Enchanting Danube

Budapest  to Passau - 9 Days

Day 1:	Depart Home Gateway City to Budapest
Day 2:	Budapest Arrive in Budapest and be greeted by a representative who will escort you to the ship. (D)
Day 3:	Budapest Featured Excursions: Budapest City Tour Onboard Highlights: Captain's Welcome Dinner Budapest is an enchanting city with a vibrant mix of East and West, and Medieval and modern. Made up of two partsBuda, the hills, and Pest, the flat landsit is divided by the Danube and is an architectural dream. Your city tour features the famous Chain Bridge, an early 19th-century bridge that was the first to connect Buda with Pest, the UNESCO-listed Castle Hill district, and the 19th-century Fisherman's Bastion with dramatic vistas of the city. (B, L, Captain's Welcome Dinner)
Day 4:	Bratislava Featured Excursions: Bratislava City Tour Evening Entertainment: Exciting Local Entertainment Bratislava, straddling both banks of the mighty Danube, is a melting pot of cultures  an absolute fondue of diversity. A tour through Bratislava will acquaint you with a sampling of the town's eclectic architecture of Gothic, Baroque and Art Deco styles. Bratislava has been aptly named the "Coronation City of Kings"and you'll discover as you walk along the sidewalks that there are little golden crowns in the pavement identifying the route of the coronation procession of eleven kings and eight royal spouses over the centuries. You'll also pass the 17th-century palace that now serves as the seat of the Slovakian government, Old Town's Freedom Square and Peace Square, and Grassalkovich Palais, home of the President of Slovakia. You'll continue on to Bratislava Castle, Michael's Gate, built during medieval times to keep out enemies, Mirbach Palace and Primatial Palace. (B, L, D)
Day 5:	Vienna Featured Excursions: Vienna City Tour Optional Tours: Visit Schönbrunn Palace, a stunning former Habsburg residence that rivals Versailles, and/or enjoy a classical music performance of Mozart and Strauss in one of the city's grand concert halls. Vienna is a treasure trove of secular and sacred gemsSt. Stephen's Cathedral, the most beloved architectural wonder in all of Vienna, and the stately Ringstrasse, the broad thoroughfare surrounded by the many imperial buildings and monuments that give Vienna its wedding cake appearance. Your city tour will take you along the Ringstrasse to St. Stephen's Cathedral, where Mozart was married in 1782, and then onto Figaro House, where you can almost picture Mozart furiously writing The Marriage of Figaro. (B, L, D)
Day 6:	Dürnstein, Cruising the Wachau Valley, Melk Featured Excursions: Dürnstein Walking Tour Optional Tours: Melk Abbey Tour Onboard Highlights: Insightful Lecture The tiny Baroque village of Dürnstein seems lost in time. It's perhaps most famous for being where Richard the Lionhearted was held captive in 1192 and 1193 until he paid a heavy ransom in silver  your local guide will fill you in on all the details during your walking tour. The tour takes you through the village with its old burgher houses and 16th- through 18th-century townhouses, ending at the exquisite Baroque cathedral. Depart Dürnstein and cruise through the heart of the fairytale, vineyard-rich Wachau Valley with its abruptly rising hills, nestling Baroque villages and ancient monuments. This fascinating stretch of landscape along the Danube has recently been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. (B, L, D)
Day 7:	Linz Featured Excursions: Linz Walking Tour Optional Tours: Full-day Excursion to Salzburg The Danube serves as a dividing line between the modern Linz and its old "soul"During your guided tour, explore Old Town with its castles, churches and early buildings fanning out from the central Hauptplatz, Austria's largest medieval town squares. (B, L, D)
Day 8:	Passau Featured Excursions: Walking Tour and Organ Concert Optional Tours: Visit Schärding, one of Austria's most beautiful Baroque towns situated in the scenic and bucolic River Inn Valley. Onboard Highlights: Captain's Farewell Dinner Your guided walk starts in the medieval section of Passau, and then takes you past St. Stephan's Cathedral, home to Europe's largest pipe organ. Later, you'll return to St. Stephan Organ concert not available on Sundays or before May 2 or after November 1.'s for an organ concert. (B, L, Captain's Farewell Dinner)
Day 9:	Depart Munich Disembark the ship and transfer to the airport in Munich for your flight home.