by Riverboat
Travel aboard one of our luxury riverboats – MS Swiss Sapphire, MS Swiss Emerald or the new-for-2009 MS Swiss Jewel – on a two-week Danube, Main and Rhine cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest, gliding past grand cathedrals, medieval monasteries, castles and vineyards. Pass through five countries including the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary, and explore legendary cities such as Amsterdam, Vienna, Köln, Nürnberg, Bratislava and Budapest. Our all-included private shore excursions take you to many UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the historic districts of Budapest, Vienna, and Bamberg, and the Wachau and Rhine Valleys. In Vienna, take your choice of visits to Schönbrunn Palace or the Hofburg's Imperial Silver Room, and attend a grand Imperial Evening in a traditional palace. In Amsterdam, enjoy a luncheon cruise along the city's 17th-century canals and tour the famed Rijksmuseum. Visit Köln Cathedral, Melk Abbey, medieval towns like Regensburg and Dürnstein, Budapest's Heroes' Square and much more!
• Day 1: Embark on your cruise in Amsterdam
A transfer is included from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport directly to MS Swiss Emerald, MS Swiss Sapphire or the new-for-2009 MS Swiss Jewel. Tour starts at 4:00 p.m. in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Your two-week Danube, Main and Rhine cruise begins with dinner aboard the riverboat.
Meals: Dinner
• Day 2: Art in Amsterdam
See acclaimed art by Dutch Masters, including Rembrandt's The Night Watch, at Amsterdam's renowned Rijksmuseum. Then enjoy views of Amsterdam's remarkable architectural styles on a luncheon boat cruise along Amsterdam’s 17th-century canals.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 3: Köln, namesake of Eau de Cologne
Next stop on your Rhine cruise is Köln (Cologne), Germany. A guided walking tour includes the lofty Kölner Dom, elaborately decorated with pinnacles and buttresses – it is the tallest Gothic structure in the world, and took over 600 years to complete. Stroll through Köln's Hohe Strasse pedestrian area at your leisure in the afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 4: Koblenz or Marksburg Castle, and merry music machines
Dock in Koblenz, and choose either a walking tour of Old Town, or a trip to 13th-century Marksburg Castle, built high above the Rhine. Relax on an afternoon’s cruise through the scenic Lorelei Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit to Siegfrieds Mechanisches Musikkabinett – an eclectic collection of mechanical musical instruments housed in a 15th-century castle in Rüdesheim – precedes tonight's entertaining dinner in an old-world German restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 5: Rhine Cruise to the Main River
Visit Miltenberg, a walled medieval city with a hilltop castle and Roman roots. Then enjoy the views as your Rhine cruise continues into the Main River, through scenic valleys studded with castles, cathedrals, and fortified towns.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 6: Discover Rothenburg and Würzburg
Today's travels take you to medieval Rothenburg, on Germany's "Romantic Road," to see its Gothic cathedrals and gabled houses. Later, a visit to charming Würzburg reveals the town's 18th-century Residenz and the ornate Alte Mainbrücke, a bridge over the River Main.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 7: Bound for Bamberg
Continue your cruise along the Main, then journey to the Bavarian town of Bamberg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated atop seven hills. After discovering the town’s lovely gardens, medieval architecture and 13th-century Gothic cathedral with its four imposing towers on a walking tour of Old Town, you'll have time to explore this charming town on your own.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 8: Main-Danube Canal & historic Nürnberg
Cruise the Main-Danube Canal, which ultimately links the North Sea with the Black Sea; the idea goes back as far as Charlemagne, but wasn't realized until the 1990s. Pass through 16 locks as the waterway traverses the mountains. Continue on to historic Nürnberg, where you can choose between a tour of city sites associated with World War II and its aftermath – including the famous Court House – or a tour of the walled medieval town and a visit to the home of 16th-century painter Albrecht Dürer.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 9: Ancient Regensburg
Stop in the well-preserved medieval town of Regensburg, once a campsite for the Roman legions. On a walking tour, see the Steinerne Brücke, a medieval stone bridge over the Danube; Altes Rathaus, the 15th-century town hall that was once the seat of the Imperial Diet; and towering Dom St. Peter.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 10: Explore Baroque Passau
Dock in the German port city of Passau, dating back to Roman times. Spend time exploring this lovely Bavarian town, known for its Baroque architecture and stained glass, on a walking tour. Cruise the Danube in the afternoon, bound for Melk, Austria.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 11: Medieval Austrian abbeys and castles
Stop in the town of Melk, Austria, for a guided tour of its 900-year-old Benedictine Abbey, perched on a rocky outcrop above the river. Inside this Baroque masterpiece are fine frescoes, early manuscripts, and a high altar. Enjoy views of medieval castle ruins while cruising through the Wachau Valley. Stroll through picturesque Dürnstein on a walking tour; high above the town lie the ruins of a castle where King Richard the Lionhearted was held for ransom during the Crusades.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 12: Music and more in Imperial Vienna
Get an overview of Vienna, Austria, with a morning sightseeing tour of this historic city. Then take your choice of a tour of Schönbrunn Palace, built to rival Versailles, or a tour of the Imperial Silver Room inside the Hofburg, the Imperial Palace of the Habsburgs. Tonight, attend a private Imperial Viennese Evening at a traditional palace, which features dinner and live Viennese music.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 13: Baroque in Bratislava
Wake up this morning in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, where 17 centuries of history are chronicled on a walking tour. Highlights are Baroque palaces from the Habsburg era, along with St. Martin's Cathedral, the Opera House, Slovak Philharmonic Hall, and a visit to Old Town Hall. Please join the Captain and crew for a farewell reception and dinner aboard your riverboat this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 14: Discover Budapest on the Danube
Explore Budapest, Hungary's capital set on both sides of the Danube River. Sites you'll see include Heroes’ Square, bounded by some of the finest architectural works in Hungary; the Parliament building, a Neo-Gothic masterpiece; and Fishermen’s Bastion overlooking the Danube.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 15: Journey home
Tour ends in Budapest, Hungary. Disembark in Budapest; a transfer is included to Budapest's Ferihegy Airport. Allow 2 1⁄2 hours for departure flight check-in.
Meals: Breakfast
*****All itineraries are subject to change without notice.
This tour is also offered Northbound