Compare The Blue Danube Discovery – Cruise Only by Avalon Waterways vs Danube Bike & River Cruise: Budapest to Prague by VBT
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Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
Price From | $ 2,699 | $ 5,095 |
Price Per Day | $ 337 | $ 637 |
Highlights |
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Trip Style | River cruise | Group tour |
Lodging Level | Standard | Premium |
Physical Level |
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Travel Themes |
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Countries Visited | ||
Cities and Attractions |
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Flights & Transport | No | Ground transport included |
Activities |
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Meals Included | N/A |
21 meals: 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 7 dinners |
Description | Begin this timeless Europe river cruise vacation in vibrant Budapest, Hungary, sail along the Danube River with exciting stops in Austria and Germany, and conclude in historical Nuremberg, Germany. As you leave Budapest, you’ll sail past the splendid Parliament Building, and along Danube River, you’ll have Hungary on your left and Slovakia on your right as the river runs between both countries for a 58-mile stretch. Vienna, Austria, offers stunning St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Habsburg Palace, the Vienna Opera House, and much more. In the heart of the Wachau wine region is Dürnstein, a 16th-century town with charming cobblestone streets and the baroque Stiftskirche with its luminous blue façade. In the beautiful town of Melk, visit Austria’s majestic Benedictine Abbey, one of Europe’s largest monasteries, and enjoy a tasting of some of the Wachau Valley’s famous wines. You’ll love a guided walk through Passau, with its narrow streets, beautiful Patrician houses, and baroque architecture. Sail further up the Danube River, and you’ll come to the medieval walls of Regensburg, the only German city not bombed during WWII. Here, we’ll introduce you to some of Germany’s famous beers! The last stop on this memorable river cruise vacation is the thousand-year-old city of Nuremberg. During guided sightseeing, marvel at the medieval fortifications, extraordinary gothic churches, and the Imperial Castle. And in your free time, be sure to make a wish at the striking fountain on the Hauptmarkt (Main Square)—a perfect ending to a memorable river cruise vacation! |
While most river cruises limit themselves to the lower Danube region, VBT takes you one step further—exploring the entire length of this fabled river, including the shores of Germany and the medieval city of Regensburg, a UNESCO World Heritage site. By day, join your local VBT trip leaders on curated routes through choice segments of the Danube Cycle Path—pedaling past small medieval villages, colorful vineyards, and fairytale castles. You’ll explore the majesty of the Habsburg Empire during VBT’s guided tours of Schloss Hof, Passau, and Vienna. By night, relax on your luxurious Emerald cruise ship—including a sundeck with spectacular views, a heated pool, and 5-star luxury meals and beverages. With a wealth of onboard activities and optional excursions, this is the perfect trip for travel partners with different interests and activity levels. |
Day 1
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY Welcome to Budapest—Hungary’s Captivating CapitalFlights into Budapest must arrive by 2 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.The day is yours to relax and enjoy the city with time for photographs, cafés, and confections.EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO VIENNA(D)
Day 2
VIENNA, AUSTRIA Vienna Waltzes and the Beautiful Blue Danube Start the day with a Morning Stretch with your Avalon Adventure Host.Enjoy sailing the Danube, which shares dozens of miles with Hungary and Slovakia. Relax on the Sky Deck to see the rolling landscape and red-rooftops of the Slovakian capital of Bratislava come into view. This evening in Vienna, you may choose to join an Optional Excursion to attend a Royal Waltz Concert for an unforgettable evening of music in an elegant hall.OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN VIENNA (B,L,D)
Day 3
VIENNA Royal Collections, Amusing Attractions, and Culinary Confections CLASSIC Venture into the Habsburg empire this morning on a Guided City Tour of Vienna’s gilded landmarks. See the Imperial Palace complex–the winter residence of the Imperial Family, the historic Vienna Opera House and stunning St. Stephen’s Cathedral.Join a Guided Optional Excursion to Schönbrunn Palace–a Habsburg Empire summer home for 300 years. This afternoon, enjoy free time to take a tram to visit Austria’s Prater amusement park or one of the many museums nearby. You may also decide to borrow a bike from the ship to explore the streets and squares of Vienna, or ride along the banks of the Danube at your leisure.Later, relax on board with live entertainment as you sail to Dürnstein. OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO DÜRNSTEIN(B,L,D)
Day 4
DÜRNSTEIN Fairytale Castles, Kings, and Cobblestones of Delightful Dürnstein CLASSIC Join a Guided Walk, and hear the legendary tale of King Richard the Lionheart–who was imprisoned in the castle above the village during the Crusades, OR:ACTIVE Join a Hike up to the castle ruins with your Adventure Host for a spectacular view of the village, Danube, and the Wachau Valley below. Enjoy coffee or a cocktail on the Sky Deck as you sail through the picturesque Wachau Valley to Melk. MELK Ornate Architecture and Scenic SplendorsCLASSIC Take a Guided Tour of Melk’s magnificent Benedictine Abbey to marvel at its frescoed ceilings, statues, incredible library, and ornate pipe organ.DISCOVERY Enjoy the flavors of the Wachau Valley with a Wine Tasting on board.EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO PASSAU(B,L,D)
Day 5
PASSAU, GERMANY Go for Baroque in Passau–Where the Danube, Inn, and Ilz Rivers meet CLASSIC Join a Guided City Walk to learn more about this beautiful “City of Three Rivers,” OR:Join a full day Guided Optional Excursion to Salzburg–the city of Mozart–or a full day Guided Optional Excursion to the picturesque Bohemian town of Český Krumlov.Meet your ship back in Passau after your selected activities for sailing.EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO REGENSBURG(B,L,D)
Day 6
REGENSBURG Magical Regensburg—Bavaria’s Medieval MiracleCLASSIC Join a Guided City Walk and see Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) and Porta Pretoria–built in 179 AD as the entrance to Castra Regina fortress. You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to visit the Benedictine Monastery in Weltenburg. Spend a free afternoon exploring Regensburg on foot or by bike through its charming streets.DISCOVERY Later, indulge in a Beer Tasting on board.This evening, enjoy live entertainment after dinner as you cruise toward Roth. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ROTH(B,L,D)
Day 7
ROTH. EXCURSION TO NUREMBERG Living Heritage and History LessonsDISCOVERY Enjoy an Onboard Lecture about the Main-Danube Canal–linking these two rivers to make a vital connection enabling navigation between the North and Black Seas. CLASSIC Choose a Guided Sightseeing of Nuremberg–with its medieval architecture, gilded fountain, gothic cathedral, and Kaiserburg Castle, OR;CLASSIC Take a Guided Tour of the historic Nuremberg Rally Grounds–used by the Third Reich.EVENING CRUISE TO NUREMBERG(B,L,D)
Day 8
NUREMBERG (DISEMBARKATION) Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
DAY 1: VBT Bicycling tour begins / Budapest guided walk / Embark ship / Warm-up ride
At 9:30 a.m., meet your private VBT walking tour guide in the hotel lobby. Please be checked out of your room and dressed ready to walk. Join up with your local guide for a walking tour through the city’s highlights. Enjoy your first lunch on board, after arriving at the dock in Budapest at approximately 1:00 p.m. to board your Emerald Cruises ship.
Your cabin may not be ready for you until 3:00 p.m. However, you are welcome to relax in the ship’s common areas or explore more of Budapest.
Later, meet your trip leaders and fellow travelers on board for an introduction to the week, followed by a safety and bike-fitting session. After the introduction meeting, get acquainted with your bike and with riding on bike paths and in bike lanes on a warm-up ride along the Danube River. A welcome dinner in the ship’s Reflections Restaurant and traditional Hungarian folklore performances are in store this evening.
Today’s Ride Choices
Afternoon: Budapest Warm-up — 6 km (4 miles)
What to Expect:
Your warm-up ride follows paved, dedicated bike lanes alongside vehicular traffic on both banks of the Danube, with spectacular views of the city. Your ride ends at the ship. As you ride, get acquainted with your bicycle, route notes, Ride with GPS, and the locals. Check your brakes and play with shifting your full range of gears.
Cumulative Distance Range: 6 km (4 miles)
Included Meals: Lunch, Dinner
DAY 2: Szentendre / Vác
Spin through the lush outskirts of Buda to Szentendre, a delightful artists’ community. Upon arrival in Szentendre, you’ll have some free time to browse the galleries and shops and to discover its narrow Baroque streets. Afterward, you will learn how to prepare goulash and strudel before lunch at a popular restaurant. Then continue to Vác, the capital of the Danube Bend.
Admire views of the Baroque town center and the river during the ferry crossing. In Vác, we invite you first to visit an exciting and famous local exhibition. Afterward, you have some time at leisure before your small group rejoins the ship in Vác.
On your return to the ship, enjoy the captain’s welcome cocktail and dinner. With its regional specialties, tonight’s meal completes the day’s Hungarian theme!
Today’s Ride Choices
Morning: Budapest to Szentendre — 20 km (12 miles)
Afternoon: Szentendre to Vác ferry — 15 km (9 miles)
What to Expect:
Today’s biking is on a flat, paved bike path along the Danube. The first part of the morning ride is in a relatively quiet, urban environment, while the second part is on a designated bike path away from the traffic. After lunch, an optional ride continues on country roads with some traffic to the Vác ferry. VBT offers a support vehicle from Szentendre.
Cumulative Distance Range: 20 – 35 km (12 – 21 miles)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 3: Bratislava / Donau-Auen National Park / Hainburg
Awake this morning in Bratislava, the riverside capital of Slovakia and the only capital to border two other nations. After breakfast, disembark for an orientation walking tour with your trip leader. You’ll find an unusual mix of 20th-century Communist-era architecture, Baroque palaces, medieval spires, and the narrowest house in Europe—all overlooked from a hillside by the rectangular white castle and watchtowers of Bratislava Castle.
Mid-morning, you pedal out of town, crossing the Danube by way of the “UFO” bridge, and traverse the forests and meadows of Danube-Auen National Park, one of the largest remaining floodplains of the Danube. Arrive in Hainburg, a small town on the Austrian bank, where Joseph Haydn studied music as a young boy. After a delicious lunch in a local restaurant, arrive at Schloss Hof, the “hunting lodge” of Prince Eugene of Savoy. A guided visit introduces the lodge and the estate. You’re invited to roam the splendid gardens and castle.
Mid-afternoon, travel back to Slovakia and to your waiting ship. Alternatively, you can choose to cycle back along the other side of the river, though the small village of Devin, famous for its castle.
Back in Bratislava, enjoy some leisure time before dinner and a late departure for Vienna.
Today’s Ride Choices
Morning: Bratislava to Schloss Hof — 34 km (21 miles)
Afternoon: Schloss Hof to Bratislava — 20 km (13 miles)
What to Expect:
Today’s ride features a combination of bike paths and town streets. While both Slovakia and Austria offer bike paths, we would like to make you aware that the paths in Slovakia are slightly less well-maintained. The afternoon option is partly along a busy country road.
Cumulative Distance Range: 34 – 54 km (21 – 34 miles)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 4: Ride along the Donauinsel / Explore Vienna
Your ship is in Vienna from very early this morning until very late tonight, so you will have a convenient base from which to explore Austria’s glorious capital.
Vienna is renowned as one of Europe’s most cycle-friendly cities, so you can make use of its abundant bike paths and bike lanes. This morning, our small group will enjoy a private walking tour of Vienna with the help of an experienced local tour guide.
After lunch on board, your bike ride leads to the edge of the city and along the Donauinsel, or Danube Island, a 13-mile (21 km) strip where scenic vistas and quiet riding add to your Vienna discoveries.
Or explore Vienna on your own, pursuing your own whims and interests in the city of Strauss, Beethoven, and Mahler. The gracious boulevards of Vienna are awash in culture and elegance. Head to the Ringstrasse, the circular avenue that replaced the city’s demolished medieval wall, to marvel at the breathtaking architecture from the gleaming Imperial Palace and St. Stephen’s Cathedral to the famed Vienna State Opera. And be sure to take a break in one of the city’s famed coffee houses to experience Viennese café culture firsthand.
This evening, you are invited to join the Viennese Evening Concert excursion, featuring the music of Strauss and Mozart. This private event is available only to those on our ship.
Today’s Ride Choices
Afternoon: Vienna and Danube Island — 20 km (12 miles)
What to Expect:
The afternoon ride is a relaxing and easy loop ride through the edge of the city and on Danube Island, a car-free recreational paradise.
Cumulative Distance Range: 20 km (12 miles)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 5: Dürnstein / Cycle through the Wachau Valley / Melk
Your ship is moored in Krems, Austria, when you awake. The town and its surroundings are a center of Wachau wine production. From here, you begin to cycle toward Dürnstein. Admire its stunning powder-blue bell tower soaring above red roofs. A cliffside castle, which once held Richard the Lionheart captive, watches over the scenic town.
Later this morning, cycle through what is perhaps the most beautiful stretch of the Danube, the Wachau Valley, Austria’s celebrated wine-growing region. The “Wachau Cultural Landscape” was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000. As for its physical landscape, it is blessed with lush vineyards and hillside orchards set among castle ruins, churches, and abbeys. Few places match the Wachau for its striking beauty and rich viniculture. Ride through the scenic hamlets of Spitz and Wiessenkirchen, nestled between the Danube and its rising banks.
On arrival in Melk, celebrate the ride over a lunch of Austrian specialties. Afterward, you can continue cycling along the river on a loop ride, or go for a short walk, maybe exploring the city’s spectacular Benedictine Abbey, one of Europe’s largest Baroque monasteries. In the afternoon, you are invited to join a private wine tasting in the city center of Melk.
Upon returning to the ship, you’ll have time to relax before dinner on board. This afternoon, the ship charts a course for Engelhartszell and Passau.
Today’s Ride Choices
Morning: Krems to Melk — 40 km (24 miles)
Afternoon: Optional loop outside Melk — 18 km (11 miles)
What to Expect:
Begin biking from Krems, again following the Danube Bike Path. You can extend your ride after lunch in Melk. Both options are mostly on paved bike paths with some short ascents. In some sections, the bike path is directly adjacent to the roadway.
Cumulative Distance Range: 40 – 58 km (24 – 35 miles)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 6: Engelhartszell / Cycle to Passau
Your bicycle is waiting for you in Engelhartszell, where you disembark after an early breakfast to start your ride. This morning’s route to Passau follows the Danube Bike Path on a leisurely ride. After leaving Austria, continue cycling before taking a short detour along the river Inn to Passau, the scenic “City of Three Rivers” at the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz. Enjoy lunch on board your river cruise ship, and join an informative walking tour with a local guide, followed by free time to explore.
Afterward, you may join an optional hike to Veste Oberhaus, Passau’s famous castle on the other side of the river. Reboard the ship late afternoon and set sail for Regensburg. Enjoy a Captain’s Gala Dinner and evening activities on board.
Today’s Ride Choices
Morning: Engelhartszell to Passau — 33 km (20 miles)
What to Expect:
Bike along the right bank, on a section of the Danube Bike Path that is mainly flat and entirely paved. You will cycle the last section in an urban environment, across the relatively quiet city center of Passau.
Cumulative Distance Range: 33 km (20 miles)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 7: Regensburg / Cycle to Kelheim / Danube Gorge and Weltenburg
As you’ll see when you awake, Regensburg is an imposing town of red-roof houses at the convergence of the Danube and Regen rivers. Its 12th-century stone bridge features 16 arches spanning the Danube and reaching into the Old Town.
After breakfast, cycle along the Danube banks to Kelheim. Following the Danube Bike Path, your scenic ride continues to be easy and mostly car-free. Pause for a typical Bavarian lunch in a small, historical restaurant.
In the afternoon board a small ship in Kelheim for a picturesque 45-minute sail through the Danube Gorge (Donaudurchbruch). Upon arrival in Weltenburg, your presence is requested at a world-famous abbey for a private visit, followed by a beer tasting. Afterward, a shuttle will take you back to the ship for dinner with live music played by a traditional Bavarian band. The ship will moor in Regensburg, where you are welcome to enjoy an evening walk in town.
Today’s Ride Choices
Morning: Regensburg to Kapfelberg — 26 km (16 miles)
Afternoon: Kapfelberg to Kelheim — 13 km (8 miles)
What to Expect:
Today’s ride options are on the famous EuroVelo 6 bike path. The Danube is your constant companion on this scenic and easy ride upstream to Kelheim. The short option ends at Kapfelberg, with a shuttle on to Kelheim to board the small ship to Weltenburg. Today is the only day with significant sections of packed gravel (about 60%). Almost the entire ride is on vehicle-free bike paths.
Cumulative Distance Range: 26 – 39 km (16 – 24 miles)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 8: Disembark / VBT Bicycling Vacation ends
After breakfast, disembark your ship and conclude your Danube odyssey.
Your trip ends at the docks in Regensburg, Germany, on the morning of disembarkation. The ship is scheduled to arrive in port the day before. You may travel from here on your own by taxi to the train station, a distance of one mile (1.8 km), which should take about 5 minutes by taxi, to board a train, which takes you directly to the Munich International Airport in one hour and 20 minutes. The ship’s staff will be happy to arrange a taxi for you.
Included Meals: Breakfast