Tour Highlights & Inclusions

• Enjoy the services of a dedicated APT Cruise Director through the entire cruise
• Cruise staff gratuities included - saving you up to A$600 per couple
• Free airport transfers on first and last day - saving you up to A$300 per couple
• Exclusive to APT! Enjoy a complimentary glass of champagne and a private music recital at Hungary’s State Opera House
• Enjoy 14 Breakfasts (B), 13 Lunches (L) and 14 Dinners (D)
• All meals as well as sumptuous local wines with dinner are included when on board
• Captain’s Gala Welcome Dinner
• Gala Farewell Dinner
• Also includes wine tastings and traditional theme dinners
• Cruising Highlights
• Cruise past castles, quaint villages and fertile fields along the River Rhine
• Cruise through Rhine Gorge, known to many as the Rhine’s most beautiful stretch
• See legendary Lorelei Rock
• Glide through the picturesque valleys of the meandering Main River
• Traverse the engineering marvel that is the Main-Danube Canal, with its fascinating stair-step locks
• Cross Europe’s Continental Divide
• Absorb the gorgeous riverside scenery along the majestic Danube River, finishing in Budapest, Hungary
• Cruise through the lush wine-producing region of the Wachau Valley
• Discover regional folklore and traditions through a range of entertaining evening performances on board

APT Guaranteed Inclusions

• Explore 18 different cities, towns and villages with a guide during our included tours, shore excursions and Freedom of Choice Touring activities
• In Amsterdam, choose from a guided canal boat cruise through the city or visit the fascinating Van Gogh Museum
• Cruise past the city of Düsseldorf
• Take a guided walking tour of Cologne
• Enjoy a guided evening stroll through the lovely city of Koblenz
• In Rüdesheim, take a mini-train ride to visit Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum for an intriguing tour
• Take a walking tour of Miltenberg
• Watch a glass-blowing demonstration in Wertheim, on the Main River
• Absorb the sights of Würzburg on a guided city tour
• Walk the streets of World Heritage-listed Bamberg on a guided city tour
• In Nuremberg, choose between a medieval tour of the city or take a close look at a range of World War II sites
• Take a tour of Regensburg, including the Old Town Hall and the Porta Pretoria
• From Passau, take a city tour and scenic cruise, visit Salzburg and see its ‘Sound of Music’ sights or take a full day tour to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic
• Enjoy a guided evening stroll through the town of Linz after dinner
• Explore Melk’s magnificent Benedictine Abbey on a guided tour
• Enjoy a guided walking tour of Dürnstein
• Sample delicious Wachau Valley wines during a wine tasting in Weissenkirchen
• In Austria’s capital, Vienna, visit the majestic Schönbrunn Palace or take guided sightseeing tour of the city
• Take a city tour of Bratislava, Slovakia’s capital, including Mirbach Palace, the Old Town Hall and much more
• Discover the sights of Budapest, including Buda Castle and the Royal Palace, on a guided city tour
• 18 or 21 Days with Paris & Prague

Tour Notes

• Port charges - add A$280 per person
• Arrival and departure transfer included on the first and last day of the tour.
• Gratuities for cruise staff included.
• Reverse itinerary, Budapest to Amsterdam: Please refer to the tour code EUMCR15
• Prices are for land content only per person
• Please Contact Us about our great airfares to Europe

Day 1. Arrive Amsterdam, Embark Ship.

Be met at the airport and transferred to your luxury river ship, conveniently moored just a skip away from Amsterdam’s city -centre. Tonight enjoy the opportunity to meet your fellow travellers at a Welcome Cocktail Reception. After dinner, settle in to your spacious Suite, relax in one of the on-board lounges or walk into town to experience the vibrant nightlife of the Dutch capital. 14 nights aboard one of APT’s luxury river ships. (D)

Day 2. Amsterdam, Freedom of Choice Touring

After breakfast, choose your touring activity from our unique Freedom of Choice Touring options. Perhaps take a guided canal boat cruise and admire the stunning architecture of the city as you sail in a thoughtfully designed glass-top boat past 17th century homes, charming churches and 16th century merchant houses. Alternatively, visit the famous Van Gogh Museum, containing the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh paintings for a first-hand appreciation of the Dutchman’s artistic genius. Following this, rejoin the ship and cruise through pretty town of Utrecht during lunch. This afternoon arrive in the German city of Cologne and tonight enjoy the Captain’s Gala Welcome Dinner. (BLD)

Day 3. Cologne - Koblenz

This morning cruise past the fashionable city of Düsseldorf and arrive in Cologne. Here, enjoy a walking tour through the old part of Germany’s fourth largest city, including a visit to World Heritage-listed Gothic Cologne Cathedral. As you enjoy lunch on board, the ship continues cruising along the Rhine past quaint villages and dramatic landscapes to 2,000 year-old Koblenz, located at the confluence of the Rhine and the Moselle rivers. Set in one of Ger-many’s most important wine-producing regions, Koblenz boasts an abundance of cultural monuments, historic buildings, cosy lanes and narrow alleyways to discover as well as a relaxed atmosphere in its squares and river promenades. Tonight after dinner, disembark and take a walk through the middle of this charming city. (BLD)

Day 4. Koblenz - Rüdesheim

Today cruise through Rhine Gorge on what is widely regarded as the most beautiful stretch of the Rhine. Pass Lorelei Rock, rising almost vertically to over 130 metres above the water. Legend has it that a siren named ‘Lorelei’ sat upon the rock, and bewitched the hearts of sailors with sweet songs that lured them to their doom. Later, arrive in Rüdesheim, a Rhine Valley wine town, where a mini-train will take you to Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum for a tour. Late this afternoon, the ship enters the Main River. Tonight’s Crew Show concludes a great day.  (BLD)

Day 5. Miltenberg - Wertheim

Still in Germany, arrive in Miltenberg this morning and disembark for a walking tour of this picturesque Franconian town, revealing narrow cobblestone streets and gabled, half-timbered houses. Take a moment to go shopping before the ship continues to Wertheim, a town known for its glassworks, Franconian wine and friendly people, strategically located where the Main and Tauber rivers meet. The time you’ll spend here is an ideal introduction to a typical medieval village. Watch a local glass-blowing performance then this afternoon, relax as you cruise through the sunny valleys of the meandering Main. Your ship continues cruising peacefully through the night, heading for the city of Würzburg. (BLD)

Day 6. Würzburg

Sur-rounded by green hills covered with vineyards, Würzburg is the capital of Lower Franconia and a crucial centre for wine and trade. During a tour here today, see such sights as the impressive Resi-dential Palace and get a glimpse of churches ranging in styles from Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque to Modern. Later, enjoy time at leisure in Würzburg or take an optional tour to medieval Rothenburg, a beautiful walled town on the Romantic Road that overlooks the Tauber River (own expense). After dinner, the ship continues cruising towards Bamberg and the Main-Danube Canal. (BLD)

Day 7. Bamberg

Relax on board this morning then, after breakfast, disembark and head for World Heritage-listed Bamberg, one of the few cities in Germany that wasn’t destroyed by bombs during World War II. Here, tour the city’s streets with charming houses and 18th century mansions. Following your tour, there is time at leisure to shop, relax or explore further. Then re-board the ship and enter the fascinating Main-Danube Canal. Having taken 32 years to construct, the canal was completed in 1992 and is truly a feat of modern engineering. It links the North Sea to the Black Sea, therefore enabling ships to cruise all the way across the continent. Enjoy another sumptuous dinner on board as your ship cruises peacefully towards Nuremberg, the capital of Franconia. (BLD)

Day 8. Nuremberg - Continental Divide, Freedom of Choice Touring

Nuremberg played a pivotal role for the Nazi Party and was thus systematically bombed by the British and US air forces during World War II. It went on to act as the symbolic host of the infamous Nuremberg Trials. Here today, you’ll select from two different touring options. Perhaps take a World War II tour and see the site of the Nuremberg Trials and the Justice Palace, where the War Crimes Tri-bunal sat in 1946, among other places. Alternatively, take a medieval tour of the city and see the 900 year-old ramparts that surround Nuremberg, the Imperial Castle and the Kaiserburg Fortress. At lunch, continue along the Main-Danube Canal and arrive at the highest point of your cruise, 435 metres above sea level, where you will cross Europe’s Continental Divide. (BLD)

Day 9. Regensburg

Arrive in Regensburg today, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers and one of Germany’s best preserved medieval cities. Here you’ll have the opportunity to see one of the oldest bridges crossing the Danube and take a guided tour of the city’s architectural highlights including the Old Town Hall, the World Heritage-listed city centre and the Porta Pretoria - gates to an ancient Roman fort built in 179 AD. Tonight, enjoy a music performance on board. (BLD)

Day 10. Passau - Linz, Freedom of Choice Touring

Today arrive in Passau, where the rivers Inn and Ilz join the Danube. Here, you have three touring options. Perhaps join a day tour to Salzburg and its ‘Sound of Music’ sights including the Wedding Church, Mirabell Gardens and Great Salzburg Festival Hall, before travelling by land to rejoin the ship in Linz (lunch at own expense). You may like to take a day tour to the World Heritage-listed town of Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic (lunch at own expense). Or perhaps tour Passau, including a trip to St Stephen’s Cathedral, a fine example of Italian Baroque architecture, then take a scenic cruise from Passau into Austria and to Linz. After dinner, take an evening stroll through the town of Linz. (BLD)

Day 11. Melk - Dürnstein - Weissenkirchen

Cruise through the scenic Strudengau region to the pretty Wachau Valley this morning and take a guided tour of Melk’s Benedictine Abbey, one of the world’s most famous monastic sites. Located above the town of Melk on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube, it has the rare distinction of surviving as an active Benedictine monastery continuously since its foundation. When it’s time to depart Melk, perhaps borrow one of the bicycles stored on board and take a leisurely ride on a path along the banks of the Danube from Melk to -Dürnstein. Otherwise, rejoin your ship and continue to -Dürnstein for a walking tour through medieval cobblestone streets that reveal 16th century town houses and wine taverns. Here, above town, lie the ruins of the castle where Richard the Lionheart, the King of England, was -imprisoned in 1192. Afterwards, con-tinue cruising through the Wachau Valley to the town of Weissenkirchen, where tonight you’ll have the chance to sample some delicious Wachau Valley wines. (BLD)

Day 12. Vienna, Freedom of Choice Touring

Today enjoy a full day to savour the elegance of Vienna. This morning, select from our Freedom of Choice Touring options. The first, a guided sightseeing tour, takes you to see Hofburg Imperial Palace, the Vienna Opera House, St Stephen’s Cathedral and Ringstrasse as well as visiting the National Library. Your second option is to take a walking tour of Schönbrunn Palace, the summer palace of the Hapsburgs and former home to Empress Maria Theresa. Tour 20 rooms of this magnificent residence, with ample time to explore the beautiful gardens at your own leisure. Both groups then return to the ship, docked close to the centre of town, and enjoy lunch on board. This afternoon is free for your leisure to perhaps stroll along the main shopping street, Kärntnerstrasse, and sample some of Vienna’s famous pastries. You might also like to ask your Cruise Director for advice on a range of other independent excursions that are available in the Austrian capital. Later tonight, following dinner on board, you might like to enjoy a quiet drink in the ship’s lounge, explore the vibrant Vienna nightlife or perhaps join us for an optional Mozart and Strauss concert (own expense). (BLD)

Day 13. Vienna - Bratislava

This morning depart the Austrian capital and enjoy a morning of scenic cruising as you cross the Austrian border into Slovakia. Upon arrival in the country’s charming capital, Bratislava, disembark the ship for a guided afternoon tour which reveals to you the city’s major sights, including the Old Town Hall, Mirbach Palace and Gothic St Martin’s Cathedral. The remainder of the day is yours to spend at leisure in Bratislava, before you’ll re-board the ship for dinner and an eve-ning music -performance. (BLD)

Day 14. APT EXCLUSIVE! Budapest, State Opera House Performance

Still on the Danube, arrive in Budapest, the romantic Hungarian capital. With its intriguing history, incredible architecture and rich cultural heritage, Hungary’s capital deserves its reputation as the Paris of Central Europe. Following breakfast, disembark for a sightseeing tour that includes such places as 500 year-old Matthias Church, St Stephen’s Basilica, the distinctive Fisherman’s Bastion, the marvellous Royal Palace and historic Buda Castle, where you have views of Buda and Pest over both banks of the river. In the afternoon, exclusive to APT, you are presented the opportunity to see a private music performance over a glass of champagne at the Hungarian State Opera House. This evening, as the beautiful lights of the city sparkle all around, enjoy a Gala Fare-well Dinner and an on-board performance by Gypsy violinists. (BLD)

Day 15. Disembark Ship, Depart Budapest

After breakfast, disembark the ship and transfer to the airport for your onward flight, unless you have chosen to take advantage of our great post-tour accommodation prices so that you may further acquaint yourself with Budapest. (B)

• Port charges - add A$280 per person
• Arrival and departure transfer included on the first and last day of the tour.
• Gratuities for cruise staff included.
• Reverse itinerary, Budapest to Amsterdam: Please refer to the tour code EUMCR15
• Prices are for land content only per person
• Please Contact Us about our great airfares to Europe
• Prices based on Cat.E (Piano/Lower Deck). Upgrades available
• Some dates operate in reverse.  Enquire at time of booking