The Blue Danube - Westbound

Tour begins: 5:00 PM, Budapest. A transfer is included from Budapest's Ferenc Liszt Airport or Keleti train station to your riverboat. Meet your fellow travelers and Tauck Directors, and learn about the upcoming days, ahead at a welcome toast this evening prior to your first dinner aboard ship.

Budapest is split into "Buda" and "Pest" by the Danube River. This morning, explore the Pest side of the city on a tour including City Park and Heroes' Square – bounded by some of the finest architectural works in Hungary – and a special visit to the opulent State Opera House, opened in 1884, with its royal boxes, gilded vaulted ceiling, exquisite murals and three-ton chandelier. Later, you have a choice of walking tours that focuses in Budapest. The afternoon is free for you to pursue what interests you most. Budapest has acquired quite an excellent reputation for cuisine; tonight's special welcome cocktail reception and dinner is at the grand Akadémia Club in the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. 

Head up to Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site overlooking the Danube on the Buda side of the city, for a choice of sightseeing. Enjoy a guided visit to the Hungarian Parliament, the third largest parliament building in the world. Afterward, embark on a themed walking tour with your local guide that focuses on sites and events involved in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution during the Cold War "Iron Curtain" era, including stops at Parliament Square, the Embassy and St. Stephen's Basilica (Bazilika). Alternatively, visit the famed Szechenyi Bath Spa. Reboard your riverboat this afternoon, and begin to cruise the Danube River, bound for Bratislava, Slovakia.

Your riverboat arrives this morning in Vienna, Austria, where our local guides join you for a choice city sightseeing. A drive along the Ringstrasse is followed by a choice of walking tours in Vienna complimented with samplings of the local cuisine. An afternoon at leisure lets you explore the city as you please, including outstanding museums, the historic Vienna Prater amusement park, and more.

Please Note: To preserve your sightseeing experience in Vienna and maximize our time there, we may rotate our activities on Days 5 and 6 on some departures. Your Tauck Director will advise accordingly.

A choice of sightseeing this morning features a tour of the Habsburgs' Schönbrunn Palace, an architectural masterpiece and Austrian cultural treasure, or Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, one of the world's most acclaimed art museums located in a palatial building on the historic Ringstrasse. After an afternoon at leisure to explore Vienna as you wish, join us this evening, we invite you to attend our private Imperial Evening in the opulent Palais Pallavicini, a private Baroque palace in Vienna that film buffs may have spotted in the 1940s film noir classic The Third Man. Welcome cocktails and dinner precede an unforgettable evening of musical performance celebrating the legacy of the composers who made Vienna Europe's center of music during the Habsburg era. Tonight, your ship charts a course toward Durnstein.

Wake up in Dürnstein for a closer look at its 16th-century Baroque houses and 13th-century Romanesque church on a walking tour along cobblestone streets; you may also choose to tour a local monastery followed by a wine tasting at an authentic Austrian tavern, or take a bicycle ride. Enjoy some free time in this charming riverside town, perhaps taking an invigorating climb up the steps to the ruins of Kuenringerburg, a hilltop castle above the town where Richard the Lionhearted was held for ransom during the Crusades.Back aboard, you'll continue to cruise the Danube River through the Wachau Valley, Austria's lush wine-growing region that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved medieval landscapes, to Linz; after the Chef's Signature dinner onboard, enjoy a show put on by members of the riverboat crew.

Your boat stays docked in Linz today, with a choice of how you spend your day – full-day excursions to Salzburg (Austria), or Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic, or remaining in Linz. A setting for The Sound of Music, a Salzburg walking tour explores Old Town, Mirabell Gardens, and Mozart's birthplace.; enjoy time on your own to have lunch and experience the sights as you wish. Alternatively, travel to Cesky Krumlov; graced with an incredibly well-preserved medieval heritage and charming ambiance, the town has earned its coveted designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its historic importance and physical beauty. A walking tour takes you to part of Krumlov Castle; it's worth climbing the many steps to see firsthand the medieval, Renaissance and Rococo design found inside, along with the stunning views of the town below. Return to the riverboat for dinner followed by an evening performance by the classical trio, Donau 3Klang.

Wake up this morning in Engelhartszell, a pretty town on the Danube in Upper Austria. After a visit to a local private home (and a taste of local cake, sweets and coffee), you'll have a choice of a walking tour of town including 18th-century Engelhartszell Abbey and Danube World, through which ships navigate through the Wachau Valley (please note, there may be ongoing renovations in progress). Following lunch aboard the riverboat, you may, if you wish, join us for an optional bicycle excursion along the Danube (a fairly rigorous bike ride, for experienced cyclists only). Take in the views from the sun deck, lounge, or the windows of your outside cabin as your riverboat glides into Germany, bound tonight for your final destination, Vilshofen; enjoy a farewell toast followed by dinner onboard this evening.

Disembark your ship in Vilshofen for a choice of excursions. One brings you to the Bavarian town of Regensburg for a walking tour led by a local guide that visits the Steinerne Brücke (a medieval stone bridge over the Danube), towering Dom St. Peter, and the remains of the town's Roman wall before venturing to Prague. Alternatively, journey to Prague for a visit to one of its hidden gems - the Strahov Monastery! Your time here also includes a short walk through Hradcany Castle, the largest ancient castle in the world. Following your excursion, enjoy a light lunch and check into your hotel in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic and the "City of 100 Spires." The remainder of the day is free; the city's many fine restaurants and cafés feature a wide range of cuisines... and some of the best schnitzels, goulashes, strudels, dumplings and beer the region has to offer.

Start today's exploration of Prague this morning with a choice of walking tours through Prague's ethereal Old Town, choosing between a one-hour introductory tour; a "walk through the centuries" (note: this excursion has two versions, with one being shorter and less requiring less walking); or the city's poignant Jewish sites in Josefov, the historic Jewish Quarter (ask at booking about dates that cannot visit inside the Jewish Heritage sites as they are closed Saturdays and on Jewish holidays; in those cases, alternate sightseeing will be offered). Tonight, cap a memorable trip with a truly royal evening that's another Tauck Exclusive; join us for a farewell reception, tour and dinner at 16th-century Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle. Immerse in an evening of classical cultural treasures – and see for yourself how music and art played an important role in the aristocratic world of the Lobkowicz family.