Prague to the Black Sea combines The Blue Danube with Budapest to the Black Sea to create an unforgettable 19-day journey from Prague to the Black Sea and Bucharest. Your journey features two nights each in Prague and Bucharest at 5-star hotels, centrally located in the heart of the cities, along with a two-week cruise aboard one of our exclusive luxury riverboats – Swiss Emerald, Swiss Sapphire, or the new-for-2009 Swiss Jewel. This ultimate Eastern Europe travel experience takes you to Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. Glide past grand cathedrals, medieval monasteries, and historic citadels – as well as through the fabled Iron Gate of the Danube. Our private, all-included shore excursions ensure in-depth exploration of cosmopolitan cities and picturesque villages including Prague, Regensburg, Passau, Salzburg, Linz, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade and Bucharest.
Day 1: Arrive in Prague
This Eastern Europe travel experience starts at 6:00 p.m. at the Prague Marriott Hotel. A transfer is included from Prague's Ruzyne Airport to the Prague Marriott Hotel. Meet your fellow travelers and directors at the welcome reception and dinner and preview your Danube River cruise!
Meals: Dinner
Day 2: Legacy of Prague
Start today's exploration of Prague in the ancient Hradcany (Castle) district, where you'll see Prague Castle's 1,000-year-old complex of palaces, courtyards and gardens; visit the Cathedral of St. Vitus and enjoy an exclusive private tour of Strahov Monastery's grand Baroque libraries. You're free to spend the afternoon as you please in Prague, or join us if you like on a walking tour of Prague’s Old Town – a UNESCO World Heritage Site that's home to the Astronomical Clock and Tyn Church – along with Charles Bridge and Wenceslas Square.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
• Day 3: Ancient Regensburg / Danube River cruise begins
Drive to the well-preserved German town of Regensburg. Visit the Steinerne Brücke, a medieval stone bridge over the Danube, and the remains of the town’s Roman wall. Enjoy lunch on your own before boarding the riverboat to launch the Danube River cruise portion of your eastern Europe travel adventure.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
• Day 4: Spend the day in Passau
Enjoy the views from your riverboat's sun deck, lounge, or the windows of your outside cabin. Your first port of call is Passau, Germany; take a walking tour through the cobblestone streets of this Baroque town renowned for its lovely stained glass. See the Altes Rathaus, the old town hall with 15th-century origins, murals on the façade and a glockenspiel in the tower. Return to the riverboat for lunch as you cruise to Linz, Austria.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 5: Salzburg sights or relax in Linz
Choose to enjoy the city of Linz, Austria, or take the full-day excursion to old Salzburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Mozart's hometown. The day trip includes Mirabell Gardens and a guided walking tour through the historic district of ornate church towers and grand palaces. Enjoy Austrian entertainment on board this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 6: Wachau Valley cruise and picturesque Dürnstein
Your Danube River cruise and eastern Europe travel experience continues through the Wachau Valley, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved medieval landscapes. Take a walking tour amidst Dürnstein's cobblestone streets, 16th-century houses, and a former Augustinian monastery; see the ruins of a castle where Richard the Lionhearted was held for ransom during the Crusades. Enjoy some free time, and attend a wine tasting at a local winery.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 7: Music and more in Imperial Vienna
Get an overview of Vienna, Austria, with a morning sightseeing tour of this historic city that includes the Ringstrasse, the Opera House, City Hall and Parliament. Then choose a tour of Schönbrunn Palace, built to rival Versailles, or a tour of the Imperial Silver Room inside the Hofburg. Tonight, attend a private Imperial Viennese evening at a traditional palace featuring dinner and live Viennese music – truly a highlight of your eastern Europe travel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 8: Cruise the Danube to ancient Slovakia
Pursue your own interests this morning in Vienna – which boasts over a hundred museums – and then return to the riverboat for a cruise to Slovakia. Admire the scenery and hear a presentation on Slovak culture; enjoy Slovakian folkloric entertainment aboard the riverboat after dinner this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 9: Baroque in Bratislava
Wake up today in ancient Bratislava, capital of modern Slovakia – and, strangely enough, the long-ago capital of Hungary. On a guided walking tour you'll view several Baroque palaces, the Opera House, Slovak Philharmonic Hall and St. Martin's Cathedral, and visit the 13th-century Old Town Hall. Explore on your own in the afternoon, and attend a shipboard reception and dinner tonight.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 10: Explore Budapest
Start your visit to Budapest – Hungary's capital encompassing both sides of the Danube – with a relaxing spa visit before embarking on an afternoon sightseeing tour. See Heroes' Square, and Fishermen's Bastion, before continuing your riverboat cruise to Solt, Hungary for more eastern Europe travel discoveries.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 11: Horses and folkways in Hungary
A horse-drawn wagon ride takes you to the Equestrian Center, where you'll see Puszta horsemen demonstrating traditional skills. Then cruise to Kalocsa, celebrated for its paprika and folk art, where you'll visit the beautiful Baroque library in the Bishop’s Palace, housing one of the finest early collections in Europe.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 12: Cruise to Croatia's historic cities
Your discovery of the lower Danube cruises into Croatia. Travel overland to the fortified city of Osijek, which still has its Viennese-style mansions. Visit the ancient Tvrda Citadel, standing guard over the city, and the medieval Church of the Holy Cross. Later, explore the Baroque city of Vukovar, once showcasing 18th-century mansions, but now poignantly symbolizing the effects of the 1990s war. Your riverboat cruises to Serbia this afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 13: Serbia's cosmopolitan capital, Belgrade
Dock early morning in Belgrade, Serbia's modern capital at the juncture of the Danube and Sava rivers. Sightseeing includes Tito's Memorial, St. Sava Church, and Kalemegdan Fortress. Also view busy Slavija Square, Parliament, Republic Square and City Hall.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 14: The Iron Gate, King Decebalus and more
Continuing one of our popular Danube cruises, relax on a day's cruise past the fields and vineyards of Eastern Europe. Pass into Romania and through the Kazan Narrows and the Iron Gate of the Danube, a two-mile-long series of narrow gorges between the Carpathian and Balkan Mountains, for a true eastern Europe travel highlight. As you cruise, look for the massive monument to the 2nd-century Dacian King Decebalus – Europe's tallest rock sculpture – carved into the riverbank, as well as views of the Transylvanian Alps.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 15: Big day in Bulgaria
Your journey along the lower Danube cruises to Svishtov, Bulgaria, for excursions to nearby towns. Explore the medieval capital of Bulgaria, Veliko Turnovo, whose ancient walled fortress and castle are set atop three hills overlooking the Yantra River. In nearby Arbanassi, you'll have an opportunity to meet and share local specialties with your Bulgarian contemporaries at a private, home-hosted lunch.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 16: Romania’s Black Sea coast
Dock in Cernavoda and stop in Constanta en route to the resort town of Mamaia, Romania, set at the edge of the Black Sea; you may want to take a walk along one of Mamaia's fine beaches – the only ones in Europe sporting pure-white sand. Please join us aboard the riverboat this evening for the Captain's farewell reception and dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 17: Bucharest beckons
After disembarking the riverboat in Cernavoda, travel through the Romanian countryside to Bucharest, capital of Romania and once regarded as the "Paris of the Balkans." A sightseeing tour includes Revolution Square and the Triumphal Arch; erected to commemorate Romania's reunification and those who fell in World War I, it is a smaller but exact copy of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. You'll also pay a visit to the massive People's Palace, the world's second-largest building after the Pentagon.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 18: Castles and monasteries in Romania
Your have a choice of sightseeing in Romania today. Opt for a full day's excursion to tour Peles Castle in Sinaia, built for Romania's royal family in the 1880s. Or visit isolated Snagov Monastery – said to be the final resting place of Vlad Tepes, the historical model for the character of Dracula. Return to Bucharest for dinner at your historic hotel, a key Bucharest landmark since it opened in 1914. Note: Some departures may visit Bran Castle instead of Peles Castle due to weekly closures.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 19: Homeward bound
Your eastern Europe travel experience ends in Bucharest, Romania. A transfer is included to Bucharest Airport.
Meals: Breakfast
*****All itineraries are subject to change without notice.
This tour is also offered Westbound
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