Day 3: Vienna – Kalosca
We arrive in Vienna around lunchtime, where there will be the opportunity to join our optional Vienna city tour. Our guided tour takes in the many highlights of Austria’s beautiful capital, including an abundance of grand palaces, baroque castles, magnificent squares and striking monuments. Later this evening, we set sail for the charming town of Kalosca in Hungary.
Day 4: Kalosca – Belgrade
We arrive in Kalosca in the early afternoon where you will have free time to explore. Set on the bank of the Danube, Kalocsa is one of Hungary’s oldest towns and dates back to the early 11th century. As the town evolved it became known for paprika production and intricate handcrafted embroidery. This evening we enjoy dinner onboard before sailing to Mohacs and then onward to Belgrade.
Day 5: Belgrade – Iron Gate
We arrive in the Serbian capital of Belgrade around lunchtime. The city of Belgrade lies at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. There is plenty of time to see the highlights of this fascinating city on our optional 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. We enjoy dinner onboard this evening and sail overnight towards the Iron Gate.
Day 6: Iron Gate
Enjoy a full day cruising through the breathtaking scenery of Eisernes Tor, the Iron Gate, which is the largest river gorge in Europe and 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 – Tulcea
This morning we arrive in Ruse, which is the fifth largest city in Bulgaria, where there’s some free time to explore. Ruse is one of Bulgaria's most elegant cities full of belle époque architecture, leafy squares, an abundance of museums plus its ruined Roman fortress, standing guard high over the Danube. Lunch is served on board the ship before we set sail towards the Romanian city of Tulcea.
Day 8: Tulcea – Braila - Oltenita
We arrive into Tulcea this morning where we will visit the Danube Delta on our included excursion. At lunch time we are transferred by coach to join a boat trip, where we will cruise along the River Danube as it makes its final journey to the Black Sea. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, consisting of 2,200 square miles of rivers, marshes and lakes, is the second largest delta in Europe and is full of fascinating wildlife. Lunch is served onboard so you can relax and enjoy the spectacular scenery. We rejoin our cruise in Braila, one of the largest Romanian ports on the Danube, and set sail for Oltenita.
Day 9: Oltenita – Bucharest – Giurgiu – Iron Gate
We arrive into the picturesque city of Oltenita this morning. Here you can join our optional excursion which takes you to the Romanian capital of Bucharest, where there’s plenty of time to explore the wide tree-lined boulevards and admire the many landmarks including Parliament Palace – one of the largest buildings in the world. We rejoin our cruise in Giurgiu and set sail for the Iron Gate.
Day 10: Iron Gate
Today we have a full day cruising back through the magnificent Iron Gate. Relax onboard and watch the scenery drift by as we head towards Belgrade.
Day 11: Belgrade – Novi Sad
We arrive back into Belgrade at around lunchtime and from here you can take advantage of our optional tour of Novi Sad, the second largest city in Serbia. Take in the city highlights, including one of the city’s most recognised landmarks, the Petrovaradin Fortress, which dominates the city from the bank of the Danube. You’ll also discover the historic neighbourhood of Stari Grad and our optional guided tour takes in the many highlights of this fascinating city. This evening we enjoy dinner onboard before sailing onto Mohacs in Hungary.
Day 12: Mohacs – Pecs – Budapest
This afternoon, there’s the opportunity to join our optional city tour of Pécs, which is one of the most interesting cities in Hungary. Lying equidistant from the Danube to the east and the Dráva to the south on a plain sheltered from the northern winds by the hills, Pécs has a microclimate that lengthens the summer and is ideal for fruit production. It has an illustrious past and a number of excellent museums, monuments and a handful of universities. Enjoy a relaxed evening onboard as we cruise to the Hungarian capital of Budapest.
Day 13: Budapest – Bratislava
This morning we arrive in Budapest, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. You’ll have the chance to join our optional city tour taking in all the fantastic highlights the city has to offer. Explore traditional Buda or cross the river where you’ll discover the more cosmopolitan Pest. See the fairytale towers of Fishermans Bastion before having some free time to explore the rest of this amazing city. This evening, we set sail towards the Slovakian capital of Bratislava
Day 14: Bratislava – Melk
We arrive into Bratislava in the afternoon where you can join our optional excursion taking in this historic capital city, which is dominated by its castle and unique suspension bridge. We’ll enjoy a walking tour with a local guide and sample ‘Makovka’ which is a sweet white chocolate with poppy seed filling, before enjoying a relaxing dinner onboard our ship. This evening we continue cruising along the Danube towards Melk.
Day 15: Melk – Passau
We arrive in the Austrian town of Melk this morning, which is filled with quaint cobbled streets and striking buildings. It is also overlooked by one of the most splendid monastic houses in Austria – the Benedictine Abbey, which you can visit on our optional excursion this morning. Relax and enjoy your last night on board the ship this evening, as we cruise back towards Passau.
Day 16: Passau – Cologne (Coach & Rail) / UK (Air)
After a truly memorable cruise we bid farewell to our captain and crew and travel by coach or rail to our overnight hotel in Cologne. Those travelling by air will be transferred to the airport for the return flight.
Day 17: Cologne – UK (Coach & Rail)
After breakfast we continue our return journey home to the UK.