Grand Danube Cruise (Wine Cruise)

Board the ship in Vilshofen for your Grand Danube Wine Cruise. In the evening, be treated to a festive Oktoberfest celebration – an AmaWaterways exclusive.

Excursions:

• Exclusive Oktoberfest

Enjoy a free morning to walk around the quaint village of Vilshofen. Later, cruise to Passau, where you have the option of exploring it one of three ways. Take a walking tour and marvel at Gothic and Italian Baroque architecture and St. Stephen's Cathedral. Or choose between a guided bike tour along the Inn River or a guided hike up to the Veste Oberhaus fortress.

Excursions:

• Free Time
• “City of Three Rivers” walking tour OR Passau Castle hike OR Danube Bike tour

The ship arrives in Linz where you'll have several choices of excursions. Opt for a full-day excursion to Salzburg where you'll tour the historic center, Mirabell Gardens, Residenz Square and the Old Market. Or join a morning walking tour through the old city center of Linz and by the Mozart House; or go on a bike tour of the city's famed “Cultural Mile” and the Danube. Alternatively, visit the charming mountain town of Český Krumlov – a guest favorite, located just over the Czech-Austrian border, on a full-day excursion.

In the afternoon, embark on a journey into the fascinating world of whiskey distillation on an exciting guided tour. Full-day excursions not combinable with other tours on this day

Excursions:

• “UNESCO City of Media Arts” walking tour OR “Cultural Mile” bike tour OR Full-day Salzburg excursion OR Full-day Český Krumlov and Linz excursion
• Distillery tour

Head up to the Sun Deck for panoramic views as you unwind with a scenic cruise through the Strudengau and UNESCO-designated Wachau valleys. After reaching Weissenkirchen, you'll be treated to your choice between two excursions. Take a walking tour of Dürnstein before tasting some of Weissenkirchen's famed wines, made with apricots from Austria's Wachau Valley.

For a more active adventure, hike the trail up to the ruins of Dürnstein Fortress, where Richard the Lionheart was once held captive, and where you'll find spectacular views of the valley, river and village below. As a reward for completing the hike, enjoy tasting the wines of Weissenkirchen following your descent from the hill.

Excursions:

• Scenic cruising through Strudengau and UNESCO Wachau Valley
• Dürnstein walking tour and Weissenkirchen wine tasting OR Dürnstein Fortress hike and Weissenkirchen wine tasting

Today you will have the chance to join our tour of magnificent Melk Abbey. Sitting on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube, the Benedictine abbey is one of Europe's largest and most revered Baroque monasteries, and you will marvel at the beautiful frescoes painted inside. Alternatively, get active on a bike tour through the breathtaking Wachau Valley.

Excursions:

• Melk Abbey visit OR Wachau Valley bike tour
• Schloss Gobelsburg cellar tour and tasting

The “City of Waltzes” is a treasure trove 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 the UNESCO-designated historic city center and visit St. Stephen's Cathedral. For a more active exploration, take a guided bike ride through Vienna. In the evening, be treated to an evening of Viennese wine and music and a traditional Austrian wine tavern.

Excursions:

• “Imperial Vienna” tour OR Vienna City Tour by Bike
• Traditional Viennese Wine and Music Evening

Today you have the opportunity to visit Budapest's Buda (hilly) side of the Danube River. Follow your guide through the city's Castle District where you will marvel at the fairytale turrets of Fisherman's Bastion, gaze upon the breathtaking panorama below and see Matthias Church, renowned for its striking tower and colorful mosaic roof. For a more active tour, hike to Budapest's Castle Hill.

Excursions:

• Buda city tour OR Castle Hill hike

Visit the 19th-century Gödöllő Palace with its royal stables and Baroque theater. This palace became the favored residence of the much-loved Habsburg Empress and Hungarian Queen Elizabeth, affectionately known as Sissi, followed by lunch at Gödöllő Restaurant.

Afterward, head for Puszta, the vast flat Great Hungarian Plain where you will tour a genuine Hungarian csárda (farm) run by the carriage-drive world champion brothers Lazar. Following the tour, witness a unique, unforgettable performance of Hungarian horsemanship, a tradition that goes back to the hordes of Magyar tribes conquering Hungary in the 9th century.

Excursions:

• Gödöllő Palace and Puszta excursion

Welcome to Pécs, founded more than 2,000 years ago by the Romans. Visit the UNESCO-designated Christian Necropolis; St. Peter's Basilica, the city's main Catholic cathedral along with its catacombs; and Széchenyi Square, the heart of Old Town Pécs. You will also see the Mosque of Pasha Qasim the Victorious, one of the symbols of the city. Or choose a guided bike tour through Mohács.

In the afternoon for wine connoisseurs, you'll want to go to the Szekszárd wine region, one of the oldest red-wine-growing areas in Hungary, established more than 2,000 years ago.

Excursions:

• Pécs excursion OR Guided bike ride along the Danube
• Szekszárd wine tasting

Explore this historic Croatian city of Vukovar on a city tour, where you may see sites such as the Ovčara Memorial and Eltz Manor House. Alternatively, you may see Osijek on a guided tour. For a more active excursion, enjoy a guided bike tour of Vukovar. In the afternoon, wine connoisseurs will want to sample Croatia's famous Grasevina, Traminac and Frankovka wines during a special tasting excursion. You can also choose to explore the Vucedol Museum, home to fascinating exhibits on prehistoric culture and one of the most important archaeological sites in Europe.

Excursions:

• Highlights of Vukovar tour OR Osijek tour OR Guided bike tour
• Croatian wine tasting OR Vucedol Museum

Explore Serbia's capital, Belgrade, on a city tour that includes the Kalemegdan Fortress and the Serbian Orthodox Temple of St. Sava. For those wishing a more active adventure, join a guided bike tour. Or hike to the well-preserved Belgrade Fortress with its conical towers.

In the afternoon, you can enjoy a taste of the region by sampling wine and snacks at visit Kalemegdanska Terasa, where old traditions and excellent wine thrive in the heart of Belgrade. Or explore Novi Sad, a city rich in tradition and culture, on an afternoon walking tour. Begin your tour at the Dunavski (Danube) Park; stroll through Stari Grad, the old town center; and explore Liberty Square, which is dominated by the Old Town Hall.

Excursions:

• “The City by Two Rivers” tour OR Belgrade fortress hike OR Belgrade bike tour
• Kalemegdanska Terasa wine tasting OR Novi Sad tour

The Iron Gates is one of Europe's most awe-inspiring natural wonders. The Danube narrows as it winds through a series of magnificent gorges between the Carpathian and Balkan mountains.

Excursions:

• Full-day scenic cruising

Explore Vidin, one of Bulgaria's oldest cities, and surrounding areas with a choice of excursions. Discover Baba Vida Fortress, the largest preserved medieval castle in Bulgaria. Alternatively, visit a local home for a demonstration of traditional Bulgarian yogurt and Banitsa, a pastry you will also get to make. Familiarize yourself with Bulgarian wines instead at Dos Alamos, a winery located next to vineyards on a hilly terrain where the sun shines all day long. You also have the choice to bike through Vidin and to the castle.

Excursions:

• Baba Vida Fortress and Vidin Walking Tour OR Banitsa pastry and yogurt making OR Vidin bike tour OR Dos Alamos wine tasting

Visit Bulgaria's ancient capital, Veliko Tarnovo, with its medieval fortress and multiple orthodox temples, either followed by a wine tasting, or with a little extra free time in the capital. You can opt instead to go to Rousse, known for its 19th- and 20th-century Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo architecture, and then afterwards visit the UNESCO-designated Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo with frescos revealing exceptional artistry of 14th-century paintings.

Later in the day, travel through the Romanian countryside to the capital of Bucharest, known as the “Little Paris of the East.” Enjoy a panoramic tour of the historic city center and its elegant architecture. Later in the day, head to the Leventa complex set in a unique fortification dating back almost 200 years where you will be treated to a tasting of three wines and learn more about their winemaking tradition.

Excursions:

• Veliko Tarnovo excursion OR Veliko Tarnovo and wine tasting OR Ivanovo Rock-Hewn Churches & Rousse Highlights Tour
• Bucharest Excursion OR Leventa wine tasting

Disembark the ship and bid farewell to Giurgiu as you prepare for your flight home.