The Danube from Romania to Budapest with 1 Night in Bucharest and 2 Nights in Transylvania

13 days
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River Cruise
Sail from Romania to Hungary’s capital of Budapest to experience river views like no other. Begin your Danube River vacation your way before your cruise with an overnight stay and sightseeing in Bucharest. Drive into the Carpathian Mountains to Sinaia to visit the grand Peles Castle. You’ll continue to Transylvania for two nights in Brasov. Take a guided tour...
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$7,355
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Overview

Trip type
River Cruise
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Very Easy

Highlights

    • Welcome to Bucharest
    • Visit Peles Castle
    • Guided tour of Brasov; guided visit of Dracula's Bran Castle
    • Guided sightseeing in Bucharest; transfer to ship; onboard welcome reception
    • Guided sightseeing, visit the National History and Archaeological Museum in Constanta; wine tasting
    • Choice of full-day excursion, visit to Tsarevet's Fortress in Veliko Târnovo and to the Ethnographic Museum and the Church of the Nativity in Arbanassi, or guided sightseeing in Rousse, or a walk in the park with your Adventure Host
    • Choice of guided sightseeing to Vidin’s fortress, see the rock formations in Belogradchik or walk with your Adventure Host
    • Scenic cruise through the Iron Gates Gorge; choice of visit Lepenski Vir archaeological site or walk with your Adventure Host; visit to Golubač fortress
    • Choice of guided sightseeing or walk with your Adventure Host; onboard lecture
    • Choice of Novi Sad guided tour or walk with your Adventure Host; choice of honey and wine tasting or hike to the Petrovaradin Fortress

What's this trip about?

    Sail from Romania to Hungary’s capital of Budapest to experience river views like no other. Begin your Danube River vacation your way before your cruise with an overnight stay and sightseeing in Bucharest. Drive into the Carpathian Mountains to Sinaia to visit the grand Peles Castle. You’ll continue to Transylvania for two nights in Brasov. Take a guided tour of the city by day, followed by a tour of Dracula’s Bran Castle by night, and enjoy guided sightseeing in Bucharest. Enjoy superior hotel accommodations with complimentary breakfast, an expert Local Guide, and courtesy hotel-to-ship transfer. From Bucharest, travel to Oltenita to embark on your Danube River cruise. Take in the incredible views along the way, Your cruise on the Danube River carries you through the striking landscapes of the Balkans. In Bulgaria’s largest inland port, take a guided sightseeing tour of Rousse, including the Holy Trinity Church, or spend a full day with a guided tour of the Bulgarian capital of Veliko Târnovo, where ancient stone houses cling to the Yantra River cliffs. One of the oldest towns in Bulgaria, Arbanassi holds Bulgarian Revival architecture within its 15th-century locale. Guided sightseeing In Vidin is followed by a guided tour of Belogradchik, with its ancient fortress and tremendous rock formations on the Balkan Mountains. Next visit Lepenski Vir for a guided tour with ancient archaeological finds before cruising through the narrow Iron Gates Gorge. In Serbia, take a guided tour of Belgrade, including one of the world’s largest Orthodox churches, and see the most preserved Croatian fortress in Osijek. You’ll also attend a stirring performance by young students of the Franjo Kuhač music school. Tour the historic towns of Mohács and Pécs before cruising to Budapest to conclude your amazing cruise on the Danube.

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Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeStandard Group - 25 + people
Age range6 years and up
Flights and transportN/A
Start CityBUCHAREST, ROMANIA
End CityBUDAPEST (DISEMBARKATION)

Travel Themes

  • 50 plus
  • Cultural
  • Small Ship Cruise

Destinations

Attractions

  • Belgrade
  • Belogradchik
  • Brasov
  • Bucharest
  • Budapest
  • Croatia
  • Romania
  • Transylvania

Activities

  • Culture
  • River cruise

View Similar Trips

Itinerary

Travel Map

Day 1: BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

Welcome to Bucharest—The “Paris of the East”

The day is yours to relax and enjoy Bucharest. Spend some free time exploring this fascinating city on your own to discover its trendy shops, cafés, museums, beautiful homes, and churches along Victory Avenue.

BUCHAREST-PARLIAMENT.jpg

Day 2: BUCHAREST–SINAIA–BRASOV

Drive into the Carpathians to Sinaia to visit Peles Castle. On the way, enjoy a local lunch. This afternoon continue to Brasov for the night.

(Breakfast,Lunch)

SINAIA.jpg

Day 3: BRASOV

Join a morning Guided Sightseeing Tour of Brasov followed by free time. In the evening enjoy a tour of Bran Castle of Dracula lore followed by dinner.

(Breakfast,Dinner)

BRASOV-BRAN-CASTLE.jpg

Day 4: BRASOV–BUCHAREST–OLTENITA (EMBARKATION)

CLASSIC Join a Guided Excursion in Bucharest, see the Royal Palace Square—the scene of the city 's 1989 riots to overthrow the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Join your Avalon Suite Ship® this afternoon, for embarkation in Oltenita.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO CERNAVODA

(Breakfast,Dinner)

BUCHAREST-PARLIAMENT.jpg

Day 5: CERNAVODA. EXCURSION TO CONSTANTA

Romania’s Cultural Legacies CLASSIC Join a Guided Tour to Constanta, the most important commercial center in Romania, situated on the Black Sea. Visit the Natural History and Archeological Museum to discover the history of early Romanian cultures. DISCOVERY Enjoy a ...

Day 6: ROUSSE, BULGARIA. VELIKO TÂRNOVO & ARBANASSI EXCURSION

Fortresses and Fountains in “Little Vienna” ACTIVE Join a walk through the park in Rousse with your Avalon Adventure Host, OR: CLASSIC Join a Guided Sightseeing Tour of Bulgaria’s largest inland port and visit its impressive Holy Trinity Church.

Sail to Svis...

Day 7: VIDIN

Rocks, ruins and Balkan Beauty

Ask about today’s energizing or relaxing Adventure Host activities.

ACTIVE Wander and discover this town, join your Adventure Host for a walk, OR:

CLASSIC Join Guided Sightseeing in Vidin, followed by a Guided Tour of...

Day 8: DONJI MILANOVAC, SERBIA–IRON GATES GORGE. EXCURSION TO LEPENSKI VIR

Ancient Artifacts and the Iron Gates

Before lunch on board, you’ll sail through the spectacular and narrow Iron Gates Gorge—forming a natural border between Serbia and Romania. ACTIVE Stretch your legs, ease your mind and enjoy a walk lead by your Adventure H...

Day 9: BELGRADE

Fortresses and Folklore

Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.

ACTIVE Discover Belgrade's central walkway with your Adventure Host, OR:

CLASSIC Join a Guided Sightseeing Tour of Belgrade—where the Danube and Sava Rivers converge—an...

Day 10: NOVI SAD

A Capital of Culture

ACTIVE Get your daily dose of exercise, join your Adventure Host on this walk in and around town, OR:

CLASSIC Join a Guided Tour of Novi Sad, the second largest town in Serbia. Admire its Austro-Hungarian old town, with its baroque bui...

Day 11: ILOK, CROATIA

Croatian Heritage and Hilltop Vintages

DISCOVERY Take a walking tour of Ilok with a wine tasting in a local cellar with stories of Croatian tradition. VUKOVAR, CROATIA

The Heroic Town on the Danube

CLASSIC Enjoy a walking tour of Vukovar, the city the largest river port in Croatia. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO MOHÁCS

(Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

ILOK.jpg

Day 12: MOHÁCS, HUNGARY. EXCURSION TO PÉCS

Underground Tombs and Heavenly Music

CLASSIC Join a morning Guided Sightseeing Tour of Mohács—the quiet Danube harbor town with its historical memorial parks, statues, and distinctive churches. Tour the remarkable medieval St. Nicholas Watermill—one of only a f...

Day 13: BUDAPEST (DISEMBARKATION)

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.

Flights should not leave Budapest airport before 8 am.

(Breakfast)

BUDAPEST-CITY-VIEW.jpg

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Dates & Availability

Price From $5,448
Price per day$419
Last Updated: 7/3/2024
Departure Date
Finish Date
Base Price
Availability
02 May 2025
13 May 2025
$5,448
26 May 2025
06 Jun 2025
$5,648
29 Jun 2025
10 Jul 2025
$5,548
06 Aug 2025
17 Aug 2025
$5,548
26 Aug 2025
06 Sep 2025
$5,748
19 Sep 2025
30 Sep 2025
$5,948
04 Oct 2025
15 Oct 2025
$5,648
23 Oct 2025
03 Nov 2025
$5,448

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Avalon Waterways.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

Avalon Waterways Reviews & Ratings

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Nov 2024

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We just finished the Magnificent Europe trip on Avalon and it was amazing. Truly a trip to remember. Everything was great, the staff was incredibly attentive, the ex...

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Colleen Krok

Sep 2024

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Trip of a lifetime

This was my first trip to Europe and my first cruise. I could not have asked for, or wanted anything better....all around. The crew (from housekeeping to food serv...

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Dylann Lacroix

Sep 2024

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Beds with a view? NOT!

We took Avalon’s Danube Balkan cruise from Serbia to Bulgaria and Romania on the Avalon Passion starting September 6, 2024. Avalon needs to pay for a docking slip a...

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Avalon Waterways

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CRUISING ELEVATED.
Innovative, transformative, original. Avalon Waterways has redefined cruising by going against the current and
away from the ordinary. Delivering unparalleled experiences and boundless exploration, Avalon puts you in the captain’s seat to navigate your journey, fuel your passions and steer clear of the unexpected as you cruise down the world’s most memorable and mesmerizing waterways. One step aboard our modern, luxurious Suite Ships with the grandest views in cruising and you’ll see how the tides they are a-changin’. 

Welcome to a new wave in cruising. Welcome aboard Avalon Waterways.

IT DOESN’T GET ANY SUITER.
Enjoy the perfect blend of elegance and ease – where little touches are bold, gestures are grand and the views even grander. There’s a reason our ships are the critics’ darlings and favorites among our most discerning guests. Our boutique-hotel-inspired Panorama Suites feature the industry’s only Open-Air Balconies with the widest-opening windows in cruising and decadent Comfort Collection beds that face the ever-changing scenery.

PACK YOUR PASSIONS.
As you set sail down the world’s most legendary waters, we’ve curated a collection of the most intriguing experiences to immerse yourself in – both on board and off.

SEE MORE THAN THE SEA/
On a typical cruise, you see waves, water and more water. On an Avalon cruise, legendary landmarks and postcard-perfect landscapes are always in view. Dock to discovery takes mere minutes. 

LET’S DISH.
While we naturally present the signature delicacies of the regions you visit, we enrich the gastronomic journey by offering multiple dining venues, bringing unexpected culinary experiences to the table.

What they’re known for
River cruises to classic and exotic destinations with a luxury flair and personalization options.

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Logistics

Accommodation

Radisson Blu

Overlooking the former Royal Palace and near the Romanian Athenaeum Concert Hall and Cismigiu Park, the Radisson Blu provides modern accommodation in the heart of Romania's capital. Guests can choose from the exclusive selection of five on site restaurants and three bars. The hotel also hosts the World Class Health Academy including indoor 22-meter swimming, outdoor Jacuzzi and pool, gym and fitness facilities. When you feel like relaxing, visit our Bali Spa, offering a nice menu of massages and body treatments (against a fee). Within the same complex as the Radisson Blu Hotel you can enjoy Romania's biggest casino.

Bucharest

Romania

Calea Victoriei 63 - 81 Sector 1

Kronwell Brasov Hotel

The Kronwell hotel in Brasov boasts stylishly luxurious guestrooms equipped with state-of-the art facilities, as well as free of charge wireless internet access that will satisfy the hotel's most exclusive guests. This centrally located hotel offers a stylish à la carte restaurant, a casual bar, a sleek European/Asian bistro and formal dining with a terrace. The spa has an indoor pool, a fitness studio and sauna.

Brasov

Romania

Bulevardul Garii Nr 7A

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Age Requirements
6 years and up
Optional Activities
WOBB|The Danube from Black Sea to Budapest WOBE|With 1 Night in Budapest WOBQ|With 2 Nights in Transylvania WOBY|With 2 Nights in Transylvania & 1 Night in Budapest
Additional Information
Trip ID
AVALON-WOBQ

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