Danube Waltz

Board your ship and settle into your stateroom. Explore Budapest, Hungary’s capital city divided by the Danube River into Buda and Pest. Buda features hills, castles, and historic sites, while Pest offers flat streets, shops, and art nouveau buildings. During the day, visit landmarks or relax in one of the city’s thermal baths. In the evening, see the Parliament building and Chain Bridge lit up along the river.

* Ground transfers are included with Viking Air purchase.

Optional Excursions (Extra Cost):
Budapest by Night
Be captivated by Budapest as you explore the city after dark and raise a toast to its stunning landmarks.

Spend the day exploring Budapest’s Castle District in Buda. Walk through the old town’s narrow streets lined with historic buildings. Visit Matthias Church, known for its Gothic architecture, and enjoy the view from Fisherman’s Bastion, which overlooks the Danube River, the Chain Bridge, and the Pest side of the city. Tour Buda Castle, a historic complex that dates back to the 13th century and has been rebuilt and expanded over the centuries.

Included Excursion:
Panoramic Budapest
Take in one of Europe’s great cultural capitals and see its iconic sights.

Optional Excursions (Extra Cost):
Hungarian Horsemen
Travel to horse country to tour a farm and witness some exciting horsemanship by highly skilled riders.

Budapest Castle Hill Hike
Explore historic Buda during a city hike to Castle Hill and admire magnificent vistas over the Danube.

Dohány Street Synagogue & Jewish Budapest
Explore Budapest’s Jewish history and heritage, including the Jewish Quarter and massive synagogue.

Budapest Thermal Bath
Soak up the restorative powers of Budapest’s thermal baths and join locals in a centuries-old tradition.

Best of Budapest
Admire city landmarks and savor a taste of Hungary during visits to a renowned chocolatier and a famed distillery.

Grand Market: Flavors of Hungary
Browse the countless stalls of Budapest’s Grand Market Hall and taste Hungarian delicacies.

The Slovakian capital of Bratislava is filled with lovingly restored baroque city palaces and leafy squares. The Little Carpathians rise steeply in the north and the enormous hrad(or castle) perches 300 feet above the Danube, lending the city a picturesque setting. Below the castle, the Old Town boasts elegant mansions, art nouveau houses and gracious pedestrian zones. Eleven Hungarian kings and eight queens were crowned in St. Martin’s Cathedral, today a concert hall that plays a central role in the city’s rich cultural offerings.

​Included Excursion:
Bratislava Walking Tour
Bratislava was built on a smaller scale than other European capitals, so you will explore with ease on this excursion.

Optional Excursions (Extra Cost):
Bratislava Beer Tasting & Dinner
Dine at one of Bratislava’s brewery houses and sample a selection of beers.

Bratislava Hike
Explore Bratislava during a scenic hike that includes sweeping views over the city from its namesake castle.

Renowned as the “City of Waltzes,” Austria’s capital city of Vienna is Europe’s center of classical music. Strauss and Mozart composed many of their finest pieces here. Vienna’s musical history is matched by the elegant, graceful architecture that lines the Ringstrasse, the wide boulevard encircling the Inner City. Baroque, neo-Renaissance, Gothic-Romanesque and other splendidly styled structures, from the Hofburg Palace to the Vienna State Opera, take the breath away with their grand facades. Vienna has a more intimate side too: inviting footpaths lead through green parks and its famed Viennese cafés sweeten any stay with coffee and the city’s delectable Sachertorte.

​Included Excursion:
Panoramic Vienna
See the magnificent architectural highlights of one of Europe’s most elegant and romantic cultural capitals.

Optional Excursions (Extra Cost):
Schönbrunn Palace
Tour the magnificent home of the Hapsburg Dynasty, built to rival the sprawling Château de Versailles.

Behind the Scenes at the Lipizzaner Stallions
Step backstage at the elegant Spanish Riding School, home to the world-famous Lipizzaner stallions.

Mozart & Strauss Concert
The classical music never stops in Vienna, as you can hear firsthand during this special concert.

Alma Deutscher Plays Mozart & Strauss
Delight in an enchanting evening of music with a privileged access performance led by the renowned Alma Deutscher.

Vienna’s Countryside by E-Bike
Explore nature along the Danube River and pedal at ease by electric bike, or e-bike.

Viennese Waltz & Mozart
Don your dancing shoes as you learn the steps of the Viennese waltz and visit Mozart’s Vienna apartment.

Heurigen Dinner
Participate in a high-spirited Heurigen dinner and toast this year’s wine at a local vineyard.

Behind the Scenes at the Vienna Boys’ Choir
Tour the boarding school of the Wiener Sängerknaben, the Vienna Boys’ Choir, and meet some of the singers.

A small university town at the eastern end of the Danube’s Wachau Valley, Krems is surrounded by terraced vineyards. In its heyday, during the 12th century, Krems held even more importance than Vienna for its iron, grain, salt and wine trade. As to the latter, the city has played a long and celebrated part in the popularity of the Wachau’s wine culture; the valley’s south slopes in Krems are bathed in sunlight all day and create some of the best Riesling and Veltliner wines in the world. The city’s cobblestone streets, taverns, wine bars and coffeehouses have a timeless appeal.

Optional Excursions (Extra Cost):
Gottweig Abbey
Experience a Benedictine abbey where monks work and worship during an exclusive visit to Gottweig Abbey.

Wachau Valley by Bicycle
Follow the flat bicycle trails along the scenic Danube to Dürnstein on an electric bike, or e-bike.

Göttweig Abbey with Apricot Dumpling Demonstration
Enjoy an exclusive visit to historic Göttweig Abbey before learning how to make tasty apricot dumplings.

Originally known as Lentia in its days as a 1st-century Roman castle-settlement, Linz is today’s provincial capital of Upper Austria. The city’s famous Linzer Torte, the jam-filled cake topped with almonds, hails from here and can be found in any number of cafés. In the Old Town, narrow lanes lead to the Hauptplatz, once the largest town square in Austria. Handsome patrician houses, the 17th-century Town Hall and an impressive cathedral line the open space. The steepest mountain railway in Europe delivers visitors to Pöstlingberghill and its 18th-century pilgrimage church.

​Included Excursion:
Linz Walking Tour
Experience all the charms of this capital of Upper Austria during a walking tour.

Optional Excursions (Extra Cost):
Cesky Krumlov on Foot
Step into the Bohemia of old during a guided stroll through the Czech Republic’s fairy-tale town of Cesky Krumlov.

Austrian Countryside
Enjoy a sweeping culinary excursion through picturesque landscapes.

Mauthausen Memorial Site
Honor the memory of the victims of World War II during a solemn visit to the Mauthausen Memorial.

Founded by the Celts over 2,000 years ago, Passau is one of Bavaria’s oldest cities. Known as the “City of Three Rivers,” it rests at the confluence of the Inn, Ilz and Danube rivers. The city has long enjoyed its strategic position and grew to great economic and political power because of it. The legacy of its past prosperity lives on in graceful arcades, colorful houses with rococo facades and the glorious baroque St. Stephen’s Cathedral, home to one of Europe’s largest pipe organs. Passau is also where two nations meet; it is here that the German-Austrian border begins.

​Included Excursion:
Passau Walking Tour
Explore the Italianate-style streets of Passau, where three European rivers converge.

Optional Excursions (Extra Cost):
Fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle by Plane
See the famous fairy-tale castle that inspired Walt Disney and enjoy a flight over the surrounding countryside.

Hike the Passau Hills
Take in Passau’s sublime setting at the confluence of three rivers from the best vantage points in the city.

Bavaria by E-Bike
Escape Passau as you pedal along the Inn River, enjoying unspoiled nature and pastoral landscapes along the water.

Bavarian Farm & Countryside
Visit the rural reaches of Bavaria and hear local farmers reveal some details of their working lives.

Salzburg Highlights
Spend the day in picturesque Salzburg, setting of the beloved film The Sound of Music and the birthplace of Mozart.

Flightseeing Over Passau
Take flight on a private charter over the stunning lakes, rivers and mountains of Germany and Austria.

German Beer Culture & Dinner
Experience Bavarian hospitality while enjoying a lively evening of beer tasting and regional cuisine.

Historic Train & Bavarian Woods
Journey through the tranquil beauty of the enchanting Bavarian woods on board a historic private train.

Bid farewell to your fellow guests and journey home. Or spend more time exploring, perhaps joining one of the extensions.

* Ground transfers are included with Viking Air purchase.