Secret Danube

Fly from London Heathrow to Bucharest, and transfer to the 4-star Mercure City Center for an overnight stay.

Begin the day with a visit to the beautiful Mogosoaìa Palace in its peaceful gardens; with a history of romance, tragedy and Ottoman attacks, now lovingly restored to its former glory. Enjoy an afternoon walking tour of Bucharest, where the city’s Arc de Triomphe mimics Paris, and its huge Palace of Parliament is the heaviest construction on earth, second only to the Pentagon in the world’s largest administrative buildings. Drive to Oltenita to embark on the MS Vivaldi, join us for a welcome drink and introduction to the crew, and sail toward Cernavoda, on the Danube Black-sea canal. (B, L, D)
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Morning navigation on the Danube-Black Sea Canal. The completion of the Danube-Black Sea Canal is a colossal work in the history of Communism in Romania and Eastern Europe. Late morning arrival in Constanta. Enjoy a guided tour of Constanta followed by local wine tasting. This Romanian city is the best known on the Black Sea coast. Once an important Greek trading post, it has preserved a few interesting vestiges from its heyday. Not least the remarkable 3rd-century Roman mosaic. The streets of the old town also hold a few surprises, as far as the seafront and the casino, which raises its rococo façade against the wind. Drive to Murfatlar vineyards, they have made a name for themselves, winning numerous international awards for their Chardonnay. Experience a wine tasting in a local cellar. Enjoy a pre-dinner Jules Verne drinks party. Cruise through the night to Cernavoda.
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Sail in the morning to Oltenita. In the afternoon drive to Bucharest for a guided tour of the Romanian capital, where parks and lakes soften the cityscape, and architectural styles mix tree-lined boulevards and Belle Epoch buildings with huge socialist structures, and the lovely little churches hidden amongst them. Re-join the vessel at Ruse, Bulgaria’s biggest Danube port.
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Visit Veliko Tarnavo, the country’s medieval capital and hub of culture. Sprinkled with orthodox churches, and crowned by the medieval citadel/fortress atop Tsaravets Hill, its atmospheric Old Town has been named ‘Bulgaria’s Most Beautiful’. Continue to Arbanassi. A craft and trade centre in its 17th-century heyday, the hamlet is now an open-air ‘museum reserve’ of architectural and cultural heritage, its Church of the Nativity adorned with 3,600 frescoes.
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A morning tour of Ruse, founded by the Roman Emperor Augustus as a fortress naval base; known as ‘Little Vienna’ for its neo-Baroque and neo-Rococo buildings; and famed for its Friendship Bridge linking Bulgaria with Romania. Cruise through the two countries during the afternoon and night.
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A leisurely day to enjoy the scenery and the ship’s facilities as we sail toward the Serbian border, marked by the legendary Iron Gate gorge, dubbed ‘the cauldrons’ for the foaming rapids and whirlpools, and hemmed by high cliffs, with the colossal sculpture of King Decebal’s Face carved into the rock. Continue cruising to Belgrade.
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Tour the capital this morning, where Soviet-era severity meets hints of grandeur in historic façades; St. Sava Cathedral is a marble icon, eighty years in the making; and Kalemegdan castle ruins overlook the confluence of the Sava and Danube. Cruise to Novi Sad, set on a bluff above the river, for an afternoon tour of Serbia’s second city and cultural heart, and including its spiritual beacon, the 16th-century Krusedol Monastery, on the slopes of Fruska Gora mountain. Cruise into Croatia.
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Arrive in Osijek, a capsule of culture untypical of Croatia, reflecting its Austro-Hungarian heritage with Baroque buildings; where the Church of Saints Peter & Paul pierces the sky with it soaring belltower, and historic bastions survive around the cobbled streets of star-shaped Tvrda citadel. Cruise toward Budapest this afternoon, passing Mohacs, the site of the 16th-century battle which destroyed the Hungarian monarchy and made way for Habsburg rule. Gala Dinner aboard.
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Disembark the MS Vivaldi and discover the highlights of Budapest, straddling the river with Buda’s castle on the west bank and Pest’s boulevards on the east. A morning walking tour includes a visit to St. Stephen’s Basilica, Budapest’s tallest structure, and a pause for a coffee & cake. An optional visit to the Retro Museum is an interactive experience of the 1960s & ’70s communist era, complete with jukeboxes, music booths, a Lada police car, and retro food and drinks (pre-bookable). Overnight at the 4-star Hilton Garden Inn Budapest City Centre.
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Transfer to Budapest airport for the return flight to London Heathrow.
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