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Essence of the Danube
Eastbound
Tour Description:
Over six days, our shortest Danube itinerary captures the essence of a river shaped by royal history, timeless music, and centuries of trade. Linked by culture and wine, the journey spans three capital cities across Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary – including the medieval villages of the Wachau Valley, with a palace dinner, museum visits, and vineyard bicycling along the way.
From Vienna to Budapest, the Danube comes alive in autumn, its warm colors glowing against the river. Experience three capital cities across three countries in a river cruise just under a week-long – a perfect introduction to the "River of Kings." Meet your Tauck riverboat in Vienna, where you'll spend the next three days exploring Austria. In Vienna, the choice is yours: tour the Habsburgs' summer residence, Schönbrunn Palace, or admire masterworks at the city's fine art museum – followed by a Tauck Exclusive evening of dining and waltzes at a private palace. See Austria's UNESCO World Heritage Site – Wachau Valley – and taste its wines before returning to Vienna for a tour of the city and tastings. Your last full day is spent in Bratislava – touring its pastel-lined streets and history before ending your journey on the Danube in Budapest.
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Destination & Sightseeing
Destination & Sightseeing
Over six days, our shortest Danube itinerary captures the essence of a river shaped by royal history, timeless music, and centuries of trade. Linked by culture and wine, the journey spans three capital cities across Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary – including the medieval villages of the Wachau Valley, with a palace dinner, museum visits, and vineyard bicycling along the way.
From Vienna to Budapest, the Danube comes alive in autumn, its warm colors glowing against the river. Experience three capital cities across three countries in a river cruise just under a week-long – a perfect introduction to the "River of Kings." Meet your Tauck riverboat in Vienna, where you'll spend the next three days exploring Austria. In Vienna, the choice is yours: tour the Habsburgs' summer residence, Schönbrunn Palace, or admire masterworks at the city's fine art museum – followed by a Tauck Exclusive evening of dining and waltzes at a private palace. See Austria's UNESCO World Heritage Site – Wachau Valley – and taste its wines before returning to Vienna for a tour of the city and tastings. Your last full day is spent in Bratislava – touring its pastel-lined streets and history before ending your journey on the Danube in Budapest.
Highlights
TAUCK EXCLUSIVE - An Imperial Evening at a private Vienna palace with dinner and classical performers
All gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors and Tauck Cruise Directors
Choice of sightseeing in Vienna's Museum of Fine Arts (Kunsthistorisches) or the imperial Schönbrunn Palace
A guided tour of the 900-year-old Melk Abbey
Choices in Dürnstein: A walking tour, or an active bike ride through vineyards and along the Wachau Valley – plus an afternoon wine tasting
Highlights
TAUCK EXCLUSIVE - An Imperial Evening at a private Vienna palace with dinner and classical performers
All gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors and Tauck Cruise Directors
Choice of sightseeing in Vienna's Museum of Fine Arts (Kunsthistorisches) or the imperial Schönbrunn Palace
A guided tour of the 900-year-old Melk Abbey
Choices in Dürnstein: A walking tour, or an active bike ride through vineyards and along the Wachau Valley – plus an afternoon wine tasting
ITINERARY
ITINERARYArrive Vienna
Tour begins: 4:00 PM Vienna. A transfer is included from Vienna International Airport or Vienna Central Station to the riverboat docked in Vienna. Settle into your cabin and join us for a welcome reception to toast your journey toward Budapest. Dinner this evening is in the Compass Rose.
Imperial Vienna and an evening at a palace
In a city celebrated for its Baroque streetscapes, imperial palaces, and as the home of musical legends like Mozart and Beethoven, you'll have the chance to appreciate Vienna through one of two morning excursions. Choose a guided visit to the lavish Schönbrunn Palace, the Habsburgs' summer residence, boasting 1,441 rooms and over 300 years of history across its 400 acres. Alternatively, explore the Kunsthistorisches Museum – Vienna's fine art museum – built in 1891 to house the impressive art collections of the imperial family, with some objects dating back 5,000 years. After lunch – either aboard the riverboat or at one of the many cafés in town – the afternoon is yours to explore at leisure, with convenient shuttle service to and from the ship. Tonight, we invite you to dress up and join us at Palais Pallavicini for a Tauck Exclusive evening of dining, musical performances, and waltzes in elegant Viennese style.
The Wachau Valley
Today, your riverboat arrives in Melk for a guided visit to the 900-year-old Benedictine Abbey overlooking the quaint town. A former Roman fort, later a castle of the Babenberg rulers of Austria, it was gifted to the Benedictines in 1111 and still functions as a monastery and major pilgrimage site today. Return to the riverboat mid-morning for a cruise through the Wachau Valley. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this region of the Danube winds and bends past castle and monastery ruins, small villages dating to the 11th and 12th centuries, and vineyards – a strikingly romantic site with live commentary from your Tauck Director. After lunch, disembark in Dürnstein for your choice of unforgettable sightseeing excursions. You may choose to explore this picture-perfect Austrian village on a guided walking tour, or a challenging bicycling excursion through the Wachau Valley. Following your excursion, enjoy free time or set out on an active and steep Tauck Director-led hike to the Kuenringerburg ruins, where remnants of a medieval hilltop castle – where King Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned – and sweeping vistas of the golden Danube and surrounding valley reward your efforts. As you'll see from here, and as you saw earlier while cruising, the Wachau Valley is one of Austria's premier wine regions, celebrated for its white wines. Sip these elegant, mineral-driven wines later this afternoon before rejoining the riverboat for dinner.
A Taste of Vienna
Austria's cuisine reflects a rich mosaic of flavors, shaped by the many cultures once united under the Habsburg Empire and its unique position at Europe's crossroads. During your city tour of Vienna, you'll have the chance to sample traditional dishes. Begin along the elegant Ringstrasse, a grand circular boulevard lined with imperial landmarks, museums, and palaces, before choosing your preferred pace of exploration – either a relaxed walking tour through Vienna's charming downtown or a more active journey through the storied lanes of Vienna's Old Town. After tasting the city's culinary and cultural delights, enjoy free time to sightsee as you wish with shuttles operating from Albertina to the riverboat, then return to the ship to mingle with fellow travelers during an onboard social hour.
Bratislava – the coronation city
Take in the autumn scenery along the Danube this morning, savoring brunch in the Compass Rose, and unwinding slowly as you cruise toward the "Coronation City." Sandwiched between Hungary and Austria, Slovakia's Bratislava is the only capital in the world that borders two countries at once. By the afternoon, Bratislava comes into view, a city framed by vineyards and the Little Carpathian Mountains, known for its distinctive, red-tiled roofs. Explore the city on a guided walking tour, with stops at the tree-lined and fountain-filled Hviezdoslav Square, the neo-classical Slovak National Theatre, Primate's Palace – a pink palace originally built for a bishop in the late 1700s – and the charming Old Town, where pastel-colored buildings line pedestrian-only streets. The afternoon is yours to explore on your own and your riverboat is conveniently located close to this walkable city center. Rejoin the riverboat for evening entertainment and dinner in the Compass Rose.
Journey home
Tour ends: Budapest. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the riverboat to Budapest Franz Liszt International Airport or Budapest Keleti Train Station; please allow a minimum of 3 hours for international flight check-in.
