Your day starts with breakfast onboard… sharing your favorite table by the window with the couple you became friends with at your welcome dinner… enjoying your favorite buffet selections just the way you like them… along with great views of the passing riverscapes and lighthearted conversation with your companions. The riverboat docks right around the time you’re finished with breakfast; you couldn’t have asked for better timing…
As you step off the ship, our local experts eagerly await to show you around the centuries-old city they call home; soon it may feel like home to you as well. You’ll spend the rest of your morning exploring the city with your local guide, discovering one wonder after another along cobblestone streets so different from those you’re used to back home. You might decide to stay ashore for lunch – maybe checking out that famous local sausage stand the next block over – or return to the riverboat for lunch onboard. If it’s a warm day, the ship’s staff will greet you with a cool towel and a cold drink upon your return (or hot towels and a hot drink if it’s a tad chilly). Maybe you’ll indulge in a glass of wine as the riverboat sets off to its next destination… as you wave farewell to the town you just got to know… and love.
Your won’t arrive at your next port of call for a few hours, so you have some time to explore your “floating hotel.” After lunch, you spot the couple from this morning about to take a dip in the Jacuzzi. “Like to join us?” they ask. You say you’d love to, and are soon relaxing and chatting as you bask in the sun, sipping a cool drink. Refreshed, you head into the lobby just in time to watch the riverboat dock; dinner tonight may be something you have never experienced before… an elegant, private affair in a baroque palace…
Walking to the palace, your Tauck Director and local guide fill you in on the history that surrounds you. Your jaw drops as you enter the magnificent building – you recognize it from the movies! – and are escorted to the site of your Imperial Evening. The couple you had breakfast with joins you, bringing along some new friends. You’re all transported back in time as costumed musicians play, dancers swirl, singers perform a Mozart aria, and an army of white-gloved servers reveal each course of your sumptuous meal with a flourish of military precision. You don’t want the evening to end, but alas, it must. As you depart the grand hall, you notice the city lights reflecting on the river, and choose a riverside bench to sit on for a few moments’ reflection of your own… another Tauck experience to check off on the “wow” list…
You and your companions head back to the riverboat via a quiet, less-traveled route that lets you take in the magic of the city’s skyline one last time. Back on board, you take a moment to send a quick note about your day to the folks back home, then meet some friends for a little more camaraderie around the piano in the lounge before calling it a night. Later, drifting off to sleep, you smile… realizing that you’ll soon be waking up in another magical city… to embark on another perfect day of your Tauck river cruise…