The Blue Danube - Westbound 2025

12 days
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4.4/5 Great
100+ reviews  
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USTOA

River Cruise
Wind your way past medieval landscapes aboard Tauck's ms Savor or ms Joy to explore five European countries, visit castles and cathedrals, embark on locally guided sightseeing and spend special evenings in two private palaces. Enjoy two nights each at centrally located hotels in Prague and Budapest.
From$6,790
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Overview

Trip type
River Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy

Highlights

    • Along the 'river of kings'... medieval castles and Gothic cathedrals... charming riverside villages... the Imperial treasures of the Habsburgs... lush Wachau valley vineyards... the music of Mozart...From Prague to Budapest
    • castles of all descriptions have watched over the landscape from their royal perches for centuries. On this 12-day journey featuring a 9-night Danube cruise
    • they remain lasting testimony to kingdoms and culture
    • ready to welcome you… during a private dinner in Lobkowicz Palace… an exclusive evening of Imperial entertainment at a private Vienna palace... in Baroque Salzburg and atop Budapest's Castle Hill... and exploring Vienna's Hofburg or Schönbrunn Palace. It'sa Blue Danube cruise to remember!

What's this trip about?

    Wind your way past medieval landscapes aboard Tauck's ms Savor or ms Joy to explore five European countries, visit castles and cathedrals, embark on locally guided sightseeing and spend special evenings in two private palaces. Enjoy two nights each at centrally located hotels in Prague and Budapest.

Details

Itinerary focusOperator does not provide
Group sizeStandard Group - 25 + people
Age rangeNo age restrictions
Flights and transportN/A
Start City Budapest, Hungary
End CityRegensburg

Travel Themes

  • Small Ship Cruise

Destinations

  • Europe
  • Austria
  • Hungary
  • Slovakia
  • Czech Republic

Attractions

  • Bratislava
  • Budapest
  • Linz
  • Prague
  • Vienna

Activities

  • Culture

Trip includes

    • TAUCK EXCLUSIVE – Private Imperial Evening at a palace in Vienna featuring a gala dinner and Viennese performers TAUCK EXCLUSIVE – Private aperitif and dinner in Prague at Lobkowicz Palace, Prague Castle TAUCK EXCLUSIVE – A private tour of Prague's Baroque libraries, Strahov Monastery All gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors and Tauck Cruise Director All private Tauck shore excursions – $3,438 Value

Itinerary

Travel Map

Day 1 Arrive Budapest and embark

Tour begins: 5:00 PM, Budapest.
A transfer is included from Budapest's Ferenc Liszt Airport or Keleti train station to your riverboat. Meet your fellow travelers and Tauck Directors, and learn about the upcoming days, ahead at a welcome toast this evening prior to your first dinner aboard ship.

MEALS : D

LODGING : ms Joy

PORTOFCALL : Budapest, Hungary

Day 2 Discover the landmarks & stories of Pest

Budapest is split into "Buda" and "Pest" by the Danube River. This morning, explore the Pest side of the city on a tour including City Park and Heroes' Square – bounded by some of the finest architectural works in Hungary – and a sp...

Day 3 Explore Buda

Head up to Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site overlooking the Danube on the Buda side of the city, for a choice of sightseeing. A guided tour includes Fisherman's Bastion, with its Neo-Romanesque design, the stained glass win...

Day 4 Baroque in Bratislava

Our resident expert takes you inside contemporary Slovakia and Bratislava for a look at the region's politics, economy, religion, social order, preservation and emergence of the arts. After lunch aboard the riverboat, you'll have a choice ...

Day 5 Exploring Vienna & an Imperial Evening

Your riverboat arrives this morning in Vienna, Austria, where our local guides join you for a choice city sightseeing. A drive along the Ringstrasse is followed by a choice of walking tours in Vienna complimented with samplings of t...

Day 6 A choice in Vienna and journey to Dürnstein

A choice of sightseeing this morning features a tour of the Habsburgs' Schönbrunn Palace, an architectural masterpiece and Austrian cultural treasure, or Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, one of the world's most acclaimed art museums l...

Day 7 Picturesque Dürnstein and the Wachau Valley

Wake up in Dürnstein for a closer look at its 16th-century Baroque houses and 13th-century Romanesque church on a walking tour along cobblestone streets; you may also choose to tour a local monastery, or take a bicycle ride. Enjoy s...

Day 8 Salzburg sights or Cesky Krumlov

Your boat stays docked in Linz today, with a choice of how you spend your day – full-day excursions to Salzburg (Austria), or Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic, or remaining in Linz. A setting for The Sound of Music, a Salzburg wa...

Day 9 Engelhartszell & cycling along the Danube

Wake up this morning in Engelhartszell, a pretty town on the Danube in Upper Austria. After a visit to a local private home (and a taste of local cake, sweets and coffee), you'll have a choice of a walking tour of town including 18th-centu...

Day 10 Disembark Vilshofen for Regensburg & Prague

Disembark your ship in Vilshofen for a choice of excursions. One brings you to the Bavarian town of Regensburg for a walking tour led by a local guide that visits the Steinerne Brücke (a medieval stone bridge over the Danube), tower...

Day 11 The legacy of many centuries in Prague

Start today's exploration of Prague this morning with a choice of walking tours through Prague's ethereal Old Town, choosing between a one-hour introductory tour; a "walk through the centuries" (note: this excursion has two versions, with ...

Day 12 Journey home

Tour ends: Prague, Czech Republic.
Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from Andaz Prague to Praha Hlavni Nadrazi train station or Václav Havel Airport Prague. Please allow a minimum of 3 hours for check-in.

MEALS : B

PORTOFCALL : Regensburg, Germany

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Dates & Availability

Price From $6,790
Price per day$566
Last Updated: 11/13/2024
Departure Date
Finish Date
Double Standard
Single Standard
Double Luxury
Availability
02 Apr 2025
14 Apr 2025
$7,490
$7,490
$9,940
18 Apr 2025
30 Apr 2025
$7,790
$7,790
$10,240
22 May 2025
03 Jun 2025
$8,790
$8,790
$11,240
25 May 2025
06 Jun 2025
$8,790
$8,790
$11,240
09 Jun 2025
21 Jun 2025
$8,790
$8,790
$11,240
30 Jun 2025
12 Jul 2025
$7,490
$7,490
$9,940
25 Jul 2025
06 Aug 2025
$6,790
$6,790
$9,240
10 Aug 2025
22 Aug 2025
$6,790
$6,790
$9,240
17 Aug 2025
29 Aug 2025
$6,790
$6,790
$9,240
28 Aug 2025
09 Sep 2025
$7,790
$7,790
$10,240

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Tauck.

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.

Tauck Reviews & Ratings

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May 2024

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Jun 2023

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Nine Tours and Done

Sad to see a once good tour company stumble and fall into mediocrity. That’s Tauck post-Covid. My May 2023 tour of Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley was done o...

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Cougess

Jan 2023

Written on

Skip this cruise - not worth it

My husband and I went on the Treasures of the Mediterranean Isles Trip jn October 2022. This was our third Tauck cruise with Ponnant but our first post covid and the...

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Tour Operator

Tauck

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It's easy to see the world's sights. To stand in long lines, push through the crowds, and generally have the same standard-issue vacation as everyone else. But that's not good enough for us, and it's not good enough for you. We believe that travel should be easy. It should be fun. It should be worth your time and the price you paid. It should re-energize and transform. And above all else, it should be beyond the ordinary. Because how you see the world matters.

In 1882, Herman Tauck arrived in New York City from Germany in search of the American dream. His determination and values were passed on to his son, Arthur Tauck, who would realize that dream. With ingenuity and an innovative spirit, Arthur started Tauck Motor Tours, a travel company that would give birth to a new industry. The first tour, through the back roads of New England, was created by this 27-year-old in 1925. It embodied the same successful formula used by Tauck today: do the right thing. Craft a life-enriching travel experience; provide it at a single all-inclusive price; ensure there is great value for money; and rely on recommendations of satisfied customers to build a following and grow the business.

Two elements that did change over the next 90+ years – and three generations of Taucks – were the scope of destinations served and the variety of modes of travel used. Today Tauck delivers life-enriching travel experiences to every corner of the globe, incorporating small cruise ships, premium riverboats, trains, helicopters and more. What started as a New England motor coach tour company has truly evolved into an extraordinary global travel company. The fourth generation of Taucks is now involved in the company. While remarkable in any business, this seamless continuity across generations speaks to shared vision and values.

Throughout its history, the concept of “family” at Tauck has gone far beyond those sharing the surname to include hundreds of valued employees, and hundreds of thousands of loyal guests. The story of Tauck is the story of a unique American family company celebrating a passion for travel – a story that will continue to inspire generations to come.

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What they’re known for
Fun group tours and cruises that are culturally-focused and great for families and seniors on vacation.

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Logistics

Accommodation

Ship & cabin information
MS SAVOR, MS JOY
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 - MS JOY Maintaining Tauck’s high standards for quality and comfort, ms Joy 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
MS SAVOR MS JOY
Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your country of destination. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements. For a handy tool that can help you quickly find the requirements, please visit this link .
Age Requirements
No age restrictions
ALL_AGES
Additional Information
Trip ID
tauck-RDY2025

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