Romantic Danube Cruise Plus The Splendours Of The Austrian Tyrol

Itinerary

• Day 1

  Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service then to Belgium for an overnight stay.

• Day 2

  Continue through Germany to the Regensburg area for an overnight stay.

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 3

  To Passau, where we board our cruise ship, MS Arena, for our seven-night cruise on the Danube.

  Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 4 - Danube cruise to Vienna

  From the river you see Greinburg Castle and the ruins of Kuenringer Castle as we enjoy an early morning arrival in the picturesque town of Melk, where you can visit the impressive abbey.

  Around lunchtime we sail eastwards through the wine-producing area of the Wachau past Durnstein and Krems. We arrive in Vienna later this evening.

  Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day 5 - Vienna

  Spend the whole day in Vienna where you can explore independently or join our optional sightseeing tour.

  Vienna has so much to offer from historical buildings and monuments to fine shops. Vienna is Austria's capital and has been shaped by many famous residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. Vienna is known for its Imperial buildings like the Schönbrunn and Habsburgs summer home.

  Set sail early evening and cruise overnight to Budapest.

  Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day 6 - Budapest with Sightseeing

  We arrive in Budapest and we will meet our guide for an included sightseeing tour of the city, by coach and on foot.

  Our guide will explain the history of the city with its two independent communities of Buda and Pest as well as pointing out the attractions of this beautiful city.

  Once you have finished the guided sightseeing tour and have an idea of what else you would like to see and do you can then spend the rest of the day enjoying the delights of the Budapest.

  Spend the rest of the day enjoying the delights of the city.

  Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day 7 - Budapest

  We leave Budapest around lunchtime and cruise westwards towards Bratislava.

  Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day 8 - Bratislava

  Early morning arrival in the Slovakian capital.
  It is here that the Carpathian Mountains which begin at the Iron Gate of Romania, finally come to an end. This beautiful city has many monuments and attractions to see that can be found all over the city. You can explore the city independently or join our optional, guided sightseeing tour by coach and on foot. We leave later this afternoon and cruise towards Durnstein.

  Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day 9 - Durnstein

  We spend the morning in the delightful town of Dürnstein. It was here that Richard the Lionheart was kept captive, imprisoned in Castle Dürnstein by Leopold V Duke of Austria.

  After lunch on board, we set sail for our final overnight sailing. Tonight, enjoy the Captain’s Farewell Dinner on board.

  Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day 10 - Passau

  This morning we arrive in Passau, where we will disembark our cruise ship. We will continue by coach into Austria to Niederau in the Tyrol for a three-night stay at the 4-star Hotel Sonnschein.

  Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 11 - Krimml Falls & Kitzbuhel

  Today we offer an optional excursion to Krimml Falls, where the Krimml River thunders down over 1000 feet. We continue to the internationally-renowned resort of Kitzbühel, where you will have some free time to explore this small medieval town.

  The area around Kitzbühel offers outstanding natural beauty from the rolling hills in the broad valley basin where the Kitzbühel Ache River flows, to the ‘Wilder Kaiser’ mountain range.

  Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 12 - Innsbruck

  After breakfast we leave the hotel and travel to Innsbruck on our optional excursion. The capital of the Tyrol, on the River Inn and at the foot of the Karwendel Alps, Innsbruck is the fifth largest city in Austria. This beautiful city is surrounded by stunning mountain scenery and steeped in history. There will be free time for you to discover the old quarter with its charming arcaded streets, the famous Golden Roof, stroll along the Maria Theresien Strasse with its bustling shops or climb the Tower of the City for magnificent views of the city.

  Alternatively, if you purchase the optional excursion to Innsbruck combined with a trip on board the Nordkettenbahnen, you will be transported from the bustle of the city centre high into the mountain terrain. We travel up to the Hungerburg mountain station where you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the city of Innsbruck. The panorama is cloud free for an average of 350 days a year!

  We then take the cable car further up the mountain to the Seegrube restaurant located at an altitude of 1905 metres above sea level. Here we have an included 2-course lunch at the restaurant whilst enjoying the fantastic views of the Middle Inn Valley, the Stubai and Zillertal Valley Alps and the Wipptal Valley over the Italian border. If you wish to venture even higher, you can join the cable car to the Hafelekar, the highest viewpoint at 2256 metres. A truly unforgettable excursion.

  Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 13

  Travel to Belgium for an overnight stay.

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 14

  Return home.

  Meals - Breakfast

Accommodation

You will stay for two nights at a minimum 3-star hotel in the Regensburg area before spending seven nights aboard the MS Arena. You will also stay for three nights at the 4-star Hotel Sonnschein in Niederau.

Overnight stays in Belgium will be in city-style hotels.