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The best of the Danube awaits on this immersive, 2-week luxury cruise. Embark in Bavarian Regensburg with its very well preserved medieval Old Town. Cruise next to Passau, the inviting City of Three Rivers, and cross the border into Austria to revel in the beauty (and the wines) of the UNESCO World Heritage Wachau Valley. The Danube’s four impressive capitals each vie for your love during stops in Vienna, Austria’s Baroque City of Music; whimsical Bratislava, Slovakia; Hungary’s impeccable Budapest; and Belgrade, part of the former Yugoslavia that today is capital of Serbia. Finally, investigate the wonders of the Lower Danube, broadening your horizons in unimaginable ways. See the stunning, 10-tower medieval fortress at Golubac; admire one of the river’s southernmost sections in Vidin; and cruise through the rugged Iron Gates gorges that form the border between Serbia and Romania. Your adventure concludes in Bucharest, vibrant capital of Romania.
One of the most beautiful cities in the world and Germany's best-preserved medieval city, Regensburg's unique UNESCO World Heritage is built on a legacy of aristocrats, bishops, craftsmen—and a sausage restaurant whose roots date back to 1146! Around almost every corner is evidence of the many cultures and influences that crafted this amazing city over the past 2,000 years. It's a haven of narrow alleyways, ancient fortifications, patrician houses, impressive churches, and a Stone Bridge that has spanned the Danube since the Middle Ages.
Situated along the Route of Emperors and Kings where the Danube, Inn, and Ilz Rivers meet, Passau was settled as early as the Neolithic Age. During the Renaissance, this City of Three Rivers was a major manufacturing center of swords, crafting bladed weapons stamped with the Passau wolf, which legend claimed would grant invulnerability. Today, the most famous sights lining the narrow cobblestone streets of the Old Town are the artistic Town Hall and the Baroque St. Stephen's Cathedral with its green-domed towers and one of the largest organs in the world.
Austria’s third largest city, Linz is a European Capital of Culture worth exploring. Highlights include the Feichtinger House with its Glockenspiel, Castle Museum, Lentos Art Museum, and the Neo-Gothic Mariendom with its impressive stained-glass windows and 20,000-person seating capacity. A hike up Pöstlingberg Hill delivers outstanding views over the Danube and is best followed by a coffee and piece of scrumptious Linzer Torte, invented here as the world's first cake!
No visit to the Wachau Valley is complete without visiting Austria’s prettiest abbey. Built on a rocky promontory overlooking the Danube, Melk Abbey's origins date back to 1089. Today, it is one of Europe's finest examples of Baroque architecture, where Benedictine monks still farm the land and operate what is now the oldest school in Austria. Highlights include the library of ancient manuscripts, frescoed ceiling, stunning spiral staircases, and the ornate abbey church.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Austria’s unique Wachau is one of the Danube’s most stunning riverscapes. It is a special setting that invites you to linger just a little longer to truly enjoy its picturesque villages, collection of medieval riverbank castles, and steep, terraced vineyards and apricot orchards. Savor some of Europe’s most famous wines and apricot schnapps, and lose yourself in the fairytale beauty, where nature and culture are one.
Tulln, a historic town on the southern bank of Austria’s Danube, traces its origins back to Roman times, when it served as the fortress of Comagena and an important military and economic center. In the Middle Ages, its strategic position made it a bustling market town and a key stop along the Danube trade routes. Though heavily damaged during World War II, it was rebuilt and restored. Today, Tulln is known for its elegant architecture, cultural heritage, and lush gardens, earning it the nickname ‘the City of Flowers.
Vienna is a city that defies simple description. Over the centuries, it has been an imperial city, seat of the Holy Roman Empire, capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and capital of sovereign Austria. Today, Vienna retains the grand Baroque architecture, historic style, and Lebenskunst (art of living) that attracted famous composers like Mozart and Strauss. It's a wonderland of lavish palaces and cathedrals, world-class museums and music venues, atmospheric coffee houses, and romantic fiakers (horse-drawn carriages) clip-clopping past it all.
Bratislava is perfect for those who want to be transported to another time. Even from a distance, its 9th-century clifftop castle strikes an impressive pose. Down below, the bustling pedestrian-only Old Town is a charming collection of Old World architecture, like Michael's Gate, St. Martin's Cathedral, the Old Opera House, and the Neoclassical Primate's Palace. There's even a surprise or two, with Napoleon's cannonballs lodged in historic walls and an unexpected statue of Cumil the Sewer Worker peering up from below street level!
One of the most beautiful cities in the world, the wonders of Budapest rise up along both banks of the Danube in a truly impressive way. Along with Heroes' Square with its Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, awe-inspiring Hungarian Parliament Building, and the lavish Castle District with photogenic Fishermen's Bastion, the city is home to a captivating Jewish district and the second-largest synagogue in the world, an intricate underground cave system, and some of Europe's most famous thermal baths.
The port town of Mohács holds an interesting distinction. Battles here in 1526 and 1687 marked both the beginning and the end of Ottoman rule over Hungary. The town's origin dates back much earlier than that, though, as a Roman camp on the banks of the Danube. Today, one of Mohács most colorful traditions is the annual Busójárás Carnival, a lively display of music and dancing, cowbells and clappers, wooden pitchforks and puppets, food and drink, mask-carving and bonfires, all to chase winter away.
Born on the banks of the Danube when Serbian merchants formed a colony across from Petrovaradin Fortress in 1694, Novi Sad has evolved into a haven of Serbian culture, earning it the nickname of "Serbian Athens". Home to a soaring cathedral, Bishop's Palace, theater, Jewish Synagogue, and more, Serbia's second-largest city is also a bustling university town that was named Youth Capital of Europe in 2019 and a European Capital of Culture in 2022.
Situated along the famed Orient Express, where the Danube and Sava Rivers meet is Belgrade, one of the Danube's four riverside capitals. This is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities—a place sieged, razed, and bombed by outsiders trying to control it. Today, the one-time capital of Yugoslavia is a thriving hub of government, finance, and urban renewal of many former communist-era districts. It is home to the Church of Saint Sava, one of the largest Orthodox churches; the famous Nikola Tesla Museum; Kalemegdan Fortress; and more.
A stronghold during Roman and Byzantine times, the eastern Serbian village of Golubac is surrounded by fascinating archaeological sites and imposing Golubac Fortress, gateway to Đerdap National Park and the Iron Gates gorges. Although the medieval fort had 10 defensive towers, it was attacked repeatedly over the centuries, changing hands between the Turks, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Serbs, and Austrians. Today, Golubac Fortress is part of Serbia's declared Immovable Cultural Heritage of Exceptional Importance, attracting thousands of visitors from around the world each year, while Golubac village is a popular destination for fishing, hiking, and sailing.
Located in the Veliki Kazan gorge, a section of the famed Iron Gates in Đerdap National Park, is Donji Milanovac, whose peaceful Serbian beauty is breathtaking. So much so, in fact, that filmmakers flock here, earning it the nickname of "Serbian Hollywood". Nearby, archaeologists have unearthed sculptures, weapons, and tools up to 9,000 years old that bear witness to an advanced Stone Age civilization—Lepenski Vir, one of the oldest settlements in Europe.
One of the Danube’s most breathtaking natural wonders is the dramatic “Iron Gates”. Here, rugged canyon walls soar up to 984 feet (300 meters) above the river, creating a scene like something from a movie. Declared a UNESCO global geopark in 2020, this incredible geological feature separates the Carpathian and Balkan Mountains, forms the border between Serbia and Romania, and is home to Iron Gates Natural Park and Đerdap National Park.
During its long and tumultuous history, Vidin has seen some things. It’s a place with ancient Roman roots. It was subjugated for half a millennium by the Ottoman Turks, and it suffered a devastating flood in 1942. Today Vidin provides a major border crossing to neighboring Romania. The Old Town is an engaging potpourri of architectural diversity that includes austere structures from the Socialist era. Highlights include many old Orthodox churches, a synagogue, mosque, indominatable Baba Vida fortress, and a growing reputation for its wine production.
Giurgiu sits among the mud flats and marshes of the Danube's left bank. Three small islands face the city, and a larger one shelters its port. This one-time exporter of timber, grain, salt, and petroleum was served by a railway to Bucharest that was built in 1869, the first line opened in Romania. This also placed Giurgiu on the map among wealthy globetrotters as it became a stop for the legendary Orient Express. By 1954, Giurgiu had another feather in its cap, when the steel-truss Friendship Bridge opened over the Danube, connecting Romania to neighboring Bulgaria.