Day 1 Bucharest, Romania
Welcome to Bucharest—the “Paris of the East.”
This day is free to relax and enjoy Bucharest. Spend some time exploring this fascinating city at leisure to discover its trendy shops, cafés, museums, beautiful homes and churches along Victory Avenue.
Day 2 Bucharest | Embark
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Dinner
Classic: Take a guided tour of the Romanian capital city of Bucharest with its tree-lined boulevards and Arc de Triomphe honoring WWI Romanian soldiers. See the Royal Palace Square, the scene of the city’s 1989 riots to overthrow the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
Travel to Fetesti to board the Avalon Suite Ship this afternoon. Explore the ship this evening and enjoy a dinner on board.
CERNAVODA
Discovery: After dinner, attend an onboard lecture to learn about the Danube Delta.
Day 3 St. Gheorghe
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Join a small-boat guided tour of the best-preserved of Europe’s deltas-2,200 square miles of rivers, canals, marshes, tree-fringed lakes and reed islands.
Discovery: Enjoy a special celebration to mark Kilometer “0”—the end of the Danube River’s 2,845 km journey from the source in the Black Forest to its delta into the Black Sea.
Day 4 Hârșova | Constanta
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Join a guided tour to Constanta, the most important commercial center in Romania situated on the Black Sea. Visit the Natural History and Archeological Museum to discover the history of early Romanian cultures.
Day 5 Rousse, Bulgaria | Veliko Tărnovo | Arbanassi
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Join a guided sightseeing tour of Bulgaria’s largest inland port and visit its impressive Holy Trinity Church.
Active: Join a walk through the park with an Avalon Adventure Host.
Sail to Svistov
Classic: Join a full-day guided tour to the former Bulgarian capital of Veliko Târnovo with its ancient stone houses clinging to the cliffs above the Yantra River. Discover one of the oldest towns in Bulgaria (circa 4300 BC), as well as the Bulgarian Revival architecture in the 15th-century town of Arbanassi. Later, join the ship in Svistov.
Day 6 Vidin
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Join guided sightseeing in Vidin, followed by a guided tour of Belogradchik. Marvel at the remarkable rock formations on the western slopes of the Balkan Mountains, sculpted by 200 million years of natural elements.
This evening, enjoy live entertainment on board with a Bulgarian folklore show.
Day 7 Donji Milanovac | Golubač
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Before lunch on board, sail through the spectacular and narrow Iron Gates Gorge, forming a natural border between Serbia and Romania.
Classic: Join a guided tour to Lepenski Vir, an important Mesolithic archaeological site chronicling prehistoric cultures, settlements and art. Marvel at the ancient discoveries and artifacts, as well as the unique views the site affords of the Danube Gorge.
GOLUBAČ
Classic: Visit the Fortress of Golubač, one of the best preserved medieval fortresses in Europe. You’ll hear about its tumultuous history as a border control defense in the Middle Ages, and a source of conflict between Serbia, the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire.
Day 8 Belgrade
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Join a guided sightseeing tour of Belgrade where the Danube and Sava Rivers converge. See the city’s many fascinating sights, including Saint Sava, one of the world’s largest Orthodox churches.
Choose to join an optional guided biking tour or spend free time in Belgrade exploring Knez Mihailova Street, Belgrade’s central pedestrian thoroughfare with many lively cafés, shops and cultural spots.
Day 9 Novi Sad | Ilok
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Enjoy a leisurely sailing morning or join an optional excursion to the city of Vukovar, Croatia’s undiscovered pearl.
Classic: Join a guided tour of Novi Sad, the second largest town in Serbia. Admire its Austro-Hungarian old town, with its baroque buildings, and ancient fortifications.
ILOK
Classic: Join a guided tour of Ilok, with its 1,000-year-old winemaking tradition still thriving and its medieval fortress protected for its Croatian cultural heritage.
Day 10 Mohács, Hungary
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Take a guided tour to nearby Pécs to see its 4th-century Christian underground tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with fascinating murals. Also, enjoy an organ concert on the tour.
Day 11 Budapest | Disembark
The cruise ends with breakfast this morning.