Royal Danube & Berlin - Eastbound 2021

Day 1 Arrive Berlin

Tour Begins: 5:00 PM, Hotel Adlon Kempinski. A transfer is included upon arrival at Berlin Airport or Berlin Central Train Station to the Hotel Adlon Kempinski, ideally located near Brandenburg Gate, one of the city’s most famous landmarks. Settle in, then join us for a special welcome dinner where a local expert shares a personal perspective of life behind the Iron Curtain.

MEALS : D

LODGING : Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin

PORTOFCALL : Berlin, Germany

Day 2 A choice of Berlin city sights

In the years since the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Berlin – once again the capital of a reunified Germany – has emerged as one of the most exciting cities in the world. Explore it on your choice of excursions today – a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Museum Island for guided museum tours of either the Pergamon Museum (on a private early-opening visit) or the Neues Museum; or an in-depth tour of Berlin’s Jewish Heritage sites. Everyone meets up for lunch and a boat ride, followed by an afternoon and evening at leisure to explore Germany’s vibrant capital as you wish.

MEALS : B, L

LODGING : Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin

PORTOFCALL : Berlin, Germany

Day 3 Berlin or historic Potsdam

Today you can choose to experience Berlin and environs from one of three perspectives. One is a guided visit to the nearby Baroque city of Potsdam, where the WWII-in-Europe-ending treaty was signed, now attractively rebuilt after its wartime losses and a showcase of beautiful gardens and grand palaces. Your second choice explores World War II history in Berlin, from the Reichstag to the Holocaust Memorial; and a third choice, also in Berlin, offers an opportunity to learn more about the unification of the Cold War-split city through a tour of contrasting sights and stories. Spend the remainder of the day as you please; if you wish, take an optional bicycle ride to see Berlin from a different, modern-day perspective.

MEALS : B

LODGING : Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin

PORTOFCALL : Berlin, Germany

Day 4 Embark your riverboat in Regensburg

A ride aboard the fast train speeds you from Berlin to the well-preserved medieval city of Regensburg, which boasts more than 1,400 historic structures. Following a brief walking tour of town that includes the Dom (cathedral), the market and 12th-century Steinerne Brücke (a medieval stone bridge over the Danube that’s the oldest surviving bridge of its kind in the country), embark your riverboat this afternoon. Join us for a welcome reception followed by dinner onboard as the ship departs for Straubing, and enjoy evening entertainment in the lounge.

MEALS : B, D

LODGING : ms Joy

PORTOFCALL : Regensburg, Germany

Day 5 Straubing or a BMW factory tour

Wake up this morning aboard your riverboat in Straubing. An ancient settlement that dates back to 6,000 BC and is steeped with Roman roots, Straubing is a quintessential Bavarian city. You can choose to explore it on a morning walking tour followed by some free time on your own, or set off on an excursion to a nearby working BMW factory to see the modern operations of one of Germany's leading automakers firsthand. Return to the riverboat in Straubing for lunch onboard (or, if you wish, on your own in town), and an afternoon and evening of cruising to Vilshofen, where you'll be docked overnight, then tomorrow to Passau.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : ms Joy

PORTOFCALL : Straubing, Germany

Day 6 Passau by bike or on foot

Your riverboat arrives in Passau today for a choice of ways to explore this riverside town. Once a Roman outpost at the confluence of three rivers, Passau is over 2,500 years old, a Bavarian town of pastel patrician houses, cafés, romantic cobblestone lanes and riverfront promenades. You can choose to discover its storybook mix of Roman, Italian Baroque and German Gothic architecture on a guided walking tour, or on a bicycle excursion accompanied by a local guide; see St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the hilltop fortress where Passau’s prince-bishops once resided, and the 14th-century Rathaus (Town Hall). After returning to the riverboat for lunch, spend the afternoon and evening cruising, bound for Linz, Austria – enjoying the chef's signature dinner followed by a crew show tonight.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : ms Joy

PORTOFCALL : Passau, Germany

Day 7 Lovely Linz & the lakes of Austria

Welcome to Austria, a land of great musical traditions, alpine beauty and Imperial lifestyles. Wake up this morning in Linz, inhabited since Roman times and one of Austria’s leading cultural centers. Today you may choose to stay in town and join our local guides for a walking tour of Old Town Linz, then hop aboard the historic mountain tram to Pöstlingberg for panoramic views of the countryside and time at leisure to visit the beer gardens or the pilgrimage basilica. Alternatively, you may choose to spend a full day in the Salzkammergut Lake District – enjoying a boat ride across a lake, a scenic journey by coach to Lake Wolfgangsee, and a visit to St. Wolfgang in Salzkammergut to see the famous Gothic winged altar in its 14th-century church. Onboard this evening, join your Tauck Cruise Director for Game Night or enjoy entertainment in the lounge.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : ms Joy

PORTOFCALL : Linz, Austria

Day 8 Krems and Wachau Valley Wines

Arrive in the 1,000-year-old city of Krems this morning, located at the beginning of the Wachau Valley, celebrated for its exquisite Austrian wines. You may choose a walking tour through town with a local guide, or a bicycling excursion through the Krems area and the lush vineyard-lined landscapes of the Wachau Valley. This afternoon’s wine tasting excursion offers an authentic taste of the grape and reveals time-honored secrets of the Austrian winemakers. It’s on to Vienna this afternoon, where an evening arrival offers you the opportunity to see the city at night.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : ms Joy

PORTOFCALL : Krems, Austria

Day 9 Vienna, Past and Present

The Austrian capital of Vienna is a compact city with an abundance of important sights, like former Habsburg family palaces including the Hofburg (the former Imperial Court), Belvedere and Schönbrunn palaces, graced by gardens and gilded treasures. The city’s historic Jewish Quarter, Judenplatz, is in the heart of the city, and Vienna’s contemporary center, including the new Hauptbahnhof and the university campus, is also nearby. You will have a choice of exploring the city’s Jewish Heritage sites, contemporary sights or Schönbrunn on different excursions with our local guides. Spend the afternoon as you like, then dress for an exclusive royal dinner at the private Palais Pallavicini with sparkling entertainment, a highlight of your cruise!

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : ms Joy

PORTOFCALL : Vienna, Austria

Day 10 Choice of discoveries in Imperial Vienna

Today you'll explore more of this amazing city – once the capital of the Habsburgs' Austro-Hungarian Empire – with an on-tour choice of a guided visit to Austria's Museum of Military History (Heeresgeschichtliches Museum), documenting the history of Austria's armed forces; or an exclusive opportunity to sit in on a rehearsal at a Vienna palace as an orchestra prepares for a performance, in the city considered by many to be the classical music capital of Europe. Return to the ship for lunch or stay in Vienna to enjoy lunch as you please. Your riverboat departs this afternoon for the final night of your cruise, bound for Budapest; join us onboard for a farewell reception followed by dinner tonight.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : ms Joy

PORTOFCALL : Vienna, Austria

Day 11 Budapest & Journey Home

Tour ends: Budapest, Hungary. A transfer is included from the riverboat to Budapest Ferenc Liszt Airport or the Keleti train station. Flights home should not be booked before 11:30; allow a minimum of three hours for check-in at the airport. Guests who have booked a post-stay in Budapest may enjoy a morning city sightseeing tour featuring both the Buda and Pest sections of the city, including the Castle district and Fisherman's Bastion. 

MEALS : B

PORTOFCALL : Budapest, Hungary