Grand Danube
15 Day River Cruise
Journey along paths forged by conquerors, crusaders and kings through Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, and Germany. Step back in time to explore the history and mystery living in the hillsides while cruising the Danube and through the Iron Gates. Legends of all kinds are waiting to be uncovered—Belogradchik, one of Bulgaria’s natural wonders, and the Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo, built into the side of a mountain showcasing well-preserved medieval frescos. Experience the Romans’ influence firsthand in Pécs, “the city of Mediterranean impressions,” and through the taste of wine in Ilok, a center of wine production since Roman times. From the imposing capitals of Budapest and Vienna to towns lost in time, immerse yourself in the colorful folktales and traditions of the extraordinary people and places you visit along the way.
Countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia
River(s): Danube
Pricing
River cruise starting at $8,731* CAD per person, based on double occupancy
15 Days – Vilshofen To Giurgiu (reverse itinerary available)
Your stateroom includes
- 14 nights luxury accommodation in an outside stateroom (most with twin balconies)
- Entertainment-On-Demand in all staterooms featuring free high-speed internet access, movies, a music library and English language TV stations
- Mini-fridge, desk and sitting area
- Bottled water replenished daily
Onboard amenities
- Wellness Activities with a dedicated Wellness Host leading various exercise classes as well as discussions on healthy eating and relaxation techniques, both on board and on shore.
- Personalized service from a highly trained Cruise Manager during both cruise and land programs
- Internet and Wi-Fi access
- Sun deck pool with swim-up bar and walking track
- Fitness room, massage services and hair salon
- Main Lounge with panoramic views and bar
- Daily entertainment including cultural performances
Dining
- All onboard dining in a variety of venues
- Regionally inspired cuisine made with locally sourced ingredients
- The Chef’s Table specialty restaurant
- Welcome Cocktail, Welcome Dinner, La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Dinner, Captain’s Cocktail and Gala Dinner
- La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs exclusive dining experience
- Unlimited fine wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner
- Unlimited sparkling wine and fresh juice with breakfast
- Sip & Sail Daily Cocktail Hour with complimentary wine, beer, spirits and soft drinks
- Tapas, sandwiches, snacks and refreshments served daily in the Main Lounge
Excursions
- Immersive tours in every destination
- Gentle, regular, active and late-riser tour options
- Bike tours and hikes
- Special Interest Tours
- Knowledgeable guides
- Personal headset for easy exploration
Day
Day 1
Location(s)
Vilshofen, Germany
Meals
Dinner
Description
Board the ship in Vilshofen for your Grand Danube Cruise. In the evening, be treated to an exclusive, festive Oktoberfest celebration.
Day 2
Vilshofen – Passau
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursions: “City of Three Rivers” walking tour OR Passau Castle hike OR River Inn Bike Tour
Enjoy a free morning to walk around the quaint village of Vilshofen. Later, cruise to Passau, where you have the option of exploring it one of three ways. Take a walking tour and marvel at Gothic and Italian Baroque architecture and St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Or choose between a guided bike tour along the Inn River or a guided hike up to the Veste Oberhaus fortress.
Day 3
Linz, Austria
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursions: “UNESCO City of Media Arts” walking tour OR “Cultural Mile” bike tour OR Full-day Salzburg excursion
Český Krumlov excursion
The ship arrives in Linz where you’ll have several choices of excursions. Opt for a full-day excursion to Salzburg where you’ll tour the historic center, Mirabell Gardens, Residenz Square and the Old Market. En route to Salzburg, stop at Mondsee, home of the Basilica St. Michael. Or join a morning walking tour through the old city center of Linz and by the Mozart House; or go on a bike tour of the city’s famed “Cultural Mile” and the Danube. During the afternoon, visit charming Český Krumlov, located just over the Czech-Austrian border.
Day 4
Weissenkirchen
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursions: Scenic cruising through Strudengau and UNESCO Wachau Valley
Dürnstein walking tour and Melk Benedictine Abbey OR Apricots and Sweets tasting OR Dürnstein Fortress hike OR Wachau Valley bike tour
Evening wine tasting at local winery
Head up to the Sun Deck for panoramic views as you unwind with a scenic cruise through the Strudengau and UNESCO-designated Wachau valleys. After reaching Weissenkirchen, you’ll be treated to several choices of excursions. Take a walking tour of Dürnstein before visiting the UNESCO-designated Melk Abbey. Or hike the trail up to the ruins of Durnstein Fortress, where Richard the Lionheart was once held captive, and where you’ll find spectacular views of the valley, river and village below. You can also choose to cycle through the Wachau Valley on a guided bike tour. For a more culinary-focused experience, sample special apricot treats from a local boutique. In the evening, enjoy a wine tasting hosted by a local vintner.
Day 5
Vienna
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursions: “Imperial Vienna” tour OR Vienna City Tour by Bike
Free time
The “City of Waltzes” is a treasure trove and your city tour showcases its regal splendors, including the majestic Opera House and the former Imperial Palace of the Habsburgs. Conclude your tour in the UNESCO-designated historic city center and visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral. For a more active exploration, take a guided bike ride through Vienna. During the afternoon, enjoy leisure time exploring this iconic city even more.
Day 6
Bratislava, Slovakia
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursions: “Coronation City” walking tour OR Tastes of Slovakia OR Bratislava Castle hike
Host to the crowning ceremonies of 11 Hungarian kings and queens between 1536 and 1830, Bratislava certainly has earned the title “Coronation City of Kings,” as you’ll discover during your walking tour. Or join a special “Tastes of Slovakia” tour. For a more active adventure, hike up to Bratislava Castle, offering magnificent views of the city.
Day 7
Budapest, Hungary
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursions: “Queen of the Danube” tour OR Castle Hill hike
You cannot help but fall in love with Budapest, known as the “Queen of the Danube.” Your city tour begins with a visit to the Great Market Hall. The remainder of this tour takes you to both the Buda (hilly) and the Pest (flat) sides of the river. Alternatively, hike up to Castle Hill for breathtaking views of the city.
Day 8
Budapest
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursions: Puszta excursion
Tradition will be on full display in Puszta, the Great Hungarian Plain. Tour a genuine Hungarian csárda (farm) run by world-champion carriage-drivers. Afterwards, be treated to an unforgettable performance of horsemanship and then experience the Hungarians’ warm hospitality, along with a traditional lunch complete with authentic goulash.
Day 9
Budapest – Mohács
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursions: Pécs excursion OR Szekszárd wine tasting OR Guided Bike Ride Along the Danube
Enjoy a scenic morning cruise to Mohács and then visit Pécs, founded more than 2,000 years ago by the Romans. Visit the UNESCO-designated Christian Necropolis; St. Peter’s Basilica, the city’s main Catholic cathedral along with its catacombs; and Széchenyi Square, the heart of Old Town Pécs. You will also see the Mosque of Pasha Qasim the Victorious, one of the symbols of the city. Or choose a guided bike tour through Mohács. For wine connoisseurs, you’ll want to go instead to the Szekszárd wine region, one of the oldest red-wine-growing areas in Hungary, established more than 2,000 years ago.
Day 10
Vukovar, Croatia – Novi Sad, Serbia
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursions:
Vukovar / Ilok: City tour and Eltz Castle in Vukovar OR Croatian wine tasting in Ilok
Novi Sad: “The Athens of Serbia” walking tour OR Fruska Gora National Park hike OR Novi Sad bike tour
Evening Petrovaradin Fortress visit
Vukovar is a Croatian symbol of resistance, which you’ll better understand on your city tour showcasing the Ovčara Memorial and Eltz Castle. Alternatively, choose a wine tasting in Ilok, a center of wine production since Roman times, where you’ll sample its famous Grasevina, Traminac and Frankovka wines. Back on board, cruise to Novi Sad, sometimes called the “Serbian Athens.” Discover Novi Sad on a walking tour to Dunavski Park and through Stari Grad, the Old Town center. If you prefer a more active exploration, join a guided biking tour or hike through Fruska Gora National Park. During the evening, visit Petrovaradin Fortress.
Day 11
Belgrade
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursions: “The City by Two Rivers” tour
Belgrade Royal Palace & Tito’s Memorial Tour OR Belgrade Fortress hike
Quburich Brandy Tasting & Avala Mountain OR Belgrade bike tour
Explore Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, on a city tour that includes the Kalemegdan Fortress and the Serbian Orthodox Temple of St. Sava. Later, choose from three intriguing excursions. Visit the Royal Palace, the official residence of the Serbian Royal Family; and then tour the House of Flowers, the mausoleum of Marshal Tito, who became the first President of Yugoslavia. Or enjoy a taste of the region by sampling Serbian plum brandy, Šlivovitz, and delicious local delights at the Quburich Distillery. For those wishing a more active adventure, join a guided bike tour or hike to well-preserved Belgrade Fortress with its conical towers.
Day 12
Golubac Fortress – Iron Gates
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursions: Golubac Fortress
Visit Golubac Fortress – one of the best preserved medieval fortresses in Europe – before cruising through the Iron Gates. The Iron Gates is one of Europe’s most awe-inspiring natural wonders. The Danube narrows as it winds through a series of magnificent gorges between the Carpathian and Balkan mountains.
Day 13
Vidin, Bulgaria
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursions: Vidin Walking Tour
Belogradchik Excursion & Baba Vida Fortress OR Banitsa pastry and yogurt tasting OR Vidin bike tour
Explore Vidin, one of Bulgaria’s oldest cities, and surrounding areas with a choice of excursions. Discover Baba Vida Fortress, the largest preserved medieval castle in Bulgaria. Continue on to Belogradchik, one of Bulgaria’s natural wonders, where you can hike around its most spectacular rock formations. Alternatively, visit a local home for a demonstration of traditional Bulgarian yogurt and Banitsa, a pastry you will also get to make. You also have the choice to bike through Vidin and to the castle.
Day 14
Rousse
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursions: Veliko Tarnovo excursion
Bucharest Excursion OR Ivanovo Rock-Hewn Churches & Rousse Highlights Tour
Visit Bulgaria’s ancient capital, Veliko Tarnovo, with its medieval fortress and multiple orthodox temples. You can opt instead to go to Rousse, known for its 19th- and 20th-century Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo architecture, and then afterwards visit the UNESCO-designated Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo with frescos revealing exceptional artistry of 14th-century paintings. Later in the day, travel through the Romanian countryside to the capital of Bucharest, known as the “Little Paris of the East.” Enjoy a panoramic tour of the historic city center and its elegant architecture, followed by a visit to the Palace of the Parliament, the second largest administrative building in the world.
Day 15
Giurgiu, Romania
Breakfast
Disembark the ship and bid farewell to Giurgiu as you prepare for your flight home.
Reverse Itinerary
This trip also runs in reverse from Giurgiu to Vilshofen.
Interested in the itinerary above? Click on the “START PLANNING” button below and reference “Grand Danube” in the form, or give us a call at 587.997.5969 to book.
An adventure designed specifically for you
Let us work with you to tailor a journey based on your travel style and interests. We can use the existing itinerary above as a foundation, or build one from scratch to create your ideal vacation. Connect with us to start the conversation.
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*Prices are per person, based on double occupancy and subject to change and availability.