European River Cruise - Budapest to Amsterdam
Fully escorted from Australia
Guaranteed SINGLE room throughout
French Balcony stateroom with NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
Departing Australia 18 May, 2010
1 night Singapore, 3 nights Prague, 3 nights Budapest, River Cruise Budapest - Amsterdam, 2 nights Amsterdam
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Imagine 15
magical days along the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers. You’ll uncover
treasures straight out of history books and fairytales—charming
squares, magnificent cathedrals, bustling marketplaces—often just a
stroll away from the ship. There is no waiting in long lines to get
on or off the ship, and there are always amazing things to
see—scenic vineyards, historic castles, or countless UNESCO World Heritage Sites—from the comfort of your
own private stateroom.
There are many
ways to travel through Europe, but none compare to the intimate,
stylish, and sophisticated experience of a river cruise.
Our ship is an elegant floating hotel with all the comforts of home
and your own private stateroom with floor to ceiling windows and
French balcony (windows that open),
will ensure this voyage of discovery is perfect in every way.
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Day 1 18 May, 2010 Australia - Singapore We depart with Singapore Airlines from Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane direct to Singapore. Accommodation: Parkroyal on Beach (or similar) 1 night
Day 2 19 May, 2010
Singapore - Prague (B) Full day at leisure in Singapore
with late afternoon checkout, before our transfer to the airport and overnight flight to
Prague via Frankfurt
Day 3 20 May, 2010
Prague Arrive this morning and transfer
to our hotel
for 3 nights accommodation. Possibly the prettiest city in
Eastern Europe, Prague is a living lesson in architecture and history.
Set in a valley overlooking the Vlatva River, Prague's many historical
sights and charming quarters offer days of walking and exploring,
combined with Europe's best value entertainment, cuisine and, of course,
the famous Czech beer.
Remainder of day is at leisure. Accommodation: Hotel
Leonardo (or similar) 3 nights In
the heart of the fascinating city of Prague, just a few steps from the
Charles Bridge and the Old Town Square, lies an oasis of elegance and
sophisticated hospitality, the Hotel Leonardo. The hotel is the result
of skilful renovation of an old Post House in the city centre, from
which its 82 spacious rooms have been carved out, then furnished with
unique antique pieces originating from Prague’s extensive art nouveau
heritage. All the rooms have a particularly refined nature
created carefully down to the last detail, to turn each stay into an
delightful and unique experience. Splendidly furnished with original
antiques that belong to Prague’s liberty heritage, each room reproduces,
in the comforts, space and details, the atmosphere and hospitality built
for people. Each room is unique and differs from the others in some
details, but all of them were designed to meet expert and refined
travellers’ requests and offer a pleasant stay. In addition to
comfortable beds and an elegant furnishing in some detail, each room has
direct telephone, safe, minibar, TV, internet access, air
conditioning/heating system, bidet, hairdryer, magnifying mirror, bath
tub or shower.
Day 4 21 May, 2010
Prague (B) Morning leisure. This afternoon we
enjoy a Grand City tour passing many of Prague's famous landmarks
including the State Opera, National Museum, Wenceslas Square and Prague
Castle District. Enjoy a walking tour of the castle area where you will
have a chance to see the world-famous St. Vitus Cathedral. Visit
the Jewish 'Ghetto' before making your way to the Old Town Square to
view the Astronomical Clock and St. Nicholas Church.
Day 5 22 May, 2010 Prague (B) Day is at leisure. This evening experience the beauty of Prague by night as all the major sights are brilliantly illuminated. Transfer to the Vltava River to board a comfortable ship and enjoy a welcome drink. During the cruise enjoy dinner with music entertainment, whilst the Charles Bridge, Castle District, National Theatre and Vysehrad pass by. After a leisurely 3 hour cruise you will be transferred back to the hotel.
Day 6 23 May, 2010
Prague - Budapest (B) Transfer to the airport for our
late morning flight to Budapest. On arrival we have
2 full days in our hotel to explore Budapest at leisure.
Described as the 'Queen of the Danube', the capital of Hungary straddles
the mighty Danube River which separates the two cities of Buda and Pest.
Marvel at the city's striking architecture, tree-lined boulevards and
Austro-Hungarian heritage. Accommodation: 4* K & K Opera (or
similar) 2 nights The
spaciously opulent K&K Hotel Opera is perfectly situated next to the
State Opera House with the shopping and pedestrian zone “Váci utca”
just a short walk away. The “Opera” underground station is right next
door to the hotel. The stylishly designed rooms radiate warm
elegance and comfort. The careful selection of high quality fabrics and
finest textiles enhance the unique ambiance of the rooms. Guest beds
with top quality quality mattresses and down duvets ensure a most
restful sleep. Rooms feature individually adjustable
air-conditioning, sound-proof windows, satellite TV with international
channels, ISDN direct-dial telephone, safe, mini-bar, coffee & tea
making facilities, free high speed Internet access via LAN, electronic
door lock. Fully equipped bathrooms with bathtub, hair-dryer and
cosmetic mirror.
Day 7 24 May, 2010
Budapest (B) At leisure.
Day 8 25 May, 2010
Budapest
(B) Morning is at leisure and we embark Amadeus Princess in
the late afternoon. Enjoy a cocktail before the welcome dinner on
board. The ship remains moored overnight in Budapest. In the evening a
gypsy band and a Hungarian folklore group will entertain us as while
cruise along Budapest’s impressive illuminations.
Day 9 26 May, 2010 Budapest - Bratislava (B,L,D)
Budapest is a city made up of two parts: Buda and Pest, built on
opposite banks of the Danube. Buda is the older and more graceful part,
with its cobbled streets and medieval architecture, while Pest is the
administrative and commercial centre, with wide avenues and impressive
19th-century public buildings. East meets West in this fascinating city,
and this can be seen in the variety of shops and restaurants. This
morning we enjoy an included tour of the city, while in the afternoon
you have time at leisure or can take an optional tour and
discover the small artist-settlement Szentendre (Euro 20). Szentendre
became a creative place of an artist-settlement in 1926. Especially well
worth seeing is the main place Foetér, surrounded by impressive
buildings from the time of rococo and baroque. A culinary highlight is
perhaps the marzipan museum – „Szabo”. The ship leaves Budapest in the
afternoon.
Day 10 27 May, 2010 Bratislava - Vienna (B,L,D)
This morning we arrive at the city of Bratislava, capital of the
Republic of Slovakia, which celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 1991.
We will pass below the colossal new ‘SNP’ suspension bridge across the
Danube, and then have an included sightseeing tour. The gorgeous old
town has maintained its gothic-baroque style. The tour takes you past
St. Martin's cathedral and the Grassalkovich Palace up to the hill from
where you have a stunning panoramic view of the city and surrounding
area. A walk through the historic old centre leads you past St. Martin’s
cathedral, many palaces, and the Michael gate. At midday the vessel
starts cruising towards Vienna where you will moor for the evening.
After
dinner on board, the excursion “Vienna at night” takes you to
the Prater and a typical "Heurigen" wine tavern, where you can enjoy a
glass of wine.
You will drive through
the Wienerwald to the Kahlenberg, the best view point in Vienna. From
here, you can overlook the vineyards and the city of Vienna. Continue to
the traditional wine village of Grinzing, where you visit a typical
Heurigen pub. There is no better way to learn about the Viennese laid
back atmosphere and coziness, then enjoying a glass of wine, trying
spreads with bread, and listening to „Heurigen” music.
Day 11 28 May, 2010 Vienna (B,L,D) After breakfast
we enjoy a tour of this wonderful city Vienna - home to the
waltz, coffee houses, the Prater park and one of the world's finest
opera houses. This is where Marie-Antoinette grew up and where Mozart
died, and for 600 years it was the hub of the vast Hapsburg Empire. In
the afternoon we visit the Hofburg Imperial Palace. For more
than seven centuries, the great empire of the Habsburgs was ruled from
the Imperial Palace. Alternatively you can participate in the
optional excursion to Schoenbrunn castle (Euro 30), one of Vienna’s most
beautiful buildings After your dinner on board those that
wish can book the “Sound of Vienna” (Euro 40) where the Salonorchester
„Alt Wien“, one of the famous interpreters of classical music, sparks
off a unique firework of the most beautiful on its highest level.
Day 12 29 May, 2010 Vienna - Linz (B,L,D) In
the morning you can enjoy the beautiful stretch of the Wachau from the
sundeck. The ship moors in Melk/Emmersdorf at midday. An interesting
excursion through the Wachau is planned. A coach takes you to Duernstein, one of the best-known wine villages in the Wachau. A walk
through it allows you to appreciate its glorious position. Thereafter
you drive through the picturesque landscape of this district to the
900-year old Benedictine abbey of Melk. During a guided tour you see the
rooms of the prelature, the emperor aisle, the marble hall, the altars
and the library. Afterwards you can, depending on the availability,
listen to an organ concert at the church. At the end of the tour we
invite you for a glass of wine at the Donauhof. In the afternoon a local
farmer will give you a lecture about the most famous fruit of the Wachau,
the apricot, and you will get the opportunity to try and buy different
products made of apricots, such as chocolate, soap or schnapps. After
dinner the vessel continues this journey to Linz.
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Day 13 30 May, 2010 Linz - Passau - Regensburg (B,L,D)
The ship ties up in the large riverside city of Linz in the morning.
This is an interesting city, though visited by comparatively few river
cruise ships. We have included a city walking tour through the
former cultural capital and enjoy a piece of the famous “Linzer Torte”.
Afterwards if you wish, you can take an optional excursion and get to know the Mozart-City Salzburg (Euro 43), starting in Linz and ending in Passau. The old town of
Salzburg with its world famous baroque architecture is one of the
best-preserved city centre's north of the Alps and was adopted by UNESCO
in 1997 in the list of World Cultural Heritages. Salzburg is also the
birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the afternoon the vessel
reaches Passau, Bavaria’s most easterly city, where the excursion
participants rejoin it. This city’s impressive Baroque cathedral houses
the largest church organ in the world (with 17,388 pipes and 231
registers), and most of its main sights are very close to the Danube.
We have included a walking tour of the
highlights with a local guide. The vessel will leave Passau in the
evening and spend the night cruising through Bavaria towards Regensburg.
Day 14 31 May, 2010 Linz - Regensburg - Kelheim
(B,L,D) We arrive in Regensburg , one of Germany’s best preserved
medieval cities. Our included Regensburg sightseeing tour will show you the city’s architectural highlights, including the
Old Town Hall and the Porta Pretoria. Regensburg is one of the best
–preserved medieval cities in Germany and its many historic buildings
are most impressive. After lunch embark on an exciting optional boat
trip through the lovely "Danube Gorge to Weltenburg Abbey" (Euro 30). The
monastery, founded by Irish or Scottish monks in about 620 AD, is the
oldest monastery in Bavaria. After a short tour of the abbey church you
can taste the famous dark beer of Weltenburg, which is brewed here in
the oldest monastery brewery in the world. In Kelheim the participants
of the excursion rejoin the vessel. The vessel leaves Kelheim during
dinner.
Day 15 01 June, 2010 Kelheim - Nurenburg (B,L,D) In the very early morning you arrive in Nuremberg. Enjoy a sightseeing
tour of this historic city. See the storybook 900-year-old
ramparts, the Imperial Castle and the Justice Palace where the War
Crimes Tribunal sat in 1946. The city tour leads you to the major sites
and sights of the city, from the medieval beginnings to the present. In
the afternoon you can join an optional excursion to the Nazi party rally
grounds (Euro 30), that form a site in the southeast of Nuremberg, where
the Nazi party rallies were held from 1933 until 1938. To this day, the
remains of the buildings with their immense proportions are a vivid
testimony to the megalomania of the National Socialist regime. The ship
will continue from Nuremberg in the evening.
Day 16 02 June, 2010 Nurenburg - Bamberg (B,L,D)
We continue north along the Main-Danube-Canal to Bamberg, where we
arrive in the morning. Bamberg is one of the best-preserved medieval
cities in Germany, and is on UNESCO’s World Heritage register, with
2,300 buildings of historic interest. These include the Gothic
cathedral, the old and new Episcopal palaces and the old town hall,
which is a quaint half-timbered structure on an island in the River
Regnitz. A guided walking tour of Bamberg is included. The
ship leaves Bamberg after lunch and starts cruising up the River Main.
Enjoy the rest of the day on the sundeck or relax during reading a book.
Day 17 03 June, 2010 Bamberg -
Wuerzburg
(B,L,D)
The vessel spends this morning sailing past the villages and vineyards
of Franconia. The river takes a meandering course and progress is
leisurely as we pass Volkach, reaching the historic city of Wuerzburg in
the morning. Wuerzburg was an important city in the Middle Ages, but
owes its present appearance to the prince-bishops of the Schoenborn
family, who erected many wonderful Baroque buildings in the 17th and
18th centuries. This morning you will join a sightseeing tour of the city and the fabulous Rezidenz palace. In the afternoon it
is possible to join an excursion (Euro 20) to the worldwide known town
Rothenburg which is mostly famous for its well-preserved medieval old
town and of course the Christmas Store from Käthe Wohlfahrt. After
enjoying the dinner on board local musicians will entertain you in the
Panorama-Bar.
Day 18 04 June, 2010 Wuerzburg - Wertheim -
Miltenberg (B,L,D) We arrive in Wertheim during breakfast. This old town is dominated
by the ruins of a 13th- century castle that was destroyed during the
Thirty Years War. Enjoy an excursion through Wertheim as well as Miltenberg. On this trip you have a chance to browse in Wertheim’s
market square and to visit the famous glass museum before continuing to
Miltenberg, where a walking tour takes you along its narrow cobbled
streets with their gabled, half-timbered houses. You will find out that
Miltenberg is a triad of river, medieval cityscape and wooded
mountainsides. The vessel leaves Miltenberg in the early afternoon and
spends the evening sailing north along the Main.
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Day 19 05 June, 2010 Miltenberg - Ruedesheim - Koblenz
(B,L,D)
Early this morning the ship passes through Frankfurt, with its numerous
bridges, and Mainz, at the confluence of the Rhine and Main rivers. From
Mainz we join the River Rhine for the next section of our journey. The
ship arrives in Ruedesheim in the morning. This morning you may like to
go ashore and explore this charming old wine town. Ruedesheim is popular
with tourists, and has a long narrow street, the Drosselgasse, lined on
both sides with wine taverns. You will enjoy a walking tour of the town
with a visit to Siegfried’s Music Museum, where you can see all kinds of
mechanical instruments from barrel organs and music boxes to horn
gramophones.
Your vessel leaves Ruedesheim before lunch and sails for Koblenz,
along what is probably the most famous and scenic stretch of the Rhine
Valley. You pass hilltop castles, terraced vineyards and attractive
riverside villages for 65 delightful kilometers. During the afternoon
the ship rounds the 132-metre Lorelei Rock, which is a symbol of the
Rhine and was the inspiration for a famous poem by Heinrich Heine, set
to music by Frederich Silcher. The Lorelei was a siren who is said to
have sat on the rock, combing her hair and luring sailors to their
deaths. The vessel moors in Koblenz in the afternoon. This city stands
at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. Our included walking tour shows you the highlights of the city. Your cruise ship remains
moored in Koblenz overnight.
Day 20 06 June, 2010 Koblenz - Cologne (B,L,D) The ship sails from Koblenz in the early morning and reaches Cologne
during breakfast, where it moors within easy reach of the city centre.
Founded by the Romans, Cologne has long been an important trading
centre. It is dominated by its vast Gothic cathedral, started in 1248 as
a pilgrimage church to house the relics of the three Magi. The two
spires are 157 meters high, and were not completed until 1880. Near the
cathedral is the Hohenzollernbrücke, Europe’s busiest railway bridge -
crossed on average by a train every two minutes. We have included a walking tour of Cologne, before we set sail in the evening and
cruise north overnight past the busy industrial centers of Düsseldorf,
Duisburg and Essen. On the second-last evening of your Danube cruise,
the captain will be delighted to welcome you to the Captain’s Gala
Dinner. The ship’s indefatigable orchestra will make the final evening
one to treasure, with tunes and rhythms to suite all tastes.
Day 21 07 June, 2010 Cologne - Amsterdam (B,L,D) You are continuing this morning across the Dutch border, passing the
city of Nijmegen, and taking the Amsterdam Rijnkanaal north, through the
flat polder landscape of Southern Holland, to Amsterdam. The vessel
arrives in Amsterdam in the morning, and remains moored here for
the rest of the day. Late morning we enjoy a city tour. On this drive through the capital of the Netherlands
you will see its most important buildings and monuments and you will get
interesting background information. A Dutch folklore show will entertain
you this evening.
Day 22 08 June, 2010 Amsterdam (B) Disembarkation is after breakfast
in Amsterdam. We will transfer to our hotel for overnight.
Accommodation: Golden Tulip Amsterdam Centre (or similar) 1 night
Golden Tulip Amsterdam-Centre is located
in the heart of historic Amsterdam and within walking distance of the
main shopping streets, department stores.
This hotel, renovated in 2002, offers a wide range of amenities, such as
free wireless Internet connection in the whole building, including the
lobby, where an Internet Point is equipped with two PCs with full time
access, a cosy bar open from 4 p.m. to midnight, and the reception desk,
staffed around the clock. The hotel features
warmly decorated and modern rooms each finely furnished and
offering comfortable accommodation. The rooms come with a
private luxurious bathroom with shower or bathtub and hairdryer and are
furthermore equipped with individually controlled air conditioning,
desk, safe with personal access code, mini bar, free wireless Internet
access, radio, heating, tea and coffee making facilities, direct dial
telephone and satellite TV with pay-per-view movies and interactive
channels.
Day 23 09 June, 2010 Amsterdam - Australia (B) Full day in Amsterdam before our late afternoon transfer to the airport and flight to Australia via Frankfurt and Singapore
Day 24 10 June, 2010 En-route to Australia
Day 25 11 June, 2010 Arrive Australia this morning