Danube River Cruise with Dracula's Castle

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

Welcome to Vienna, the splendid capital of Austria and the center of the Hapsburg Empire. After embarkation, we'll have some time at leisure to settle into our cruise cabins. This evening, we'll enjoy a welcome cocktail followed by an orientation briefing and reception, and then dinner.

Today, we'll explore Vienna's glorious past as our included panoramic tour that takes us along the Ring Boulevard, past Emperor Franz Josef's Hofburg Palace and the State Opera to the Cathedral of St. Stephen's. This afternoon is free for us to explore Vienna independently. Our Cruise Director can assist us in arranging tickets for an optional concert or cultural performance. We'll set sail from Vienna late this evening.

Welcome to Slovakia! This morning, we'll depart on a mini-train ride to the hilltop Citadel for magnificent views of this lovely city. Next we'll see the city up close with a walking tour through Bratislava's lovely city center. Our tour takes us past St. Martin's Cathedral and the Primate's Palace. Our tour concludes with a stroll through Old Town where we can see Michael's Gate, Michael's Tower, the Main square, the Old Town Hall, and Slovak National Theatre. We'll return to our ship for lunch and then enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

We'll spend our morning cruising the Danube River to Budapest. This afternoon, we'll take a city tour of Budapest that includes some of the most popular sights: The Parliament Building, St. Stefan Cathedral, the Opera, the Square of Heroes with the Millennium Monument, and the town park with the Vajdahunyad Castle, and more. During our tour, we'll enjoy stops at the Square of Heroes, the Fisherman's Bastion and Gellert Hill. The rest of our evening is at leisure.

Today, we have a full day at leisure to explore Budapest independently. Consider joining our Cruise Director for an optional walking tour of downtown Budapest. Prior to dinner we can enjoy a short live concert of Hungarian Gypsy music performed in the lounge. This evening, we'll set sail and begin cruising to our next destination.

After breakfast this morning, we can head up to the sun deck to take in the beautiful vistas as we sail into Vukovar, Croatia. Croatia. After we dock, we'll enjoy a walking tour of this riverside city, Croatia’s largest river port, including a tour of the Franciscan Monastery and Museum including local refreshments along with the sounds of Croatian tamburica (banjo). Later, we'll return to our ship for dinner and set sail towards Serbia!

Welcome to Serbia! When we wake up this morning, we'll say "hello" to Novi Sad, Serbia's lively university town. We'll be delighted by our walking tour through the town center and its gorgeous pedestrian-friendly nooks and corners dotted with restaurants and people-watching cafés. After our tour, we'll have free time to explore the charming streets independently or we can join an optional tour to the local winery for a wine, cheese, and honey tasting. This evening, we'll continue sailing towards Serbia's vibrant capital, Belgrade, also known as "White City."

We'll witness "new" Belgrade today as it rebuilds and once again warmly welcomes Western visitors. Located on a hill at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, this ancient city dates back to the Roman Empire and was destroyed and rebuilt several times during its tumultuous history. This morning's tour of the city highlights includes the Kalemegdan Fortress, the imposing St. Sava Cathedral and the cobblestone bohemian quarter of Skadarlija and a visit to the Royal Palace of Crown Prince Alexander Karadjordjevic. For lunch we will venture to an authentic Serbian restaurant, where we'll meet a Serbian multi-generation family and enjoy a wonderful taste of Serbian homemade food, unlimited drinks, live music, and hospitality. Later, we'll return to the ship and after dinner, you'll be entertained by a local folklore ensemble featuring dancers and musicians dressed in colorful costumes.

This morning, we'll depart for Golubac Fortress (Dove Castle) for gorgeous views of the Danube river. Next, we'll continue to Lepenski Vir, the oldest archaeological site in Europe dating from 6,000 BC. We'll have time to relax on board and after lunch, we can enjoy one of the highlights of our voyage: passage through the impressive Iron Gates Gorge and the gigantic Djerdap Lock where the Danube surges down from the Carpathian Mountains. The views along the two-mile-long gorge are spectacular! After we arrive in Vidin, Bulgaria this evening, we'll enjoy our festive Captain's Farewell Dinner.

This morning, we'll embark on a walking tour of this delightful Bulgarian river port highlighted by a visit to the 13th-century Baba Vida (or "Grandma Vida" fortress, the best-preserved medieval fortress in the country. Afterward, we'll have some free time for strolling and shopping or we can consider joining the optional Belogradchik Rock excursion.

Today, we'll dock at the Romanian port of Turnu Magurele and journey to nearby Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Founded in 1459 by order of Prince Vlad Tepes, the original "Dracula." After breakfast, we'll head north through the beautiful Romanian countryside towards Brașov, Romania's second largest city and a renowned summer and winter resort. Along the way, stop at Sinaia and tour the impressive Peleș Castle, the residence of the last Romanian King. After we check into our hotel in Brașov, we'll enjoy dinner with our fellow travelers.

This morning we'll visit the infamous Bran Castle, the "historic" home of Count Vlad the Impaler—popularized world over in Bram Stoker's novels featuring the bloodthirsty Count Dracula. This imposing castle and the surrounding museum site will both entertains and educates as we discover the true life figure of Count Vlad, the Romanian national hero who fought the bloody Turkish occupation with equal ferociousness. Our afternoon is free to explore Brașov on our own.

Today we return to historic Bucharest where we'll enjoy a city tour. Bucharest has experienced times of greatness as well as periods of grief; but it especially flourished in the early 20th century when it was known as "Little Paris." The influence of French architecture is still evident—from the Arc de Triomphe to Enescu Museum and the wide, tree-lined boulevards throughout the city. Our panorama tour includes Revolution Square, and the imposing Palace of Parliament, the second-largest administrative building in the world. After check in at our hotel, we'll enjoy time at leisure to explore the city at our own pace. This evening we'll have a special farewell dinner featuring national specialities and live entertainment.

Our tour comes to an end after breakfast today.