town of Karlovy Vary. Continue on to Prague, the 'city of a hundred spires.' The balance of the day is free to explore this splendid city. (B)
DAYS 12 AND 13 PRAGUE
Two days in the captivating city of Prague. This 1,000 year old capital is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. See some of its best known treasures on a half-day sightseeing tour, including the Old Town's Astronomical Clock; Hradcany Castle; St. Vitus Cathedral; and the Charles Bridge. You have plenty of time to browse through the shops, relax in a cafe, mix with the locals in Wenceslaus Square or stroll along the Vltava River. Your Cruise Director will have suggestions for things to do. (B daily)
Day 14 DEPART PRAGUE
Transfer to the airport for your onward flight. (B) |
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