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12 Days The Black Sea to Budapest - The Lower Danube Tour Package
Duration: 12 Days /11 Nights
Priced From: $4,290 pp Dbl. Occ.
Dates: May - Sep
Chart a leisurely course along the romantic lower Danube River aboard our luxury riverboats Swiss Sapphire, Swiss Emerald or the new Swiss Jewel, exploring rich cultural legacies. Cruise by medieval monasteries, citadels, and villages, and through the Iron Gate of the Danube. Enjoy a horse-drawn wagon ride, and see performances of folkloric dancing and horsemanship skills. Examine fascinating museums of fine art, traditional homesteads and folk art. Share local specialties with your Bulgarian contemporaries at a special home-hosted lunch, visit the island where the original Dracula is said to be entombed, and put your feet in the Black Sea. This memorable lower Danube cruise travels through Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, with two nights on land at 5-star hotels in Budapest and Bucharest.
Tour Itinerary
• Indicates day of cruising
Day 1: Begin your Danube cruise in Bucharest
Tour starts at 6:00 p.m. at the Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest. A transfer is included from Bucharest Airport to the Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest in the heart of the city. Meet your fellow travelers and our Directors at tonight's welcome reception and dinner.
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest, Romania
Day 2: 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 – set on a tiny island in the middle of a lake, and said to be the final resting place of Vlad Tepes, the historical model for the character of Dracula. Have dinner at your hotel tonight, a Bucharest landmark since 1914.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest, Romania
• Day 3: Bucharest or the Black Sea before boarding
More choices in sightseeing await you today. Before embarking your riverboat, you can choose to explore Bucharest and tour the massive People's Palace – home to the Romanian Parliament, and the world's second-largest building after the Pentagon – as well as visit the Romanian Athenaeum. Or drive to the resort town of Mamaia, set at the edge of the Black Sea, and stroll along Europe's only pure-white sand beaches. Then travel to Cernavoda and board MS Swiss Emerald, MS Swiss Sapphire or the new MS Swiss Jewel to launch your lower Danube cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
• Day 4: Big day in Bulgaria
Arrive in Ruse, Bulgaria, for excursions to nearby towns. In Arbanassi, known for its richly ornamented architecture, you'll have an opportunity to meet and share local specialties with your Bulgarian contemporaries at a private, home-hosted lunch. Travel to Bulgaria's medieval capital of Veliko Turnovo, whose ancient walled fortress and castle are set atop three hills overlooking the Yantra River. Rejoin the riverboat in Svishtov, and enjoy a Bulgarian cultural performance aboard ship this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
• Day 5: Danube cruising and Iconography Demonstration
Enjoy the views of fields and vineyards studded with medieval towns as the riverboat cruises the Danube through the scenic heartland of Eastern Europe today; attend an on-board lecture and demonstration on Iconography.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
• Day 6: King Decebalus and the Iron Gate of the Danube
Spend a relaxing day cruising along the Bulgarian / Romanian border, enjoying great views of the Transylvanian Alps. As you cruise, keep an eye out for a kingly face carved into the Danube's rocky bank; it's a monument to the 2nd-century Dacian King Decebalus, who defended his kingdom from the invading Romans – and it's the tallest rock sculpture in Europe. Glide through Romania’s Kazan Narrows and the Iron Gate of the Danube, a spectacular two-mile-long series of gorges between the Carpathian and Balkan Mountains.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
• Day 7: Serbia's cosmopolitan capital, Belgrade
Dock in Belgrade, Serbia's modern capital at the juncture of the Danube and Sava rivers. Sightseeing includes visits to Tito's Memorial, St. Sava Church, and Kalemegdan Fortress. Also view busy Slavija Square (once a large pool where residents hunted wild ducks!), Parliament, Republic Square and City Hall.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
• Day 8: Discover Croatia's historic cities
Your Danube cruise arrives this morning in Vukovar, 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. This afternoon, explore the Baroque city of Vukovar, once showcasing 18th-century mansions, but now poignantly symbolizing the effects of the 1990s war. Your riverboat continues on to Hungary tonight.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
• Day 9: Baroque treasures, horses and folkways in Hungary
Cruise to Kalocsa, Hungary – known for its folk art and its paprika – where you'll visit the beautiful Baroque Bishop’s Palace Library, housing one of the finest early collections in Europe. Visit the Equestrian Center in Solt to see Puszta horsemen demonstrating traditional skills. Ride a horse-drawn wagon back to the riverboat, and enjoy cocktails and dinner aboard ship tonight.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
Day 10: Disembark the Riverboat and explore Budapest
Disembark the riverboat in Budapest. Your exploration of the Hungarian capital begins with a special visit to the opulent State Opera House in Pest, opened in 1884. View the Parliament building, a Neo-Gothic masterpiece; Heroes’ Square, bounded by some of the finest architectural works in Hungary; and such Budapest treasures as City Park, Central Market Hall, and tree-lined Andrassy Avenue. Please join us for a farewell dinner tonight.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Le Méridien Budapest, Hungary
Day 11: Discover more landmarks of Budapest
After a morning at leisure, explore Buda's Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; see architectural landmarks such as Fishermen's Bastion and 700-year-old Matthias Church on a guided walking tour. Spend the remainder of the day exploring this fascinating city as you please. Note: Matthias Church may be closed on some departures due to services.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Le Méridien Budapest, Hungary
Day 12: Homeward bound
Tour ends in Budapest, Hungary. A transfer is included from Le Méridien Budapest to Budapest's Ferihegy Airport. Allow 2 1/2 hours for departure flight check-in.
Meals: Breakfast
Save time, money and stress!
For reservations: Fill out the vacation planner to be contacted by our Europe River Cruise vacation specialist.
Contact: Travelwizard.com
Phone: 1-800-330-8820 or 1-415-446-5252
9/09
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