Transfers by deluxe motorcoach with airport porterage and English-speaking
guide from the Budapest Airport to the CroisiEurope ship pier in Budapest. A light three course lunch at a local Budapest restaurant and a brief guided walking tour is
included prior to ship embarkation.
Five night CroisiEurope Danube River cruise from Budapest to Passau with port
taxes, daily breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Tours from the ship are
optional for individuals or they can be costed in on a group basis only.
Guided coach transfer from the CroisiEurope ship pier in Passau to the hotel in
Prague including a three course lunch with coffee at a local restaurant along
the route.
Three nights first class accommodations with service charges, taxes, daily
breakfast and in/out porterage at the Grandhotel Bohemia in Prague, or similar.
Subject to group availability.
Three course welcome dinner with coffee at a local Prague restaurant within
walking distance of the hotel, or at the hotel itself.
Guided half day Prague city tour by motorcoach including all entrance fees to
the Prague Castle.
Half day guided motorcoach excursion tour to Nelahozeves Chateau including
entrance fees and a three course lunch with coffee at the castle's restaurant.
Farewell dinner at a local Prague brewery of three courses with coffee, 1 beer,
entertainment, coach transfers and guide assistance.
Transfer by motorcoach with English-speaking guide and airport porterage from
the Prague hotel to the Prague airport.
CroisiEurope Danube River Cruise # BUC / Budapest - Passau / 5 Nights Cruise / 3 Nights Prague
DAY 1
Upon arrival at Budapest Airport, a local guide and motorcoach will take
passengers for a brief lunch and a walking tour of the city of Pest.
Embarkation on the ship in Budapest is set for between 5:00-6:00 PM. After
arrival and checkin on the ship, time is allowed for cruise passengers to
settle into their cabins before the introduction of the crew. That is
followed by a cocktail reception and dinner on board. This evening is free
for individual sightseeing on your own, or an optional folkloric and traditional dance
evening is offered in Budapest. Overnight in Budapest.
DAY 2
Breakfast is served on board. You may use free time to explore the city on your own, or take the optional city sightseeing tour of Budapest. Even though the twin cities of Buda & Pest were reunited in 1872, they are two very separate entities. Buda is the more tranquil of the two with cobblestone streets, Baroque palaces, Turkish baths and royal castles. On the other side of the Danube River is Pest, a bustling metropolis with far different architectural styles and a very different pace of life. Return to the ship for lunch on board before cruising west at about 1:00 PM towards Bratislava for an overnight sailing. Dinner is served on board and an entertaining evening is planned.
DAY 3
Arrival is scheduled in Bratislava for about 7:00 AM with breakfast served on board. At about 8:30 AM, an optional tour of the city is offered. Bratislava is located in a marvelous geographic position. It is dominated to the north by the southern slopes of the Little Carpathian Mountains and bathed by the Danube River. The charms of the Slovakian Capital are to be found in the “old town” with its splendid baroque palaces, churches and pleasant squares. Return to the ship for lunch on board and we continue sailing in order to reach Vienna by evening. Dinner is served on board and an optional tour is offered to Vienna to see the city by night. Overnight in Vienna.
DAY 4
Breakfast is served on board. The morning is free for sightseeing on your own or you may take an optional excursion to visit the Schoenbrunn Palace followed by a tour of Vienna. Schoenbrunn is the former summer residence of the Austrian emperor and his family. It is a magnificent structure with beautiful gardens. Return to the ship for lunch on board. The afternoon is also free for sightseeing or you may take the optional tour to the Hofburg Palace located on Vienna’s incredible Ringstrasse. This former palace of the Hapsburgs is known for its exhibit of the crown jewels and the splendid imperial apartments. After dinner on board the ship, you have the option of attending a Viennese concert (subject to availability). After returning to the ship, there is an overnight sailing west on the Danube.
DAY 5
Breakfast is served on board while cruising up the most beautiful stretch of the Danube River through the Wachau. Arrival in Melk is scheduled for 9:00 AM. Upon arrival, an optional tour is offered to the picturesque village of Durnstein, made famous thanks to the legend of King Richard the Lionhearted. Return back to the ship for lunch on board. This is followed by an optional tour to the Benedictine Abbey of Melk. This impressive collection of buildings is perched high on a rocky outcropping overlooking the Danube. It is a symbol of Austrian Baroque architecture at its finest. Return to the ship around 4:00 PM to begin cruising towards Germany on another overnight sailing. Dinner is served on board and a gala evening is planned.
DAY 6
Arrive in Passau with an 8:00 AM disembarkation scheduled after breakfast.
After checkout on the ship, a private motorcoach and guide will be waiting
to take the group for a touring transfer to Prague. There will be a stop
along the way for lunch in Plizen, a city famous for its beer, or in a
smaller town or village. Arrival in Prague will be sometime in the
afternoon followed by hotel checkin. That evening, there will be a welcome
dinner planned for the group. Overnight in Prague.
DAY 7
After breakfast, the group will be scheduled for a half day city tour of Prague. The program will include a panoramic coach tour of the city, a visit to the Prague Castle, as well as, a bit of a walking tour near the castle. The tour will finish right before lunch and you are free for the remainder of the day with lunch and dinner on your own. Please note that English is widely spoken in Prague so it is very easy to transact business in almost any restaurant or shop in the city. For those who admire glassware, it is not difficult to arrange purchasing, insuring and shipping it back to the U.S. Overnight in Prague.
DAY 8
After breakfast, the coach and guide will arrive to take the group to the
Nelahozeves Chateau located about 15 miles north of Prague. This half day
tour includes lunch at the chateau. Among the many artistic attractions,
you will find; a private art collection that includes paintings by Rubens
and Lucas Cranach, original musical instruments, and musical scripts by
Beethoven. The Nelahozeves Chateau was built in the early 17th century and
it was reclaimed by the original owners, the Bohemian noblemen of the
Lobkowicz family, shortly after the fall of Communism in the Czech
Republic. Besides the many artistic highlights, the estate has many acres
of vineyards, a working winery and a brewery. The tour returns to Prague
in the afternoon and that evening a farewell dinner is planned at a local
Prague brewery complete with folkloric entertainment.
DAY 9
After hotel checkout, the group will meet their guide and coach for the short ride to the Prague Airport and the flight back to the U.S.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
Should you feel your group's time in Budapest is too short, we highly recommend
bringing them into Budapest for 1-3 nights prior to the beginning of the Danube
River cruise.
Land program inclusives can be altered according to client itinerary
specifications and budget concerns.
Additional ground services, hotel overnights and group meals can also be added
as each group travel program is fully customized.
The cruise itinerary can also be reversed from Passau to Budapest. Obviously,
this would mean some alterations for the accompanying land services and overall
program.
Shuttle bus service from the Vienna pier to the Vienna city center can also be
arranged for the group.
Salzburg is also another very attractive post-cruise destination to consider.
Due to the Czech Republic’s recent entry into the European Union, various Value Added Taxes have gone up. The only VAT that has not gone up yet is the tax for hotel overnights. It is possible that this could happen in 2008 and it could mean an increase in hotel prices of 5%. Should this increase occur, it will have to be passed on to the group.
The above 3 night land program in Prague can be added on a pre- or a post-cruise basis to a 7 night roundtrip Danube River cruise sailing in/out of Vienna. This revised land/cruise price would be $2465 per person based on double occupancy. It would also include one way transfers from the ship to the Vienna Airport, or reverse. Extra overnights in Vienna & land services are also possible on request.
Upon arrival at Budapest Airport, a local guide and motorcoach will take
passengers for a brief lunch and a walking tour of the city of Pest.
Embarkation on the ship in Budapest is set for between 5:00-6:00 PM. After
arrival and checkin on the ship, time is allowed for cruise passengers to
settle into their cabins before the introduction of the crew. That is
followed by a cocktail reception and dinner on board. This evening is free
for individual sightseeing on your own, or an optional folkloric and traditional dance
evening is offered in Budapest. Overnight in Budapest.
Arrival is scheduled in Bratislava for about 7:00 AM with breakfast served on board. At about 8:30 AM, an optional tour of the city is offered. Bratislava is located in a marvelous geographic position. It is dominated to the north by the southern slopes of the Little Carpathian Mountains and bathed by the Danube River. The charms of the Slovakian Capital are to be found in the “old town” with its splendid baroque palaces, churches and pleasant squares. Return to the ship for lunch on board and we continue sailing in order to reach Vienna by evening. Dinner is served on board and an optional tour is offered to Vienna to see the city by night. Overnight in Vienna.
Breakfast is served on board. The morning is free for sightseeing on your own or you may take an optional excursion to visit the Schoenbrunn Palace followed by a tour of Vienna. Schoenbrunn is the former summer residence of the Austrian emperor and his family. It is a magnificent structure with beautiful gardens. Return to the ship for lunch on board. The afternoon is also free for sightseeing or you may take the optional tour to the Hofburg Palace located on Vienna’s incredible Ringstrasse. This former palace of the Hapsburgs is known for its exhibit of the crown jewels and the splendid imperial apartments. After dinner on board the ship, you have the option of attending a Viennese concert (subject to availability). After returning to the ship, there is an overnight sailing west on the Danube.
Breakfast is served on board while cruising up the most beautiful stretch of the Danube River through the Wachau. Arrival in Melk is scheduled for 9:00 AM. Upon arrival, an optional tour is offered to the picturesque village of Durnstein, made famous thanks to the legend of King Richard the Lionhearted. Return back to the ship for lunch on board. This is followed by an optional tour to the Benedictine Abbey of Melk. This impressive collection of buildings is perched high on a rocky outcropping overlooking the Danube. It is a symbol of Austrian Baroque architecture at its finest. Return to the ship around 4:00 PM to begin cruising towards Germany on another overnight sailing. Dinner is served on board and a gala evening is planned.
Arrive in Passau with an 8:00 AM disembarkation scheduled after breakfast.
After checkout on the ship, a private motorcoach and guide will be waiting
to take the group for a touring transfer to Prague. There will be a stop
along the way for lunch in Plizen, a city famous for its beer, or in a
smaller town or village. Arrival in Prague will be sometime in the
afternoon followed by hotel checkin. That evening, there will be a welcome
dinner planned for the group. Overnight in Prague.
After breakfast, the group will be scheduled for a half day city tour of Prague. The program will include a panoramic coach tour of the city, a visit to the Prague Castle, as well as, a bit of a walking tour near the castle. The tour will finish right before lunch and you are free for the remainder of the day with lunch and dinner on your own. Please note that English is widely spoken in Prague so it is very easy to transact business in almost any restaurant or shop in the city. For those who admire glassware, it is not difficult to arrange purchasing, insuring and shipping it back to the U.S. Overnight in Prague. 
After breakfast, the coach and guide will arrive to take the group to the
Nelahozeves Chateau located about 15 miles north of Prague. This half day
tour includes lunch at the chateau. Among the many artistic attractions,
you will find; a private art collection that includes paintings by Rubens
and Lucas Cranach, original musical instruments, and musical scripts by
Beethoven. The Nelahozeves Chateau was built in the early 17th century and
it was reclaimed by the original owners, the Bohemian noblemen of the
Lobkowicz family, shortly after the fall of Communism in the Czech
Republic. Besides the many artistic highlights, the estate has many acres
of vineyards, a working winery and a brewery. The tour returns to Prague
in the afternoon and that evening a farewell dinner is planned at a local
Prague brewery complete with folkloric entertainment. 