Tour Highlights:

Siegfried's Music Museum

Bishop's palace

Abbey

St. Mattias Chruch

Fisherman's Bastion

This is the Ultmate Grand Tour of Europe. Sail clear across the continent, visit seven countries, travel more than 2, 200 miles – and unpack only once as you settle onboard your luxurious floating hotel. Trace the routes of emperors and kings as you cruise along the Rhine, Main and Danube. Live the dream of Charlemagne, who 1, 200 years ago, dreamed of building a canal connecting the Rhine to the Danube. This is truly the voyage of a lifetime at an ubeatable price.

---

INCLUDED TOUR FEATURES
Sightseeing Highlights

• Amsterdam Canal cruise and city tour
• Cologne Cathedral visit
• Koblez Guided walking tour
• Rudesheim Mini–train and visit to Siegfried's Music Museum
• Heidelberg Castle and city tour with lunch
• Miltenberg Guided walking tour
• Wurburg Tour the Prince Bishop's palace
• Bamberg Guided walking tour
• Nuremberg City tour
• Regensburg Guided walking tour
• Passau Guided walikng tour
• Melk Tour of the Abbey
• Vienna City tour
• Budapest City tour with a visit to St. Mattias Church and Fisherman's Bastion & St. Mattias Chruch.
• Klaocsa City tour and horsemanship display
• Belgrade City tour
• Svistov Full day excursion to Veliko Turnovo and Arbanassi with lunch
• Constanta City tour & Black Sea excursion
• Bucharest City tour and visit to the Parliament Palace. Full day excursion to Transylvanaia with lunch and visits to Sinaia Monastery and Bran Castle. Illuminations Tour with a traditional dinner and folklore show.
• Bucharest to Amsterdam cruises
• Amsterdam to Bucharest criuses

---

Dining Highlights
On–board dining & enterainment. Welcome onboard dinner

• All meals on board ship: breakfast, lunch and dinner
• 1 Farewell dinner at a lcoal restaurant
• 3 lunches on excursion to Hiedelberg, Veliko Turnovo & Arbanasssi and Sinaia & Bran
  
• (see day–by–day itinerary)< /ul>

  ---

  First Class Travel Highlights

  22–Day (21–night) deluxe cruise in an (cat. 3. Main Deck) outside cabin onboard the River Countess, River Duchess or River Empress. 2–night accommodation in Bucharest at a Deluxe hotel (Intercontinental or similar), including buffet breakfast daily. 20 guided excursion (19 on reverse itinerary). Trafalgar Crusie travel bag and wallet containing tour documents and helpful information. All transfers for passengers on Trafalgar flights.

Itinerary:

---

Tour Duration: 25 days

• Day 1
  USA – Amsterdam. Overnight flight to Amsterdam.



• Day 2
  Amsterdam. Arrive in Amsterdam and transfer to your luxurious floating hotel. Tonight, meet your fellow travelers at the welcome onboard dinner. (Dinner)



• Day 3
  Cruisng – Cologne. This mroning cruise the legendary Rhine. Pass Duisburg and Dusseldorf before arriving in Cologne for a tour of the city's famous cathderal. The ship docks near the cathderal, making it an easy walk through the old town. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 4
  Koblenz – Rudesheim. Arrive in Koblenz for a walking tour of this historic commerical center. After lunch, continue through the dramatic Rhine Gorge to Rudesheim, passing romantic castles, lush vineyards and the infamous Lorelei rock. In Rudesheim, tour Siegfried's Museum. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 5
  Heidelberg.Disembark in Frankfurst for a tour to romantic Heidelberg, the oldest university town in Germany, with lunch inluded. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 6
  Miltenberg – Wurzburg. This morning, tour the pretty Franconian town of Miltenberg, known for its half–timbered house. Rejoin the ship in Wertheim for lunch. This afternoon, tour Wurzburg and visit the magnificent Prince Bishop's Residenz Palace before returning to the ship later this afternoon. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 7
  Optional Rothenburg. Enjoy a full day of cruising through the sunny valleys of the meandering Main. Pass picturesque Kitzingen before arriving late in the evening in Schweinfurt. Alternatively, you may take an optional overland tour to Rothenburg, Europe's most perfect fairy– tale town. Tour the city and enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. There will be time to shop before returning to the ship before dinner. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 8
  Bamberg – Nuremberg. This morning, enter the Main–Danube Canal at Bamberg, one of Germany's most beautiful cities. Disembark for a guided tour. Then motor coach through the picturesque countryside to Forchheim, where you reboard the ship. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 9
  Nuremberg. Join a guided tour of this historic city. At lunchtime, continue your cruise through the highest point of any commerical waterway in Europe – 1,332 feet above sea level. Descend through stairstep locks to Riedenburg, where you will spend the night. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 10
  Regensburg. This morning, your ship glides through the tranquil Altmuhl Valley and enters the Danube River at Kelheim. After lunch disembark as the medieval wonder of Germany; the city's unique state of preservation is a living witness to tow throusand years of rich and colorful history. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 11
  Passau. Arrive this morning is Passau, where the Inn and llz rivers join the Danube. Disembark for a guided walk through the Old Town with its cathedral, fortress, narrow cobblestone streets and architectural attractions. Tour the breathtaking Cathedral of St. Stephan, which contains the world's largest church pipe organ. Spend the afternoon at leisure in Passau. Cruise overnight to Austria. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 12
  Melk – Vienna. This morning, visit the magnificent Abbey of Melk. Your cruise continues through the romantic Wachau Valley, the most beautiful river region in Austria. Arrive in Vienna in time for an optional Mozart and Strauss concert. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 13
  Vienna. This morning, join our guided sightseeing tour, leaving the afternoon free to stroll, shop, or sample some of Vienna's famous pastries. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 14
  Budapest. Cruise through Slovakia to Hungary. Be on deck as your ship passes the Esztergom Cathedral, Hungary's largest, towering over the river. Later, you will cruise through the Danube Bend where the river changes direction. This afternoon, arrive in Budapest. Cruise through the heart of the city, passing the Houses of Parliament and Castle Hill. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 15
  Budapest. This morning's sightseeing includes the city's most interesting landmarks. From historic Buda Castle, you will enjoy a splendid view of Buda and Pest. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 16
  Budapest. Another full day to explore the delights of historic Budapest. This city offers a relaxed and friendly atomoshere, goog food and wine, along with 2,000 years of history. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)


.
• Day 17
  Kalocsa. Arrive this morning in charming Kolcsa, renowned for its Paprika production and as the gateway to the Horseman Putsza District. You will tour the town and view the Archbishop's Palace and see a spectacular display by the local "cowboy". The afternoon is free. Tonight there will be local entertainment of music, dance and traditional crafts. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 18
  Cruising. Enjoy a full day of cruising on the tranquil Danube with Croatia on one side and Serbia on the other. Be on deck tonight as your ship passes by the impressive Petrovaradin Fortress standing high above the Danube guarding its northern approch to Belgarde. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 19
  Belgrade. Arrive in Belgarde for a full day in this interesting city. Your morning tour highlights the city's main attractions, including Kalemegdan Fortess as it looms over the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, Saint Sava Cathedral, the largest Orthodox Church in the world and Tito's Memorial. The afternoon is free to explore more of this charming city. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 20
  Cruising through the Iron Gates. This mroning finds you cruising through picturesque scenery. Some very impressive sights are coming up on the right bank of the mighty Danube. The medieval fortresses of Smederevo and Golubac, the Trajan Table, marking the spot where the Roman Emperor crossed the Danube to conquer Dacia (modern Romania). The scenery becomes truly spectacular as you cruise through the Iron Gates, a narrow Danube gorge between the Carpathian and Balkan mountains. The gorge, one of the most dramatic sights in Europe, forms a natural border bewteen Serbia and Romania. As you continue your journey down the Danube, enjoy vistas of Romania to the north, and Bulgaria to the south. Cruise overnight to Svistov. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 21
  Veliko Turnovo – Rousse. Depart by motor coach for a full–day tour to Veliko Turnovo, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom from 1187 to 1393. The city formed a natural fortress, located on three hills surrounding the Yantrs River. A palace, fortifications and churches were built into the terrain. Across the river, ancient stone houses seemingly perched on top pf each other rise up the steep riverbank. On Tsarevets Hill see the old fortress walls, royal palaces and patriarchal church. Then visit Arbanassi for lunch in a local restaurant, followed by a tour of this museum town, where you will see examples to traditional Bulgarian dress and customs. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 22
  Ceravoda – Constanta – Black Sea. Early this morning, you will arrive in Cernavoda where you will board your motor–coach for the excursion to Constanta and Balck Sea. Tour this opoular resort city. Its colorful history dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times when seafarers established trading colonies along the coast. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)



• Day 23
  Oltenita – Bucharest. Disembark and drive across the Romanian countryside to Bucharest, the capital of Romania. In the afternoon, tour this "Paris of the East" with its wide boulevards and Arc de Triomphe. Visit the Parliament Palace – the largest building in the world after the Pentagon – and view the Opera House and the elegant Queen Elizabeth Boulevard. This evening, see the city lights and enjoy your farewell dinner in a local restaurant with a traditional folklore Romanian show. (Breakfast / Dinner)



• Day 24
  Transylvania – Sinaia – Bran Castle. Depart this morning on a full day excursion through the scenic Translvania countryside, br far the most romantic and inspiring in Romania, with its mountain peaks rising up to the sky above wooden valleys and spekling streams, visions of high – roofed wooden churches and legendary castle. At Sinaia, a visit is made to Sinaia Monastery, a beautiful example of the Alachua – Byzantine architectural style. After an included lunch , it is on to Bran Castle, legendaryhome of Prince Vlad Tepes the Impaler, who inspried Dracula's legend. Visit the 14th century castle which guards the narrow pass connecting Transylvania with Wallachia.Standing on a 200 ft. high rock, the castle affords great views of the surrounding countryside. (Breakfast / Lunch)



• Day 25
  Bucharest – USA. With wonderful memories of this exceptional holiday, transfer to the airport for your flight home. (Breakfast)

Note: Cruise from Bucharest to Amsterdam and Amsterdam to Bucharest onboard the River Duches include one day less in Budapest and one day more in Vienna. Please note that on some departures variations to the featured itinerary will occur.