Budapest to the Black Sea - Eastbound Aboard ms Joy

Explore Central Europe's ancient heart on a river cruise along the Danube's lower reaches to the Black Sea. Discover dramatic castles, centuries-old monasteries, and myriad cultural treasures as you sail aboard one of Tauck's premium riverboats, and enjoy two-night stays at city-center hotels in Budapest and Bucharest.



Explore the romantic lower Danube through the heart of Central Europe, where East and West meet and intertwine in fascinating cultures and turbulent history... Glide past medieval monasteries, citadels and villages... Discover resort towns along Romania's Black Sea Coast, explore an ancient Christian necropolis in Pecs, and visit Dracula's castle in Transylvania... dine in the Bragadiru Palace in Bucharest... Share homemade refreshments in the home of a Croatian family rebuilding their lives in postwar Vukovar, and listen to Bela Bartok's piano music at a recital in his Budapest home. Experience authentic local cuisine, music and dance, and a wealth of architectural wonders as your river cruise winds its way through Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, with nights on land at luxury hotels in the popular cities of Bucharest and Budapest (the Paris of Eastern Europe).

Explore the romantic lower Danube through the heart of Central Europe, where East and West meet and intertwine in fascinating cultures and turbulent history... Glide past medieval monasteries, citadels and villages... Discover resort towns along Romania's Black Sea Coast, explore an ancient Christian necropolis in Pecs, and visit Dracula's castle in Transylvania... dine in the Bragadiru Palace in Bucharest... Share homemade refreshments in the home of a Croatian family rebuilding their lives in postwar Vukovar, and listen to Bela Bartok's piano music at a recital in his Budapest home. Experience authentic local cuisine, music and dance, and a wealth of architectural wonders as your river cruise winds its way through Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, with nights on land at luxury hotels in the popular cities of Bucharest and Budapest (the Paris of Eastern Europe).

Traveling Well Includes:
  • TAUCK EXCLUSIVE - Enjoy a Tauck Exclusive dinner at the Royal White Palace of the Serbian Royal Family, built in the 1930s and set within the same complex as the Royal Palace in Dedinje, home to HRH Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia and his family
  • All gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors and Tauck Cruise Director
  • Tauck's private shore excursions and distinctive inclusions valued at $4,148
  • Two nights at a hotel in Budapest and three nights in Bucharest at a hotel with an ideal location next to the Parliament Palace
  • Choices of bicycle excursions in Budapest & Belgrade
  • Dinner at a palace in Bucharest

  • Day 1 - Your adventure begins in Budapest

    Tour begins: 6:00 PM, The Ritz-Carlton Budapest. A transfer is included from Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport and Budapest-Keleti Station to The Ritz-Carlton Budapest in the heart of the city. Meet your fellow travelers and Tauck Directors tonight at the welcome cocktail reception and dinner.



    Lodging: The Ritz-Carlton Budapest

    Meals: D

    Day 2 - Discovering Pest, past & present

    Once independent cities located on opposite sides of the Danube, Buda and Pest joined together when they were linked by the Chain Bridge in the mid-19th century to become Hungary's cosmopolitan capital, Budapest. You have a choice of Budapest discoveries this morning. You can choose to join Tauck's local guides for sightseeing in Pest starting with a visit to St. Stephen's Basilica, Budapest's neo-Renaissance cathedral completed in 1905; continuing with Pest's impressive mix of architectural masterpieces and historic monuments, including City Park, patriotic Heroes' Square with its statues of Hungarian leaders through the ages, the Gothic-Revival Parliament building and tree-lined Andrassy Avenue; and time spent wandering through bustling Central Market Hall, a veritable showcase of Hungarian life from food to gifts and cafes. Or you can choose to spend the morning touring the Pest side of the city by bicycle with a local guide (you'll need to be comfortable riding a bicycle in a city environment). The rest of the day and evening are yours to enjoy the city as you like.



    Lodging: The Ritz-Carlton Budapest

    Meals: B

    Day 3 - Visit Budapest landmark sights and set off on your cruise

    Today's exploration of Buda begins with a visit the Hungarian Parliament building, rich with history; it is nothing short of an architectural masterpiece. Next, travel to Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where a guided walking tour introduces architectural landmarks such as well-known Fisherman's Bastion. Go back to the days of World War II and the Cold War at the Sziklakorhaz (Hospital in the Rock), a museum recreating underground military medical and civil defense facilities in a former secret nuclear bunker hidden beneath Buda Castle. Following lunch at a local restaurant, enjoy some time to explore more of Budapest as you please, then board your riverboat to begin your cruise. Join us tonight for a welcome toast followed by dinner onboard.



    Lodging: ms Treasures

    Meals: B, L, D

    Day 4 - Antiquities & more in Hungary

    Arrive in Mohacs this morning and travel to Pecs for a walking tour. Here you'll also explore the fascinating Christian Necropolis, a complex dating back to the 4th century that includes underground burial chambers and chapels adorned with early Christian art and frescoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the 19th century, Pecs was famous worldwide for the exquisite Zsolnay porcelain manufactured here, and your visit includes a stop at the Zsolnay Museum for a look at its stunning examples of Art Nouveau stoneware, tiles and pottery. Visit a winery in Villany for lunch (this region is renowned for its red wines) then return to Mohacs for dinner aboard ship.



    Lodging: ms Treasures

    Meals: B, L, D

    Day 5 - Vukovar, Croatia & Novi Sad, Serbia

    Your riverboat exploration of the lower Danube cruises into Croatia; an onboard lecture by a local expert provides insights into the country's culture and history. Dock in the Baroque city of Vukovar, once showcasing opulent 18th-century mansions, but now poignantly symbolizing the effects of the 1990s war as it rebuilds; visit the home of a Vukovar family who have recently returned to resume their lives in the city after the conflict, who will share homemade refreshments with you. Reboard your riverboat for lunch and cruise to Novi Sad, Serbia, enhanced by commentary by your Tauck Directors. You'll have a little free time this evening to explore Novi Sad before your cruise continues to Belgrade.



    Lodging: ms Treasures

    Meals: B, L, D

    Day 6 - The sights of Belgrade and a private palace evening

    Dock in Belgrade, Serbia's eclectic, cosmopolitan capital at the juncture of the Danube and Sava rivers. You can choose to spend the morning touring the New Belgrade section of the city by bicycle with a local guide (you'll need to be comfortable riding a bicycle in a city environment); or join our local guides for a city tour that includes visits to Tito's Memorial and the formidable Kalemegdan Fortress, and views of busy Slavija Square (now one of the city's major squares, but once a large pool where residents hunted wild ducks!), Parliament, Republic Square and City Hall. After lunch onboard your ship (or own your own in town), you have the afternoon free to spend as you please. Following onboard entertainment by Serbian performers during cocktail hour, you'll return to shore for this evening's sparkling Tauck Exclusive - dinner at the Royal White Palace of the Serbian Royal Family in Belgrade, built in the 1930s for members of the Yugoslavian royal family and set within the same complex as the Royal Palace of Dedinje, today home to HRH Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia and his family.



    Lodging: ms Treasures

    Meals: B, L, D

    Day 7 - The Iron Gate, King Decebalus & more

    Continuing your Budapest river cruise, relax on a day's sail past the fields and vineyards of Eastern Europe. Pass into Romania and through the Kazan Narrows and the Iron Gate of the Danube, a two-mile-long series of narrow gorges between the Carpathian and Balkan mountain ranges. As you glide along the Bulgarian / Serbian border, look for the massive monument of the 2nd-century Dacian King, Decebalus, the last king of Dacia who fought to preserve the independence of his country (now known as Romania). Completed in 2004, it's Europe's tallest rock sculpture, carved into the riverbank on the Romanian side. Savor views of the Transylvanian Alps as you cruise to Bulgaria. Join us tonight for the Chef's signature dinner.



    Lodging: ms Treasures

    Meals: B, L, D

    Day 8 - Bulgarian art in Ruse or Ivanovo

    Your Budapest river cruise along the Danube takes you to Bulgaria today; largely off limits during four centuries of Ottoman rule and decades behind the Iron Curtain, the country's rich natural beauty and history is yours to discover for yourself. Disembark after lunch in Ruse - often referred to as Little Vienna for its Art Nouveau homes, Austro-Hungarian architecture and lively cafes - for a choice of afternoon sightseeing. You may join us for a guided walking tour of the Basarabov rock church, and its easily-accessible chapel, or alternatively, embark on a vigorous hike to the celebrated rock churches in the village of Ivanovo, whose stony chambers carved into steep, cliffside caves reveal stunning medieval frescoes inside; a visit is richly rewarding. Afterwards, both groups will convene in Ruse before returning to the riverboat.



    Lodging: ms Treasures

    Meals: B, L, D

    Day 9 - Constanta & Mamaia on Romania's Black Sea coast

    Spend the morning cruising the Danube all the way to Constanta, Romania on the Black Sea coast. Upon your arrival in the early afternoon, take a guided tour of this historic port city, originally the ancient Greek colony of Tomis and home to numerous Greek and Roman antiquities; sights include an Art-Nouveau casino and a monument to the Roman poet Ovid, who was exiled here by the Emperor Augustus. Then it's on to Mamaia, the largest seaside resort on the Black Sea, for some time at leisure to enjoy the beach before returning to the riverboat, docked in Constanta, for your final night aboard your Budapest river cruise. Join us for the ship's farewell reception and dinner onboard this evening.



    Lodging: ms Treasures

    Meals: B, L, D

    Day 10 - Disembark and on to Bucharest

    Disembark your riverboat in Constanta and travel to Bucharest, capital of Romania and once regarded as the Paris of the Balkans. A sightseeing tour of city landmarks includes Revolution Square and the Triumphal Arch; erected to commemorate Romania's reunification and those who fell in World War I, it is a smaller but otherwise exact copy of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Lunch in the Old Town, the city's charming historic center; a former enclave of artisans and merchants in the 16th century, it's now a trendy district of old inns, antique shops, galleries, and cafes, riddled with winding networks of vaulted cellars, cobblestone streets and passageways. Settle in for the next two nights at at your historic hotel in the heart of the city; if you wish, have dinner at the hotel tonight, or choose to enjoy a lunch or dinner at the hotel at another time during your stay.



    Lodging: InterContinental Athenee Palace Bucharest

    Meals: B, L

    Day 11 - Transylvania and Bran Castle - or Sinaia - or Targoviste

    A choice of sightseeing today echoes the legacy of 15th-century Romanian prince Vlad Tepes (a.k.a. Vlad the Impaler), thought to be the historical model for Bram Stoker's Dracula. You may choose to take a full-day excursion to Transylvania's 14th-century Bran Castle, which Tepes once used as a fortress during his military campaigns; the excursion includes a visit to the castle and free time in Bran. Alternatively, you can travel on a full-day excursion into the Carpathian Mountains to the mountain resort town of Sinaia for a visit to a nearby castle. Or, drive to Targoviste to visit the formal royal court of Vlad the Tepes a.k.a. Dracula, and the military barracks museum where the trial and execution of Romania's Communist leader, Ceausescu, took place. Return to Bucharest for free time and dinner as you please.



    Lodging: InterContinental Athenee Palace Bucharest

    Meals: B, L

    Day 12 - Bucharest & a night at a palace

    Discover more of Romania's capital on a choice of morning sightseeing, either visiting the National Art Museum or the Village Museum, before ending in Bucharest's Old Town. Following an afternoon spent pursuing what interests you most in the city, join us this evening as we travel to a Tauck Exclusive at the Bragadiru Palace (a.k.a the Palace of Culture). Named after founder Dumitru Marinescu Bragadiru, one of Romania's most important industrialists, the palace was originally used as a brewery and a performance hall before being confiscated in the 1940's (later returning to the descendants of Bragadiru in the early 2000's). Your tour concludes this evening with a special farewell reception at the palace, complete with musical entertainment.



    Lodging: InterContinental Athenee Palace Bucharest

    Meals: B, D

    Day 13 - Journey home

    Tour ends: Bucharest. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from InterContinental Athenee Palace Bucharest to Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport and Bucuresti Gara de Nord; please allow 3 hours for flight check-in at the airport.



    Lodging:

    Meals: B

    Call (352) 278-1595 for more information or to book today! Mention code 18851519

    Cruise Line
    Tauck River Cruising
    Offer
    Offer valid through 12/31/2024
    Duration
    13 Days
    Cruise Ship
    ms Joy

    Click for more information on this ship.

    DayPortArriveDepart
    Day 1Budapest  
    Day 2Budapest  
    Day 3Budapest  
    Day 4Pecs  
    Day 5Vukovar  
    Day 6Belgrade  
    Day 7Djerdap I  
    Day 8Ruse  
    Day 9Constanta  
    Day 10Bucharest  
    Day 11Bucharest  
    Day 12Bucharest  
    Day 13Bucharest  
    Disclaimer
    * Land / cruise price per person in U.S. dollars, based on double occupancy, includes cruise fare, most meals, port charges, shore excursions, applicable fuel surcharges, and gratuities to Tauck Directors, Tauck Cruise Director, ship staff, local guides & drivers, and on all included meals.

    Itinerary Changes - Although not expected, Tauck reserves the right to alter the sequence of ports or omit or substitute scheduled ports or attractions at any time without prior notice. Further, museums and attractions may be subject to closure due to state, local or religious holidays.

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