Blue Danube Discovery - Cruise Only

Board your cruise in Budapest. Tonight, meet your fellow passengers at the Welcome Dinner as the ship cruises to Bratislava.

Bratislava certainly has earned the title “Coronation City of Kings” as you can discover during your walking tour that includes the Old Town Hall, Mirbach Palace and St. Martin’s Cathedral. Or for more adventure, go high above the city by hiking up to Bratislava Castle.

The “City of Waltzes” offers a treasure trove of gems and you have two ways to discover them. Join a city tour showcasing its regal splendors, including the majestic Opera House and the former Imperial Palace of the Habsburgs before concluding in Vienna’s historic city center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and then visiting St. Stephen’s Cathedral. For a more active exploration of the area, take a guided bike ride along the Danube. During the afternoon, you can enjoy leisure time or pedal your way to Klosterneuburg Monastery on a guided cycling tour.

After reaching the Wachau Valley in the morning, you have a choice of three excursions in Dürnstein. Partake in a walking tour along cobblestone streets to the luminous blue facade of the Baroque Stiftskirche, its famed church tower, before enjoying a wine tasting in a local cellar. For a beautiful view of the Wachau Valley, hike up to the fortress where Richard the Lionheart was once held. Alternatively, visit a local boutique and be treated to the region’s finest apricot products. After your morning excursions, you have a choice to cruise through the Wachau Valley to Melk or join a bike tour along the Danube. Upon reaching Melk, take a tour of the UNESCO-designated Melk Abbey.

Enjoy a scenic morning sailing to the medieval city of Passau. Join a walking tour through this 2,000-year-old city, noted for its Gothic and Italian Baroque architecture and St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Guests looking for a more active morning can choose between a guided bike tour along the Danube, or a guided hike up to the Veste Oberhaus Fortress overlooking Passau.

Explore Regensburg, one of Germany’s best preserved medieval cities, on a guided walking tour showcasing the city’s architectural highlights, including the Old Town Hall and the Porta Praetoria, gates to an ancient Roman fort built in 179 A.D. As an alternate option, sample some of Bavaria’s specialties— beer, sausage and pretzels; or bike to Walhalla where you can see the neo-Classical white marble temple inspired by the Parthenon in Athens.

Enjoy a scenic morning cruise as the ship crosses the Continental Divide via the Main-Danube Canal to Nuremberg. Explore the medieval city center with a tour that showcases the Imperial Castle and the famous town wall, as well as Albrecht Dürer’s home and Market Square with its legendary fountain. Or you can take a guided tour of the city’s WWII history, including a visit to the infamous Zeppelin Field, a museum built on the site of former Nazi rallies and the site of the Nuremberg Trials when not in session. Alternatively, savor traditional Franconian specialties by sampling famously delicious Nuremberg Bratwurst, Rot bier (red beer) and Lebkuchen (gingerbread).

This morning, depart the ship after breakfast.