Budapest to Tulcea (BUE) - 9 days -or- Tulcea to Budapest (TBD) - 9 days	For further assistance call 1-800-526-8539
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Detailed Itinerary: Budapest to Tulcea (BUE)

Day 1: Budapest , Hungary (Embarkation)

We board our ship at 6pm in Budapest. We are served a welcome cocktail as we are introduced to the crew. We set sail for Mohács. Dinner is followed by an evening of entertainment on board. We continue our cruise through the night.

We arrive early morning in Mohács, and pass through customs before continuing our cruise towards Osijek, having our buffet breakfast and lunch as we cruise. We have the opportunity to participate in a gentle keep fit session or other activities in the lounge/bar. We arrive in Osijek around 4:00pm and set off on our optional excursion. We have a guided visit of the Upper Town with a chance to see the Church of St Peter and St Paul, a Neo-Gothic brick structure with the second highest tower in Croatia after the Zagreb Cathedral. The tower measure 90m / 295ft and can be seen from throughout Osijek. Because of its size most locals refer to it as the cathedral but it is only a parish church. We continue our tour to the old town (Tvarda) where we begin with a visit of the 18th century fortress (magnificent panoramic views of the river), then the main square where we see the Holy Trinity Monument. We return on board in time for dinner and continue our cruise, heading towards Novi Sad. After dinner, there is an evening of entertainment on board.

Day 3: Novi Sad, Croatia – Belgrade, Serbia

After our buffet breakfast on board, we have an optional guided tour of Novi Sad. Located in the southern part of the Great Plain in the Baga region, Novi Sad is the multi-ethnic capital of Vojvodina. The lively and colourful little historic centre of Novi Sad is absolutely charming. We return on board for lunch and continue our cruise to Belgrade, where we arrive in the afternoon. On arrival, we set off on our optional excursion of the town. Located at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, the town has created its own cultural identity based on a mix of Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and Slavic cultures. From the Fortress of Kalemegdan, there are spectacular views of the great River Danube and its tributary, the Sava. Belgrade is a well-spaced out town with a modern feel where the Terazije and Republike squares form a lively centre. We return on board for dinner, followed by an evening of music and dancing, as we continue our cruise.

Day 4: The Iron Gates

Today is spent entirely on board as we continue our cruise. After our buffet breakfast and during the morning, we pass through the narrow pass of the Iron Gates between the Carpathians and the Balkans – truly an amazing location. The most spectacular part of the pass used to be called “the Danube Boilers” by navigators and sailors because the water, trapped between the steep mountainous walls seemed to bubble and boil. An equally striking but somewhat lighter landmark on the Serbian side of the river is the “Tabula Traiana” – an enormous Roman memorial plaque made of marble, erected to commemorate the completion of Trajan’s military road, or “imperial route” that linked the province of Dacia to Rome. We are now in the “Small Boilers”. The rocky slopes come closer together, then suddenly, the mountain pass opens out, giving the impression of a lake between the mountains, at the spot where the Mracona Valley flows into the Danube. An elegant viaduct towers over the mouth of the river and we can see the “portrait” of the old Dacian King Decebal carved into the rock face.

Day 5: Rousse, Serbia – Giurgiu, Romania

We have buffer breakfast on board this morning, arriving in Ruse early. We set off on our optional tour of Ruse. The town has a surprising multi-ethnic character and is a cleverly constructed mix of Bulgarian and Romanian cultures. It is a very attractive town, thanks to the wide avenues, large squares and wonderful buildings which pay tribute to the national Renaissance architecture. We return on board for lunch and set sail again, for Giurgiu. From here, we set off on our optional excursion to Bucharest. The cultural and economic centre of the country was established some 500 years ago. During the 1930s, Bucharest was nicknamed “Little Paris” thanks to its long tree-lined boulevards. The incredible mix of styles in Bucharest is sure to surprise us, including Orthodox churches (we visit the Church of the Patriarchate), manor houses in Second Empire style, the clumsy-looking Stalinist architecture of the Communist period and the Palace of the Parliament (exterior only, entry not included). We also visit an eco-museum which gives us the opportunity to appreciate the architecture and rural craftwork of Romania’s many different regions. We return on board in Giurgiu at the end of the afternoon. We have dinner on board and moor for the night.

Day 6: Giurgiu - Oltenita, Romania

Very early this morning, our ship sets sail, heading for Oltenita. After buffet breakfast on board, we set off on our full day optional excursion to Sinaia Monastery and Bran Castle (lunch included). (The excursion lasts around 12½ hours, including transfer time of around 7 hours). Our day begins with the visit of the Monastery at Sinaia, hidden away in the Prahova Valley in the heart of the countryside. Constructed in the 17th century, it comprises two churches and monks still live there today. We have lunch in a local restaurant before our afternoon excursion begins. We devote our entire afternoon to visiting Bran Castle, made famous by the Irish author Bram Stoker and his renowned novel Dracula. We return on board for dinner and continue our cruise, heading towards Cernavoda / Fetesti. Tonight, dinner on board is followed by an evening of entertainment as our journey afloat continues through the night.

Day 7: Cernavoda / Fetesti, Romania – Sulina, Romania

We arrive early this morning in Cernavoda / Fetesti. After breakfast on board, we set off for our full day’s optional excursion to Constanta (lunch included). We set off by coach to the Black Sea and Constanta, which was founded by the Greeks in the 7th century BC. Constanta today has a population of over 560,000 inhabitants and is the largest port on the Black Sea, second in importance only to Istanbul. Here we discover a real melting pot of architectural styles, most evident in the Orthodox Church (the interior) and the Great Mosque (from the outside). We also visit the Museum of History and Archaeology and the Roman Mosaics, superb multi-coloured mosaics covering more than 800m². We have lunch in a local restaurant before we continue our excursion to Murfatlar, where the best wines in Romania are produced. Here the wine growing area covers more than 4000 hectares and is the largest in Europe. We have a tasting of some of the wine in a wine cellar. We return to our ship in Cernavoda / Fetesti and set sail again towards Sulina.

Day 8: Sulina, Romania – Crisan, Romania – Tulcea, Romania

We have breakfast as we cruise this morning, and arrive around 9:00am in Sulina, which is situated at the mouth of the Danube. Here at the very start of this royal river’s journey we have an unobstructed view of the Black Sea. Around 11:30am, we arrive in Crisan. After lunch on board, we set off on our optional excursion on the Danube Delta, a very important nature reserve and established in 1998 by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve. We travel up some of the many branches of the Delta, through tropical vegetation (the northernmost tropical vegetation in Europe) and passing a great variety of wildlife. Meanwhile, the ship continues its journey and we re-join it after our excursion. We spend the rest of the day afloat, heading towards Tulcea. We have dinner as we cruise and arrive in Tulcea in the early evening. Tonight we have a Romanian Folklore Evening on board. We moor for the night.

Day 9: Tulcea , Romania (Disembarkation)

After buffet breakfast on board, we disembark around 9:00am. End of services.

******

Detailed Itinerary:Tulcea to Budapest (TBD)

Tulcea, is the main “port town" of the Danube Delta, almost as old as Rome itself, it is also laid out on seven hills. We board our luxury ship at 6pm and have a welcome cocktail as we are introduced to the crew. Dinner is followed by a folklore evening on board. We moor for the night.

We set off early this morning, cruising to Sulina, which is situated at the mouth of the Danube. Here at the very start of this royal river’s journey we have an unobstructed view of the Black Sea. We have buffet breakfast on board as we cruise. Around 8.30am, we arrive in Crisan and set off on our optional excursion on the Danube Delta, a very important nature reserve and established in 1998 by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve. We travel up some of the many branches of the Delta, through tropical vegetation (the northernmost tropical vegetation in Europe) and passing a great variety of wildlife. The ship continues its journey during our excursion and we re-join it for lunch after our excursion. We spend the afternoon afloat, heading towards Oltenita. Dinner on board is followed by an evening of entertainment.

After our buffet breakfast on board, we set off on our optional excursion to Bucharest. The entire day today is devoted to a guided visit of the Romanian capital (a traditional, typical lunch is included). The cultural and economic centre of the country was established some 500 years ago. During the 1930s, Bucharest was nicknamed “Little Paris” thanks to its long tree-lined boulevards. The incredible mix of styles in Bucharest is sure to surprise us, including Orthodox churches (we visit the Church of the Patriarchate), manor houses in Second Empire style, the clumsy-looking Stalinist architecture of the Communist period and the Palace of the Parliament (exterior only, entry not included). We also visit an eco-museum which gives us the opportunity to appreciate the architecture and rural craftwork of Romania’s many different regions. We return on board for dinner and set sail again. Dinner on board is followed by an evening of entertainment. We continue our cruise through the night, heading for Giurgiu.

We arrive during the night in Giurgiu. After buffet breakfast on board, we set off on our full day optional excursion to Sinaia Monastery and Bran Castle (lunch included). (The excursion lasts around 12½ hours, including transfer time of around 7 hours). Our day begins with the visit of the Monastery at Sinaia, hidden away in the Prahova Valley in the heart of the countryside. Constructed in the 17th century, it comprises two churches and monks still live there today. We have lunch in a local restaurant before our afternoon excursion begins. We devote our entire afternoon to visiting Bran Castle, made famous by the Irish author Bram Stoker and his famous novel Dracula. We return on board in Giurgiu and continue our cruise to Ruse, where we arrive during the evening. Tonight, dinner on board is followed by a folklore evening.

After buffer breakfast on board we set off on our optional excursion to Ruse. The town has a surprising multi-ethnic character and is a cleverly constructed mix of Bulgarian and Romanian cultures. It is a very attractive town, thanks to the wide avenues, large squares and wonderful buildings which pay tribute to the national Renaissance architecture. During our excursion, the ship continues its journey to Svistov, where we return on board for lunch. We spend the afternoon cruising, with a session of gentle exercise on board and a variety of entertainment in the lounge bar. We have dinner on board and continue cruising through the night.

Today is spent entirely on board as we continue our cruise. After our buffet breakfast and during the morning, we pass through the narrow pass of the Iron Gates between the Carpathians and the Balkans – truly an amazing location. The most spectacular part of the pass used to be called “the Danube Boilers” by navigators and sailors because the water, trapped between the steep mountainous walls seemed to bubble and boil. A clearer landmark on the Serbian side of the river is the “Tabula Traiana” – an enormous Roman memorial plaque made of marble, erected to commemorate the completion of Trajan’s military road, or “imperial route” that linked the province of Dacia to Rome. We are now in the “Small Boilers”. The rocky slopes come closer together, then suddenly, the mountain pass opens out, giving the impression of a lake between the mountains, at the spot where the Mracona Valley flows into the Danube. An elegant viaduct towers over the mouth of the river and we can see the “portrait” of the old Dacian King Decebal carved into the rock face.

We arrive in Belgrade early this morning. After buffet breakfast on board, we have an optional guided visit of Belgrade. Located at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, the town has created its own cultural identity based on a mix of Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and Slavic cultures. From the Fortress of Kalemegdan, there are spectacular views of the great River Danube and its tributary, the Sava. Belgrade is a well-spaced out town with a modern feel where the Terazije and Republike squares form a lively centre. We return on board for lunch, after which we set off for our optional excursion to Novi Sad, including a visit to the Orthodox Monastery at Krusedol and the small town of Sremski Karlovci. Located in the southern part of the Great Plain in the Baga region, Novi Sad is the multi-ethnic capital of Vojvodina. The lively and colourful little historic centre of Novi Sad is absolutely charming. During our excursion, our ship continues its cruise to Novi Sad, where we re-embark in time for dinner on board. Our cruise continues through the night to Osijek.

We arrive in Osijek early morning and have breakfast on board before our optional excursion. We have a guided visit of the Upper Town with a chance to see the Church of St Peter and St Paul, a Neo-Gothic brick structure with the second highest tower in Croatia after the Zagreb Cathedral. The tower measure 90m / 295ft and can be seen from throughout Osijek. Because of its size most locals refer to it as the cathedral but it is only a parish church. We continue our tour to the old town (Tvarda) where we begin with a visit of the 18th century fortress (magnificent panoramic views of the river), then the main square where we see the Holy Trinity Monument. We return on board for lunch and continue our cruise throughout the afternoon to Mohács, where we pass through customs before continuing our cruise to Budapest. We have a Gala Dinner and evening of dancing and music on board as we continue our cruise through the night.

After buffet breakfast on board, we disembark at 9am. End of our journey.

Please Note:

• Please check with us regarding availability of English excursions.
• A valid passport is required for travel. Please check visa requirements with your local consulate(s); responsibility for obtaining visas rests with the traveler.