Please note the tour price reflected on the brochure is subject to change. Due to seasonality, and taxes prices of the tour are subject to change without due notice. Please consult with the operator directly for the recent price.
Blue Danube: Family Riverboat Adventure - Westbound 2022
Overview
Highlights (Bullets)
- Selected as one of the '10 Best River Cruises' by Fodor's Travel... there is no better way to experience the heart of Europe with your family than on a leisurely Tauck Bridges Danube river tour and cruise aboard one of Tauck's custom-designed riverboats. Unpack only once as you travel from Budapest
- Hungary
- to Slovakia
- Austria and Germany
- enjoying action-packed shore excursions specially designed for families. Play medieval games on a visit to Devin Castle in Slovakia. Soar over Vienna on the Riesenrad (giant ferris wheel) in the Prater
- the city's famous amusement park. Visit Schönbrunn Palace
- which Empress Maria Theresa and her daughter Marie Antoinette once called home. Go bicycling along the Danube and discover magical secrets – and 'The Sound of Music' locations – at Schloss Hellbrunn in Salzburg. End your family's fun Danube River tour in Passau
- Germany
- where you'll make your own tasty marzipan creation!
Short Description
See the Old World through new eyes on our family riverboat adventure along the Danube – a family-friendly 7-night cruise filled with fun, adventure and surprises in some of Europe's greatest cities.
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive Budapest and board your riverboat
Tour begins: 2:00 PM, Budapest, Hungary. A transfer is included from Budapest's Ferenc Liszt Airport or Keleti train station right to the gangway, where you'll drop off your luggage aboard ms Savor. Your 7-night cruise begins with a sightseeing tour of the city. Budapest is divided by the Danube River into two sections, Buda and Pest, which before the 19th century were independent cities; you'll learn about the city's turbulent history and see iconic sites such as Heroes' Square and Fisherman's Bastion. Board your riverboat, settle in, and meet fellow families at the Captain's welcome reception followed by dinner aboard the riverboat tonight.
MEALS : D
LODGING : ms Savor
PORTOFCALL : Budapest, Hungary
Day 2 Bratislava, medieval games & more in Slovakia
If you think that you'll spend the first day of your journey tromping through musty museums and dusty cathedrals, think again! After a morning spent cruising the Danube along Hungary's border with Slovakia to Bratislava, get set for an exciting day. Head outside the city to the partially restored ruins of Devin Castle, perched high above the confluence of the Morava and Danube rivers. Explore the castle and enjoy a trip back to the Middle Ages with a knight tournament and medieval games, a fencing show, medieval dancing and more. Return to Slovakia's ancient capital for a fun interactive walking tour that includes a scavenger hunt through Bratislava, which harbors more than 17 centuries' worth of stories to tell; you'll have time this afternoon to do some exploring on your own, too. Back aboard the riverboat this evening, dinner is followed by Slovak cultural entertainment... completing one day (of many) on your Danube River tour that your family will never forget!
MEALS : B, L, D
LODGING : ms Savor
PORTOFCALL : Bratislava, Slovakia
Day 3 Catacombs, city sights & an Imperial Evening in Vienna
Whether you call it Wien (as the Austrians do) or Vienna, this grand Imperial city is famous as the former capital of the Habsburg Empire and much more. A sightseeing tour views magnificent boulevards like the Ringstrasse, beautiful gardens and parks, and Vienna's famed architecture. Then take a fascinating tour of the catacombs beneath St. Stephen's Cathedral, once a burial ground for cardinals, royalty – and common folk afflicted with the Black Plague! – and enjoy a carriage ride. Tonight brings another highlight on your family's Danube river cruise... a visit to the historic Palais Pallavicini, a traditional private Baroque palace in the heart of Vienna, for an exclusive Imperial Evening. Welcome drinks are followed by a special dinner and some extraordinary Viennese entertainment in a grand ballroom for a wonderful night of family fun!
MEALS : B, L, D
LODGING : ms Savor
PORTOFCALL : Vienna, Austria
Day 4 Schönbrunn, the Prater & more in Vienna
Your family's day in Vienna begins with a guided visit to the huge – it has 1,441 rooms! – Schönbrunn Palace, the permanent summer residence of the Austrian Imperial Family, the Habsburgs, from Empress Maria Theresa's time in the 18th century until 1918. Once, only the Imperial family (which included future French queen Marie Antoinette, who grew up here) was allowed to walk through the garden Maze. Today, it's your turn; look for its hidden secrets! Your visit also includes a Marionette Theater performance. Have lunch aboard the riverboat, or spend the afternoon in Vienna. Following an early dinner onboard this evening, have some family fun at the world-famous Vienna Prater amusement park, featuring over 250 rides and attractions to enjoy. You'll find the Riesenrad, a giant ferris wheel (which film buffs will recognize from the 1940s film noir classic The Third Man); "extreme-speed" rides, merry-go-rounds and go-carts tracks; haunted houses and a fun house; and more. Tonight, your riverboat sails on to Dürnstein.
MEALS : B, L, D
LODGING : ms Savor
PORTOFCALL : Vienna, Austria
Day 5 Discover Dürnstein & bike along the Danube
When you wake up this morning, your riverboat will be docked in the pretty medieval town of Dürnstein, known for its 13th-century abbey and 16th-century houses along twisting, narrow, cobblestone streets where you will have a choice of morning activities. One option takes you on a leisurely bicycle tour* along the Danube River and through the countryside to a local village, the other, is a walking tour of the medieval town. This afternoon, enjoy some time on your own, and if you so wish, you have the option to hike up to the hilltop ruins of Kuenringerburg Castle, for terrific vistas of the town, river and surrounding vineyards. Within the walls of this very castle, England's King Richard the Lionhearted was held as a prisoner after the Third Crusade – although he probably couldn't enjoy the view like you can! Spend the afternoon cruising through the valley; tonight, polish off your vocals and take part in "The Sound of Music" karaoke as your family's Danube River tour continues.
MEALS : B, L, D
LODGING : ms Savor
PORTOFCALL : Dürnstein, Austria
Day 6 Tricky Hellbrunn Castle & Mozart's Salzburg
Once upon a time, there was a Prince Archbishop of Salzburg who really liked playing practical jokes... and was maybe a little bit crazy. His many guests were astounded both by the Baroque beauty they found at his home, Schloss Hellbrunn (or Hellbrunn Castle), and the tricks he played on them in his "pleasure grounds" filled with gardens, fountains and gadgets that were a kind of 18th-century animatronics. Whether or not his guests found his pranks as funny as he did is another matter... but today, you'll find out for yourselves what surprises Schloss Hellbrunn has in store... and you may be as amazed by what you experience as his guests were! You'll also find some locations made famous by the movie The Sound of Music, including the pavilion that was the setting for the song Sixteen Going on Seventeen. Later, discover how much there is to see and do in lovely, historic Salzburg, as you explore the hometown of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as you please. Join your Tauck Director for a stroll through beautiful Mirabell Gardens. Maybe you'll even find all 14 of the ancient drinking fountains scattered around the Old City... or have fun trying! Tonight, your riverboat sets a course for Passau.
MEALS : B, L, D
LODGING : ms Savor
PORTOFCALL : Salzburg, Austria
Day 7 Marzipan and more in Passau
After your riverboat arrives bright and early in pretty Passau, Germany, disembark for your choice of a walking tour of this Baroque Bavarian "city of three rivers" at the junction of the Ilz, Inn and Danube featuring a demonstration on how to make marzipan, a candy made from sugar and ground almonds, a geocaching tour through Passau, or a guided bicycle ride along the Inn River. After lunch, join your Tauck Director for a walk to a nearby fortress, then spend some time exploring Passau as you please before reboarding the riverboat for your final night. You'll spend your final evening at our farewell cocktail party and dinner as the riverboat makes its way to Vilshofen and the conclusion of your family's Danube River tour.
MEALS : B, L, D
LODGING : ms Savor
PORTOFCALL : Passau, Germany
Day 8 Journey Home
Tour ends: Vilshofen, Germany. Disembark your riverboat in Vilshofen. Fly home anytime after 12:00 PM. A transfer from Vilshofen to Munich Airport or Munich Hauptbahnhof train station is included. Be sure to allow 3 hours for check-in formalities at the airport.
MEALS : B
PORTOFCALL : Munich, Germany
Availability
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25 Tauck Travel Reviews & Ratings
Blue Danube: Family Riverboat Adventure - Westbound 2022
Company Reviews
Nine Tours and Done
5-star hotels switched to 3 and 4 (without any compensation or explanation)… many more meals “on your own”… lots of “self-guided” tours of museums and chateaux and castles we knew nothing about… airline quality “rubber chicken” dinners, not in hotel restaurants, but in sad and isolated business convention spaces… poorly-trained newer Tour Directors (like the one on this tour) with limited experience traveling outside her tiny Canadian village or dealing with people from diverse backgrounds.
She even confessed that this was a second gig job that took her away from her own business back home! You get what Tauck pays for, but unfortunately, not what YOU pay for. Speaking to a “Guest Relations” agent was comically pointless. She tried to make everything my fault, which I now understand is par for the course with the “new” post-Covid Tauck. Please reconsider spending huge amounts of your hard-earned money on a tour company that has lost its way and no longer delivers.
Skip this cruise - not worth it
For dinner every night because the entrees were terrible. You could be the first person at breakfast and everything on the buffet was cold, nothing was hot. there warming trays had tea light candles underneath them.
Wine served at dinner was low quality whicj says something since it was French wine. Tours were poorly
Planned, guides were ok at best. There is no time to shop or eat on land 9 times out 10. We were in Sicily but never got a chance to eat Sicilian food. So disappointed in this ver expensive cruise. The land portions in Malta and Marseiile were better but the tours in Malta were short, limited and subpar. This was our 8th Tauck trip and we have since cancelled our next three. We are not paying Tauck prices for mediocre experiences.
Tauck/Aon terrible travel insurance
Nice trip but not if you are a loyal Tauck Customer like myself
Great if you like 5-star hotels and lots of food
Pay for a 4 star trip and get 2 star food
Details
Ship Name
MS SAVOR
Ship Description
MS SAVOR
Maintaining Tauck’s high standards for quality and comfort, ms Savor cruises exclusively for Tauck on the Danube River as part of our Destination Fleet. With a maximum of 130 guests, the 443-foot riverboat and her sister ships continue our tradition of providing more space per guest on Europe’s inland waterways, transporting fewer passengers than most longships (135 meters). Her deck plan is innovative; with a total of 67 cabins, our most popular cabins tend to be our largest... so we have used the added ship length to offer twenty-two 300-square-foot Tauck Suites – the most of any river cruise ship on any European river. To increase the amount of natural sunlight on the lower deck, we’ve created 8 loft cabins that extend from the first to the second decks, providing guests with an additional view; all windows in these loft cabins open -
Deck & Cabin Plans
MS SAVOR
Group Size
Small Group - 24 max
Trip ID#:
tauck-YUY2022
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