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The Blue Danube – Eastbound
2009 Itinerary featuring 12 days from $3,990       River Cruising  Two Week  
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Glide past fairy-tale castles and medieval villages aboard Tauck's Swiss Emerald, Swiss Sapphire, or the new Swiss Jewel on one of Tauck's popular Danube River cruises. Take in views of the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary. Enjoy an Imperial evening with dinner and music in Vienna, a wine tasting in Dürnstein, and Slovakian and Austrian entertainment aboard your riverboat. Explore Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague, plus the castle-studded Wachau Valley, and Schönbrunn Palace. Admire frescoes, stained glass windows, and stunning architecture as you spend two nights each in Budapest and Prague in 5-star hotels, checking out remarkable bridges, cathedrals, museums, and grand Habsburg palaces.

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


Westbound

Click here for Eastbound, Prague to Budapest.

• Indicates day of cruising

Day 1: Begin your adventure in Budapest
Tour starts at 6:00 p.m. at InterContinental Budapest. A transfer is included from Budapest's Ferihegy Airport to the InterContinental Budapest. Meet your fellow travelers and Tauck Directors at the welcome reception and dinner to kick off one of Tauck's popular Danube River cruises.
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: InterContinental Budapest*, Hungary

Day 2: Discover the landmarks of Pest
Budapest is split into the sections of Buda and Pest by the Danube River. Explore the Pest side of the city, including Heroes’ Square, bounded by some of the finest architectural works in Hungary. Enjoy a special visit to the opulent State Opera House, opened in 1884 with a gilded vaulted ceiling, murals, and a three-ton chandelier. View the Parliament building, a Neo-Gothic masterpiece; and stroll Váci Utca, a fashionable promenade.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: InterContinental Budapest*, Hungary

Day 3: Explore Buda and embark your riverboat
On the Buda side, head up to Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site overlooking the Danube and the city, on a walking tour. See Fishermen’s Bastion, with its Neo-Romanesque design, visit the National Gallery and admire the stained glass windows in the 14th-century, late-Gothic Matthias Church. Board the riverboat this afternoon to launch your 7-night Danube River cruise. Note: Matthias Church may be closed on some departures due to services.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 4: Baroque in Bratislava
The first port of call is Bratislava, capital of Slovakia. On a guided walking tour you'll view several Baroque palaces, the Opera House, Slovak Philharmonic Hall and St. Martin's Cathedral, and visit the 13th-century Old Town Hall. Your riverboat sets off for magical Vienna tonight to continue one of our popular Danube River cruises.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 5: Music and more in Imperial Vienna
Arrive in Vienna, Austria; get an overview on a morning sightseeing tour of this historic city that includes the Ringstrasse, the Opera House, City Hall and Parliament. Then choose a tour of Schönbrunn Palace, built to rival Versailles, or a tour of the Imperial Silver Room inside the Hofburg. Tonight, attend a very special private Imperial Viennese evening at a traditional palace, which features dinner and live Viennese music.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 6: Explore Vienna and journey to Dürnstein
Pursue your own interests this morning in Vienna – which boasts a rich architectural legacy from its centuries as the capital of the Habsburgs' empire, plus over a hundred museums – and then return to the riverboat. Your discovery of the Danube River cruises past castles and abbeys to medieval Dürnstein. High above this village sit the ruins of the castle fortress where England’s King Richard the Lionhearted was held for ransom during the Crusades.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 7: Picturesque Dürnstein and Wachau Valley cruise
Take a walking tour amidst Dürnstein's lovely cobblestone streets, 16th-century houses, and former Augustinian monastery. Enjoy some free time, and attend a wine tasting at a local winery. Cruise through the Wachau Valley, Austria's lush wine-growing region, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved medieval landscapes.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 8: Salzburg sights or relax in Linz
Choose to enjoy the city of Linz, Austria, or take a full-day excursion to beautiful old Salzburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the hometown of 18th-century Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The day trip includes enchanting Mirabell Gardens and a guided walking tour through the historic district, rich in ornate church towers and grand Baroque palaces.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 9: Spend the day in Passau and cruise the Danube
Dock in the German town of Passau; take a walking tour through the cobblestone streets of this Baroque town renowned for its lovely stained glass. See the Altes Rathaus, the old town hall with 15th-century origins, murals on the façade and a glockenspiel in the tower. Return to the riverboat for lunch as you cruise past idyllic German landscapes to Regensburg.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 10: Disembark in ancient Regensburg and on to Prague
Your Danube river cruise concludes when you disembark your riverboat in the well-preserved Bavarian town of Regensburg. Visit the Steinerne Brücke, a medieval stone bridge over the Danube, and the remains of the town’s Roman wall. Have lunch on your own and explore at leisure before driving to Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, known as the City of 100 Spires.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Prague Marriott Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic

Day 11: Discover the legacy of Prague
Begin your discovery of Prague – a vibrant city where ancient and modern, and east and west, converge – in the Hradcany (Castle) district today, where you'll see Prague Castle's 1,000-year-old complex of palaces, courtyards and gardens. Visit the Cathedral of St. Vitus and enjoy a Tauck-exclusive, private tour of Strahov Monastery's grand Baroque libraries. Spend the rest of the day exploring this fascinating metropolis as you please, or join us for a walking tour of Prague’s Old Town – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the celebrated Astronomical Clock and Charles Bridge – as well as historic Wenceslas Square. Tonight, cap the most enjoyable of Danube River cruises with a festive farewell dinner at your hotel, named one of the Top 100 Best Luxury Hotels of the World.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Prague Marriott Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic

Day 12: Homeward bound
Tour ends in Prague, Czech Republic. A transfer is included from the Prague Marriott Hotel to Prague's Ruzyne International Airport.
Meals: Breakfast

*July 31 departure (westbound) will stay at Le Méridien Budapest on nights 1 and 2.


Quiet medieval landscapes and vibrant cities beckon on one of Tauck's Danube river cruises – book today!


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