Classical Danube from Budapest
to Passau
June 5-13, 2012
June 5: Depart the USA
We depart today on our overnight flight to Budapest. Sit back, get some rest and enjoy the service while in flight.
June 6: Arrive in Budapest
Upon our arrival in Budapest we will meet our Pilgrim Tour guide who will escort us to our awaiting motor coach and transfer us to the Danube River cruise dock. After checking into our cabins we enjoy some free time before our cruise director will welcome you with a cocktail before the official welcome dinner.
June 7: Budapest
This morning we enjoy a tour of Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Budapest is a city made up of two parts: Buda and Pest, built on opposite banks of the Danube. Buda is the older and more graceful part, with its cobbled streets and medieval architecture, while Pest is the administrative and commercial centre, with wide avenues and impressive 19th-century public buildings. East meets West in this fascinating city, and this can be seen in the variety of shops and restaurants. This morning we enjoy a city sightseeing tour or look around Budapest at your leisure. After dinner on board a gypsy band and a Hungarian folklore group will entertain you while cruising along Budapest’s impressive illuminations.
June 8: Bratislava
In the morning the ship moors in the city of Bratislava, which was founded over 2,000 years ago. Now the capital of Slovakia, it was also capital of Hungary for a while during the late Middle Ages, which is a good illustration of how the checkered histories of these central European countries are inter-related. Our 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.
June 9: Vienna- Scjpembrunn Castle or Hofburg Imperial Palace
This morning we enjoy a guided tour of one of the world's busiest opera houses, the Vienna State Opera*, where over 200 performances are staged every year. Originally constructed in 1869, the structure was completely remodeled following its destruction during the Second World War. Today, this premier opera house is home to the world's best opera orchestra, from which the esteemed Vienna Philharmonic recruits its members. See the grand entrance foyer and main staircase, the elegant tea salon and Marble Room, and the Gustav Mahler Room. Then, see the highlight of the tour, the magnificent Auditorium, with a view of the stage where notable personalities such as Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Felix Weingartner, Clemens Krauss, Karl Böhm, and Claudio Abbado have helped forge the opera's prestigious reputation. This afternoon is free for our leisure or take part in an optional tour of Schoenbrunn Castle or Hofburg Imperial. This evening is free to take part in an optional Vienna Concert or Vienna at Night tour.
June 10: Melk
We enjoy our morning on our cruise as we travel along the beautiful Danube. Around noon we dock in the wine growing town of Melk/Emmersdorf, at the western end of the Wachau valley. We enjoy a tour of the beautiful Wachau region and take a guided tour of the Benedictine Abbey at Melk. We return to our cruise, enjoy lunch and continue upstream past the large Austrian city of Linz and then to the border of Germany.
June 11: Linz & Salzburg
After breakfast we arrive in Linz. Here we will enjoy some free time or take part in an optional walking tour of Linz or a day tour to Salzburg. For those that do not choose the Salzburg option we board our cruise and sail from Linz enjoying your day at leisure aboard the ship. This evening we all return to our cruise and join our Captain who is delighted to invite you to be part of a Captain’s Gala Dinner as we celebrate the last of our Danube Cruise experience.
June 12: Passau
We enjoy an optional morning walking tour of Passua or a Fascinating glass route in the Bavarian Forest. This evening we enjoy a Bavarian themed dinner.
June 13: Return Home or begin Prague Extension
This morning we transfer to the Munich airport or take part in an optional 2 day Prague Extension.
Post Cruise Prague Extension
June 13-15 2012
June 13: Prague Tour
This morning we disembark in Passau and transfer to Prague. Upon our arrival in Prague, we begin on the coach, introducing the major historical areas of the city centre: the New Town & Wenceslas Square, the Old Town and picturesque Mala Strana. Next is the highlight of the trip, a walk through the Prague Castle complex to discover the major sights within; admire the grandeur of Saint Vitus Cathedral, the ancient architecture of the Old Royal Palace, and enjoy stunning views over the whole of Prague. From Prague Castle, we head for the river to walk across the magnificent Charles Bridge. Then, we continue on to the Jewish Quarter (Josefov), before ending the tour at the Old Town Square. En-route, we learn the origins of one of the best preserved medieval cities in the world. We enjoy our dinner and overnight at our hotel this evening.
June 14: Morning Terezin Concentration Camp Tour, Afternoon Free in Prague
This morning we travel north to the Terezin memorial and concentration camp. This former garrison town was built at the end of the 18th century by Emperor Joseph II as an ingenious system of military fortresses. However, when the Nazis took control of the Czech Republic during World War II, they converted the whole area into a concentration camp and Jewish ghetto. Over 140,000 Jewish men, women and children were brought there from around the country, as well as from Germany, Austria, Holland, Denmark, Slovakia and Hungary. The majority of those who survived the forced labor, malnutrition and terrible living conditions were later transported to the extermination camps further east. We take an extensive tour of both the ghetto and the concentration camp, which are both eerily preserved in their 1940's state. Our experienced guide will lead you through this sorry episode in the history of Terezin, but the visit will no doubt leave many unanswered questions in your mind, as to how or why such atrocities can occur. We return to Prague this afternoon and enjoy the remainder of our day free to enjoy Prague on our own.
June 15: Return to USA
After breakfast we check out of our hotel and transfer to the airport for our return flight back to the USA. Breakfast included.
