Across Europe

Itinerary: Amsterdam to Budapest

DAY 1 Depart Canada. Board your overnight flight to Amsterdam, Holland.

Day 2 Arrive in Amsterdam and transfer to the ship you embark 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 Amsterdam.

Day 3 In the morning we have an included tour of the city, highlighting its vivid history. The ship sails from Amsterdam at noon and cruises south along the Amsterdam Rijnkanaal, through the flat polder landscape of Southern Holland, reaching the Rhine and continuing past Nijmegen into Germany.

Day 4 Early this morning we cruise past the great industrial cities of Duisburg and nearby Essen, docking in Cologne at forenoon. There is then an included tour of this city, which was founded by the Romans and has long been an important trading centre. It is dominated by its vast Gothic cathedral, started in 1248 as a pilgrimage church to house the relics of the three Magi. The two spires are 157 metres high, and were not completed until 1880. Near the cathedral is the Hohenzollernbrücke, Europe’s busiest railway bridge - crossed on average by a train every two minutes. The vessel sails from Cologne at noon and continues south along the Rhine, passing Bonn, capital of West Germany from 1949 until April 19, 1999 when Berlin was restored as the reunified country’s capital. The vessel docks in Koblenz in the evening. This city stands at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. An included walking tour this evening shows you the highlights of the city. The ship remains moored in Koblenz overnight.

Day 5 You are leaving Koblenz in the morning and sails for Ruedesheim, along what is probably the most famous and scenic stretch of the Rhine Valley. You pass hilltop castles, terraced vineyards and attractive riverside villages for 65 delightful kilometres. Your vessel docks in Ruedesheim at midday. This charming old wine town is popular with tourists, and has a long narrow street, the Drosselgasse, lined on both sides with wine taverns. You may join an included walking tour of the town, with a visit to Siegfried’s Music Museum, where you can see all kinds of mechanical instruments from barrel organs and music boxes to horn gramophones. The ship sails from Ruedesheim in the early evening.

Day 6 You’ll arrive in Miltenberg at forenoon. Miltenberg is a small town on a bend in the river. An included walking tour takes you along its narrow cobbled streets with their gabled, half-timbered houses. The vessel leaves Miltenberg at noon and reaches Wertheim in the evening. You could take another included walking tour today, this time round this charming fairy-tale town situated at the confluence of the Main and Tauber Rivers, pausing to admire the imposing ruined castle that stands on a hill overlooking the town. The vessel sails from Wertheim in the evening.

Day 7 You reach in the historic city of Wuerzburg in the morning.Here there is an included walking tour of the town, including a visit to the Residenz, the beautiful Baroque palace built for the prince-bishops by local architect Balthasar Neumann between 1720 to 1744. The palace is famous for its great marble staircase, and for its frescoes by the Venetian master, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Your ship sails from Wuerzburg at noon. The remainder of the day is spent cruising past the vineyards of Franconia, as the River Main meanders past Volkach. There will be a recital by local musicians on board ship this evening.

Day 8 In the early morning turns out of the Main into the Main-Danube-Canal, the sip moors in Bamberg. With 2,300 buildings of historic interest, Bamberg is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Germany and is on UNESCO’s World Heritage register. A guided walking tour of the old city is included. You are leaving Bamberg at after lunch and spend the afternoon cruising south along the Main-Danube canal towards Nuremberg, where you will arrive in the later evening.

Day 9 Enjoy an included sightseeing tour of this historic city of Nuremberg. See the storybook 900-year-old ramparts, the Imperial Castle and the Justice Palace where the War Crimes Tribunal sat in 1946. The ship will leave Nuremberg in the morning and heads downstream for Roth, where the ship docks at midday and passengers from the excursion rejoin the ship. Later today arrive at the highest point of your cruise – 1.332 feet above sea level – before descending again through stair-step locks. After arriving in Birching you will enjoy a Bavarian evening on board.

Day 10 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' (€ 30) in Kelheim. Return to your ship in magnificent Regensburg, one of Germany’s best preserved medieval cities. An included Regensburg sightseeing tour will show you the city’s architectural highlights, including the Old Town Hall and the Porta Pretoria.

Day 11 After breakfast, arrival in Passau, where the rivers Inn and Ilz join the Danube, enjoy an included walking tour. In the afternoon you arrive in Linz, from where you can start an included walking tour of Linz. Linz is one of the most important Austrian cities. Around midnight the vessel starts in direction to the Wachau.

Day 12 Cruise through the narrow Strudengau and reach the Wachau Valley. The ship will dock in Melk/Emmersdorf. An included guided tour in the morning takes you to Melk’s magnificent Benedictine abbey, one of Europe’s largest baroque monasteries. From here continue on a short cruise to Duernstein. On an included walking tour through Duernstein discover the magnificent blue façade of the baroque Stiftskirche. Above town you’ll spot the ruins of the castle where Richard the Lionhearted, the King of England, was imprisoned in 1192. Your walking tour through medieval cobblestone streets reveals 16th-century town houses and wine taverns. Tonight arrive in Vienna, the capital of Austria.

Day 13 A included Vienna sightseeing tour includes the lavish Hofburg Palace, the impressive Vienna Opera House, the majestic Ringstrasse and awe-inspiring St. Stephens Cathedral. In the afternoon you can participate in the optional excursion to Schoenbrunn castle (€ 38), one of Vienna’s most beautiful buildings. Alternatively you can take the free shuttle transfer in the afternoon to the city center of Vienna to stroll along Kärtnerstrasse or sample Vienna’s famous pastries. After dinner possibility to participate in the optional excursion Sound of Vienna (€ 40) to listen to the world famous music of Mozart and Strauss in one of the famous Viennese palais.

Day 14 After midnight, the cruise continues downstream from Vienna to nearby Slovakia. An included Bratislava sightseeing tour reveals the city’s major sights. From 13th-century Bratislava Castle, you’ll enjoy breathtaking views overlooking three countries-Slovakia, Austria and Hungary. Free afternoon to shop or explore the city on your own. During dinner let yourself be carried away by famous Viennese “Heurigen” music. Before midnight, depart for Hungary.

Day 15 Arrival to Budapest, the famous capital of Hungary, in the morning. Enjoy the included Budapest sightseeing tour 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 Fishermen's Bastion, the marvelous Royal Palace and much more. The afternoon is at your disposal to explore the town on your own. Tonight, gather on board for the Captain’s Gala Dinner and afterwards an illuminated evening cruise aboard of your vessel.

Day 16 Disembarkation after breakfast. Transfer to the airport for your flight home.

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