Danube Tour from Bucharest to Vienna

TRAVEL
VIP door-to-door travel service from anywhere on the UK mainland
Included travel insurance
Return flights and transfers

ACCOMMODATION
1 night Half Board in a hotel, 10 nights Full Board aboard the ship
Complimentary Wi-Fi on board
All gratuities on board

EXPERIENCES
Cruise Host
Bucharest city tour
Belgrade and Kalemegdan Fortress
Bratislava city tour
Vienna city tour OR Vienna culinary walking tour

FOOD & DRINK
32 meals: 11 breakfasts, 10 lunches and 11 dinners
Wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner on the ship

Fly to Romania’s capital Bucharest and transfer to the locally rated 4-star Novotel Bucharest (4Q) for an overnight stay with dinner included tonight.

After breakfast and checking out of your hotel you’ll set off on an included tour of the city to uncover some of its highlights, such as the impressive Palace of the Parliament, Cotroceni Palace where the President of Romania resides, and historic Cretulescu Palace.

Later this afternoon you’ll transfer to Oltenita to embark Spirit of the Danube.

Tonight, enjoy dinner on board as you set sail.

Set sail in the early hours. Enjoy a day at leisure on board, enjoying the ship's facilities as you sail towards Serbia, following the natural border between Romania and Bulgaria.

Sail through a particularly scenic stretch of the Danube – the world-famous Iron Gate gorge, between Romania and Serbia, the largest and longest in Europe, and the Iron Gates is the narrowest and deepest part. Head out on deck this morning and check out how the ship manoeuvres through two locks by the Djerdap power station.

After lunch arrive in the pretty town of Donji Milanovac, on the banks of the Danube in the midst of the Djerdap National Park, the largest, and possibly most beautiful, of Serbia's five national parks.

The region has a rich history, and this afternoon, you may choose to join an optional excursion to the Lepenski Vir Mesolithic site, revealing a series of villages and rock carvings dating back to 6400 BC and the earliest examples of ‘monumental’ sculptures.

Cruise overnight towards Belgrade.

Arrive in Serbia's capital, one of the oldest European cities, this morning and embark on an included coach tour that takes in Republic Square where the National Theatre and Museum are located. Other key attractions include the cathedral and St Sava Temple, all set on the waterfront. You’ll also visit the Kalemegdan Fortress, parts of which date back to the 18th century.

After lunch an optional excursion visits the Royal Palace and Tito’s Memorial.

Depart late tonight and cruise overnight towards Croatia.

Arrive in Vukovar, the largest Croatian town and river port on the Danube, at midday.

Vukovar was a thriving town before the Yugoslav War and its unscathed belle époque architecture can be compared with shell-scarred buildings preserved in memoriam, during your visit here.

Set sail later this afternoon.

Early this morning arrive in Mohács, an important port of call for Danube traffic for many centuries. You can disembark and join an optional walking tour of Mohács or you can spend the day on an optional excursion into the Hungarian plains where you can see a demonstration of traditional Hungarian horsemanship by local Magyar cowboys.

Your ship continues to Kalocsa pausing briefly for excursion participants to rejoin her and setting sail again this evening and cruising overnight.

Arrive during breakfast and this morning you can explore independently at leisure or perhaps join an optional tour to discover the town’s highlights and the artistic community of Szentendre.

Sail on over lunch and cruise through the remainder of the day and overnight.

This morning you arrive in Slovakia's capital, Bratislava.

Spend an enjoyable day exploring the city’s old quarter, overlooked by the massive rectangular castle, and admiring the attractive Habsburg architecture, during an included morning city tour. Stroll through ancient cobbled streets to Bratislava Castle for a bird’s-eye view of the city. See the Gothic-style Cathedral, where 11 Kings of Hungary were crowned while Turks occupied their own capital.

This afternoon venture up the UFO observation tower to sample local beer on an optional excursion.

Before dinner set sail again, cruising overnight bound for Melk.

Arrive after breakfast to explore the historic town of Melk, a charming medley of architectural styles from across the centuries.

Its jewel is the abbey which sits on a bluff above the town. This masterpiece of baroque architecture, with a lavishly decorated interior contains innumerable artistic treasures and can be visited on an optional tour.

At lunchtime you'll cruise along the Danube to Weissenkirchen where an optional walking tour and wine tasting excursion is available.

Set sail late tonight and cruise towards the Austrian border.

Before breakfast arrive in Vienna.

This morning you can embark on an included tour of this dynamic city – steeped in imperial and musical history – including a drive around the Ringstrasse, encircling the old city, or perhaps opt for an included culinary walking tour instead.

This afternoon an optional excursion visits grand Schönbrunn Palace.

After dinner on board you may choose to spend the final evening of your holiday in style by attending an optional performance of music by Mozart and Strauss in one of the great formal concert houses of Imperial Vienna.

Disembark after breakfast and travel to the airport for your return flight to the UK.