Summary
Follow the graceful waterways from Romania through the Balkans, Hungary, and Austria with stunning views along your Danube River cruise. Sail from Romania to Hungary’s capital of Budapest to experience river views like no other. Begin your European vacation before your cruise in Transylvania. Drive into the Carpathian Mountains to visit Peles Castle, visit Dracula’s Bran Castle by night, spend two nights in Brasov and enjoy a guided tour by day. Enjoy sightseeing in Bucharest, including the Royal Palace Square and Romanian soldier remembrances. Travel to Oltenita to embark on your Danube River cruise.
Sail through the striking landscapes of the Balkans—Rousse, Bulgaria, Veliko Târnovo, and Arbanassi, one of the oldest towns in Bulgaria. Guided sightseeing in Vidin is followed by a guided tour of Belogradchik, with its ancient rock formations on the Balkan Mountains. After cruising through the narrow Iron Gates Gorge, visit Lepenski Vir for a guided tour with ancient archaeological finds. In Serbia, take a guided tour of Belgrade, including one of the world’s largest Orthodox churches, and see the most preserved Croatian fortress in Osijek. You’ll also attend a stirring performance by young students of the Franjo Kuhač music school. Tour the historic town of Pécs before sightseeing in the Hungarian capital of Budapest—the “Pearl of the Danube.” Enjoy guided sightseeing of Vienna’s historic Habsburg Empire—including the Imperial Palace, Vienna Opera House, and stunning St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Take a guided tour of delightful Dürnstein and explore Melk’s Benedictine Abbey above the vineyard-rich Wachau Valley. Visit Austria’s lovely city of Linz, then pass through the beautiful Schlögen Oxbow river bend on your way to Passau—Germany’s “City of Three Rivers.” Your Danube River cruise concludes in Vilshofen, Germany.
Short Itinerary / Route
- Day 1
- Bucharest, Romania
- Day 2
- Bucharest–Sinaia–Brasov
- Day 3
- Brasov
- Day 4
- Brasov–Bucharest–Oltenita
- Day 5
- Rousse, Bulgaria. Veliko Târnovo & Arbanassi Excur...
- Day 6
- Vidin
- Day 7
- Iron Gates Gorge. Excursion To Lepenski Vir, Serbi...
- Day 8
- Belgrade
- Day 9
- Novi Sad
- Day 10
- Ilok, Croatia
- Day 11
- Mohács, Hungary. Excursion To Pécs
- Day 12
- Budapest
- Day 13
- Budapest
- Day 14
- Bratislava, Slovakia
- Day 15
- Vienna, Austria
- Day 16
- Dürnstein–Wachau Valley
- Day 17
- Linz
- Day 18
- Schlögen Oxbow–Passau, Germany
- Day 19
- Vilshofen
Countries (6): Austria, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia
Travel Cities (12): Belgrade, Brasov, Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Linz, Munich, Novi Sad, Passau, Pecs, Salzburg, Vienna