8 Day Family Danube River Cruise

Welcome to Budapest, where you’ll be met at the airport and transferred to your contemporary Emerald Cruises Star-Ship, before enjoying plenty of free time to explore the Hungarian capital at your leisure.

This evening, enjoy an authentic Hungarian folklore show on board, followed by a traditional dinner.

• EmeraldPLUS Traditional Hungarian folklore show on board

Welcome to Budapest, where an amazing end to a fantastic trip awaits. We will visit the recently opened 3D Gallery Budapest for some great fun for the entire family. Be the part of the painting simply just by standing in front of them. The paintings were made with a special technique and will prove how important perspective really is and they will introduce you to the basics of being a creative and self-dependent artist. Using a mobile device or a camera is a must in the gallery.

If you are feeling more active, you can instead choose to hike to Gellert Hill. The surrounding area has been rebuilt several times, most recently following the air raids of WWII. Some 18th-century Baroque houses still stand, best explored from the medieval paths and alleyways in the area around Buda Castle.

• EmeraldACTIVE Hike to Gellert Hill
• Included Excursion 3D Gallery Budapest

This morning, relax on board as we sail to Bratislava. An ancient landscape awaits, where remarkable towers add to a skyline that perfectly encapsulates the history of the city, and preserved medieval fortifications tell tales of a turbulent past. Your local guide will take you through the heart of the city, as you soak in the sights of the lavish Episcopal Summer Palace and the neo-Renaissance façade of the Slovak National Theatre.

If you’re feeling more active, you could instead choose to hike around the serene gardens of Bratislava Castle, which provides the perfect setting for the Shakespeare festival that occurs during the summer months.

This afternoon, you will be invited into the home of a local family to learn more about their traditions and culture over coffee and cake.

• EmeraldPLUS Home-hosted coffee and cake with a local family
• Included Excursion Walking tour of Bratislava
• DiscoverMORE Skoda tour of post-Communist Bratislava (extra expense)

Visitors to Vienna can look forward to a full schedule of arts and culture. Schönbrunn, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and the Lipizzaner are just as much fixtures of the must-do list in Vienna as a ride on the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel, a landmark visible from afar on the Vienna skyline. If you haven’t once in your lifetime taken a ride on the Giant Ferris Wheel and enjoyed the breathtaking views over the roofs of Vienna, you haven’t really been to Vienna at all. The Giant Ferris Wheel, trademark of Austria’s capital city and a symbol of Vienna’s world-famous Prater, creates a very special point of reference for every visitor with its unmistakeable silhouette, clearly visible even from great distances.

A circular trip on one of the most significant and fascinating structures in the world, and the unique view of the city of Vienna, make the Giant Ferris Wheel an absolute cultural and architectural must see for every visitor to Austria’s capital.

• EmeraldACTIVE Guided bike tour in Vienna
• Included Excursion Day at the Vienna Prater with Ferris Wheel Ride
• DiscoverMORE Exclusive Viennese evening concert (extra expense)

Effortlessly suspended in time, Dürnstein is one of the most frequented parts of the Wachau wine region, where the delightful warm weather creates the perfect setting for viticulture.

Today, you can choose to hike the ruins of Dürnstein Castle, where a delightful panoramic view of the surrounding medieval villages, vineyards and forest is certain to delight.

Later, sail through the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Wachau Valley and arrive in Melk, where you’ll enjoy a guided tour of Melk Abbey. Originally a lavish castle that was gifted to Benedictine monks during the 11th century, this opulent Baroque building is home to some of the most important collections of medieval manuscripts in the world.

• EmeraldACTIVE Guided hike to Dürnstein Castle
• Included Excursion Archery lesson at Schallaburg castle
• EmeraldACTIVE Guided bike tour along the Danube River
• DiscoverMORE Gottweig Abbey (extra expense)

Nicknamed the Dreiflüssestadt, meaning the ‘the city of three rivers’, it’s situated at the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz rivers.

Your included guided tour of Passau will unveil its noteworthy Gothic and Baroque architecture. If you're feeling active, you could join a bike tour along the River Inn, one of the three rivers converging in Passau.

After your tour, enjoy some free time to explore Passau at your leisure, before spending an evening sailing blissfully towards Regensburg.

• Included Excursion Guided tour of Passau
• EmeraldACTIVE Guided bike tour along the River Inn

This morning, we arrive in Regensburg, a city built on the site of an ancient Roman fort. Your guided walking tour of Regensburg will showcase its UNESCO World Heritage-listed medieval centre, where narrow cobbled lanes and tall façades help to define the character of this enchanting Bavarian city.

Alternatively, you could join a bike tour to the Walhalla monument, which towers high above the slopes of the Danube. From here, you can enjoy a fascinating view of the surrounding landscape and the river.

This evening, enjoy a traditional Bavarian band performance on board.

• EmeraldPLUS Traditional Bavarian band performance on board
• EmeraldPLUS Walking tour of Regensburg with Bavarian sausage tasting
• EmeraldACTIVE Guided bike tour to the Walhalla monument