Budapest to Amsterdam River Cruise

Cruise price per person ms Swiss Diamond

The following dates sail on the MS Swiss Diamond:
July 6 (northbound); July 20 (southbound); August 3 (northbound); August 17 (southbound); October 12 (northbound)

Save $250 per person on October 12 and 16 value season departures; ask upon booking.

Cruise price per person ms Switzerland II

The following dates sail on the MS Switzerland II::
July 6 (northbound); May 6 (southbound); July 15 (northbound); July 29 (southbound); August 12 (northbound); August 26 (southbound)

Cruise price per person ms Swiss Emerald

Save $250 per person on October 12 and 16 value season departures; ask upon booking.

Limited triple accommodations may be available; ask upon booking.

Available dates:

Jul 20, 29;
Aug 17;
Oct 2

• Day 1: Goulash in Budapest
Upon arrival at Budapest Ferihegy Airport, transfer to Tauck’s hospitality room at the Budapest Marriott Hotel if you arrive before 2:00 p.m., or transfer directly to the ship if you arrive after 2:00 p.m. Your transfer is included in the tour. Tour starts at 6:00 p.m. in Budapest. Your two-week Danube, Main, and Rhine cruise begins with dinner aboard the riverboat, featuring Hungarian cuisine.
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

• Day 2: Discover Budapest
Explore Budapest on both sides of the Danube River. Sites include Heroes’ Square, bounded by some of the finest architectural works in Hungary; the Parliament building, a Neo-Gothic masterpiece; Fishermen’s Bastion; and the famed stained glass windows in Matthias Church. Enjoy some free time, and then attend the Captain’s Champagne reception and dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

• Day 3: Baroque in Bratislava
First port of call is Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, where 17 centuries of history are chronicled on a walking tour. Highlights are the baroque palaces from the Habsburg era, and the Slavin War Memorial. Enjoy Slovakian entertainment back on board the riverboat, and then cruise to Vienna in the afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

• Day 4: Music in Vienna
Get an overview of Vienna, Austria, with a tour of the historic district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then choose which palace you want to explore. Hofburg Palace, or the Imperial Palace, or a tour of Schönbrunn Palace, built to rival Versailles. Attend a private palace concert featuring famed Viennese selections in the evening.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

• Day 5: Medieval Austrian castles
In the Austrian town of Dürnstein, explore Kuenringerburg, the castle where English King Richard the Lionheart was held prisoner during the Crusades. Enjoy the views of medieval castle ruins while cruising through the Wachau Valley. Stop for a guided tour of Stift Melk, a Benedictine Abbey on a rocky outcrop above the river. Inside this Baroque masterpiece are fine frescoes, early manuscripts, and a high altar.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

• Day 6: Explore Passau
Dock in the German town of Passau, dating back to Roman times. A walking tour highlight is Dom St Stephan, a cathedral built in Italian Baroque style with lovely stained glass windows. Your afternoon is free; stroll the cobblestone lanes or take a bike ride into the countryside.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

• Day 7: Ancient Regensburg
Take a class on how to make strüdel while cruising. Stop in the well-preserved medieval town of Regensburg, once a campsite for the Roman legions. Visit the Steinerne Brücke, a medieval stone bridge over the Danube; massive Dom St Peter; and Altes Rathaus, the 15th-century town hall that was once the seat of the Imperial Diet.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

• Day 8: Main-Danube Canal
Visit Weltenburg Monastery, known for its award-winning in-house brewery. Cruise the Main-Danube Canal linking the North Sea with the Black Sea, which was started by Charlemagne but unfinished until late in the 20th century. Pass through 16 locks as the waterway rises through the mountains.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

• Day 9: Gingerbread in Gothic towns
In Nürnberg, visit the Hauptmarkt, famous for gingerbread and sausage, and turn the gold ring for luck at the Schöner Brunnen fountain. Journey to the hilltop town of Bamberg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The walking tour highlight is the town’s 13th-century cathedral with four dominating towers.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

• Day 10: Rothenburg or Würzburg
Choose either a visit to medieval Rothenburg to see the Gothic cathedrals and gabled houses, or a visit to Würzburg to see the 18th-century Residenz and the ornate Alte Mainbrücke, a bridge over the River Main.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

• Day 11: Mespelbrunn Castle
Visit one of northern Germany’s most picturesque castles, 13th-century Mespelbrunn Castle, built of red sandstone in German Renaissance style. Spend the afternoon cruising the River Main.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

• Day 12: Medieval Miltenberg
Explore the medieval town of Miltenberg, enclosed by a wall with gate towers under a steep hill crowned by a castle. The town hosts half-timbered houses and a charming markplatz.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

• Day 13: Köln, Namesake of Eau de Cologne
Your Rhine cruise continues through the scenic Lorelei Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to Köln (Cologne), Germany. Tour the lofty Kölner Dom, elaborately decorated with pinnacles and buttresses – it is the tallest Gothic structure in the world. Stroll the Hohe Strasse at your leisure in the afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

• Day 14: Art in Amsterdam
Arrive in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and see acclaimed art by Dutch Masters at the Rijksmuseum. Then enjoy views of medieval architecture on a canal boat cruise along Amsterdam’s 17th-century canals. Pursue your own interests in the afternoon, and share journey impressions at the farewell dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard MS Emerald, MS Switzerland II or MS Swiss Diamond

Day 15: Journey home
Danube, Main, and Rhine cruise ends in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Disembark from the ship, and transfer to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (included in the tour). Allow 2 1â?„2 hours for departure flight check-in.
Meals: Breakfast

All cruise transportation, sightseeing, shore excursions, admissions, port taxes, services of Tauck Tour Director and driver, and meals. Please see Tauck Cruise inclusions for more information.

• Cruise fare
• Port taxes
• Wine with dinner aboard shop
• 14 breakfasts, 13 lunches & 14 dinners
• Shore excursions
• Gratuities to ship staff