The Ultimate Rhine and Danube Cruise

We travel to Cologne and enjoy a relaxing evening onboard our ship before sailing overnight towards Rüdesheim.

Relax on the sun deck this morning as we pass the legendary Lorelei and continue our cruise along the Rhine through the spectacular Rhine Gorge. We stop at the quaint wine town of Rüdesheim where you can enjoy many highlights on our optional excursion, including a cable car ride for panoramic views across the Rhine valley. Join our evening optional excursion visiting a traditional wine cellar to sample some of the region’s delicious wine.

This morning we arrive in the fascinating city of Mainz, heralded as the wine capital of Germany. Here you have the morning free to explore or join our optional coach excursion visiting the majestic city of Heidelberg, home of Germany’s oldest university. Later today we set sail for Miltenberg.

We arrive into historic Miltenberg this morning where there’s free time to explore the pearl of the river Main. Explore the half-timbered houses which fill the Old Market Place or the oldest part of the town which sits between the Main River and the mountain Greinberg. We return to the ship for lunch before an afternoon sailing to Würzburg.

This morning we arrive in the city of Würzburg, which served as the home of powerful prince-bishops for centuries. Join our optional excursion to visit Würzburg Palace, one of the finest pieces of baroque art in the world, its 8th century church and the Fortress Marienberg. This evening enjoy a relaxing evening on board as we set sail for Bamberg.

We enjoy lunch on board before arriving into the beautiful Bavarian town of Bamberg which is located at the start of the Main-Danube canal. Surrounded by seven hills, it boasts the most intact centre in Germany with the old town listed as a world heritage site because of its authentic medieval appearance. Join our optional tour of the city to enjoy the main sights including the cathedral, Altenburg Castle, the Old Town Hall and the former Benedictine Monastery. This evening we enjoy dinner on board and set sail for Nuremberg.

This morning we arrive in Nuremberg, Bavaria’s second largest city after Munich. Here, there’s the opportunity to join our sight-seeing tour. The majority of the city walls still stand and inside you can explore the fascinating juxtaposition of medieval and modern life in an area filled with gothic churches, aristocratic houses, fountains, memorials and romantic corners, all dominated by the Kaiser Castle. Our optional excursion is a great way to make the most of our visit.  This evening we cruise towards Regensburg.

We arrive in Regensburg in the morning, which is located at the northernmost point of the Danube and also at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers. You’ll have the opportunity to join our optional city tour this afternoon, taking in one of the best preserved medieval centres which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. This evening, relax onboard as we sail overnight to Passau.

This morning we arrive into Passau where you can join our optional excursion to Salzburg, Mozart’s famed birthplace and the Sound of Music city. The centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site and our guided tour takes in some of the highlights of this historic city, with its Baroque architecture and fantastic squares, where you can relax with a typical Austrian coffee and cake. We rejoin our ship in Linz and set sail for Melk this evening.

We arrive in the Austrian town of Melk this morning, which is filled with cobbled streets and attractive buildings. It is also overlooked by one of the most splendid monastic houses in Austria – the Benedictine Abbey, which you can visit on our optional excursion. We return to the ship for lunch before we continue our cruise to Vienna, where we arrive later this evening.

After breakfast you can take advantage of our optional sight-seeing tour by coach, taking in the delights of Vienna, capital of Austria and birthplace of classical music. More than 150 grand palaces, over 27 baroque castles, impressive squares and striking monuments are just some of the key features of this magnificent city, whose historic centre is inscribed on the world heritage list. We return to our ship for lunch and set sail towards Bratislava where we arrive later today. This afternoon, there’s the opportunity to join our optional excursion to this historic Capital city which is dominated by its castle and unique suspension bridge. We’ll enjoy a walking tour with a local guide and sample ‘Makovka’ which is a sweet white chocolate with poppy seed filling, before sailing to Budapest this evening.

We arrive into Budapest around lunchtime where you have the opportunity to join our optional sight-seeing tour of the city, described by many as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Our tour introduces you to the highlights on both sides of the river, including the 700-year-old Matthias Church, Parliament building – a magnificent example of neo-gothic architecture, and Buda Castle, which rises 48 metres above the river. This evening, we enjoy a relaxing final evening onboard our ship.

This morning we bid farewell to our captain and crew and disembark our ship. Passengers travelling by air will be transferred to the airport for the return flight. Passengers travelling by rail will travel to Munich where we check into our overnight hotel.

After breakfast we continue our return journey back to the UK. *Please note: Due to low bridges the sun deck will be closed on some days*