Compare A Taste of the Danube (Westbound) by Avalon Waterways vs The Bohemian - End Vienna, Small Group End Vienna Small Group by Insight Vacations
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| Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 4 days | 9 days |
| Price From | $ 1,849 | $ 3,295 |
| Price Per Day | $ 462 | $ 366 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | River cruise | Group tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard | Premium |
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| Countries Visited | ||
| Cities and Attractions |
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| Flights & Transport | No | Airfare included |
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| Meals Included | N/A | N/A |
| Description | Board your Avalon Suite Ship® in Budapest and cruise through the natural beauty of Austria’s Wachau Valley, past quaint towns and villages—and stops in charming towns and cities of Slovakia and Austria along the way. Sail between two countries on a 58-mile stretch of the Danube that’s shared by Hungary and Slovakia. Explore Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, a dynamic city at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Visit the Gothic St. Martin’s Cathedral, which served as Hungary’s coronation church during the 16th to 19th centuries. In Melk, you will visit Austria’s majestic Benedictine Abbey, one of Europe’s largest monasteries, where Benedictine monks still stroll within the sacred walls. Sitting high on a bluff, it offers the most breathtaking views of the city, the Danube River, and the Austrian countryside all at once. Conclude your beautiful Danube River cruise in Vienna, Austria.(p) | Experience the best Europe has to offer with an abundance of Vienna sightseeing and a serving of spicy Polish sausage in Kraków. Fall in love with the fairy tale town of Český Krumlov before an exciting Insight Choice in the Czech capital—touring the thousand-year-old castle courtyards or joining a Local Expert for a walk through the Old Town square, to the fortune telling astronomical clock. Journey through Slovakia and across the Tatra Mountains to Budapest for a Celebration Dinner in the exquisite surrounds of the Gundel restaurant. Explore the Old Town of Buda, separated from Pest by the Danube River, and admire the spectacular views from the Fisherman’s Bastion before feasting on the finest local delicacies paired with select Hungarian wines. |
Day 1: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (EMBARKATION)
Welcome to Hungary. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding.
Flights into Budapest must arrive by 2 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.
Spend free time strolling along the cobblestone streets, browsing art galleries, sipping coffee, and sampling sweets before boarding your Danube cruise for a welcome dinner this evening.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BRATISLAVA
(Dinner)
BUDAPEST-PARLIAMENT.jpg
Day 2: BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA
Cathedral Coronations and a Crowning Castle
Visit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host.
ACTIVE Follow your Avalon Adventure Host on a short hike to lofty Bratislava Castle, OR: CLASSIC Join a Guided Sightseeing Tour of Old Town’s cobblestone streets to Town Hall. Visit the Gothic halls of St. Martin’s Cathedral—Hungary’s centuries-old coronation church.
Alternatively, take a bicycle and a picnic from the ship to explore the local sights along the Danube on your own.
AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO MELK
(Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
BRATISLAVA.jpg
Day 3: MELK, AUSTRIA–WACHAU VALLEY
Frescoes Above and Vineyards Below
ACTIVE Experience the Wachau Valley from a unique perspective, join your Adventure Host for a bike ride along some of Wachua's bike trails, OR:CLASSIC Join a morning Guided Sightseeing Tour of Melk’s 11th-century Benedictine Abbey. Explore its frescoes, statues, library, and spectacular pipe organ in the monastery’s lofty perch above the Danube.
Take a relaxing break on the Sky Deck as you sail through awe-inspiring views of the Wachau Valley and the wine region surrounding Dürnstein.
DÜRNSTEIN
A King’s Ransom and Castle Ruins
Spend free time at your leisure, perhaps biking through the vineyards in the Wachau Valley.
Later, enjoy on board entertainment by local musicians.
OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO VIENNA
(Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
MELK-ABBEY.jpg
Day 4: VIENNA (DISEMBARKATION)
Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning.
Flights should not leave Vienna airport before 8 am.
(Breakfast)
VIENNA-CITY-VIEW.jpg
Day 1: Welcome to Vienna
At Vienna airport, transfers to your hotel will leave at 10:00, 13:00 and 15:30. At 17:30, meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a drink, followed by a pleasant Welcome Dinner served with wine at a local restaurant.
Day 2: Stately Vienna and the Habsburgs
Join a Local Expert for a private tour of Maria Theresa's magnificent Schönbrunn Palace and its formal gardens. Be transported to a time of opulence and extravagance, as you marvel at the intricacies of gilded Rococo frames, frescoed ceilings and crystal chandeliers.Explore Vienna with Insight Choice. Choose to visit a traditional Viennese café to enjoy local specialties of coffee and Sachertorte. Alternatively, join a unique MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience, take to the floor in a Viennese Waltz dance workshop and support the visually impaired community. Dancing in the dark, in a specially designed sensory studio, will be a unique experience for all your senses. Then get your camera ready for a drive around the Ring Road, a grand boulevard built along the lines of the old city walls, showcasing many of the capital's architectural masterpieces, including the Opera House, magnificent Hofburg Imperial Residence, Austrian Parliament Building and Karlskirche.
Day 3: Charming Český Krumlov and Golden Prague
Once over the Czech border, head for picturesque Český Krumlov, where you'll start with a brief orientation tour of this fairy-tale town, straight out of the Middle Ages. Enjoy some free time to explore and appreciate views of the Vltava River. Wander through the cobblestone, traffic-free streets, past colourful houses that lead up to the finest castle in the land. In the afternoon, continue through the green Bohemian countryside to Golden Prague.
Day 4: Prague, City of a Hundred Spires
Explore Prague with Insight Choice. Choose to walk the courtyards of the Castle and visit the imposing St. Vitus Cathedral. Alternatively, join your Local Expert for a walk through the Jewish Quarter and learn about a different side of the history of Prague. Continue to Old Town Square where the mechanical antics of the Astronomical Clock’s glockenspiel delight onlookers each hour. The afternoon is free for you to explore at your leisure.
Day 5: Reflect on Auschwitz then onto Kraków
Enjoy a gentle drive through the rolling Czech countryside before crossing into Poland where you will stop at Oświęcim, better known by its German name of Auschwitz. Join a guided tour of the memorial and museum and stop at Birkenau, which bore witness to the terrible atrocities of the Holocaust.
Day 6: The Damsels and Dragons of Kraków Relaxed Start
In the morning why not join an Optional Experience and journey into a glistening subterranean world at the 600-year-old Wieliczka Salt Mine? In a maze of tunnels deep below the surface, witness unique salt sculptures, sunken lakes and even a glorious cathedral carved entirely out of rock salt by the miners. Otherwise, you can have a morning at leisure before joining a Local Expert to ascend Wawel Hill and visit the cathedral. Walk past the former residence of Pope John Paul II through the Old Town, to Europe’s largest and most beautiful town square. See the medieval Sukiennice Cloth Hall and visit the 14th century St. Mary’s Basilica, the most important church in the city. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the trumpeter in the tower. In the evening, choose from a selection of hand-picked local restaurants on your Dine-Around Evening.
Day 7: Through Sleepy Slovakia to Budapest
Journey into the Slovakian region of Orava and see the picturesque Oravský Hrad Castle before continuing through the breathtaking Low Tatra Mountains to arrive in Budapest.
Day 8: Budapest, the Queen of the Danube Relaxed Start
Venture into the heart of Buda’s medieval Castle District with a Local Expert, to visit Matthias Church and take in the vista from the Fisherman’s Bastion. Cross the Danube to the Pest district to visit Heroes’ Square and drive down elegant Andrássy Boulevard. Enjoy a tour of the Liszt Music Academy with a student, followed by an enchanting recital. The university was founded by the piano virtuoso and composer Franz Liszt in 1875. The rest of the day is at your leisure to relax by the Danube or browse the boutiques of Vaci Street. For your Celebration Dinner, you are treated to mouthwatering Hungarian specialities, accompanied by specially selected wines, as you dine at the elegant Gundel restaurant.
Day 9: Depart Vienna
Your Bohemian journey concludes after breakfast with transfers arriving at Budapest airport at 07:00 and 11:00. The 07:00 transfer continues to Vienna airport, arriving at midday and offers a final stop at the post-trip hotel.
