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Chart a leisurely course on this fantastic Danube cruise aboard the premium riverboat ms Treasures, exploring the rich cultural legacies of Central Europe’s ancient heart along the lower Danube. Climb aboard for 2015 departures with departures from 15May15 – 27Aug15 with fares from US$5,290.
- 11870
- Ocean
- 01 Jan 00
- Europe
- 01 Jan 70
- 13Jan70
- 12 nights
- Tauck Cruising
- Cruise Only
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Important Terms
- * Rates quoted are in Australian dollars.
- Rates are in AUD/USD
- Prices are per person, based on twin share, inclusive of port charges, taxes, and all discounts unless otherwise stated.
Single occupancy and 3rd guest rates are available upon request. - Prices shown are fully inclusive of taxes unless otherwise stated.
- Advertised price includes any bonus nights, special offers or discounts listed in the inclusions.
- Surcharges may apply due to demand, Christmas & New Year's Eve, school or public holidays, trade shows, special events & other unforeseen circumstances.
- Prices may be based on Dynamic Rates and as such, may fluctuate at anytime without notice, due to matters outside our control, such as adverse currency fluctuations, fuel surcharges, taxes and airfare increases, or at the property's discretion.
Itinerary
Day 1: Your adventure begins in Budapest
Meals: Dinner
Budapest to the Black Sea, one of our most popular Danube cruises begins at 6:00 PM at Le Méridien Budapest. A transfer is included from Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport and Budapest-Keleti Station to Le Méridien Budapest in the heart of the city’s Pest section. Meet your fellow travellers and Tauck Directors at the welcome cocktail reception and dinner at the Akadémia Club in the Hungarian Academy of Sciences overlooking the Danube.
Lodging: Le Meridien Budapest
Day 2: Explore Budapest… on two sides of the Danube
Meals: Breakfast
Once independent cities located on opposite sides of the Danube, Buda and Pest joined together when they were linked by the Chain Bridge in the mid-19th century to become Hungary’s cosmopolitan capital, Budapest. Join Tauck’s local guides for sightseeing in Pest starting with a visit to St. Stephen’s Basilica, Budapest’s neo-Renaissance cathedral completed in 1905. Continue on to experience Pest’s impressive mix of architectural masterpieces and historic monuments as you view City Park, patriotic Heroes’ Square with its statues of Hungarian leaders through the ages, the Gothic-Revival Parliament building and tree-lined Andrassy Avenue. Spend time wandering through bustling Central Market Hall, a veritable showcase of Hungarian life from food to gifts and cafés. The rest of day is yours to enjoy the city as you like.
Lodging: Le Meridien Budapest
Day 3: Hear Bartók, visit Buda landmarks and set off on your cruise
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Today’s exploration of Buda begins at a museum and memorial to Hungarian composer Béla Bartók in his 1920s home, where you’ll hear his melodies in a private piano recital. Revisit Budapest’s World War II years and the Cold War era at the Sziklakórház (“Hospital in the Rock”), a recreation of underground miltary medical facilities in a former secret bunker beneath Buda Castle. Then check out Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on a guided walking tour; see architectural landmarks including the iconic Fishermen’s Bastion, and spend time exploring on your own. Later, board ms Treasures to launch this most extraordinary of Danube cruises, and meet the ship’s crew at the Captain’s welcome reception tonight.
Lodging: Aboard the Riverboat
Day 4: Antiquities and more in Hungary
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Arrive in Mohacs this morning for an excursion to Pecs and a tour of its 11th-century cathedral. Here you’ll also explore the fascinating Christian Necropolis, a complex dating back to the 4th century that includes underground burial chambers and chapels adorned with early Christian art and frescoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the 19th century, Pecs was famous worldwide for the exquisite Zsolnay porcelain manufactured here, and your visit includes a stop at the Zsolnay Museum for a look at its stunning examples of Art Nouveau stoneware, tiles and pottery. Visit a winery in Villány for lunch (this region is renowned for its red wines) then return to Mohacs for dinner aboard ship.
Lodging: Aboard the Riverboat
Day 5: Visit historic Vukovar, Croatia and on to Novi Sad in Serbia
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
As your discovery of the lower Danube cruises into Croatia, attend an onboard lecture by a local expert on the country’s culture and history. Travel overland to the Baroque city of Vukovar, once showcasing opulent 18th-century mansions, but now poignantly symbolizing the effects of the 1990s war as it rebuilds; visit the home of a Vukovar family who have recently returned to resume their lives in the city after the conflict, who will share homemade refreshments with you. Continue your cruise to Serbia this afternoon, enhanced by commentary by your Tauck Directors. Arrive in Novi Sad, where you’ll dine on authentic regional fare during dinner at a local restaurant; the riverboat sets off for Belgrade tonight.
Lodging: Aboard the Riverboat
Day 6: The sights of Belgrade and a private palace visit
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Dock in Belgrade, Serbia’s eclectic, cosmopolitan capital at the juncture of the Danube and Sava rivers. Sightseeing includes visits to Tito’s Memorial, the formidable Kalemegdan Fortress, views of busy Slavija Square (now one of the city’s major squares, but once a large pool where residents hunted wild ducks!), Parliament, Republic Square and City Hall. You’ll also enjoy a special private visit to the beautiful Royal Palace of Dedinje in Belgrade, built in the 1920s for the Yugoslavian royal family – HRH Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia and his family reside there today. See the Tito Memorial and the Cathedral of St. Sava, then you have a choice of spending time on your own in Belgrade, a visit to Kalemegdan Fortress, or returning to the riverboat. The day ends with entertainment by Serbian performers.
Lodging: Aboard the Riverboat
Day 7: The Iron Gate of the Danube, King Decebalus and more cruising southward
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Continuing one of Tauck’s popular Danube cruises, relax on a day’s cruise past the fields and vineyards of Eastern Europe; shipboard activities which may be offered throughout your cruise range from cooking demonstrations to folkloric, music and dance performances. Pass into Romania and through the Kazan Narrows and the Iron Gate of the Danube, a two-mile-long series of narrow gorges between the Carpathian and Balkan mountain ranges. As you glide along the Bulgarian / Romanian border, look for the massive monument to the 2nd-century Dacian King Decebalus – Europe’s tallest rock sculpture, completed in 2004, carved into the riverbank on the Romanian side – as well as spectacular views of the Transylvanian Alps.
Lodging: Aboard the Riverboat
Day 8: Bulgarian art & architecture in Ruse or Ivanovo
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Your journey along the lower Danube cruises to Bulgaria; largely off limits during four centuries of Ottoman rule and decades behind the Iron Curtain, the country’s rich natural beauty and history is yours to discover today. Disembark after lunch in Ruse – often referred to as “Little Vienna” for its Art Nouveau homes, Austro-Hungarian architecture and lively cafés – for a choice of afternoon sightseeing. You may join a guided walking tour of Ruse, or a lovely hike to the celebrated Rock Churches in the village of Ivanovo, whose stony chambers carved into steep, cliffside caves reveal stunning medieval frescoes inside; a visit is richly rewarding.
Lodging: Aboard the Riverboat
Day 9: Constanta & Mamaia on Romania’s Black Sea coast
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Walk off the ship in Cernavoda, Romania, for a day trip to the Black Sea coast. Take a guided tour of the key port city of Constanta, originally the ancient Greek colony of Tomis and home to numerous Greek and Roman antiquities; sights include an Art-Nouveau casino, and a monument to the Roman poet Ovid, who was exiled here by the Emperor Augustus. Then it’s on to Mamaia, the largest seaside resort on the Black Sea, for lunch and time at leisure to enjoy the beach before returning to the riverboat for the last night of your cruise. Join your fellow travellers for the Captain’s farewell reception and dinner this evening.
Lodging: Aboard the Riverboat
Day 10: Explore Bucharest and spend the evening at the Palace of Parliament
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Disembark your riverboat in Cernavoda and travel across fertile plains to Bucharest, capital of Romania and once regarded as the “Paris of the Balkans.” A sightseeing tour of city landmarks includes Revolution Square and the Triumphal Arch; erected to commemorate Romania’s reunification and those who fell in World War I, it is a smaller but otherwise exact copy of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Lunch in the Old Town, the city’s charming historic center; a former enclave of artisans and merchants in the 16th century, it’s now a trendy district of old inns, antique shops, galleries, and cafes, riddled with winding networks of vaulted cellars, cobblestone streets and passageways. Settle in for the next two nights at the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel in the heart of the city, then depart for the massive Palace of Parliament (a.k.a. the People’s Palace), built by dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu to be the center of political power in the capital; the Soviet-style white marble complex, 12 stories high, with over a thousand rooms and four underground levels, is the world’s largest building after the Pentagon, and some parts of it are still unfinished! An introductory tour concludes with a special farewell reception and dinner at the ubiquitous Palace, complete with musical entertainment.
Lodging: JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel
Day 11: A choice of excursion to Transylvania or Targoviste
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
A choice of sightseeing today echoes the legacy of 15th-century Romanian prince Vlad Tepes (a.k.a. “Vlad the Impaler”), thought to be the historical model for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. You may choose to take an excursion to Transylvania’s 14th-century Bran Castle, which Tepes once used as a fortress during his military campaigns. Or you can opt for a trip to Targoviste to see the ruins of Tepes’ palace, including its imposing watchtower, restored in the 19th century; you’ll also visit the army barracks (now a museum) where Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was tried and executed in 1989. Lunch at a local restaurant and return to Bucharest for free time and dinner at leisure.
Lodging: JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel
Day 12: Homeward bound
Meals: Breakfast
Tour ends in Bucharest, Romania. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel to Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport and Bucuresti Gara de Nord; please allow 3 hours for flight check-in at the airport.
Cruise Line
Tauck Cruising
Go beyond the ordinary and experience cruise travel at its best with Tauck. What makes Tauck’s Small Ship Cruising and River Cruising unique is the focus on the destination. Each scenic ports of call connect you with people and places, which will give you a moving, compelling and heart-warming experience both onboard and ashore.
Time ashore is enriched by in-depth cultural exploration and insider access that ensures up-close-and-personal connections with the locals and daily life. Tauck’s cruise travel adventures include guided sightseeing with local experts such as naturalists, historians, and accomplished lecturers. You’ll dine on regional cuisine on land at aboard ship that showcases specialties of the destination. After a day of extraordinary sightseeing, Tauck welcome you back onboard the hand-picked vessels for warm camaraderie and lively conversation that’s inherent on every Tauck cruise travel experience. The stories are endless, the memories are timeless and the connections priceless.
You can expect to see the sights a bit differently than you would with anyone else. Tauck explores Europe’s great waterways from the Rhine and the Danube to the Rhône and the Seine in France. Their luxurious riverboats are spacious and comfortable, welcoming you to an onboard experience characterized by the Tauck. Discover river cruises that go beyond the ordinary!
Tauck Voted World’s Best River Cruise Line
For the second time in three years, Tauck has been named the “World’s Best River Cruise Line" by the readers of Travel + Leisure, one of the world’s most authoritative and respected publications for travellers. The World’s Best Awards from Travel + Leisure are selected by the magazine’s readers. Every year, T+L holds a survey for readers to fill out on their main website. The survey remains open until April.
Winners are announced in the August/September issues of Travel + Leisure. These awards are given in categories such as hotels, resorts, spas, cruises, airlines, travel companies, tour operators, cities, islands, family travel, and more.
River Cruising
The heart of history meets the art of sophisticated river cruise travel aboard Tauck’s river cruises. Experience the Tauck difference on cruise travel days along great European waterways from the Rhine to the Danube, from the canals of the Netherlands to the Rhône, from the Main to the Danube and the Moselle…
You’ll cruise aboard spacious riverboats that have been custom designed to meet American standards with well appointed outside facing cabins and suites, a choice of on-board dining venues, complimentary wine with dinner, fitness centers and attentive personal service from Tauck’s staff and the ship’s crew.
Ancient civilizations beckon on cruise travel days along the River Nile in Egypt and China’s Yangtze River on Tauck’s Exotic journeys, where 3- and 4-night river cruise travel enhances land journeys.
Small Ship Cruising
The difference in Tauck’s small ship cruise travel lies in the choreography of the total cruise travel experience – the combination of personalized cruising with cultural land exploration. How you spend your days ashore – where you go, what you do, who you meet – that’s the Tauck difference. From the moment you step ashore, with 85 years of expertise on land ensures that on every cruise travel day, every moment of your shore excursions (all included in the price) count! Smaller ships hold fewer passengers, which means more personal attention from the captain and the crew – you’ll find the on-board atmosphere to be both club-like and comfortable. The pace is more relaxed, the conversations are richer, and the day-to-day experiences are shared with like-minded travelers.
