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The Blue Danube Discovery – Cruise Only tour
Budapest Nuremberg The Blue Danube Discovery – Cruise Only Trip

The Blue Danube Discovery – Cruise Only

Avalon Waterways Premier
Has very high quality customer experiences and demonstrated commitment to responsible travel practices. read more
4.8 . Excellent
97%
Travel Style: Array Relaxed
Physical Level: Normal generally flat walking in urban or suburban environments. Very Easy
Lodging Level: Mid-range budget with accommodations ranging from comfortable lodges, guesthouses, and homestays to three star hotels. Value (3*)
8 days
From: $ 2,699 $ 337 / day
Checking price

Overview

Highlights (Bullets)

  • Onboard welcome reception
  • Cruising
  • Guided sightseeing
  • Choice of guided walktour, see the Stiftskirche; or hike up to the castle ruins in Dürnstein; scenic cruiseing through the Wachau Valley, see the Stiftskirche; guided visitguided tour of the Benedictine Abbey in Melk; and wine tasting on board
  • Guided walk
  • Guided walk; enjoy a snack at the Historische Wurstküche; beer tasting on board
  • Choice of guided sightseeing, or Nuremberg Rally Grounds tour
  • Begin this timeless Europe river cruise vacation in vibrant Budapest, Hungary, sail along the Danube River with exciting stops in Austria and Germany, and conclude in historical Nuremberg, Germany


  • As you leave Budapest, you’ll sail past the splendid Parliament Building, and along Danube River, you’ll have Hungary on your left and Slovakia on your right as the river runs between both countries for a 58-mile stretch

Short Description

Begin this timeless Europe river cruise vacation in vibrant Budapest, Hungary, sail along the Danube River with exciting stops in Austria and Germany, and conclude in historical Nuremberg, Germany.

As you leave Budapest, you’ll sail past the splendid Parliament Building, and along Danube River, you’ll have Hungary on your left and Slovakia on your right as the river runs between both countries for a 58-mile stretch. Vienna, Austria, offers stunning St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Habsburg Palace, the Vienna Opera House, and much more. In the heart of the Wachau wine region is Dürnstein, a 16th-century town with charming cobblestone streets and the baroque Stiftskirche with its luminous blue façade.

In the beautiful town of Melk, visit Austria’s majestic Benedictine Abbey, one of Europe’s largest monasteries, and enjoy a tasting of some of the Wachau Valley’s famous wines. You’ll love a guided walk through Passau, with its narrow streets, beautiful Patrician houses, and baroque architecture. Sail further up the Danube River, and you’ll come to the medieval walls of Regensburg, the only German city not bombed during WWII. Here, we’ll introduce you to some of Germany’s famous beers!

The last stop on this memorable river cruise vacation is the thousand-year-old city of Nuremberg. During guided sightseeing, marvel at the medieval fortifications, extraordinary gothic churches, and the Imperial Castle. And in your free time, be sure to make a wish at the striking fountain on the Hauptmarkt (Main Square)—a perfect ending to a memorable river cruise vacation!

Style River cruise
See all the highlights and popular spots on a classic tour.
Itinerary Focus Classic Highlights
Mid-range budget with accommodations ranging from comfortable lodges, guesthouses, and homestays to three star hotels.
Lodging Level Value (3*)
Flight & Transport Inclusions N/A
Start City BUDAPEST
End City NUREMBERG (DISEMBARKATION) Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning

Attractions & Cities Visited

Budapest Nuremberg Passau Prague Vienna

Activities & Interests

Culture River cruise

N/A
See more

Itinerary

Day 1

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY Welcome to Budapest—Hungary’s Captivating Capital

Flights into Budapest must arrive by 2 pm.

Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.

The day is yours to relax and enjoy the city with time for photographs, cafés, and confections.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO VIENNA

(D)

Day 2

VIENNA, AUSTRIA Vienna Waltzes and the Beautiful Blue Danube

Start the day with a Morning Stretch with your Avalon Adventure Host.

Enjoy sailing the Danube, which shares dozens of miles with Hungary and Slovakia. Relax on the Sky Deck to see the rolling landscape and red-rooftops of the Slovakian capital of Bratislava come into view.

This evening in Vienna, you may choose to join an Optional Excursion to attend a Royal Waltz Concert for an unforgettable evening of music in an elegant hall.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN VIENNA

(B,L,D)

Day 3

VIENNA Royal Collections, Amusing Attractions, and Culinary Confections

CLASSIC Venture into the Habsburg empire this morning on a Guided City Tour of Vienna’s gilded landmarks. See the Imperial Palace complex–the winter residence of the Imperial Family, the historic Vienna Opera House and stunning St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

Join a Guided Optional Excursion to Schönbrunn Palace–a Habsburg Empire summer home for 300 years.

This afternoon, enjoy free time to take a tram to visit Austria’s Prater amusement park or one of the many museums nearby. You may also decide to borrow a bike from the ship to explore the streets and squares of Vienna, or ride along the banks of the Danube at your leisure.

Later, relax on board with live entertainment as you sail to Dürnstein.

OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO DÜRNSTEIN

(B,L,D)

Day 4

DÜRNSTEIN Fairytale Castles, Kings, and Cobblestones of Delightful Dürnstein

CLASSIC Join a Guided Walk, and hear the legendary tale of King Richard the Lionheart–who was imprisoned in the castle above the village during the Crusades, OR:

ACTIVE Join a Hike up to the castle ruins with your Adventure Host for a spectacular view of the village, Danube, and the Wachau Valley below.

Enjoy coffee or a cocktail on the Sky Deck as you sail through the picturesque Wachau Valley to Melk.

MELK

Ornate Architecture and Scenic Splendors

CLASSIC Take a Guided Tour of Melk’s magnificent Benedictine Abbey to marvel at its frescoed ceilings, statues, incredible library, and ornate pipe organ.

DISCOVERY Enjoy the flavors of the Wachau Valley with a Wine Tasting on board.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO PASSAU

(B,L,D)

Day 5

PASSAU, GERMANY Go for Baroque in Passau–Where the Danube, Inn, and Ilz Rivers meet

CLASSIC Join a Guided City Walk to learn more about this beautiful “City of Three Rivers,” OR:

Join a full day Guided Optional Excursion to Salzburg–the city of Mozart–or a full day Guided Optional Excursion to the picturesque Bohemian town of Český Krumlov.

Meet your ship back in Passau after your selected activities for sailing.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO REGENSBURG

(B,L,D)

Day 6

REGENSBURG Magical Regensburg—Bavaria’s Medieval Miracle

CLASSIC Join a Guided City Walk and see Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) and Porta Pretoria–built in 179 AD as the entrance to Castra Regina fortress.

You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to visit the Benedictine Monastery in Weltenburg.

Spend a free afternoon exploring Regensburg on foot or by bike through its charming streets.

DISCOVERY Later, indulge in a Beer Tasting on board.

This evening, enjoy live entertainment after dinner as you cruise toward Roth.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ROTH

(B,L,D)

Day 7

ROTH. EXCURSION TO NUREMBERG Living Heritage and History Lessons

DISCOVERY Enjoy an Onboard Lecture about the Main-Danube Canal–linking these two rivers to make a vital connection enabling navigation between the North and Black Seas.

CLASSIC Choose a Guided Sightseeing of Nuremberg–with its medieval architecture, gilded fountain, gothic cathedral, and Kaiserburg Castle, OR;

CLASSIC Take a Guided Tour of the historic Nuremberg Rally Grounds–used by the Third Reich.

EVENING CRUISE TO NUREMBERG

(B,L,D)

Day 8

NUREMBERG (DISEMBARKATION) Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.

(B)

Availability

Checking price
Price From $ 2,699
Price Per Day: $ 337 per day
Checking price

1,586 Avalon Waterways Travel Reviews & Ratings

97%
4.8 out of 5 (100+ reviews)
Excellent 1,364
Great 131
Average 44
Disappointing 14
Terrible 33
Value
4.8
Guide
4.8
Activities
4.8
Lodging
4.8
Transportation
4.8
Meals
4.8

The Blue Danube Discovery – Cruise Only

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Company Reviews

Memorable cruise on the Mekong

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
The Vietnam/Cambodia Mekong cruise on the Avalon Saigon was our First river cruise and overall it was fantastic. Excellent service on board and outstanding guides for the shore excursions. The Crew/staff were friendly and professional. All of it conducted like a symphony by our excellent Cruise director, Khan. The only thing we would like to see improved is a two nights stay at the Vinpearl, Halong bay (one night is not adequate). Thank you Avalon and the Crew of the Saigon for making our trip memorable.
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World Class Experience

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
This was my first cruise, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was delighted at all the off-boat activities available to us, and I was gratified to experience so much of the country’s culture from the locally hired guides. The meals, drinks, and service on the boat were exceptional—and delivered in an approachable and welcoming way. The experience was world class!
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Trip Insurance late but satisfactory payment

4.0
Details
Value4.0
Guide4.0
Activities4.0
Lodging4.0
Transportation4.0
Meals4.0
We submitted a critical review in January of the insurance payout delay due to contracting COVID at the beginning of the trip. We did acknowledge and wish to confirm that the crew and the cruise director, John did everything thing possible to make our confinement bearable. Since our critical review was based largely upon the slow 6 month delay did finally pay a satisfactory amount, we wish to amend our review up to 4 stars. We filed in August, 2022 and were paid what we expected but not until February, 2023.
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Terrible customer service

1.0
Details
Value1.0
Guide1.0
Activities1.0
Lodging1.0
Transportation1.0
Meals1.0
Terrible customer service

Buyer BEWARE …

2.0
Details
Value2.0
Guide2.0
Activities2.0
Lodging2.0
Transportation2.0
Meals2.0
If you are use to Avalon in Europe BEWARE of Egypt. First it is not an Avalon boat - this was not made clear prior to arriving. In fact you share a boat with other non- Avalon cruises. The quality is significantly below the standard we were expecting based on our two prior Avalon experiences in France and The Danube - but the price remains just as high. The people (staff/guides) try hard and are sweet but the level of disorganization is monumental. itinerary continual changes, which would be OK if there was a process in place to have app match what gets sent via email, or there were paper schedules left in a defined place at hotels. We were told about the schedule for the first two days in Cairo verbally (after an 11 flight) as we were driving from airport to hotel - no hand out, no Avalon desk at hotel that we were told about to check back in, then schedule changed again and only found out accidentally.
The hotel in Cairo was lovely - but once on the boat on the Nile, it was so tacky, tired, smelly old carpet - the complete opposite of the Avalon boats we had been on. The worst part was that we introduced our friends to Avalon on this trip - and we are sooo embarrassed that this is the experience they are having. They certainly won’t become Avalon travelers.
My favorite was when we found out about the boat NOT being an Avalon boat - the guide said ‘don’t expect this to be like the European Avalon experiences - this will be good for Egypt’ WHAT!!!!?!?! Are you kidding. Maybe Avalon and Egypt need to get their act together. This has so damaged my view of Avalon we are not sure we will ever use them again - and we loved them prior to this experience. Deceptive, over rated, really so very disappointing.
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The trip insurance failed us and Avalon

2.0
Details
Value2.0
Guide2.0
Activities2.0
Lodging2.0
Transportation2.0
Meals2.0
We bought the expensive trip insurance through one of the sponsored companies. After being in Switzerland for 9 days where nobody was wearing masks we did not feel well on the bus ride from Zurich to Basel to board the boat. We immediately took precaution by asking for a Covid test. The man who gave the test was very quick with the steps and did not wait the prescribed time to test. The results were negative and we were invited to be part of the bon voyage celebration and dinner. The next day my wife felt worse and we asked for another Covid test. This time a woman took the time to do it correctly and my wife was positive. I was there also positive the next day. We agreed to stay in our cabin for the 8 day duration of the trip. The staff treated us well and room service food was appreciated. The Cruise director, Robert was kind thoughtful and generously upgraded our room. Unfortunately, 6 months since then insurance company has yet to pay for our loss of all the attributes of cruising on the Rhine. We would give it a second try but are leery of the lack of service by the insurance company.
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Details

Deck & Cabin Plans

Optional Activities

WBN|Take this cruise with land stays
WBN0-T1|Festive Time Departure
WBN0-T2|Golf Cruise Departure
WBN0-T3|Canadian Entertainer Jan Arden Departure
WBN0-T4|Jewish Heritage Departure
WBN0-T5|Wine Lovers Departure

Accommodations










Trip ID#:

AVALON-WBN0

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