2008 Eastbound Itinerary

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• Indicates day of cruising

Day 1: Arrive in Prague
Tour starts at 6:00 p.m. at the Prague Marriott Hotel. A transfer is included from Prague's Ruzyne Airport to the Prague Marriott Hotel. Meet your fellow travelers and Tauck Directors at the welcome reception and dinner and preview your Danube River cruise!
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: Prague Marriott Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic

Day 2: Legacy of Prague
Choose to take a walking tour of Prague’s Old Town – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – as well as Wenceslas Square and other "Velvet Revolution" sites. Or opt to visit Josefov, Prague's historic Jewish Quarter, where a walking tour includes the Jewish Museum and Pinkas Synagogue (may not be available on some departures due to Jewish holidays).
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Prague Marriott Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic

Day 3: Hradcany and a Private Gala Evening at Nelahozeves Castle
Visit Prague's ancient Hradcany 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 an exclusive private tour of Strahov Monastery's grand libraries. Tonight, join us for an exclusive gala evening at the Renaissance-era Nelahozeves Castle; meet members of the former Czech nobility, and enjoy wine from their vineyards.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Prague Marriott Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic

• Day 4: Ancient Regensburg / Danube River cruise begins
Drive to the well-preserved German town of Regensburg. Visit the Steinerne Brücke, a medieval stone bridge over the Danube and the remains of the town’s Roman wall. Enjoy lunch on your own before boarding the riverboat to launch your Danube River cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

• Day 5: Spend the day in Passau
Enjoy the views from your riverboat's sun deck, lounge, or the windows of your outside cabin. Your first port-of-call is Passau, Germany; 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 to Linz, Austria.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

• Day 6: Salzburg sights or relax in Linz
Choose to enjoy the city of Linz, Austria, or take the full-day excursion to old Salzburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Mozart's hometown. The day trip includes Mirabell Gardens and a guided walking tour through the historic district of ornate church towers and grand palaces. Enjoy Austrian entertainment on board this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

• Day 7: Wachau Valley cruise and picturesque Dürnstein
Your Danube River cruise continues through the Wachau Valley, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved medieval landscapes. Take a walking tour amidst Dürnstein's cobblestone streets, 16th-century houses, and a former Augustinian monastery; see the ruins of a castle where Richard the Lionhearted was held for ransom during the Crusades. Enjoy some free time, and attend a wine tasting at a local winery.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

• Day 8: Music and more in Imperial Vienna
Get an overview of Vienna, Austria, with 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 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 9: Cruise the Danube to ancient Slovakia
Pursue your own interests this morning in Vienna – which boasts over a hundred museums – and then return to the riverboat for a cruise to Slovakia. Admire the scenery and hear a presentation on Slovak culture; enjoy Slovakian folkloric entertainment aboard the riverboat after dinner this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

• Day 10: Baroque in Bratislava
Dock in Bratislava, ancient 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. Join us for the Captain's cocktail reception and dinner tonight.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

• Day 11: Explore Budapest
Start your visit to Budapest with a relaxing spa visit before embarking on an afternoon sightseeing tour. See Heroes' Square, and Fishermen's Bastion, before continuing on your riverboat cruise to Solt, Hungary.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

• Day 12: Puszta horsemen and Kalocsa's Paprika House
A horse-drawn carriage ride takes you to the Equestrian Center, where you'll see Puszta horsemen, folkloric dancers, and Hungarian craftsmen all demonstrating traditional skills. Then cruise to Kalocsa to visit the Paprika House and the Bishop’s Palace Library, housing one of the finest early collections in Europe.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

• Day 13: Cruise to Croatia's historic cities
Your discovery of the lower Danube cruises to Vukovar, 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. This afternoon, explore the Baroque city of Vukovar, once showcasing 18th-century mansions, but now symbolizing the effects of the Serbian war. Your riverboat cruises to Serbia this afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

• Day 14: Serbia's cosmopolitan capital, Belgrade
Dock 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, the National Museum of Serbia, and City Hall.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

• Day 15: The Danube’s Iron Gate of Romania
Continuing on one of Tauck's 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, a two-mile-long series of narrow gorges between the Carpathian and Balkan Mountains. Look for the remains of Roman Emperor Trajan’s Bridge, the first built across the Danube, dating back to AD 105.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

• Day 16: 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; view artisans at work in local shops. See amazing frescoes at the 16th-century Church of the Nativity in the town of Arbanassi.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

• Day 17: Romania’s Black Sea beaches
Dock in Cernavoda and stop in Constanta en route to the resort town of Mamaia, Romania, set at the edge of the Black Sea; walk along the soft sand beach. 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 18: Bucharest beckons
Disembark the riverboat in Cernavoda; travel through the Romanian countryside to Bucharest, where a sightseeing tour includes the Triumphal Arch, Revolution Square, and Patriarchal Cathedral, built in 1658 and the center of the Romanian Orthodox faith.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest, Romania

Day 19: Dracula’s 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 Dracula – and tour Bucharest's gargantuan Parliamentary Palace, the world's second-largest building after the Pentagon. Have dinner at your landmark hotel tonight. Note: Cruise of 6/5 will not visit Peles Castle due to weekly closures.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest, Romania

Day 20: Homeward bound
Tour ends in Bucharest, Romania. A transfer is included from Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest to Bucharest Airport.
Meals: Breakfast

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