11 Night The Blue Danube Cruise and Land Tour from Budapest

Tour begins: 5 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 a themed walking tour that focuses on the Hungarian Revolution and includes the Parliament building, the Embassy, and St. Stephen's Basilica; or a guided bicycle tour 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 Akademia Klub 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. A guided tour includes Fisherman's Bastion, with its Neo-Romanesque design, the stained-glass windows and centuries of history in the 14th-century, late-Gothic Matthias Church (may be closed on some days due to services), and more. Alternatively, visit the famed Szechenyi Bath Spa. Reboard your riverboat this afternoon, and begin to cruise the Danube River, bound for Bratislava, Slovakia.

Our resident expert takes you inside contemporary Slovakia and Bratislava for a look at the region's politics, economy, religion, social order, preservation, and emergence of the arts. After lunch aboard the riverboat, you'll have a choice of exploring Bratislava's cobblestoned vehicle-free historic city center on a walking tour - seeing 17 centuries of history eloquently chronicled in its 13th-century Old Town Hall, Baroque Habsburg-era palaces, Opera House, Slovak Philharmonic Hall, and Hviezdoslav Square - or setting off on a bicycling excursion through the city's "Iron Curtain Area". Back onboard the riverboat, dinner tonight introduces you to a glimpse of daily life in Slovakia with a taste of regional cuisine and an a performance by a talented troupe of Slovak dancers.

Your riverboat arrives this morning in Vienna, Austria, where an introductory tour of this former capital of the old Habsburg Empire - and its grand boulevard, the Ringstrasse - precedes a walking tour focusing on your choice of either medieval Vienna or the Jewish district of old Vienna, or on a bike ride in the city. The rest of the day is yours to explore this famous city as you please. Later, nothing compares to the royal treatment and pageantry you'll experience tonight at Tauck's 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 spectacle of beautiful ball gowns and a musical performance celebrating the legacy of Mozart.

A choice of sightseeing this morning features a tour of the Habsburgs' Schonbrunn 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. Then, shuttles are at the ready to bring you back to the riverboat before we cruise the Danube River through Austria's Wachau Valley; glide past castles and abbeys to medieval Durnstein, where you'll arrive late this evening.

Wake up in Durnstein 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 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 Lionheart was held for ransom during the Crusades. Sample the fruits of the Wachau Valley vineyards during a wine tasting at an authentic Austrian tavern. 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. A third option today provides an opportunity to remain in Linz and explore as you please on your own before returning to the riverboat for dinner followed by an evening performance by 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, or a guided tour of the Jochenstein Lock on the Danube, through which ships navigate through the Wachau Valley. 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 in Vilshofen for a visit to the Bavarian town of Regensburg for a walking tour led by a local guide that visits the Steinerne Brucke (a medieval stone bridge over the Danube), towering Dom St. Peter, and the remains of the town's Roman wall. Enjoy a light lunch and time to explore on your own before driving to Prague, capital of the Czech Republic and the "City of 100 Spires", arriving late afternoon. The remainder of the day is free; the city's many fine restaurants and cafes 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"; 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). You have a choice of either a free afternoon or a visit to Strahov Monastery. Tonight, cap a memorable trip with a truly royal evening that's another Tauck Exclusive; join 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.

Tour ends: Prague, Czech Republic. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the Andaz Prague to Praha Hlavni Nadrazi train station or Vaclav Havel Airport Prague. Please allow a minimum of three hours for check-in.