Travel Mar., Oct., Nov. & Dec. 2011. Valid ALL suites
Travel Apr. to Sept. 2011. Valid Cat. E & D suites only
Note - limited availability and some dates have already sold out - see your local Travelsmart agent for updated availability
Day 1. Arrive Amsterdam, Embark Ship
Be met at the airport and transferred to your river ship, conveniently moored close to Amsterdam’s city centre. Tonight, enjoy the chance to meet your fellow travellers at a Welcome Reception. After dinner, settle in to your suite, relax in an onboard lounge or head into town to experience the nightlife of the Dutch capital.
14 Night Stay: one of APT’s luxurious Aria Class or Concerto Class river ships
Daily meals included • Dinner
Day 2. Amsterdam, Freedom of Choice Touring
Today you have the opportunity to select your activity from our two Freedom of Choice Touring options. Perhaps take a canal cruise and admire the city’s architecture as you sail in a glass-top boat past 17th century homes, charming churches and 16th century merchant houses. Alternatively, you could visit the famous Van Gogh Museum, containing the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh paintings. Wander amongst the intriguing and famed paintings for a first-hand appreciation of the Dutchman’s artistic genius. Later, rejoin your ship and cruise through the pretty town of Utrecht on the Rhine River. Tonight, enjoy the special Captain’s Gala Welcome Dinner with your fellow travellers and Tour Host.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 3. Cologne - Andernach
Having entered Germany, this morning cruise past Düsseldorf and arrive in Cologne. Here, disembark your ship and enjoy a tour through the old part of Germany’s fourth largest city. Later, during lunch on board, the ship continues along the Rhine past quaint villages and dramatic landscapes to 2,000 year-old Andernach. Founded by the Romans in 12 BC, Andernach is one of the oldest towns in Germany and many remnants of its medieval history are still apparent today. After dinner, disembark and take an evening stroll through the middle of this charming city to discover the relaxed vibe of its squares and river promenades.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 4. Andernach - Rüdesheim
Today cruise through the Rhine Gorge on what is known as the most beautiful stretch of the Rhine. Enjoy views of the steep slopes covered in vineyards and dotted with ancient castles and castle ruins. Cruise past the pretty villages of St Goarshausen and Boppard, among others, as well as Lorelei Rock, rising almost vertically to over 130 metres above the water. Later, arrive in Rüdesheim, a Rhine Valley wine town, where the Winzerexpress mini-train will take you to Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum for a tour. Late this afternoon, the ship enters the Main River.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 5. Wertheim, Miltenberg
Still in Germany this morning, arrive in Wertheim and disembark the ship. Then travel by coach to Miltenberg for a tour of this lovely Franconian town, revealing narrow cobblestone streets and gabled, half-timbered houses. Take a moment to go shopping before re-boarding the coach and returning to Wertheim. Known for its glassworks, Franconian wine and friendly people, Wertheim is 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 demonstration, then relax as you cruise through the valleys of the meandering Main. Your ship continues through the night for Würzburg.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 6. Würzburg, Rothenburg
Surrounded 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, see the impressive Resi-dential Palace and see churches ranging in styles from Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque to Modern. Later, enjoy time at leisure or embark on an included excursion to medieval Rothenburg, a beautiful walled town on the Romantic Road that overlooks the Tauber River. After dinner, the ship continues towards Bamberg and the Main-Danube Canal.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 7. Bamberg
After breakfast, disembark and travel to World Heritage-listed Bamberg, one of the few German cities that wasn’t destroyed by bombs during World War II. Here, tour the city’s streets with charming houses and 18th century mansions. Then, during time at leisure, you have the chance to visit a traditional Bamberg Beer Haus and enjoy a local brew compliments of APT. Later, return to your ship and cruise into the 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 and Black seas, enabling ships to cross the entire continent. During dinner, your ship continues cruising towards Nuremberg.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
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 Nuremberg Trials. Today, select from two touring options. Perhaps take a World War II tour and visit a range of significant sites from the war. Or take a medieval tour and see the 900 year-old ramparts that surround Nuremberg, the Imperial Castle, the Kaiserburg Fortress and more. At lunch, re-board your ship and continue along the Main-Danube Canal. Today, thanks to the series of stair step locks, you’ll arrive at the highest point of the cruise, 435 metres above sea level, and cross Europe’s Continental Divide.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 9. Regensburg
Arrive in Regensburg today, one of Germany’s best preserved medieval cities. Here you’ll have the chance to see one of the oldest bridges crossing the Danube and take a 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. The streets of Regensburg are bicycle-friendly, so you may even like to borrow one of our bikes and take in the sights from a different perspective. Tonight, enjoy a music performance on board after dinner.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 10. Passau - Linz, Freedom of Choice Touring
This morning arrive in Passau, where the rivers Inn and Ilz join the Danube. Select from three touring options. Perhaps travel by coach to the city of Salzburg and take a tour of the city’s famous ‘Sound of Music’ sights, including the Wedding Church, Mirabell Gardens and Great Salzburg Festival Hall. Then travel by coach to Linz and rejoin the ship. Or you may like to take a day tour to the World Heritage-listed town of Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. Alternatively, take a tour of Passau, including a trip to St Stephen’s Cathedral, before enjoying a scenic cruise into Austria and to Linz. After dinner tonight, perhaps enjoy an evening stroll through Linz.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
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, cruise back through the Wachau Valley to the town of Weissenkirchen, where this evening you’ll have the chance to sample delicious Wachau Valley wines.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
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 city tour, takes you to see Hofburg Imperial Palace, the Vienna Opera House, St Stephen’s Cathedral and Ringstrasse as well as a traditional coffee house to sample delicious Austrian coffee and cake. Your second option is to travel by coach to Schönbrunn Palace, the summer palace of the Hapsburgs and former home to Empress Maria Theresa. Tour the inside of this magnificent residence then enjoy ample time to explore the beautiful gardens at leisure. Both groups then return to the ship for lunch on board. With the afternoon at leisure, perhaps stroll along the main shopping street, Kärntnerstrasse. After dinner this evening, perhaps join us for an optional Mozart and Strauss concert (own expense).
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 13. Vienna - Bratislava, Freedom of Choice Touring
This morning depart the Austrian capital and cruise into Slovakia. Upon arrival in the capital of Bratislava, disembark the ship and join your selected Freedom of Choice Touring activity. You might like to embark on a medieval tour of the city, taking in the Old Town Hall, Mirbach Palace and Gothic St Martin’s Cathedral. Or perhaps take a Communist tour that will examine the architectural landmarks of the city’s not-so-distant Communist past. After your tour, the rest of the day is at leisure for you to further explore. Perhaps join your APT Cruise Director for a walk up to Bratislava Castle, where you’re able to admire sweeping views out over three countries Austria, Hungary and Slovakia. Later, re-board your ship for dinner and an evening music performance.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 14. APT EXCLUSIVE! Budapest, Hungarian 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, visit the Hungarian State Opera House which hosted its inaugural concert in 1884, and is today widely recognised as one of the most splendid examples of Neo-renaissance architecture in the world. Absorb the grandeur of the building from outside, then ascend its majestic steps and venture inside to bask in the intimacy of an exclusive guided tour, a glass of champagne and a delightful private opera recital of two or three ariettas. This evening, as the beautiful lights of the city sparkle all around, enjoy a Farewell Dinner and an onboard performance by Gypsy violinists.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 15. Disembark Ship, Depart Budapest
After breakfast this morning, you’ll disembark the ship and be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.
Daily meals included • Breakfast