Danube River Cruise

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$2,999
12 days
average review
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AUSTRIA, SLOVAKIA, HUNGARY, CROATIA, SERBIA, ROMANIA, AND BULGARIA

Sail down the Danube River stopping at some of Eastern Europe’s most fascinating cities—from Vienna and Budapest to Belgrade and Bucharest. Before setting sail, go sightseeing in Vienna, which features beautiful palaces and modern architecture. Then, depart on the ship to Bratislava, Slovakia where you’ll explore the sights around Old Town. Next, stop down the river takes you into Hungary for a visit to Budapest. You’ll tour the city and then have a full day to discover sights at your leisure. Sail along the picturesque Drava River to Croatia for a day around Vukovar and then set your sights on Serbia, with stops at the charming cities of Novi Sad and Belgrade. Admire the stunning vistas as we cruise to Bulgaria, bringing you to Vidin.

Extend Your Trip! Enjoy our Danube River Cruise with Dracula’s Castle tour which includes 2 nights in Brasov where you’ll explore the city and enjoy an excursion to Dracula’s Castle.

Itinerary at a Glance

Tour Itinerary:

  • 10-night Danube Cruise to Vienna (Austria), Bratislava (Slovakia), Budapest (Hungary), Vukovar (Croatia), Novi Sad (Serbia), Belgrade (Serbia), Vidin (Bulgaria)
  • 1 night in Bucharest

Tour Highlights

  • Hofburg Palace (Vienna)
  • St. Martin’s Cathedral (Bratislava)
  • Matthias Coronation Church (Budapest)
  • Gypsy Concert (On Board – Budapest)
  • Walking Tour with Concert (Vukovar)
  • Kalemegdan Fortress (Belgrade)
  • Authentic Serbian Lunch with plum brandy
  • Iron Gates Gorge
  • Baba Vida Fortress (Vidin)
  • Palace of Parliament (Bucharest)

Your Tour Includes

  • 10-night cruise on the Danube River
  • One night in a Bucharest hotel
  • 30 meals: 11 buffet breakfasts, 9 lunches, 10 dinners plus 2 glasses of wine or beer with lunch and dinner on cruise
  • All on board activities, themed dinners, and special services including early riser breakfast, afternoon cakes & tea, 24/7 coffee station, late night snacks and entertainment each evening
  • Comprehensive sightseeing tours, shore excursions, onboard lectures, folklore performances, and concerts
  • Professional English-speaking Cruise Manager and local English-speaking guides throughout

Is this tour right for you? Find out What to Expect

Tour Itinerary

Map

Click the Day by Day itinerary above (or swipe on mobile devices) to see the experiences that await on each day of your tour.

Flights

Note: Flights may not be available on all departures.

You may have to book your own flights to the tour destination. If so, you are responsible for making your own way to the tour starting point, where you will meet your Tour Director. This is normally the first hotel in your itinerary.

You can find more details on the Before You Depart page.

Day 1: Arrive Vienna (Austria)

Day 2: Set Sail from Vienna

Day 3: Bratislava (Slovakia)

Day 4: Budapest (Hungary)

Day 5: Budapest (Hungary)

Day 6: Vukovar (Croatia)

Day 7: Novi Sad (Serbia)

Day 8: Belgrade

Day 9: Sailing through the Iron Gates (Serbia)

Day 10: Vidin (Bulgaria)

Day 11: Disembark in Bucharest (Romania)

Day 12: Depart Bucharest

Guided Tour Pricing

Explore savings of up to $800 per person to dream destinations! Book by Mar. 29th.

Travelers may choose to purchase the tour only, and arrange their own arrival in destination. Please note this may change your tour start date.

2024 Tours Tour Only  
Sun–Thu
May 26–Jun 6
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$2,999
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Sun–Thu
Aug 25–Sep 5
From
$3,399 $3,049
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Sat–Wed
Sep 14–25
From
$3,399
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Rates are per person based on double occupancy.
Single supplement applies when not sharing a room. Select a date above to see the rates for that specific departure.

For more information on this tour, please contact us here or call us during business hours (Monday-Friday from 9:00 am - 5:30 pm Eastern) at 1.800.337.7773.

Reservations and Payments
Reservations can be made online or by phone (1.800.337.7773) and will be confirmed upon receipt of your non-refundable, non-transferable deposit, which must be received at the time of reservation. Deposits are $300 per person. Full payment is due 90 days prior to departure. Space and prices subject to availability. Please see the smarTours Terms and Conditions for complete booking information.

Optional Tours Customize your trip with these optional tours.

Enhance your trip with our recommended optional tours. Indicated optional tours are available to pre-book when you reserve your trip and can be added to your reservation up to final payment. This is the best option to guarantee your spot on your preferred optional tour! Optional tours require a minimum number of participants. Optional tours are non-refundable unless they do not operate.

Some optional tours can be purchased in-destination and may cost extra. The payment methods and currency information to purchase tours in-destination will be provided on final documentation.

Classical Music Concert

Walking Tour of Downtown Pest

Krusedol Monastery & Wine Tasting

Belogradchik Rocks

What to Expect

Max Group Size: 24 travelers

Activity Level: Level 1

Expect most included touring to require walking and standing periods up to 3 hours at a time (up to 2 times per day) on easy terrain with some light stairs. Learn More

Pacing Level: Leisurely

Expect half-day tours most days with a free day in most cities to explore independently. There are few to no early mornings and/or long travel days by bus (don’t worry—there are always comfort stops!), and you may expect to stay in most accommodations for 4+ nights. Learn More

New in 2025: ETIAS Visa Waiver Required for U.S. Passport Holders

A valid passport is required for international tours. Effective for travel in 2025, U.S. passport holders are required to apply for an ETIAS visa waiver. Please visit our Passports & Visas page to learn more about any required actions, next steps, and additional costs.

The ship may dock in uneven terrain. Travelers may encounter some uneven surfaces, stairs, steps, and significant slopes on the shore excursions.

For more detailed information about this tour and destination, visit our Before You Depart section.

Reviews

Patti C

My husband and I were recently on A Danube Discovery Cruise. Our tour Director was Dusan Kuljic. When the unimaginable happened, and my husband became ill and needed emergency surgery in Novi Sad Serbia, Dusan jumped in and stayed by our sides throughout the ordeal. Once he'd found me a place to stay, he returned to his ship but never gave up contact with us, calling frequently to see if we needed anything. When the cruise ended and we were still in Novi Sad, Dusan returned to Belgrade, came to pick us up and move us to Belgrade where we could get a flight home. This man was truly our angel and turned what could have been a real nightmare into an opportunity to develop friendships, sight see, and rest as needed. He is one in a million and thoughts of him will always be at the top of our best memories of this trip.

Virginia W

We thought the trip was excellent. The river boat was good and the people on the boat were VERY gracious. I loved the size of the river boat. Our TD, Dusan J, was excellent. Would have loved for him to stay with us the whole trip. He left after the cruise and we had another one for mountain portion of the trip. He was OK but I can't remember his name. He was very knowledgeable about the area. It would be better if you kept same one for all of the trip. I will take another river cruise with smarTours.

Prakash P

Everything was great.We had wonderful time.Tour guides,staff,crew and food was excellent.Also the group was the best ever.This was our seventh tour with smarTours.

TOM a

This vacation was one of the best we have had. Everything, including the ship, all accommodations (ship and land), tours and tour guides, cuisine was very well prepared and excellent. The personnel (ship and land) did everything possible to make everyone happy and satisfied.

Hersh R

We are now on our way home from this wonderful Danube River cruise. I would like to sum up our experience on the Little Prince as outstanding. This trip turned out to far exceed our expectations. The crew and cruise director (Duschan) were terrific. Dining room staff and food quality was excellent. Kitchen staff and our waiter Liviu went out of their way to accommodate the kosher requirements of our table. Tour guides in most locations were very knowledgeable and spoke good english.
Our only criticism was the air conditioning in the cabin and dining room.
The cabin was very hot and humid and nothing could be done by the staff.

We will highly recommend SmarTours to our friends.

Karen Y

Great itinerary. Included excursions were OK but did not really cover a lot of things we wanted to see. Seemed like we viewed a lot of the places from the bus or a walk by but did not go into many places. Boat was older and seemed like a camping trip with the bath being very small and single beds hard. Difficult to regulate the temperature in the room too. Food was good and the staff on the boat was great, very accommodating to food allergies. Hotel in Bucharest was very nice.