Three-Week Europe River Cruise To Bulgaria
Take a three-week voyage of Central Europe, on this amazingly priced over-50s river cruise, travelling from Trier in Germany, along the Rhine, Danube, Moselle and Main, to Bulgaria. You will have the opportunity to explore Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest, and to take in the stunning valleys and gorges along the way.
Your Tour Includes
TRAVEL
VIP door-to-door travel service from anywhere on the UK mainland
Included travel insurance
Return flights and transfers
ACCOMMODATION
Complimentary Wi-Fi on board
All gratuities on board
EXPERIENCES
Cruise Host
Bernkastel panorama train and guided walk
Wurzburg and the Residenz Palace
Bamberg city tour
Historic Nuremberg
Sightseeing tour of Vienna OR culinary walking tour of Vienna
Tour of Bratislava
Tour of Budapest OR culinary walking tour of Budapest
Belgrade and the Kalemegdan Fortress
Pleven panoramic
FOOD & DRINK
59 meals: 20 breakfasts, 19 lunches and 20 dinners
Wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner
Drinks reception and Captain’s dinner
Day 1 UK - Luxembourg - Trier
Fly to Luxembourg and transfer to Trier where you’ll embark Spirit of the Rhine.
Enjoy a welcome reception and dinner on board as your ship begins the overnight cruise towards Bernkastel.
Day 2 Bernkastel-Kues - Cochem
Arrive early this morning in Bernkastel for an included trip on the panorama train, followed by a guided walk.
Depart this afternoon and arrive in Cochem this evening.
Day 3 Cochem - Rüdesheim
Take an optional trip on Cochem’s Noddy train this morning or join an optional visit to Reichsburg Castle.
Set sail at lunchtime and arrive in Rüdesheim late tonight. Your ship remains moored here overnight.
Day 4 Rüdesheim
Visit Siegfried's Museum of Mechanical Music on an optional morning excursion before cruising through the afternoon and overnight towards Miltenberg.
Day 5 Miltenberg - Würzburg
After an early arrival in Miltenberg perhaps spend the morning on an optional beer tasting excursion.
Enjoy a relaxing afternoon cruising to Würzburg, arriving in the evening and mooring here overnight.
Day 6 Würzburg
Enjoy an included tour of Würzburg and visit to the Residenz Palace.
Spirit of the Rhine will begin the overnight cruise to Bamberg this afternoon.
Day 7 Bamberg
Set off on an included tour of this UNESCO-listed city this morning. Visit the cathedral and walk through the historic streets to see the Old Town Hall located on an island in the river and the quaint fisherman’s houses of ‘Little Venice’. This afternoon you may like to explore the culinary traditions of Bamberg on an optional walking tour.
Your ship cruises towards Nuremberg this evening and overnight.
Day 8 Nuremberg - Kelheim
Explore historic Nuremberg on an included tour this morning before setting sail for Kelheim, arriving this evening.
Day 9 Kelheim - Regensburg
An optional excursion this morning visits Weltenberg Abbey and includes a boat trip through the Danube Gorge, rejoining your ship in Regensburg. This afternoon perhaps explore the medieval streets of Regensberg on an optional walk through the UNESCO-listed old town.
Continue cruising late this afternoon towards Passau.
Day 10 Passau - Melk
Spend the morning in Passau, where an optional walking tour reveals the baroque St Stephen’s Cathedral and old and new Bishop’s Palaces.
Cruise through the afternoon to Melk, arriving tomorrow morning.
Day 11 Melk - Dürnstein
This morning an optional excursion visits Melk Abbey. Your ship departs at lunchtime for an afternoon arrival in Dürnstein. Perhaps join an optional tour of the city, followed by an organ concert in the abbey.
Spirit of the Rhine sets sails late this evening and cruises overnight towards Vienna.
Day 12 Vienna
After an early arrival in Vienna join an included morning tour of the city, which includes a drive around the Ringstrasse encircling the old city where you’ll see the State Opera House, or opt for an included culinary walking tour from Albertina Square to the Imperial Palace. This afternoon there is an optional visit to Schönbrunn Palace, and in the evening you can treat yourself to a musical concert in a Viennese palace on another optional excursion.
Set sail from Vienna late this evening.
Day 13 Bratislava
Early this morning arrive in the capital of Slovakia and enjoy an included trip aboard the miniature city tourist train past Bratislava Castle, before disembarking in the Old Town for a walking tour to see the Archbishop’s Palace, St Martin’s Cathedral, the Market Square, Town Hall and more…. This afternoon you may like to join either an optional visit to the UFO observation tower for beer tasting with panoramic views or visit a Majolica pottery workshop.
Spirit of the Rhine will begin the overnight journey to Budapest late this afternoon.
Day 14 Budapest
Arrive early this afternoon and embark on either an included sightseeing tour or culinary themed walking tour. Later this afternoon you might choose to join an optional excursion to Gödöllo Palace or the Lazar Equestrian Park horse farm.
Your ship remains moored here overnight.
Day 15 Budapest
This morning perhaps join an optional excursion to Gödöllo Palace, former summer residence of Queen Elizabeth and Franz Joseph. This afternoon another optional excursion visits the Lazar Equestrian Park horse farm.
Your ship departs this evening bound for Kalocsa.
Day 16 Kalocsa - Mohács
Perhaps disembark in Kalocsa early this morning to join an optional full-day excursion through the Hungarian lowlands to Puszta, where you can watch traditional horsemanship, rejoining your ship when she arrives in Mohács this afternoon. You have a few hours here to explore the home of some of Hungary’s most exciting folk traditions.
Spirit of the Rhine continues cruising towards Belgrade late this afternoon.
Day 17 Novi Sad - Belgrade
Arrive early morning in this city where European and Balkan cultures meet, with this stretch of the Danube acting as a natural border.
Beside Novi Sad is the Petrovaradin Fortress, with a 16-kilometre network of underground passages and the officers' residences and government buildings beneath. Perhaps pay a visit to the City Museum within the fortress walls. Or you could join an optional walking tour of the old town centre with its 18th and 19th-century architecture, returning to your ship in Belgrade. This afternoon look forward to an included tour of Belgrade and visit to Kalemegdan Fortress.
Day 18 Sailing day
Cruise along a particularly scenic stretch of the river, as the Danube passes through the southern stretch of the dramatic Carpathian mountains and the foothills of the Balkans to the ‘Iron Gates’, a gorge framed by sheer cliffs. The passage was infamous in ancient times as the water level was much lower, making navigation treacherous. You’ll also pass medieval Golubac Fortress, which appears to cling precariously to the riverbank.
Day 19 Nikopol - Svistov
Early this afternoon you’ll arrive in the town of Nikopol, which features the remains of a ruined fortress, a 13th century church and a drinking fountain constructed in the second century. Explore at your leisure or join an included excursion to Pleven to visit a historic panorama depicting the events of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877.
Rejoin your ship in Svistov, where she will moor overnight.
Day 20 Svistov - Rousse
Spend a relaxing morning sailing from Svistov to Rousse, arriving during lunchtime. Nicknamed 'Little Vienna' due to its belle époque architecture, Rousse prospered from its location on the Danube, becoming Bulgaria’s main port. As a result it’s home to many grand buildings, such as the Building of the Tax Administration with its elaborate facade. Perhaps join an optional afternoon tour, which also visits the only active rock monastery in Bulgaria.
Your ship moors here overnight.
Day 21 Rousse - Bucharest - UK
Disembark your ship after breakfast and transfer to Bucharest airport for your return flight to the UK.
