Compare Musical Magic Along The Blue Danube 2023 by Tauck vs Germany, Czech Republic, Austria & Hungary in 11 days - Capitals of Central Europe - CHARM BY BUS by Exoticca

Day 1 Arrive Budapest

Tour begins: 5:00 PM, Budapest. A transfer is included from Budapest's Ferenc Liszt Airport or Keleti Train Station to your riverboat. Join us for a welcome toast and dinner onboard this evening.

MEALS : D

LODGING : ms Savor

PORTOFCALL : Budapest, Hungary

Day 2 Discover Budapest

Discover some of Budapest's key sites today, such as Heroes' Square – bounded by some of the finest architectural works in Hungary. Visit the Vigado Concert Hall, which dates back more than 150 years and has hosted the likes of Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms and Claude Debussy over its storied history, and finish your tour at the Central Market Hall. After a free afternoon in Budapest, join us for a performance at one of the city's premier concert venues.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : ms Savor

PORTOFCALL : Budapest, Hungary

Day 3 Explore the Opera House and Buda

Statues of Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi and Liszt greet you in the 1884 State Opera House in Pest, with its gilded vaulted ceiling, murals, royal boxes and three-ton chandelier; expect some surprises on a guided tour of this neo-Renaissance masterpiece, including the private box of Habsburg Empress Elisabeth ("Sisi"). Afterwards, head up to Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site overlooking the Danube on the Buda side of the city. A guided tour includes Fisherman's Bastion, with its Neo-Romanesque design, the Music History Museum, and the 14th-century, late-Gothic Matthias Church (may be closed on some days due to services).

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : ms Savor

PORTOFCALL : Bratislava, Slovakia

Day 4 Bratislava, City of Prodigies

After a morning's cruise with lectures, workshops and a guest choir rehearsal, arrive in Bratislava, Slovakia – the Baroque stomping grounds of great musical prodigies, as you'll discover firsthand today. A walking tour includes the city's Old Town, now a pedestrian-only, vehicle-free zone. Stroll down a lane where 6-year-old Mozart performed and 9-year-old Liszt played across the street 58 years later – around the corner, 30 years after that, one of Liszt's young students inspired him to write a sonata for the boy!  You'll also see where a young Béla Bartók attended grammar school in the 1890s. Following time to relax aboard the riverboat or explore more of this ancient city on your own, join us back onboard for dinner and some local entertainment.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : ms Savor

PORTOFCALL : Vienna, Austria

Day 5 Exploring Vienna's musical treasures

If you had to choose only one European city to musically explore, Vienna – home to Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Strauss – would be it! This morning, you may choose a visit to Schönbrunn Palace of the Habsburgs, followed by some free time to explore this grand Habsburg summer residence and its magnificent gardens on your own. Or, join our maestros for a city tour and a visit to the Museum of Musical Instruments at Hofburg. This museum offers a stunning collection of renaissance and baroque instruments for your viewing pleasure. This afternoon, you'll have time to explore more of Austria's remarkable capital on your own and have an early dinner before enjoying tonight's featured performance of Viennese opera at a premier venue in Vienna (subject to availability; if an opera performance is not available, a comparable classical music performance will be provided).

Please Note: On some departures, days 5 and 6 may have their evening activities swapped based on performance schedules.

 

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : ms Savor

PORTOFCALL : Vienna, Austria

Day 6 Behind-the-scenes palace rehearsal & a grand evening in Vienna

Vienna springs to musical life on a day featuring a pair of Tauck Exclusives. For the first one, sit in on a rehearsal this morning at beautiful Auersperg Palace as an orchestra prepares for a performance. Then spend the afternoon as you please in amazing Vienna. Tonight, nothing quite compares to the royal treatment you'll receive at today's second Tauck Exclusive: our private grand evening at Palais Ferstel, a private palace in the heart of Vienna – an incomparable setting for welcome cocktails and apéritifs, an amazing dinner, an orchestra, ballet, Strauss... it's Tauck's musical Vienna at its best!

Please Note: On some departures, days 5 and 6 may have their evening activities swapped based on performance schedules.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : ms Savor

PORTOFCALL : Grein, Austria

Day 7 Melk Abbey & some musical cruising

Melk Abbey, a beautiful Benedictine monastery complex overlooking the Danube, has been a significant center of learning and culture since its founding over 900 years ago. Get a sense of the importance of music to the abbey's cultural life through the ages as you tour its lovely Baroque buildings dating to the early 18th century, which often host concerts and musicals today. Back on the riverboat, enjoy lectures by our maestros and dinner en route to Grein, where you'll disembark this evening for a walk through this picturesque riverside town. After you're back onboard, your riverboat continues cruising the Danube to the city of Linz overnight.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : ms Savor

PORTOFCALL : Linz, Austria

Day 8 Mozart's Baroque hometown, musical Salzburg

Picture a small boy of 5 wowing a royal audience with his piano virtuosity, then crawling up on the lap of the Empress of half of Europe, and giving her a kiss! Little Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1756, did just that. Walk in Mozart's footsteps this morning on an excursion from Linz to his Baroque hometown, visiting a museum in the house where he was born, among other locations. You'll have some free time for lunch and to explore as you please in town. Return to the ship for dinner, a guest choir rehearsal and an onboard classical chamber music concert by Donau 3klang as your riverboat charts a course for pretty riverside town of Passau.

MEALS : B, D

LODGING : ms Savor

PORTOFCALL : Passau, Germany

Day 9 A grand pipe organ & more in Passau

Your riverboat docks this morning in Passau, Germany – the "city of three rivers" at the junction of the Inn, Ilz and Danube. Discover this Baroque Bavarian town known for its many churches and exquisite stained glass on a walking tour. At St. Stephan's Cathedral, you'll find Europe's largest pipe organ – actually the largest cathedral organ in the world – and, if you wish, listen to a public recital of this amazing instrument. Back aboard the riverboat in Passau, enjoy a traditional German lunch and take part in seminars, workshops, a guest choir rehearsal, musical trivia fun, and tonight's captain's farewell reception followed by a gala farewell dinner; the ship departs Passau this evening for its final port of call, Vilshofen.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : ms Savor

PORTOFCALL : Passau, Germany

Day 10 Disembark in Vilshofen & on to Prague

This delightfully musical of Danube tours winds down as you disembark in the town of Vilshofen, bid your riverboat and its crew goodbye, and travel to historic (and extremely musical) Prague for a two-night stay. Arrive in time for a traditional Czech lunch at the delightful Art-Nouveau Municipal House, then embark on a walking tour of Prague's storied Old Town. The rest of the afternoon and evening are yours to explore Prague as you wish, and enjoy dinner as you please this evening.

MEALS : B, L

LODGING : Hilton Prague Old Town

PORTOFCALL : Prague, Czech Republic

Day 11 Musical giants and more in and around Prague

Many musical giants have left their mark on Prague – capital of today's Czech Republic, and a city with a rich musical legacy of its own – and its environs as you'll discover during both guided sightseeing and time spent exploring on your own. Your day begins with an excursion to Vyšehrad, a historic fort and Czech national cultural site dating back to the 10th century, perched on a hill overlooking the Vltava River. Set within the castle is the Basilica of St Peter and St Paul and the Vyšehrad Cemetery, final resting place of many notable Czechs – including beloved Czech composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana. The afternoon is yours to explore more of Prague on your own. Later, you'll gather to visit the Church of St. Ondrej, then travel to Nelahozeves Castle for a grand farewell dinner and our guest choir performance... what a way to end your musical odyssey!

MEALS : B, D

LODGING : Hilton Prague Old Town

PORTOFCALL : Prague, Czech Republic

Day 12 Journey home

Tours ends: Prague, Czech Republic. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the Hilton Prague Old Town to Václav Havel Airport Prague or Praha Hlavni Nadrazi (Main Train Station); allow a minimum of 3 hours for flight check-in at the airport.

MEALS : B

PORTOFCALL : Prague, Czech Republic

Day 1: US - Night on board

Arrive at your US departure airport ready to board a flight to Berlin, the Germany capital. Night on board.* * If either your outbound or inbound flights depart in the early hours (before 4:00 a.m.) you must arrive at the airport the night before the indicated departure day.

Day 2: Berlin

Touch down in Berlin, the stylish and historic German capital. Get settled at the hotel and, if time allows, get to know the city at your leisure. Overnight stay in Berlin.

Day 3: Berlin

Tuck into a hearty German breakfast at the hotel and set off on an exciting panoramic city tour of East and West Berlin, to uncover the history and sights of the capital! Take an iconic photo at the majestic Brandenburg Gate, visit the poignant Holocaust Memorial and stroll along the leafy Unter den Linden Avenue. Discover Museum Island, the Red Town Hall, the Nikolai Quarter. Trace the turbulent history of the city at Checkpoint Charlie and see the fragmented remains of the Berlin Wall, noticing the contrasts between the different sides of the city. See the Forum of Culture and the idyllic Tiergarten Park. Potsdamer Platz shows you a modern side of the city before you spend the remainder of the day at your leisure. It's time for a well-deserved German beer after a day of sightseeing! Overnight stay in Berlin.

Day 4: Berlin

Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy a day exploring Berlin at your leisure. Why not visit the brilliant amazing cultural treasures at Museum Island or spend the day exploring the flower gardens of the Tiergarten. Overnight stay in Berlin.

Day 5: Berlin - Prague

Breakfast at the hotel. Self-transfer to the bus station to catch a shared bus to the Czech capital of Prague, a journey of around 5 hours. Arrive in Prague, known for its fairytale old town, lively nightlife and nicknamed the 'City of a Hundred Spires'. Self-transfer to the hotel and spend the remainder of the day exploring at your leisure. Alternatively, enjoy an optional excursion to Kozel Brewery, the home of the most famous Czech beer! Overnight stay in Prague

Day 6: Prague

Breakfast at the hotel. Set off on a city tour of Prague, nicknamed the 'Golden City'. See the famous Powder Tower and explore the Old Town. Reach Old Town Square home to the famous Astronomical Clock, one of the most popular sights in Prague, and the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn. Finish the tour at the iconic Charles Bridge. The remainder of the day is free at your leisure to explore the sights and sample the local cuisine at your own pace. Overnight stay in Prague.

Day 7: Prague - Vienna

After breakfast at the hotel self-transfer to the bus station to catch a shared bus to Vienna, a journey of around 4.5 hours. Travel through the beautiful landscapes of Bohemia and Moravia towards Austria and its capital, Vienna. Arrive in Vienna, an imperial city famed for its artistic legacy and for being the home town of Mozart and Beethoven. Self-transfer to the hotel and spend the remainder of the day exploring at your leisure. We recommend heading to the historic centre to enjoy the charming atmosphere. During the summer the riverbanks come alive with lively bars and restaurants, so be sure to check this out if the weather is pleasant. Overnight stay in Vienna.

Day 8: Vienna

Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy a day at your leisure, soaking up the cultural sights of Vienna at your leisure. Overnight stay in Vienna

Day 9: Vienna - Budapest

Breakfast at the hotel. Catch a shared bus this morning to travel to Budapest, the capital of Hungary, a journey of around 3 hours. After enjoying the changing landscapes of the Danube Delta arrive in Budapest and self-transfer to the hotel. The city is famously divided in two by the River Danube Buda and Pest, each with its own distinctive atmosphere. Overnight stay in Budapest

Day 10: Budapest

Breakfast at the hotel. Today, set off on an enthralling guided tour of Budapest, beginning with Heroes Square, the largest and most impressive in the city and an emblem of Pest's Golden Era. Next, see the National Opera Theatre and the amazing Parliament building, a true icon of the city on the banks of the Danube. Continue the tour across the river, in the Castle District, where you can enjoy the sweeping views from Castle Hill and the amazing architecture of the Fisherman's Bastion. Cross Margaret Bridge to visit the Király Baths before ending the tour at the oldest and most photographed bridge in the city, the glorious Chain Bridge. Spend the remainder of the day at your leisure. Overnight stay in Budapest.

Day 11: Budapest

Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy a day at your leisure in Budapest. Why not take in the views from Fisherman's Bastion or stroll along the riverside promenade. Overnight stay in Budapest.

Day 12: Budapest - US

Breakfast at the hotel. It's time to bring your journey through Central Europe to an end. At the indicated time, transfer to the airport for a flight back to the US. Arrive in the US and end your trip.