The Blue Danube River Cruise Aboard Swiss Diamond and Swiss Emerald

Eastbound Itinerary shown below, Westbound Budapest to Prague available upon request.

1. Arrive Prague
Tour begins: 6:00 PM, InterContinental Budapest. A transfer is included from Budapest’s Ferihegy Airport to the InterContinental Budapest in the heart of Pest on the Danube’s eastern bank, across the river from the Royal Palace. Please join us for a welcome reception and dinner.
InterContinental Budapest ~ Meals D

2. Fascinating Pest
View the impressive architecture of Hungary’s capital – divided by the Danube into two sections, Buda and Pest – on a tour of Pest that includes patriotic Heroes’ Square, Váci Utca, the Parliament building, tree-lined Andrassy Avenue, and a special visit to the State Opera House.
InterContinental Budapest ~ Meals BD

3. Explore Buda / Embark Riverboat
After a morning at leisure, a guided walking tour of Buda takes you up to Gellért Hill – you’ll see the city spread out before you! View Fishermen’s Bastion and visit the National Gallery and Matthias Church (may be closed on some days due to services) before embarking your riverboat.
Aboard the Riverboat ~ Meals BLD

4. Danube Cruise / Bratislava
Cruise the Danube to Bratislava, Slovakia’s charming capital city and former capital of Hungary, where a guided walking tour chronicles centuries of history and includes a visit to the 13th-century Old Town Hall. See Baroque Habsburg-era palaces, the Opera House, Slovak Philharmonic Hall, and St. Martin’s Cathedral, site of the coronation of many Hungarian kings and queens.
Aboard the Riverboat ~ Meals BLD

5. The Imperial City of Vienna
Arrive in legendary Vienna, inspiring romantic visions of “Old Europe” from majestic Habsburg-era palaces to magnificent boulevards and parks. Sightseeing includes the Ringstrasse, the Opera House and Parliament, and your choice of a visit to Schönbrunn Palace – which both Marie Antoinette and Napoleon once called home – or the Imperial Silver Room at the Hofburg. Receive the royal treatment tonight at a private Imperial Evening in a traditional palace, where a grand dinner is accompanied by Viennese musicians.
Aboard the Riverboat ~ Meals BLD

6. Vienna / Cruise to Dürnstein
Spend time exploring Vienna as you wish before setting off on an afternoon cruise to medieval Dürnstein in Austria’s wine country. High on a hilltop above the town lay the ruins of Kuenringerburg Castle, a place of history and legend – Richard the Lionhearted was once imprisoned here.
Aboard the Riverboat ~ Meals BLD

7. Dürnstein / Wachau Valley Cruise
A guided walking tour of Dürnstein’s cobblestone streets reveals 16th-century Baroque houses and a 13th-century Romanesque church. Explore on your own, or walk up to the castle ruins for lovely vistas of Dürnstein and the Danube, prior to a delightful wine tasting in town. Cruise past lush vineyards, ancient castles and monasteries in the Wachau Valley today, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved medieval landscapes.
Aboard the Riverboat ~ Meals BLD

8. Salzburg and Linz
You have a choice today; enjoy the town of Linz, Austria, or join us for a full-day excursion to enchanting Salzburg, Mozart’s hometown on the Salzach River. A pageant of beautiful Baroque architecture awaits on a guided walking tour through narrow lanes and old squares, past ornate church towers and grand palaces. Have lunch at a local restaurant; visit Mirabell Gardens with their Baroque statues and fountains before rejoining the ship for dinner.
Aboard the Riverboat ~ Meals BLD

9. Passau / Cruising the Danube
Arrive in Passau for a walking tour through the tunnels, archways, many churches, four-story Baroque houses and cobblestone streets of this Bavarian town on the Danube and Inn Rivers. See the Old Town and Altes Rathaus (town hall), with its 15th-century origins and 19th-century tower, before spending the rest of the day cruising through Germany’s pastoral landscapes to Regensburg.
Aboard the Riverboat ~ Meals BLD

10. Regensburg / Prague
Disembark your riverboat in Regensburg, whose roots stretch back to the days of the Roman Empire. A guided walking tour shows you 12th-century Steinerne Brücke (Germany’s oldest surviving stone bridge) and the remains of the Roman wall. Enjoy lunch on your own – perhaps partaking of some of Regensburg’s renowned Bavarian sausage – before departing for Prague, ancient capital of the modern Czech Republic.
Prague Marriott Hotel ~ Meals BD

11. Prague / Nelahozeves Castle Evening
Prague’s name translates to “crossroads”; it truly is a city where ancient and modern, and east and west, converge. Discover it for yourself on a choice of guided walking tours today – of Old Town, Wenceslas Square and other sites that contributed to the Czech Republic’s “Velvet Revolution” of 1989, or of key sites in the historic Jewish quarter of Josefov, including Pinkas Synagogue and the Old Jewish Cemetery (may not be available on some departures due to Jewish holidays). Join us tonight for an exclusive evening at Nelahozeves Castle, a Renaissance palace originally built in 1553, where a member of the former Czech nobility greets you and relates the castle’s history; enjoy wine from their vineyards and a farewell dinner in the castle.
Prague Marriott Hotel ~ Meals BD

12. Hradcany / Prague Castle
Tour Prague’s Hradcany district, where 1,000-year-old Prague Castle is surrounded by palaces, museums, and monasteries. Visit the magnificent Gothic Cathedral of St. Vitus, and enjoy an exclusive private tour of the grand libraries of Strahov Monastery. Spend time exploring more of dazzling Prague on your own or relaxing at your hotel, ranked among the Top 100 Best Luxury Hotels of the World.
Prague Marriott Hotel ~ Meals BD

13. Journey Home
Tour Ends: Prague, Czech Republic. A transfer is included from the Prague Marriott Hotel to Prague’s Ruzyne Airport; allow a minimum of 2 1/2 hours for flight check-in. For additional nights in Prague (or Budapest), ask at time of booking. Meals B