Cruise across Europe from Budapest to Amsterdam (port-to-port cruise)

Included in tour package<ul><li>Traditionnal evening in Budapest</li><li>Budapest</li><li>Hofburg</li><li>Vienne By night</li><li>Vienne and Schoenbrunn Palace</li><li>Concert of Viennese music</li><li>Durnstein</li><li>Melk abbey</li><li>Regensburg</li><li>Nuremberg</li><li>Rothenburg</li><li>Wurtzburg</li><li>Francfurt</li><li>Heidelberg</li><li>R&uuml;desheim</li><li>Amsterdam</li><li>Volendam and Zaanse Schans</li></ul>

Departure for a tour of Amsterdam by riverboat. With your guide, we'll glide further into this "Venice of the North&#8221; along the renowned Amsterdam canals, providing an ideal vantage point on the city's wonderful architecture. Our tour will take us through the four large canals surrounding the center - the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Singel canals. The Singel river was transformed into a canal in the 14th century to become part of the city's defensive belt, while the other three were conceived at the beginning of the Golden Age as a means to expand the city. Construction started in 1560 and lasted for more than a hundred years. The historical center is now surrounded by those four canals, parallel to one another. Shaped in half-moons, they follow the sun rays making sure that each and every house gets direct sunlight at some point during the day. When looking at a city map, Amsterdam resembles a half-bicycle wheel. Enjoy some free time in the city. Return on board.PLEASE NOTE<ul><li>Times are approximate.</li><li>Depending on the docking location in the port of Amsterdam, the duration of the excursion may vary.</li></ul>

Amsterdam tour by riverboat

In the company of our guides, we will leave for a panoramic tour of Budapest, the Pearl of the Danube. First we will head for the hills of Buda by crossing the Elizabeth Bridge and we will go up to the Castle quarter, from where we&#39;ll enjoy a fantastic panoramic view of the city. We will walk round the castle quarter and on to the Fisherman&#39;s Bastion, built in neo-Roman style in 1902 for the simple pleasure of offering a panoramic view over the city and the Danube. Behind the Bastion, we will find Matthias Church which notably was the venue for the coronation of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife &quot;Sissi&quot;. Our coach will then take us down to the plains of Pest. There, we will visit Heroes&#39; Square whose central monument depicting Prince Arpad and the chieftains of seven Magyar tribes was built for the millennium of Hungary. We will pass by the famous Szechenyi thermal baths, the zoo - a true piece of architecture - Vajdahunyad Castle and more. We will walk through the famous Andrassy Avenue and pass by St. Stephen&#39;s Basilica whose construction began in 1851 and was only completed in 1905. We will walk along the river and see the famous Parliament building overlooking the Danube with its white silhouette in the Byzantine and neo-Gothic styles. Return on board.&nbsp;

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Panoramic tour with stops to take pictures.</li>
	<li>Entrance tickets for these monuments are not included.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Tour of Budapest

Transfer by coach in the company of your guides to a theater downtown for a traditional Hungarian show. This one-and-a-half-hour show will take you across all the regions of Hungary through its folklore and Gypsy dance and music. After this show, the traditions and folklore of this beautiful country will no longer hold any secrets! Return on board by coach.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Depending on the number of participants the show can take place at another location.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Traditional evening in Budapest

Departure by coach in the company of our host/hostess towards Vienna&#39;s Kursalon where the concert will take place. Famous waltz melodies will take you back to the era of Franz Joseph and Sisi. The first half of the concert will be devoted to Mozart compositions, and the second half to Strauss. The orchestra consists of eight to thirteen musicians, two singers and two dancers who will all make sure you have a good time. During intermission, a free drink will be served (orange juice or sparkling Austrian wine*). Return on board by coach.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Please dress appropriately.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
	<li>*Alcohol can be harmful to your health. Please drink in moderation.</li>
</ul>

Viennese Music Concert

Departure by coach in the company of your hostess for the village of D&uuml;rnstein. You will drive through the Austrian Wachau dotted with charming villages and ruins of medieval castles all the way to D&uuml;rnstein. This town is well-known for its castle where legend has it that Richard the Lionheart was held prisoner by Duke Leopold IV after their falling out during the third crusade and later rescued by his faithful confident, Blondel. 
You will have some free time in the village to taste the Austrian wine or the local specialty, apricot liqueur. You will be able to stroll through the streets of this medieval town and visit the Baroque abbey.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Free visit of D&uuml;rnstein.</li>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended: the streets are cobbled and steep.</li>
	<li>Extra fee for the visit of the Abbey.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Transfer to D&uuml;rnstein and tour of the village

The excursion to Frankfurt will begin with a panoramic tour of the city by coach. Frankfurt am Main is a dynamic and international city with Germany&#39;s most imposing skyline. Under the skyscrapers, you&#39;ll find cozy pubs; and at the heart of the bustling city center, you&#39;ll find sites full of history. Frankfurt also has an unrivalled museum scene featuring masterpieces spanning nine centuries of European art. We&#39;ll leave the coach behind to visit the city on foot. After passing in front of the dominant Frankfurt Cathedral, we&#39;ll discover the old city and the R&ouml;merberg, the seat of the city&#39;s government since the 15th century. Formerly called the Samstagsberg, it has been the site of markets and fairs, tournaments and festivals, executions, imperial elections and coronations. Here you&#39;ll also find a plaque commemorating the book burning by the National Socialists in 1933. After our tour, enjoy some free time before returning to the ship on foot.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Visit of the city on foot : possibility to get to the boat by coach at the end of the excursion.</li>
	<li>People who want to enjoy free time in the city will get back to the boat on foot.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Guided tour of Frankfurt

Departure for the visit of Heidelberg. This cosmopolitan, friendly, and vibrant city is made up of 15 distinct neighborhoods and is particularly attractive to families, students, business people, and researchers. Its high quality of life comes through to visitors, who feel genuinely at home here. We&#39;ll begin with a visit to the outside of Heidelberg Castle, where you&#39;ll be able to see the Renaissance ruins and parts of its restoration. The castle has a history that is almost as old as the city itself. From either the Great Terrace or the gardens, enjoy an amazing view over Heidelberg, the Neckar River, and the valley. Don&#39;t miss seeing the Heidelberg Tun. Built in 1751 by Prince Elector Karl Theodor, it housed the wine paid as taxes by the wine growers in the region. Legend has it that the permanently intoxicated court jester who guarded the cask, Perkeo, died after mistakenly drinking a simple glass of water. You can also enjoy a stroll through the castle gardens, once considered a masterpiece of their time. Built upon several terraces, they were made up of many flower beds, mazes, sculptures, heated greenhouse with orange trees, large ponds, waterfalls, and a man-made grotto. We&#39;ll then head for the Neckarm&uuml;nzplatz, on the banks of the Necker River, and continue with a guided tour of the old city. We&#39;ll pass by the Church of the Holy Spirit, the most famous church in Heidelberg, whose steeple dominates the town. And then you can take advantage of some free time to wander through the streets and shops before returning on board.PLEASE NOTE<ul><li>Depending on the cruise, departure and/or return on board in Mannheim</li><li>The access to the castle needs climbing up a 300m gradient.</li><li>Good walking shoes are recommended.</li><li>The order of the visits can change.</li><li>Times are approximate.</li></ul>

Guided tour of Heidelberg and its castle (outdoor)

Departure by coach with your local guide. You will discover the Hofburg, which is also known for having been during 600 years the &quot;Winter Residency&quot; of the Habsburgs. Over the course of their reign, they turned this small 13th century fortress into a colossal and beautiful palace. The different buildings today mostly house museums and the gardens, dotted with monuments, have become the Volksgarten and the Burggarten. 
We will climb up the Emperor&#39;s Staircase to reach the Sisi Museum which extends over six rooms that have been equipped to solely center on Elisabeth&#39;s private life. Here numerous personal items that once belonged to Elisabeth are used to help illustrate the true personality of the frequently misunderstood Empress. The sensitively designed exhibits are inspired by the monarch&#39;s poetry and illustrate how the once light-hearted young girl, Sisi, became a restless, unapproachable and melancholic woman. The more than 300 items on display in the museum include parasols, boxes and gloves which once belonged to Elisabeth, along with a reconstruction of the evening dress worn by 16 year old Sisi in 1854 before she left her home in Munich, and a replica of a section of her imperial railway carriage. 
We&#39;ll then move on to Imperial Apartments and access the 19 official and private rooms that once belonged to Franz Joseph and Elisabeth. The Imperial Apartments are a reflection of the monarchic splendor. You will get to see the Emperor&#39;s Audience Chamber, his Conference Room, and his bedroom before peering through Elizabeth&#39;s apartments with her salons, lavatory and bathroom and her dressing and exercise room where Elizabeth spent most of her time. 
Return to the boat.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Before arriving to the Hofburg, a 5 minute walk is necessary.</li>
	<li>There are stairs to access the Hofburg.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Guided tour of the Hofburg, Residency of the Habsburgs and Sisi museum

We&#39;ll leave by coach with our guide for Volendam, a charming village that has preserved its character for over six centuries thanks to the tough vitality of its fishermen. We&#39;ll then visit a cheese factory in the area to discover how the famous Gouda cheese is made. We&#39;ll enjoy tasting the different flavors and ages available of one of the most popular cheeses in the world. We&#39;ll then head for Zaanse Schans, an open air museum with wooden windmills, barns, and houses. Take a walk through the stunning buildings and the unique peat landscape or watch traditional clog making techniques. Don&#39;t miss the small but impressive clog museum that features one of the largest and most attractive collections of wooden shoes in the Netherlands: painted, carved, ice clogs with iron trimmings, horse clogs, and decorative clogs. Take advantage of some free time on this excursion to indulge in authentic Dutch traditions. We&#39;ll return to our ship in Amsterdam by coach.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended: guided visit on foot at Volendam and Zaanse Schans.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Excursion to Volendam and Zaanse-Schans

Departure by coach in company of your host/hostess towards Melk Abbey. We will meet up with our guides in the inner courtyard to start our visit. The Abbey overlooking the Danube was first built as the Babenberg&#39;s fortified castle. It was founded in the 11th century and the current buildings of the Benedictine abbey date from the Baroque era and were designed by architect Jakob Prandtauer. 
Melk Abbey now houses a museum in which you&#39;ll discover several rooms that have been enhanced thanks to architecture, sound and light as well as the use of various types of media. Computer animations will tell you a story about the construction of the edifices. You will also visit the marble hall, the world famous library and the bedchambers where a number of illustrious visitors have slept. Return on board by coach.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended: from the parking lot to the entrance of the Abbey there are stairs and a 500m cobblestone path.</li>
	<li>Depending on the cruise the visit can be in the morning or in the afternoon.</li>
	<li>Please dress appropriately.</li>
	<li>Depending on navigation schedules passengers could have free time.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
	<li>Languages: FR-EN-DE.</li>
</ul>

Guided tour of the Melk Abbey

Join us for a guided tour of Nuremberg by coach. We&#39;ll enjoy a panoramic visit of the monuments found outside of the city&#39;s medieval walls, including the Nuremberg Palace of Justice, the Nazi Documentation Centre and Party Rally Grounds, the castle area, etc. You&#39;ll discover the charming side streets and beautiful half-timbered houses before arriving in the Marktplatz. On foot, you&#39;ll see the gorgeous Sch&ouml;ner Brunnen (beautiful fountain) and the Frauenkirche. During our tour, we&#39;ll stop and taste one of the local specialties, Lebkuchen, the city&#39;s famous gingerbread.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Guided tour of Nuremberg

Regensburg saw its political and economic heyday in the 12th and 13th centuries when it was located at a crossroads between major trade routes and became a Free Imperial City in 1245 until other great Bavarian cities were preferred. This poorly industrialized city wasn&#39;t heavily targeted by allied bombings and has thus kept an almost intact medieval center. 
Before our visit to Regensburg, our coach will take us to Walhalla, a huge Greek style marble temple overhanging the Danube. Ludwig I of Bavaria mandated the construction of this temple between 1830 and 1842 as a memorial dedicated to Germany&#39;s most influential worthies. Inside, we&#39;ll take a look at some 129 busts depicting German characters such as artists, military leaders and more. 
In the company of our guide, we&#39;ll set off on a visit of Regensburg on foot. We&#39;ll discover the imposing stone-built &quot;Porta Praetoria&rdquo; - the northern gate to the Roman fortress - the Old Town Hall containing the rooms occupied by the Imperial diet from 1663 to 1806, the Gothic Cathedral and the Italian influenced homes of wealthy merchants from the Middle-Ages. 
Return on board.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended as the streets in the old town are cobbled and it is necessary to walk on a mountain track to go to the Walhalla temple.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Guided tour of Regensburg

Departure by coach in the company of your hostess for the charming town of Rothenburg. Located along the &quot;Romantic Road&quot;, this town has kept its Renaissance layout virtually intact as it has not undergone any changes since the Thirty Years&#39; War, making it one of the most authentic towns in Germany. A local guide will lead you to the 15th century ramparts, the Spital Bastion, the Market Square and Town Hall as well as the renowned St James&#39;s church (exteriors only). After your guided walking tour, you will have some free time to stroll through the romantic streets, visit some of the museums such as the Criminal Museum exhibiting instruments of torture, the Christmas Museum or the Doll and Toy Museum - entrance fees to be paid on location - or have a taste of some of the local specialties. 
Return on board by coach.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended: the streets are cobbled.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Guided tour of Rothenburg

You will start the visit with a tour and commentary of the R&uuml;desheim vineyards by mini-train, during which you will discover the famous vineyards already cultivated in the Roman period. During this tour, the history of winemaking in the region will be explained and you can enjoy a breathtaking view of R&uuml;desheim and the Rhine. The train will then stop right before the historical Bassenheimer Hof cellar, a seigneurial residence from the 16th century, where we&#39;ll indulge in a wine-tasting*. A winemaker from the St&ouml;rzel family cellar will guide you through a tasting of three different wines, from the driest to the sweetest, all the while telling you about the history of the cellar and winemaking in the R&uuml;desheim region, complete with local stories. Afterwards, our visit will continue on to the Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments located 100m away from the cellar in an old building from the 15th century. The &quot;Siegfrieds Mechanisches Musikkabinett&quot; is the first German museum dedicated to self-playing musical instruments, which holds an impressive collection of no less than 350 mechanical musical instruments dating back to the 18th century to the 20th, all spread out on more than 4000 ft&sup2;. This is a vast collection, dating back three centuries, of fascinating musical instruments that function like computers, ranging from tiny, delicate music boxes to an enormous orchestrion. Tools and machines for the production of organ pipes, cardboard sheet music, rolls of sheet music and perforated disks are also on display in the collection. Whatever their age, museum visitors always take great pleasure in discovering this special music, the techniques from the past and how these instruments work. After visiting the Museum, you will have some free time to stroll through the streets of R&uuml;desheim ambling down the famous Drosselgasse, before making your own way back to the boat.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Warm clothes are recommended for the visit of the cellar.</li>
	<li>After the visits, passengers will have free time in Rudesheim until they go back to the boat on foot on their own.</li>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
	<li>*Alcohol can be harmful to your health. Please drink in moderation.</li>
</ul>

R&uuml;desheim : wine tasting* and visit of the Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments

You will begin the tour by taking the famous Ring to reach Schoenbrunn Palace. The &quot;Ring&quot; was one of the personal projects of Emperor Franz Joseph. In 1857, he decided to take down the ramparts that enclosed the city center and had this boulevard built lined with fine buildings. Along the Ring you will admire this architectural showcase of the old Austro-Hungarian monarchy, including: the State Opera; the Hofburg Palace; the Natural History Museum; the City Hall; the Burgtheater and more. 
When you arrive at Schoenbrunn Palace, you will be guided through the numerous rooms of the Hapsburgs&#39; summer residence, which bear witness to the splendor of the Court at the time of Maria Theresa. You will also have some time to wander through the Palace gardens. 
You will then return to the coach, which will take you to the city center to enjoy some free time in the area around St Stephen&#39;s Cathedral. You will then return to the coach, which will take you back to the boat, via the Ring.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Comfortable shoes are recommended.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Guided tour of Vienna and Schoenbrunn Palace

Discover Vienna by night with a panoramic coach tour. This two-thousand-year-old city is a true open-air museum. Vienna embodies Romanticism through its powerful architecture and numerous monuments. We&#39;ll take the famous Ring which encircles historic Vienna, on the right bank of the Danube. Our coach will go past a multitude of buildings that were erected under the old Austro-Hungarian monarchy: the Opera, the City Hall, the Hofburg and many official buildings. We will stop at Schwarzenbergplatz with a monument in honor of Johann Strauss. Then, a walk around Albertina quarter will allow us to admire Hofburg Palace, the winter residence of the Habsburgs which today houses the Sisi Museum, as well as the Augustinian Church where Franz Joseph and Sisi&#39;s wedding was conducted. Return to the boat by coach.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Panoramic tour with walking stops : Albertina quarter ~ 40min and Schwarzenbergplatz ~ 20min.</li>
	<li>Comfortable shoes are recommended.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Guided tour of Vienna by night

Departure by coach in the company of your hostess to the center of W&uuml;rzburg. 
Our tour will start with a visit to the W&uuml;rzburg Residence (or Residenz), former palace of the Prince-Bishops of W&uuml;rzburg. Construction was commissioned by Prince-Bishop Friedrich Carl von Sch&ouml;nborn as a replacement for the old Marienberg Fortress and lasted between 1720 and 1780. You&#39;ll discover 40 rooms richly decorated with furniture, paintings and tapestries by 18th century master artists and climb up the monumental Main Staircase designed by Balthasar Neumann. Among others, you will visit the Baroque Imperial Hall whose frescoes were the works of Italian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and the Imperial Apartments richly decorated in Rococo style. 
Our tour will continue downtown where you will have some free time before returning on board by coach.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Comfortable shoes are recommended: the streets are cobbled in the city center.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Guided tour of W&uuml;rzburg

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CLASSIC EXCURSIONS PACKAGE

Included in tour package Traditionnal evening in Budapest Budapest Hofburg Vienne By night Vienne and Schoenbrunn Palace Concert of Viennese music Durnstein Melk abbey Regensburg Nuremberg Rothenburg Wurtzburg Francfurt Heidelberg Rüdesheim Amsterdam Volendam and Zaanse Schans

CLASSIC EXCURSIONS PACKAGE

Cruises

Cruise across Europe from Budapest to Amsterdam (port-to-port cruise)

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