7-night Romantic Danube Cruise

Embark your ship and settle into your stateroom. Riverside beauty and a vibrant cultural scene blend together in Budapest to form one of Europe’s most rewarding cities. Hungary’s enchanting capital straddles the banks of the Danube, with traditional hillside Buda on one side and modern Pest on the other. By day, astounding art nouveau buildings, stalwart castles and glittering palaces set the stage for awe-inspiring strolls and long soaks in thermal spas. By night, a nostalgic glow settles in as the city’s lights dance on Danube waters, the Chain Bridge uniting it all as a dramatic centerpiece.

Budapest’s Old Town is a fascinating medieval patchwork of narrow streets and colorful houses. In the Castle District, the Matthias Church soars in gleaming Gothic glory. Adjacent, the expansive wall and seven turrets of Fisherman’s Bastion overlook the Danube, the graceful Chain Bridge and the Pest side of the river. The centerpiece of the district is the sprawling Buda Castle. Constructed in the 13th century and expanded to its current baroque splendor in the 18th century, this edifice was home to Hungary’s kings for almost 700 years.

Take in the natural beauty of the fabled “Blue Danube” as you pass through the Danube Bend, considered one of the most beautiful sections of the river. Cruising this 40-mile stretch through northern Hungary, you will see peaceful farmland and an ancient castle that once served as hunting grounds for royals and visiting dignitaries. As you sail the passage between the Börzsöny and Pilis Ranges, you will marvel at the steep hills draped with bucolic forests. And delight in the majestic church domes peering at the waterway from inviting villages and historic cities.

In Vienna, coffee is at once an art and a long-embraced tradition that has changed the face of one of Europe’s most beloved cities. UNESCO includes the Viennese coffeehouse culture on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritages, describing the establishments as places “where time and space are consumed, but only the coffee is found on the bill.” It is considered one of life’s simple pleasures to while away an afternoon over an Einspänner coffee and a delectable pastry.

A small university town at the eastern end of the Danube’s Wachau Valley, Krems is surrounded by terraced vineyards. In its heyday, during the 12th century, Krems held even more importance than Vienna for its iron, grain, salt and wine trade. As to the latter, the city has played a long and celebrated part in the popularity of the Wachau’s wine culture; the valley’s south slopes in Krems are bathed in sunlight all day and create some of the best Riesling and Veltliner wines in the world. The city’s cobblestone streets, taverns, wine bars and coffeehouses have a timeless appeal.

Sail through a serene tapestry of terraced vineyards, forested slopes, charming towns and castle ruins in Austria’s Wachau Valley, celebrated as perhaps the most scenic stretch of the Danube. Journey 18 miles through this vast UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the river courses through picturesque hillsides. Gaze upon the prolific grapevines and quaint wine-producing villages hugging the shores—the legacy of vintners that stretch as far back as Celtic and Roman times and an echo of the more than 30 monasteries that served as vineyards in Renaissance days.

The Wachau Valley has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 2000, and it is an area known for its wine, landscape and medieval towns. Tiered vineyards line the green hillsides, where history melds into the landscape in picturesque villages.

Founded by the Celts more than 2,000 years ago, Passau is one of Bavaria’s oldest cities. Known as the “City of Three Rivers,” it rests at the confluence of the Inn, Ilz and Danube Rivers. The city has long enjoyed its strategic position and grew to great economic and political power because of it. The legacy of its past prosperity lives on in graceful arcades, colorful houses with rococo facades and the glorious baroque St. Stephen’s Cathedral, home to one of Europe’s largest pipe organs. Passau is also where two nations meet; it is here that the German-Austrian border begins.

Having escaped major damage during World War II, the picturesque town of Regensburg is one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval cities, the oldest city along the Danube and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Old Stone Bridge, constructed in the 12th century, is a masterpiece of medieval engineering with its 16 arches. St. Peter’s Cathedral is widely considered Bavaria’s best Gothic architectural work. The Old Town’s Neupfarrplatz square is a cross section of history—it was once a thriving Jewish quarter, a bustling marketplace and the site of Nazi book burnings.

Regensburg dates back to Roman times and was the first capital of Bavaria. Today, the city has a laid-back atmosphere and its warren of narrow alleys are a delight to explore. Amid its riverside streets is the small Alte Wurstküche tavern, the world’s first sausage kitchen. It opened its doors in the 12th century to serve the construction workers of the Old Stone Bridge and St. Peter’s Cathedral, making it the first fast-food restaurant ever. In line with Bavarian tradition, visits to the pub are customary for many of the locals and serve as a ritual of community life. After breakfast, disembark your ship and journey home.