This tour features a combination of escorted and independent travel. Part of your journey will be enjoyed as a group experience, led by expert tour leaders or local guides. The remainder is self-guided—whether by rail, cruise, or overland—allowing you the freedom to travel between destinations independently and explore at your own pace.
River cruises are a relaxed, informal way to travel - there are fewer passengers on board compared to an ocean cruise, which means ample opportunity to make lifelong friends. You will pass through the world's most loved cities and towns; disembark and enjoy a shore excursion or two, or simply wander around and explore on your own.
✓ Return international airfares to Austria included
✓ Incredible sightseeing including Vienna, Melk, Durnstein, Bratislava, Esztergom, Budapest, Kalocsa and more
✓ 8 Day river cruise on the Danube River through Austria, Slovakia & Hungary
✓ 2 nights in centrally located 4 stars accommodation in Vienna
✓ 7 nights accommodation in 3 & 4 star river cruise
✓ 22 meals including daily breakfast, 6 lunches & 7 dinners
✓ Refined French cuisine, gala dinner/evening and welcome cocktail
✓ Drinks included with meals and at the bar
✓ Onboard activities as outlined in the itinerary
✓ Wi-Fi onboard your river cruise
✓ Port fees
✓ Airport arrival transfers
Travel with the experts for a carefully curated, value-packed discovery of the world's most iconic destinations. Our tours are bursting with must-see sights, rich experiences and quality inclusions, all at an unbeatable price. Bucket list dreams are ticked off on these all-encompassing journeys.
Today, board your flight for Austria.
Welcome to Vienna! On arrival to Vienna Airport, your transfer will take you to your centrally located hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure for you to become acquainted with this wonderful city.
Check in & arrival information
After breakfast you will join a guided tour of the Vienna Woods & Mayerling. Make your way to the starting point and mee your expert local guide. You will then visit the Mayerling hunting lodge, where scandal once rocked the royal family, as well as the Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreuz, constructed in 1133. Experience a guided walk through the city of Baden. Then, journey back to your original departure point, spotting Liechtenstein Castle on the way.
Today, enjoy free time to continue exploring this wonderful city. Hotel check out is by 11 am and you will be able to leave your luggage at the hotel until it's time to leave.
By 6pm, please make your way to your ship's embarkation port which Handelskai Dock 5 - near the Reichsbrucke bridge. A taxi or Uber ride from your hotel will cost approximately EUR 20-25. After comfortably settling into your cabins, you will be introduced to the crew at a welcome cocktail. The ship will depart at 8:00 p.m. towards Melk and sail through the night.
Today you will join a guided tour of Melk Abbey. Firstly you will travel by coach in company of your host/hostess towards Melk Abbey. We will meet up with our guides in the inner courtyard to start our visit. The Abbey overlooking the Danube was first built as the Babenberg's fortified castle. It was founded in the 11th century and the current buildings of the Benedictine abbey date from the Baroque era and were designed by architect Jakob Prandtauer.
Melk Abbey now houses a museum in which you'll discover several rooms that have been enhanced thanks to architecture, sound and light as well as the use of various types of media. Computer animations will tell you a story about the construction of the edifices. You will also visit the marble hall, the world famous library and the bedchambers where a number of illustrious visitors have slept.
This evening we contineu cruising towards Bratislava
This morning you will join a guided tour of Bratislava. Before becoming the capital of independent Slovakia in 1993, Bratislava was first of all the capital of Hungary from 1536 to 1784 under the name of Presburg. It then belonged to Czechoslovakia before becoming the capital of the "Slovak Socialist Republic" as part of Czechoslovakia between 1969 and 1992. Along with your guides, you will begin the visit with a panoramic tour of the city which will take you to Bratislava Castle (outsides), which dates from 1811, after the previous castle burned down, and from where you will enjoy a breathtaking view over the Danube and the city.
The main historical monuments are located in the Old Town and the coach will drop you off at its entrance to continue the visit on foot. You will enter through Michael's Gate, which is the only gate still surviving from the Middle-Ages. Then you will head for the central square surrounded by elegant buildings, some in Art Nouveau style, and dominated by the old Bratislava Town Hall. The tour continues with the Primate's Palace (outsides) completed in 1781 for Archbishop Jozef Bathyány. As you stroll through the streets, you may come across some of the amusing statues that are dotted around the capital. After the guided tour, you will have some free time and will return to the boat on foot or by coach depending on sailing times. The afternoon will be spent cruising.
The morning is free for you to continue explore Bratislava at leisure. Alternatively, you may want to join the below optional tour.
The afternoon will be spent cruising towards Budapest, reaching it in the night.
Optional Tour - Morning in the Puszta. EUR 60 (booked on tour)
Departure by coach in the company of your host/hostess in the direction of Kiskunsag Park, at the heart of the Puszta.
The Puszta, also known as the Great Plain of Hungary, is a large, flat grassland that was regarded as the Wild West of Hungary in the 19th century with cow-boys watching over colossal cattle herds grazing on pasture. The Puszta has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1999.
Riding aboard a charabanc - a traditional horse-drawn carriage with wooden benches - you'll be amazed by the wonderful landscapes and unusual fauna of the Puszta. In a small part of the Hungarian Steppe, you'll get to observe Racka sheep with their spiral-shaped horns, Mangalica pigs with their curly coats and Hungarian Grey cattle with their long, curved horns, as well as rare species of birds. In the course of your visit, you'll get the chance to attend a traditional equestrian show while tasting palinka (plum eau-de-vie) and some pogacsa (small savory buns) as well as mineral water, sheltered from the sun under a thatched roof. The csikos, the mounted horse-herdsmen of Hungary dressed in traditional blue attire, will invite you to take part in their games of skill and ability. Return on board by coach.
This morning you will take a guided tour of Budapest. Join by a guide, we will leave for a panoramic tour of Budapest, the Pearl of the Danube. First we will head for the hills of Buda by crossing the Elizabeth Bridge and we will go up to the Castle quarter, from where we'll enjoy a fantastic panoramic view of the city. We will walk round the castle quarter and on to the Fisherman's Bastion, built in neo-Roman style in 1902 for the simple pleasure of offering a panoramic view over the city and the Danube. Behind the Bastion, we will find Matthias Church which notably was the venue for the coronation of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife "Sissi". Our coach will then take us down to the plains of Pest. There, we will visit Heroes' Square whose central monument depicting Prince Arpad and the chieftains of seven Magyar tribes was built for the millennium of Hungary. We will pass by the famous Szechenyi thermal baths, the zoo - a true piece of architecture - Vajdahunyad Castle and more. We will walk through the famous Andrassy Avenue and pass by St. Stephen's Basilica whose construction began in 1851 and was only completed in 1905. We will walk along the river and see the famous Parliament building overlooking the Danube with its white silhouette in the Byzantine and neo-Gothic styles.
The afternoon and evening are free for you to continue explore Budapest at leisure. Alternatively, you may want to join the below optional tour.
Afternoon Optional Tour - Gellert Baths & Spa. EUR 69 (booked on tour)
You'll set out with your guide to visit the famous Gellert Baths and Spa. Now part of the famous Hotel Gellert in Buda, references to the spa's healing waters have been found from as early as the 13th century. The current spa was founded in 1918, and a visit to the Art Nouveau thermal baths is a beautiful and historical experience. The special attractions are its indoor and outdoor swimming pools, wave bath, sunbathing terrace and thermal spa. After our tour, take some time to relax and enjoy the saunas, the terrace looking at Gellert Hill, or the geothermal pools with some beer, wine, or champagne in hand. This is an exceptional tour in one of the most historical places in the city, but don't take our word for it, come and see for yourself. Afterwards, we'll return to the ship. (Don't forget to bring your swimsuit!)
Evining Optional Tour - Traditional evening in Budapest. EUR 47 (booked on tour)
Transfer by coach in the company of your guides to a theater downtown for a traditional Hungarian show. This one-and-a-half-hour show will take you across all the regions of Hungary through its folklore and Gypsy dance and music. After this show, the traditions and folklore of this beautiful country will no longer hold any secrets!
Once we arrive, enjoy some free time in Esztergom, one of the oldest cities in Hungary. The afternoon will be spent cruising to Vienna. Tonight is our gala evening. Our ship will sail through the night.
This morning you will join a guided tour of Vienna and Schoenbrunn Palace. You will begin the tour by taking the famous Ring to reach Schoenbrunn Palace. The "Ring" was one of the personal projects of Emperor Franz Joseph. In 1857, he decided to take down the ramparts that enclosed the city center and had this boulevard built lined with fine buildings. Along the Ring you will admire this architectural showcase of the old Austro-Hungarian monarchy, including: the State Opera; the Hofburg Palace; the Natural History Museum; the City Hall; the Burgtheater and more.
When you arrive at Schoenbrunn Palace, you will be guided through the numerous rooms of the Hapsburgs' summer residence, which bear witness to the splendor of the Court at the time of Maria Theresa. You will also have some time to wander through the Palace gardens.
You will then return to the coach, which will take you to the city center to enjoy some free time in the area around St Stephen's Cathedral. You will then return to the coach, which will take you back to the boat, via the Ring.
The afternoon and evening are free for you to continue explore Vienna at leisure. Alternatively, you may want to join any of the below activities.
Afternoon Optional Tour - Guided tour of the Hofburg, Residency of the Hasburgs and Sisi museu. EUR 64 (booked on tour)
Departure by coach with your local guide. You will discover the Hofburg, which is also known for having been during 600 years the "Winter Residency" of the Habsburgs. Over the course of their reign, they turned this small 13th century fortress into a colossal and beautiful palace. The different buildings today mostly house museums and the gardens, dotted with monuments, have become the Volksgarten and the Burggarten.
We will climb up the Emperor's Staircase to reach the Sisi Museum which extends over six rooms that have been equipped to solely center on Elisabeth's private life. Here numerous personal items that once belonged to Elisabeth are used to help illustrate the true personality of the frequently misunderstood Empress. The sensitively designed exhibits are inspired by the monarch's poetry and illustrate how the once light-hearted young girl, Sisi, became a restless, unapproachable and melancholic woman. The more than 300 items on display in the museum include parasols, boxes and gloves which once belonged to Elisabeth, along with a reconstruction of the evening dress worn by 16 year old Sisi in 1854 before she left her home in Munich, and a replica of a section of her imperial railway carriage.
We'll then move on to Imperial Apartments and access the 19 official and private rooms that once belonged to Franz Joseph and Elisabeth. The Imperial Apartments are a reflection of the monarchic splendor. You will get to see the Emperor's Audience Chamber, his Conference Room, and his bedroom before peering through Elizabeth's apartments with her salons, lavatory and bathroom and her dressing and exercise room where Elizabeth spent most of her time.
Evening Optional Tour - Viennese Music Concert. EUR 86 (booked on tour)
Departure by coach in the company of our host/hostess towards Vienna's Kursalon where the concert will take place. Famous waltz melodies will take you back to the era of Franz Joseph and Sisi. The first half of the concert will be devoted to Mozart compositions, and the second half to Strauss. The orchestra consists of eight to thirteen musicians, two singers and two dancers who will all make sure you have a good time. During intermission, a free drink will be served (orange juice or sparkling Austrian wine). Return on board by coach.
Enjoy one last buffet breakfast on board before disembarking at 9:00 a.m and make your way to Vienna airport to board your ongoing flight.
Departure information.
Your cruise staff will be happy to assist you arrange a transfer to the airport. Alternatively, a taxi or Uber ride will cost you approximately EUR 45-50.
Please contact us if you wish to extend your stay in Vienna. We can help you arrange additional accommodation and transfers.
Inspiring Vacations has been globally recognized and awarded for its handling of COVID-19 during the pandemic. The safety and well-being of our guests are our highest concern during this time of uncertainty, and we are continuously monitoring the evolving COVID-19 situation.
We have adopted the advice of the WHO to ensure all customers can travel with the knowledge of how to travel safely and with confidence.
Australian owned and operated
We are proudly 100% Australian-owned and now operating across Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada. Our head office is located in Melbourne, Victoria, with offices around the globe to provide you with 24/7 support while you travel. When you book with Inspiring Vacations, you'll receive the support of travel professionals who are committed to the mission of inspiring people everywhere to experience the world.
Cooling off period
If you change your mind within 7 days of making your booking online, you can request a refund of your initial deposit payment as part of our cooling-off period. Once your purchase date falls outside of the 7-day period, our standard terms and conditions will apply.
Please ensure that any request to cancel your booking is received via email to [email protected], including the reason for cancellation.
Booking Process
Booking On Request
Business Class Upgrades
Please specify this as a 'Special Request' when completing your booking and you will be quoted for the additional fare. In the event your selection is unavailable, or that you are dissatisfied with the quote, you will be provided with a full refund.
Land Only Discount
Please click the 'book now' button to view land only pricing should you wish to purchase the package without airfares
Extending Your Stay
Some customers like to enhance their holiday by extending their stay pre- and/or post-tour. If you wish to do so, please follow these steps:
Once you have logged in to your account, click on ‘Book Now’ and complete the required fields until you reach the 'Special Requests' free text field. Here, be sure to mention if you would like us to also quote additional nights' accommodation, with the number of nights needed.
Croisieurope Cruises
The river cruise section of this itinerary is operated by our parter Croisieurope Cruises. Since its creation, Croisieurope has built a fleet of cruise ships capable of taking passengers on all the European rivers. Today, the company counts 32 ships on the continent, all of Standard category and Premium category. Designed with care and taste for detail, each of the boats in the CroisiEurope fleet offers comfort and safety, and always with a touch of originality in interior decoration.
100 to 180 passengers can board, depending on the design of the ships. These are regularly maintained to kept up to date with decor and optimal safety standards. The Croisieurope fleet welcomes new cruise ships every year, while some of the older ones are completely refurbished. Becoming the European leader in river cruises, Croisieurope represents today quality, with its experience, its dynamism and its sense of innovation.
Cabins
Cabin inclusions vary from ship to ship. As standard, this trip includes a comfortable Main Deck Cabin. Cabins feature (at least) a window and are equipped with two beds that can be separated, private bathroom with shower,bath products, satellite TV, safe, hairdryer and radio. You can also request an upgrade to Upper Deck or Middle Deck.
Please request your cabin upgrade in the 'special requests' field. Availability and price will then be confirmed and added to your invoice upon acceptance.
Ships
This itinerary is operated on a number of different ships. See below for links and more information on your selected ship.
Ms Beethoven - Standard
Ms Douce France - Premium
Ms L'Europe - Standard
Ms Vivaldi - Premium
COVID -19
Due to COVID there maybe disruptions to standard operating schedules of particular components of this itinerary. Should a component be affected a substitute will be confirmed prior to departure.
Fitness Requirements
While the tour itinerary should give you some guidance and overview to the expected requirements, to determine if this tour is right for you we categorise each of our tours in terms of their intensity. These guidelines are to ensure that each tour group is conducted as expected and to ensure the overall satisfaction of all Inspiring Vacations customers.
As a general rule, porterage is not included, therefore at all times you are expected to handle your own luggage where help may not be available.
Accommodation
The accommodation listed is subject to change. Any changes will be of an equal or higher standard.
Single Supplement
A Single Supplement is available on this tour. Select 'book now' and choose 1 passenger to show the single supplement for this tour.
Triple Share
Not Available
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is required to protect yourself against the unexpected.
Tour Documentation
Final documentation including, e -tickets and hotel details, will be provided approximately 30 days prior to travel.
Group Size
Group size varies from package to package. Depending on the services provided, the group size might range from private 2 person experiences up to coaches of 60 people depending on your selected holiday.
Tour Style
Partially Escorted - The first three days in Vienna are Independent. We have arranged your transportation, accommodation and activities. During this time you will joined by other non Inspiring Vacations travelers. The Danube river cruise portion of this tour runs as a group tour where you will be escorted by expert ship's staff and by local leaders during off shore excursions.
Children
Children must share a room with parents at all times and are charged the same price as adults.
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