Prague & Danube

Prague

Arrival in Prague, ''The Golden City'', and check in at your hotel. Tonight a welcome dinner at the hotel is included. (D)

Prague

This morning enjoy an optional tour of Prague, the city that Goethe called ''the jewel in the world's crown''. The highlights of the tour will be a visit of the majestic castle and of the impressive St. Vitus Cathedral. Spend the afternoon at leisure, perhaps visiting the fascinating Jewish Quarter or browsing through some of Prague's many excellent shops. (B)

Prague/Passau

Prague/Passau Today we leave Prague after breakfast. After driving through the lovely scenery of southern Bohemia, we arrive in Passau. Free time before boarding your ''floating hotel''. Tonight a welcome cocktail party will be held before dinner is served on board. The ship leaves Passau in the course of the evening. (B,D)

Regensburg

This morning we dock in Regensburg, one of Germany's best preserved Medieval cities. The highlights of your optional sightseeing tour will be the Old Town Hall and the Porta Praetoria. After lunch you will have the opportunity to join our optional excursion to Weltenburg Abbey, the oldest monastery in Bavaria founded by Irish or Scottish monks around 620 AD. After a tour of the Abbey you will sample some famous dark Weltenburg beer, known for being brewed in the oldest brewery in the world. Dinner on board. (B,L,D)

Passau/Linz

During breakfast the ship arrives in Passau, the Bavarian city where the rivers Inn and Ilz join the Danube. Today you will have the opportunity to choose between three different optional tours. During the walking tour of the old section of Passau you will admire St. Stephen's Cathedral, where the world's largest organ is housed, the new Bishop's residence and the Town Hall. The second option is an excursion to Salzburg, Mozart's birthplace, and UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. After an included lunch, you will be taken to St. Gilgen - Mozart's mother's birthplace - a lovely village close to Wolfgangsee, the best known and largest lake in Austria's beautiful Salzkammergut region. The third option will be an excursion to Cesky Krumlov, one of the most beautiful cities in the Czech Republic, where a walking tour will take you through its historic city center. Your vessel will dock in Linz in the early afternoon. Those who have not taken the excursion to Salzburg or Cesky Krumlov will have a chance to join an optional guided tour of Linz. After dinner the vessel casts off downstream towards the Wachau district. (B,L,D)

Melk/Emmersdorf/Weissenkirchen/Vienna

Early in the morning the ship docks in Melk/Emmersdorf. Here you will have the opportunity of joining an optional excursion to Wachau and Melk. Wachau is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and region of natural beauty that lies in the Danube valley between the towns of Melk and Krems. In Melk, you will visit the magnificent 900-year old Benedictine Abbey. If you decide to join this excursion, you will board your vessel in Weissenkirchen. You will be in Vienna, Austria's capital city in the evening. After dinner on board you can join our optional ''Vienna by night'' tour. (B,L,D)

Vienna

The ship will be docked in Vienna all day. Our optional city tour of Vienna will take you to the city's most important sights: the Ringstrasse, the Schwarzenbergplatz, the Karlskirche and Vienna's stunning Opera House. The last stop will be the impressive St. Stephan's Cathedral. In the afternoon you can take an optional excursion to the Sch?nbrunn Palace, one of the most important cultural monuments in the country, and one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna. Tonight, subject to availability, you will have a chance to attend the optional ''Sound of Vienna'' concert. The vessel leaves Vienna after midnight. (B,L,D)

Bratislava

Today the vessel continues its journey downstream to Slovakia, before docking in Bratislava for the day. An optional sightseeing tour of Bratislava reveals the city's major sights. In the afternoon you can take an optional excursion to the Imperial Festival Palace of Castle Hof. This complex of magnificent Baroque buildings was built in the early 18th Century, and its authenticity and diversity attracts Baroque enthusiasts from all over the world. Tonight the captain welcomes everyone to a special dinner followed by a night of dancing. (B,L,D)

Esztergom/Budapest

The vessel arrives in Esztergomthe former residence of the kings of Hungary and seat of the Archbishop. An optional tour will start with a visit of the magnificent cathedral, Hungary's largest place of worship. You will then continue to the imposing fortress of Visegrad before driving along the bank of the Danube to the artists' village of Szentendre. After a stroll through its picturesque streets, the excursion continues to Budapest, where you will rejoin the ship before lunch. This afternoon take an optional city tour or see Budapest on your own. Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is really two cities: Buda and Pest. Buda, with its cobbled streets and Medieval architecture, is the oldest part of the city, while Pest, with its wide avenues and impressive 19th Century public buildings, is the administrative and commercial center of the city. Tonight, while a Hungarian folkloristic group performs on board, you will cruise along the river and admire Budapest at its best. (B,L,D)

Budapest

Disembarkation in Budapest after breakfast. End of the cruise. (B)