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Budapest to the Black Sea
2009 Itinerary featuring 12 days from $4,290       River Cruising  Two Week  
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Chart a leisurely course along the romantic lower Danube River aboard Tauck's 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. One of several Danube cruises from Tauck, this memorable journey travels through Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, with two nights on land at 5-star hotels in Budapest and Bucharest.

If you’d like to make your European vacation last a little longer, consider a Paris City Extension before your cruise begins, or a Warsaw / Cracow City Extension or Paris City Extension after your cruise ends.
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2009 Itinerary


Eastbound

Click here for Westbound, starting in Bucharest.

• Indicates day of cruising

Day 1: Begin your adventure in Budapest
Tour starts at 6:00 p.m. at Le Méridien Budapest. A transfer is included from Budapest's Ferihegy Airport to Le Méridien Budapest in the heart of the city's Pest section. Meet your fellow travelers and Tauck Directors at the welcome dinner in the hotel this evening.
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: Le Méridien Budapest, Hungary

Day 2: Discover Budapest
Your exploration of Budapest begins with a special visit to the opulent State Opera House in Pest, opened in 1884. Later, 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.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Le Méridien Budapest, Hungary

Day 3: See Budapest landmarks and begin your cruise
After a morning at leisure, tour Buda's Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; see architectural landmarks such as iconic Fishermen's Bastion and 700-year-old Matthias Church. Board the riverboat to launch your Danube River cruise, bound for Solt. Note: Matthias Church may be closed on some departures due to services.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 4: 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
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 5: 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
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 6: 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
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 7: The Iron Gate, King Decebalus and more
Continuing one of Tauck's 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. 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
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 8: 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
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 9: 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
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 10: 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
Lodging: Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest, Romania

Day 11: 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
Lodging: Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest, Romania

Day 12: Homeward bound
Tour ends in Bucharest, Romania. A transfer is included from Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest to Bucharest Airport.
Meals: Breakfast


Experience the romance of Old Europe on
this most memorable of Danube cruises – book today!



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