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Your North Sea to Black Sea tour starts at 4:00 PM in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A transfer is included from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport directly to ms Swiss Sapphire or ms Swiss Jewel. Kick off your extraordinary three-week cruise with a traditional toast featuring Dutch gin, followed by dinner aboard the riverboat.

Meals: Dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

You’ll be inspired by the acclaimed art by the Dutch Masters, including Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, and many others you’ll see on a guided tour of Amsterdam’s renowned Rijksmuseum this morning. Then enjoy views of the city’s remarkable architectural styles on a canal boat cruise along its network of 17th-century canals. The fun continues with a festive evening aboard the riverboat including the Captain’s welcome reception, a special welcome dinner and a live musical performance.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Fascinating commentary by your Tauck Director (which you can listen to in your cabin if you choose) and lunch al fresco on the riverboat’s sun deck enhance your morning’s sail to the next stop on your Rhine cruise – Köln (Cologne), Germany’s oldest city. Your guided walking tour includes the lofty, twin-spired Kölner Dom, elaborately decorated with pinnacles and buttresses; it is the tallest Gothic structure in the world, and took over 600 years to complete. Stroll through Köln’s Hohe Strasse pedestrian area at your leisure in the afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Dock in Koblenz, and choose either a walking tour of Old Town, or a trip to 13th-century Marksburg Castle, built high above the Rhine. Relax as your Tauck Director shares a tale or two during the afternoon’s cruise through the scenic – and literally legendary – Lorelei Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit to Siegfrieds Mechanisches Musikkabinett, an eclectic collection of mechanical musical instruments housed in a 15th-century castle in Rüdesheim, precedes tonight’s entertaining dinner in a local German restaurant with an old-world ambiance.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Arrive in Miltenberg, a walled medieval city with Roman roots, for a look at its centuries-old market square, hilltop castle and half-timbered houses. Then enjoy the views as your North Sea to Black Sea tour continues into the Main River, through scenic valleys studded with castles, cathedrals, and fortified towns. On-board activities may include informative lectures, cooking classes and demonstrations of such time-honored skills as glassblowing. A Bavarian-themed dinner awaits aboard the riverboat tonight as you cruise to Worth.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Today’s shore excursion takes you to medieval Rothenburg, on Germany’s “Romantic Road,” to see its Gothic cathedrals and gabled houses. Later, a visit to charming Würzburg reveals the town’s 18th-century Residenz and the ornate Alte Mainbrücke, a centuries-old bridge over the River Main. And you’ll know you’re cruising through Bavaria when an oompah band plays for you tonight!

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Continue along the Main to the Bavarian town of Bamberg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated atop seven hills. After discovering the town’s lovely gardens, medieval architecture and 13th-century Gothic cathedral with its four imposing towers on a walking tour of Old Town, you’ll have time to explore more of this charming town on your own.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Tauck’s Main, Danube and Rhine cruise negotiates the Main-Danube Canal today, a major engineering achievement that ultimately makes your North Sea to Black Sea tour possible – and which you’ll learn all about from a local expert during your transit. The idea goes back as far as Charlemagne, but wasn’t realized until this canal was completed in the 1990s; pass through 16 locks as the waterway traverses the mountains. Sail on to historic Nürnberg, where you’ll view city sites associated with World War II and its aftermath. Enjoy lunch and entertainment at a local restaurant, then take a walking tour of the city’s walled medieval center; dinner is aboard the riverboat this evening.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Stop in the well-preserved medieval town of Regensburg, once a campsite for the Roman legions. On a walking tour with our local guide, you’ll stroll past the Steinerne Brücke, a medieval stone bridge over the Danube that’s the oldest in Germany; Altes Rathaus, the 15th-century town hall that was once the seat of the Imperial Diet; and Dom St. Peter, the town’s towering Gothic cathedral. After exploring Regensburg as you please this afternoon, cruise along the Danube to Passau.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

The riverboat docks in the port city of Passau, dating way back to Roman times. Spend time exploring this lovely Bavarian town – well-known for its Baroque architecture including unique four-story homes, scores of churches and marvelous stained glass – on a walking tour. Listen to commentary from your Tauck Director, or perhaps take advantage of activities such as a galley tour, as you continue your North Sea to Black Sea tour in the afternoon, bound for Melk, Austria.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Your next destination is the town of Melk, Austria, where you’ll step back in time on a guided tour of its 900-year-old Benedictine Abbey, perched on a rocky outcrop above the River Danube. Inside this Baroque masterpiece are fine frescoes, early manuscripts, and a high altar. Enjoy views of medieval castles while cruising through the Wachau Valley to picturesque Dürnstein; stroll along its twisting lanes on a walking tour, and, if you wish, walk up to the hilltop ruins of a castle where King Richard the Lionhearted was held for ransom during the Crusades – the vistas are simply spectacular! A wine-tasting in a local restaurant and dinner back on board cap a delightful day as you riverboat makes its way to legendary Vienna.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Get an overview of Vienna, Austria’s capital and one of Europe’s greatest cities, with a morning sightseeing tour of this historic former center of the Habsburg Empire. Take your choice of a guided visit to Schönbrunn Palace, built to rival Versailles, or a tour of the Imperial Silver Room inside the Hofburg, a former Imperial palace that today is the official residence of Austria’s president. Tonight, a Tauck Exclusive – a private, gala Imperial Viennese Evening at a traditional palace, featuring a sumptuous dinner and live Viennese music – just might sweep you off your feet!

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Wake up this morning in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, where 17 centuries of history are chronicled on a walking tour led by a local guide. Highlights include Baroque palaces from the Habsburg era, along with St. Martin’s Cathedral, the Opera House, Slovak Philharmonic Hall, and a visit to Old Town Hall. Please join the Captain and crew for a cocktail reception, dinner and musical entertainment aboard ship tonight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Your riverboat arrives in Budapest, Hungary’s capital, today, the mid-point of your North Sea to Black Sea tour. You might enjoy a relaxing visit to one of Budapest’s famous spas today, or join us for a guided tour of landmark sites in this remarkable city, divided by the Danube into the separate sections of Buda and Pest.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Spend a memorable day exploring Budapest sites on both sides of the Danube with your local guide, including patriotic Heroes’ Square; the Parliament building, a neo-Gothic masterpiece; Fishermen’s Bastion overlooking the river; and revered Matthias Church, with its famed stained glass windows. Our North Sea to Black Sea tour continues on to Hungary this evening. Note: Matthias Church may be closed on some departures due to services.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Upon your riverboat’s arrival in Solt, Hungary, a horse-drawn wagon ride takes you to the Equestrian Center, where you’ll see colorfully-garbed Puszta horsemen demonstrating traditional skills. Then cruise to Kalocsa, celebrated for its paprika and folk art, where you’ll visit the beautiful Baroque library in the Bishop’s Palace, housing one of the finest early collections in Europe.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

As your cruise along the lower Danube progresses into Croatia, attend an on-board lecture on the country’s culture and history. Travel overland to the Baroque city of Vukovar, once showcasing opulent 18th-century mansions, but now poignantly symbolizing the effects of the 1990s war as it rebuilds. Your North Sea to Black Sea tour continues on to Serbia this afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Dock early morning in Belgrade, Serbia’s modern capital at the juncture of the Danube and Sava rivers, with roots dating back to 3 BC. A shipboard lecture sets the stage for sightseeing including visits to Tito’s Memorial, St. Sava Church, and Kalemegdan Fortress, one of the city’s key historic sites. You’ll also see busy Slavija Square in the heart of Belgrade, Serbia’s Parliament complex, Republic Square, the National Theatre and City Hall. Back aboard your riverboat, enjoy some leisure time before dinner, which is followed by a music and dance presentation.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Continuing your North Sea to Black Sea tour, relax on a day’s cruise past the fields and vineyards of Eastern Europe; shipboard activities which may be offered during your cruise range from cooking demonstrations to folkloric, music and dance performances. Pass into Romania and through the Kazan Narrows and the Iron Gate of the Danube, a two-mile-long series of narrow gorges between the Carpathian and Balkan Mountains. As you glide along the Bulgarian / Romanian border, look for the massive monument to the 2nd-century Dacian King Decebalus – Europe’s tallest rock sculpture, completed in 2004 – carved into the riverbank on the Romanian side, as well as spectacular views of the Transylvanian Alps.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Learn all about Iconography with a lecture and demonstration as your journey along the lower Danube cruises to Svishtov, Bulgaria, for excursions to nearby towns. Travel to the medieval capital of Bulgaria, Veliko Turnovo, whose ancient walled fortress and castle are set atop three hills overlooking the Yantra River. In the nearby town of Arbanassi, you’ll enjoy a unique opportunity to meet and share local specialties with your Bulgarian contemporaries at a private, home-hosted lunch. A busy day concludes with an on-board presentation on Bulgarian customs, as well as special music and dance perfomances.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Arrive in Cernavoda and head off on a day trip to Romania’s Black Sea coast, stopping at the seaside resort towns of Constanta – where you’ll take a guided tour – and Mamaia, set at the edge of the Black Sea. You may want to take a walk along one of Mamaia’s fine beaches – they’re the only ones in Europe sporting pure-white sand, and have helped make Mamaia a popular vacation destination for more than a century. As the cruise portion of your remarkable North Sea to Black Sea tour approaches its conclusion, celebrate with us aboard the riverboat at the Captain’s farewell cocktail reception and dinner tonight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

After disembarking your riverboat and bidding the crew goodbye in Cernavoda, travel through the Romanian countryside to Bucharest, capital of Romania and once regarded as the “Paris of the Balkans.” A sightseeing tour includes Revolution Square and the Triumphal Arch; erected to commemorate Romania’s reunification and those who fell in World War I, it is a smaller but exact copy of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. You’ll also pay a visit to the massive People’s Palace, home to Romania’s Parliament; the world’s second-largest building after the Pentagon, some parts of it are reportedly still unfinished! Tonight you’ll spend the first of two nights close to the People’s Palace at the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel in the heart of the city.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lodging: JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel, Bucharest, Romania

A choice of sightseeing in Romania today invites you to opt for a full day’s excursion to tour fairy-tale Peles Castle in Sinaia – built for Romania’s royal family in the 1880s – or a boat ride to Snagov Island to visit isolated Snagov Monastery, said to be the final resting place of Vlad Tepes, the historical model for Bram Stoker’s character of Dracula. Both groups return to Bucharest where Tauck’s cruise through the heart of Europe draws to a close.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Lodging: JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel, Bucharest, Romania

Tauck’s amazing North Sea to Black Sea tour ends in Bucharest, Romania. A transfer is included from the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel to Bucharest Airport.

Meals: Breakfast