Blue Danube Discovery (Festive Delights)

Board your cruise in Budapest. (D)

Host to the crowning ceremonies of 11 Hungarian kings and queens between 1536 and 1830, Bratislava certainly has earned the title “Coronation City of Kings” as you'll discover during your walking tour. Or join a culinary host to sample traditional Slovakian specialties, as well as learn how to prepare stuffed potato ravioli with an opportunity to taste your own creation. For a more active adventure, hike up to Bratislava Castle, offering magnificent views of the city. (B/L/D)

Excursions:

• Walking tour OR Tastes of Slovakia OR Bratislava Castle hike

The “City of Waltzes” offers a treasure trove of gems and your city tour showcases its regal splendors, including the majestic Opera House and the former Imperial Palace of the Habsburgs. Conclude your tour in Vienna's historic city center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and then visit St. Stephen's Cathedral. For a more active exploration of the area, take a guided bike ride. During the afternoon, enjoy leisure time exploring this iconic city even more. (B/L/D)

Excursions:

• “Imperial Vienna” tour OR Vienna bike tour
• Free time

After reaching the Wachau Valley in the morning, you'll have a choice of three excursions in Dürnstein. Partake in a walking tour along cobblestone streets to the luminous blue façade of the Baroque Stiftskirche, with its famed church tower, before enjoying a wine tasting in a local cellar. Visit a local boutique, where you'll be treated to the region's finest apricot products. Alternatively, for a beautiful view of the Wachau Valley, hike up to the fortress where Richard the Lionheart was once held.

After your morning excursions, cruise through the picturesque Wachau Valley to Melk. Upon reaching Melk, take a tour of the UNESCO-designated Melk Abbey or take a guided bike ride through Melk. Guests looking for a more active experience may choose to hike to this impressive monastery. (B/L/D)

Excursions:

• Walking tour and wine tasting OR Apricots and Sweets tasting OR Dürnstein Fortress hike
• Scenic cruising through UNESCO Wachau Valle
• Benedictine Abbey tour OR Guided bike ride to Melk OR Melk Abbey hike

Enjoy a scenic morning sailing to the medieval city of Passau. Join a walking tour through this 2,000-year-old city, noted for its Gothic and Italian Baroque architecture and St. Stephen's Cathedral. Guests looking for a more active morning can choose between a guided bike tour along the Danube, or a guided hike up to the Veste Oberhaus Fortress overlooking Passau. (B/L/D)

Excursions:

• “City of Three Rivers” walking tour OR Passau bike tour OR Passau Castle Hike

Explore Regensburg, one of Germany's best preserved medieval cities and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on a guided walking tour showcasing the city's architectural highlights, including the Old Town Hall and the Porta Praetoria, gates to an ancient Roman fort built in 179 A.D. As an alternate option, sample some of Bavaria's specialties— beer, sausage and pretzels; or bike to Walhalla where you'll see the neo-Classical white marble temple inspired by the Parthenon in Athens. (B/L/D)

Excursions:

• UNESCO city walking tour OR Walhalla bike tour OR Tastes of Bavaria

Enjoy a scenic morning cruise as the ship crosses the Continental Divide via the Main-Danube Canal to Nuremberg. Explore the medieval city center with a tour that showcases the Imperial Castle and the famous town wall, as well as Albrecht Dürer's home and Market Square with its legendary fountain. Or you can take a guided tour of the city's WWII history, including a visit to the infamous Zeppelin Field, a museum built on the site of former Nazi rallies and the site of the Nuremberg Trials when not in session.

Alternatively, savor traditional Franconian specialties by sampling famously delicious Nuremberger Bratwurst, Rot bier (red beer) and Lebkuchen (gingerbread). (B/L/D)

Excursions:

• Medieval city tour OR WWII city tour OR Tastes of Franconia

This morning, depart the ship after breakfast. (B)