Gems of the Danube with Vienna City Stay

Travel to Vienna where you will stay three nights at the Savoyen Hotel, located less than half a mile away from the Belvedere Palace. Dinner is included tonight and the rest of your stay is on a bed-and-breakfast basis.

Spend the day exploring some of Vienna’s many attractions. The popular landmarks of St Charles’ Church, one of the most important baroque churches in Vienna, and Stephansplatz, a square at the geographical centre of the city, are situated less than a mile and a half away from your hotel. Also nearby, The Spanish Riding School is another of Vienna’s highlights, where classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses can be observed.

Included excursion

Enjoy a classical concert by The Vienna Residence Orchestra with famous work by Mozart and Strauss. The Vienna Residence Orchestra invites you into the world of classical music with well-known pieces by these famous composers, in an authentic setting.

Enjoy another full day at leisure. Perhaps visit the city’s largest centre for art and culture, The Museums Quarter, which encompasses around 60 cultural institutions. Browse contemporary art at the Kunsthalle Wien, see the world’s largest collection of work by Egon Schiele at the Leopold Museum or explore the modern collection of art at the mumok. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants in this area too.

Optional excursion

Enjoy Austrian food and local wine at the atmospheric Wolff Wine Tavern, a family-run eatery established in 1609.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and spend the morning at leisure in the city, before boarding Spirit of the Danube later this afternoon. You may like to spend the morning at the nearby Belvedere Museum and Baroque Gardens. The Upper Belvedere is a Baroque palace housing 800 years of art history, with masterpieces by Klimt, Van Gogh, Funke and Schiele.

Depart 2100.

Enjoy another day in Vienna: home to the waltz, coffee houses, the Prater wheel and one of the world’s finest opera houses. It is the city where Marie Antoinette grew up and where Mozart died, and for 600 years was the centre of the Hapsburg Empire.

Sail overnight.

Included excursion

An included excursion will reveal some of the highlights, including the Ringstrasse and Opera House, with the option to explore solely by coach or by coach and on foot. You may choose to stay in the city and explore further independently before joining a return transfer back to your ship later in the afternoon.

Arrive Melk, 0800. Depart 1400.
Scenic Cruise, Wachau Valley.
Arrive Krems, 1700.

This historic town features architectural styles from across the centuries. Its jewel is the abbey which sits on a bluff above the town. This masterpiece of baroque architecture has been the spiritual and cultural centre of Austria for more than 1,000 years.

Included excursion

Join an included guided tour of Melk Abbey, a famous Baroque building sitting on a rocky outcrop above the Danube. The abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold II, Margrave of Austria gave one of his castles to Benedictine monks.

Depart Krems, 1300.
Arrive Bratislava, 0000.

The landmark sight of the historic town of Krems is the 15th-century Steiner Tor, a square gate tower refashioned in Baroque style. Enjoy a walking tour of Krems and visit to Göttweig Abbey, or opt for a walking tour of the historic Stein Quarter, with time at leisure.

Included excursion

See the monuments, churches and historic architecture of the old town of Krems on an included, guided walking tour before visiting Göttweig Abbey, founded in 1083 by the Bishop of Passau. Alternatively, opt for a short, guided walking tour along the cobbled streets of the Stein Quarter, the oldest district in Krems, before time at leisure.

Depart 2200.

The old town of Slovakia’s capital is easily explored on foot. The cobbled streets lead to Bratislava Castle, which offers a bird’s-eye view of the city. The Gothic-style Cathedral is where eleven Kings of Hungary were crowned while Turks occupied their own capital.

Sail overnight.

Included excursion

Join a local guide to see Bratislava by Land Train, disembarking to explore the grounds of Bratislava Castle and the Old Town on foot.

Optional excursion

Drive through the countryside of the Small Carpathians to be welcomed by local hosts into their home on this small group experience. Nearly every family living among these picturesque vineyards produce their own wine. As you relax and enjoy a sample, accompanied by coffee and cake if you wish, your hosting family will tell you about everyday life in Slovakia.

Arrive Esztergom, 0900. Depart 1400.
Scenic Cruise, the Danube Bend.
Arrive Budapest, 1800.

The small town of Esztergom enjoys a scenic setting on the Danube Bend and is home to Hungary’s largest basilica, the dome of which can be seen for miles. The first Hungarian king, St Stephen, was born and crowned in Esztergom.

Included excursion

Esztergom was the capital of Hungary from the tenth until the mid-13th century, when King Béla IV of Hungary moved the Royal seat to Buda. Enjoy an included visit to its cathedral, Esztergom Basilica, the second largest church and tallest building in Hungary.

Budapest is a city made up of two parts: Buda and Pest, built on opposite banks of the Danube. The cities have been officially united since 1873, but they are still very different in character. Buda is the older and more graceful, with its cobbled streets, medieval architecture and UNESCO-listed Buda Castle, while Pest is the administrative and commercial centre, with wide avenues and 19th-century public buildings.

Included excursion

Enjoy an included coach tour of the city with the opportunity to alight at Heroes Square and the St Stephen’s Basilica to explore briefly on foot.

Optional excursions

Explore the Buda Castle district or visit the Royal Palace of Gödöllő.

Disembark Spirit of the Danube and begin your return journey.