Grand Voyage of the Rhine, Main and Danube

Travel to Budapest and embark Spirit of the Danube. Your all-inclusive cruise begins with dinner tonight.

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 excursion

Explore the Buda Castle district on an optional excursion.

Depart Budapest, Hungary. 0600.
Scenic Cruise, Danube Bend.
Arrive Esztergom, 1300. Depart 1800.

The small town of Esztergom 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. Sail overnight.

Included excursion

Board the land train for a short journey from the pier to the Esztergom Basilica with a local guide. 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. Its cathedral, Esztergom Basilica, is the second largest church and tallest building in Hungary. Expect to walk up to one mile during this included excursion.

Arrive 0900. 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 excursions

Drive through the countryside of the Small Carpathians to be welcomed by local hosts into their home. 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 0800. Depart 2200.

Vienna is the capital of Austria: 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 Dürnstein, 0800. Depart 1400.
Scenic Cruise, Wachau Valley.

Dürnstein is set beneath the ruined Kuenringer Castle where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned during the late 12th century. Highlights of the town include the medieval lanes, the city gate and inner yard of the town hall. This afternoon, relax on board Spirit of the Danube as she glides through the picturesque scenery of the Wachau Valley and continues sailing through the night.

Included excursion

Enjoy an included walking tour into Dürnstein to see some of the highlights.

Arrive 1000. Depart 1600.

Passau is located at the confluence of the Danube, the Ilz and the Inn rivers. The surrounding wooded hills create a scenic backdrop to the city’s towers, spires and red-roofed houses. The wealthy past of this cultured city is reflected in its many fine buildings, including the baroque St Stephen’s Cathedral, and the old and new Bishop’s Palaces. Sail overnight towards Regensburg.

Included excursion

Enjoy a walking tour of Passau, exploring some key highlights such as the Gothic Town Hall and the city’s landmark, St Stephen’s Cathedral.

Arrive 0800. Depart 1400.

The city of Regensburg has been a religious centre since the 7th century and has numerous medieval churches. Throughout the 12th and 13th centuries the city enjoyed great wealth thanks to its trade links in Europe and there are many examples of fine Romanesque and Gothic architecture still to be seen in the UNESCO-listed old part. The Stone Bridge, completed in 1146, influenced bridge-building elsewhere, including the Charles Bridge in Prague. Sail overnight.

Included excursion

Look forward to an included walking tour from the ship into the city.

Optional excursion

This tour takes you to Germany’s most important breakthrough valley: the Weltenburg Narrows on the Danube Breakthrough. Embark on a leisurely boat trip through the Jura massif and enjoy the scenery before disembarking at the Benedictine monastery of Weltenburg.

Arrive 1400. Depart 2000.

The Imperial Castle, Kaiserburg, dominates the skyline of this medieval city, which has undergone a great deal of restoration since it was heavily bombed in World War Two. In 1935 the Nazis built a stadium here in which they held their rallies and, later, Nazi war criminals were tried in Nuremberg by the Allies. The artist Albrecht Durer lived here from 1509 to 1528 and his house is now a museum. Sail overnight.

Included excursion

An included excursion will reveal some of the city’s historic highlights.

Arrive 0800. Depart 1300.

Bamberg was, like Rome, built on seven hills and because of its mixture of imposing architectural styles and baroque town houses is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its Imperial Cathedral is set on Cathedral Hill and Altenburg Castle is located at the town’s highest point. Our complimentary transfer service can take you into Bamberg, where you can join an included walking tour. Sail overnight.

Included excursion

An included walking tour will reveal the Cathedral square and the New Residence.

Arrive 1300. Depart 1900.

An important city in the Middle Ages, Würzburg features numerous baroque buildings erected by the prince-bishops of the Schönborn family in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Residence Palace, one of Europe’s most renowned baroque castles, was built here between 1720 and 1724 for the prince-bishop Johann Philipp Franz, who commissioned master builder Balthasar Neumann to create the ‘palace of all palaces’. Sail overnight.

Included excursion

An included excursion visits the Residence Palace for a guided tour. Afterwards, you have the choice to join a walking tour through the historic city centre of Würzburg in the company of a local guide, or to return to your ship.

Arrive 1200. Depart 1800.

The Bavarian town of Miltenberg is set in the scenic Main valley, between the Odenwald and the Spessart Mountains. The oldest part of the town lies on the left bank of the Main below a steep wooded hill, crowned by a 13th-century castle. Enclosed within ancient walls and gates, the old town features picturesque cobblestone streets of half-timbered houses and old wine taverns. Sail overnight.

Included excursion

Walk from your ship to Miltenberg’s Old Town, with its cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses, and quaint squares. See the 16th-century Old Town Hall, one of the key landmarks, renowned for its Renaissance architecture. This excursion covers approximately one-and-a-half miles to two miles over two hours, however a shorter included walking tour is also available.

Arrive 1400.

Sail through the morning to the popular wine town of Rüdesheim, known for its traditional old town of half-timbered houses and terraced vineyards. Among its main attractions is the Drosselgasse, a long narrow street lined on both sides with traditional wine taverns, overlooked by the glockenspiel tower with its hourly chimes.

Included excursion

Step aboard the Land Train and journey through Rüdesheim to Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of self-playing instruments. Accompanied by a guide, see musical pieces spanning three centuries, from music boxes to concert piano orchestrions.

Depart Rüdesheim, 0900.
Scenic Cruise, Middle Rhine Gorge.
Arrive Koblenz, Germany. 1300.

Koblenz, meaning ‘merging of the rivers’, is situated on the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. At the exact point where the two rivers meet, the Deutsches Eck, there is a monument with a huge equestrian statue of Emperor Wilhelm I. Above the town sits the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, a citadel built by the Prussians between 1816 and 1832.

Included excursion

Join a local guide for an included walking tour of Koblenz, discovering highlights such as the Deutsches Eck, or German Corner, the Old Town and the Schängel fountain, which stands in the courtyard of the Town Hall. This excursion covers approximately one-and-a-half miles, however a shorter included walking tour is also available.

Disembark Spirit of the Danube after breakfast and begin your return journey.