Day 1 Budapest | Embark
Welcome to Hungary. Your suite ship is ready for boarding. Flights into Budapest must arrive by 2 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.
The day is yours to relax and enjoy the city with time for photographs, cafés, and confections.
Day 2-3 Vienna
- Ship
- 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners
Start the day with a morning stretch with your Avalon adventure host. Enjoy sailing the Danube, which shares dozens of miles with Hungary and Slovakia. Relax on the Sky Deck to see the rolling landscape and red-rooftops of the Slovakian capital of Bratislava come into view. This evening in Vienna, you may choose to join an optional excursion to attend a Royal Waltz Concert for an unforgettable evening of music in an elegant hall.
On the next day:
Classic: Venture into the Habsburg empire this morning on a guided city tour of Vienna’s gilded landmarks. See the Imperial Palace complex—the winter residence of the Imperial Family, the historic Vienna Opera House, and stunning St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
Join a guided optional excursion to Schönbrunn Palace—a Habsburg Empire summer home for 300 years.
This afternoon, enjoy free time to take a tram to visit Austria’s Prater amusement park or one of the many museums nearby. You may also decide to borrow a bike from the ship to explore the streets and squares of Vienna or ride along the banks of the Danube at your leisure.
Later, relax on board with live entertainment as you sail to Dürnstein.
Day 4 Dürnstein | Wachau Valley | Melk
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Join a guided walk, and hear the legendary tale of King Richard the Lionheart—who was imprisoned in the castle above the village during the Crusades, OR:
Active: Join a guided hike up to the castle ruins with your adventure host to take in the spectacular view of the village, Danube, and the Wachau Valley below.
MELK
Classic: Take a guided tour of Melk’s magnificent Benedictine Abbey to marvel at its frescoed ceilings, statues, incredible library, and ornate pipe organ.
Discovery: Enjoy the flavors of the Wachau Valley with a wine tasting on board.
Day 5 Passau
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Join a guided city walk to learn more about this beautiful “City of Three Rivers", OR:
Alternatively, join a full-day guided optional excursion to Salzburg—the city of Mozart—or to the picturesque Bohemian town of Cesky Krumlov. Meet your ship back in Passau after your full-day selected activity for sailing.
Day 6 Regensburg
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Join a guided city walk and see Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) and Porta Pretoria—built in 179 AD as the entrance to Castra Regina fortress.
You may choose to join a guided optional excursion to visit the Benedictine Monastery in Weltenburg. Alternatively, spend a free afternoon exploring Regensburg on foot or by bike through its charming streets. This evening, enjoy live entertainment after dinner as you cruise toward Roth.
Day 7 Roth | Nuremberg
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Discovery: Enjoy an onboard lecture about the Main-Danube Canal linking these two rivers to make a vital connection enabling navigation between the North and Black seas.
Classic: Enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of the Bavarian town of Roth with its half-timbered houses, market square, and 1535 hunting lodge Schloss Ratibor OR join a guided sightseeing of Nuremberg with its medieval architecture, gilded fountain, gothic cathedral, and Kaiserburg Castle OR take a guided tour of the historic Nuremberg Rally Grounds used by the Third Reich.
Discovery: Later, indulge in a beer tasting on board.
Day 8 Nuremberg | Munich
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Take a full-day guided tour of the highlights of fascinating Munich. See Nymphenburg Palace a former residence of German monarchs, along with the old and new town halls of Marienplatz.
Day 9 Bamberg
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Take a guided walking tour of the historic home to imperial dynasties, and see its Romanesque cathedral, Old Town Hall, and seven hills crowned with churches.
After the tour, spend free time with a glass of German-style Rauchbier. Later, enjoy live entertainment on board.
Day 10 Würzburg
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Take a guided sightseeing tour of Würzburg with its Old Main Bridge, towering fortress, and baroque Bishop’s Residenz with the largest known ceiling fresco.
You may choose to join a guided optional excursion to the beautiful Bavarian town of Rothenburg. See the local sights and enjoy the fairytale atmosphere that has inspired artists. Enjoy live entertainment on board while sailing tonight.
Day 11 Main River Village
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Join a guided walking tour of a picturesque Main River Bavarian village.
Day 12 Frankfurt | Seligenstadt
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Join a guided sightseeing tour of Frankfurt to see the city’s cultural landmarks and gleaming financial headquarters combined with the cozy ambiance of quaint neighborhoods, OR:
Discovery: Take a guided tour to Seligenstadt, one of Germany’s oldest towns and home to the Einhard Basilika dubbed “minor basilica” in 1925 by Pope Pius XI.
Spend free time this afternoon exploring Frankfurt on your own. Later, enjoy live entertainment on board.
Day 13 Boppard | Rüdesheim | Rhine Gorge
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Take some free time to relax, or explore the Rheinallee Promenade for delicatessen fare with a cup of German coffee or glass of Riesling wine. This afternoon, stretch out on the sky deck as you pass through the spectacular Rhine Gorge on your way to Rüdesheim.
RUDESHEIM
Discovery: Tour the incredible Mechanical Music Museum for a one-of-a-kind instrumental experience; based on your departure enjoy a local special treat.
Day 14 Strasbourg
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Come along for city sightseeing, including the city’s gothic, stained-glass cathedral with its celebrated ancient murals and astronomical clock, as well as the magical La Petite France District.
Take some free time in Strasbourg to visit a museum, or stroll across the city center. Explore on your own along tree-lined streets with gingerbread-style houses reminiscent of Brothers Grimm within the very modern city of the European Parliament.
Day 15 Breisach | Black Forest
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Discovery: Join a full-day guided tour to the magical Black Forest to experience the Vogtsbauernohf open-air-museum, visit an authentic water mill, and see a traditional butter-making demonstration, OR:
Discovery: Visit to Badische Winzerkeller, the largest German wine producer in Europe. Discover Germany’s southernmost wine country in Baden—ideally situated between the hills of the Black Forest and the Rhine River. Learn about the vintners’ process in the vineyards here, and enjoy a wine tasting.
You may choose to join a guided optional excursion to visit the charming village of Colmar in the morning, with its half-timbered medieval and early renaissance buildings.
Day 16 Basel, Switzerland | Disembark
Your cruise ends this morning with breakfast. Flights should not leave Zürich airport before 10 am or Basel airport before 8 am.
Plan My Trip