Blue Danube to Black Sea River Cruise

Day 1

Germany. We arrive late afternoon at our overnight hotel in Germany, making suitable refreshment stops.

Day 2

Embark - Passau, Germany. We board our ship in Passau, known as the ‘three rivers city’ due to its unique location where the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers meet. You can then relax on board as we begin our cruise towards Vienna, which takes us through the beautiful Wachau valley.

Day 3

Vienna, Austria. Experience the delights of Vienna, the capital of Austria. Grand palaces, baroque castles, magnificent squares and striking monuments are just some of the key features of this beautiful city, which is a World Heritage site. After lunch we enjoy a city tour. Later today we cruise towards Kalocsa, Hungary.

Day 4

Kalocsa, Hungary. We arrive in Kalocsa this afternoon, a small village in the great plains of Hungary. Much of the country’s paprika comes from the pepper fields surrounding this small town - there’s even a Paprika Museum and Paprika Street in the centre. It is also known for its beautiful handmade embroidery. Our guided tour points out the highlights before we continue cruising towards the country of Serbia.

Day 5

Belgrade, Serbia. The city of Belgrade lies at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. We arrive in the afternoon with plenty of time to see the highlights of the Serbian capital. We enjoy a fascinating city tour, which is a great way to see the main sights including the huge Belgrade Fortress and St Sava Church, one of the biggest churches in the world. Later this evening we cruise towards Romania/Bulgaria.

Day 6

Eisernes Tor, The Iron Gate Gorge. Enjoy a full day cruising through the breath-taking scenery of Eisernes Tor, the Iron Gate - the largest river gorge in Europe which carves a channel through the Carpathian Mountains. The views are spectacular, with the Derdap National Park on the southern side of the Danube in Serbia and the Portile de Fier Nature Park on the northern side in Romania. It’s a fantastic day to spend relaxing on the sun deck.

Day 7

Ruse, Bulgaria. After breakfast our ship docks in Ruse, the fifth largest city in Bulgaria, we enjoy a visit to Ivanovo and the Basarbovo Monastery. Here you will find a group of rock-hewn churches, chapels and monasteries inscribed on the world heritage list, one of which we visit. After a short city tour through the centre of Ruse we return to our ship and cruise towards Cernavoda, Romania.

Day 8

Cernavoda, Romania & The Black Sea. Early this morning we arrive in the Romanian city of Cernavoda, where our excursion takes you to the Black Sea. We visit Constanta, the main port city of Romania, and take a city tour including photo stops at Ovidius Square, the Great Mahmudiye Mosque, the St Peter & Paul Orthodox Cathedral (1885), the casino and the Genoese lighthouse. You can also visit the famous Roman mosaic. We then continue by coach to Mamaia, the most famous seaside resort in Romania, where we have the chance to paddle in the Black Sea.

Day 9

Giurgiu, Romania - Turnu Magaurele, Romania. We arrive in Giurgiu, Romania, early this morning. Today takes you to the Romanian capital of Bucharest, where there’s plenty of time to explore the wide tree-lined boulevards and admire many landmarks including Parliament Palace - the second largest building in the world after the US Pentagon, the Arch of Triumph and the beautiful Romanian Anthenaeum. We return to our ship in the city of Turnu Magaurele and cruise towards the Iron Gate Gorge.

Day 10

Eisernes Tor, The Iron Gate Gorge - Enjoy another full day cruising through the spectacular Iron Gate Gorge.

Day 11

Novi Sad, Serbia - Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia after Belgarde. The most recognised landmark is the Petrovaradin Fortress, which dominates the city from its position on the right bank of the Danube. There’s also the historic neighbourhood of Stari Grad. Our guided tour takes in many highlights before we continue cruising towards Mohács, Hungary.

Day 12

Mohács, Hungary. We reach Mohács this morning, which is just across the Hungarian border. In the afternoon we enjoy our visit to Pécs - home to the world famous Zsolnay ceramics and the largest Turkish ruins in Hungary. Later this evening we cruise upriver towards Budapest.

Day 13

Budapest, Hungary. Budapest is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Our tour takes us to see the highlights of both sides of the city - traditional Buda and the more cosmopolitan Pest. This afternoon we visit the Puszta, a vast prairie where we visit a traditional ranch and enjoy a tour of the grounds in a horse-drawn carriage, before watching a spectacular live horse show. Later today we cruise towards Bratislava, Slovakia.

Day 14

Bratislava, Slovakia. We reach Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, this afternoon. This historic city is dominated by its castle, set high above the Danube and once a frontier post of the Roman Empire. There’s also the unique suspension bridge, another key landmark which was announced as the building of the century when it opened in 1972. We enjoy a guided tour to take in the main sights and experience the rich culture in and around the old town before our ship cruises towards Melk.

Day 15

Melk, Austria. The small town of Melk lies in the beautiful Wachau valley. We visit the Benedictine Abbey - one of the most famous monastic houses in Austria, which has been occupied by monks for over 900 years. You can relax onboard for the remainder of the day as we cruise to our final port of call.

Day 16

Passau, Germany. After a truly memorable cruise we bid farewell to our captain and his crew and make our way to our overnight hotel in Germany.

Day 17

Germany To Home. We make our way home after breakfast, making suitable refreshment stops.

B=Breakfast Included, L=Lunch Included, D=Dinner Included