• Depart gateway for overnight flight to Amsterdam, The Netherland

• Upon arrival you will be required to clear Immigration and Customs; after you clear Customs you will be met by a Vantage Representative who will assist you with your motorcoach transfer to the pier
• Embark your Vantage river cruise ship
• Ship departs Amsterdam
• Welcome Briefing on board

• Morning at leisure on board
• German language lesson
• Afternoon talk on European Rivers
• Ship arrives Cologne
• Afternoon tour of Cologne Cathedral including the Shrine of the Three Magi (when not available, you will visit the Roman Germanic Museum instead)
• Captain’s Welcome Party and Welcome Dinner
• Evening entertainment aboard ship: First Cologne Shanty Choir

• Ship departs Cologne
• Scenic cruising with commentary from the Bridge on the Legend of the Lorelei and the most romantic Rhine River and castles
• Ship arrives Rüdesheim
• Dinner with music at a local restaurant

• Your choice of included morning tours:
• Mini-train to and from pier and gondola ride to the Niederwald Denkmal monument — OR —
• Visit to Siegfried’s Musikkabinett, a museum of mechanical musical instruments
• Ship departs Rüdesheim
• Ship arrives Frankfurt

• Full-day excursion by motorcoach to Heidelberg for a visit to Heidelberg Castle, followed by lunch at a local restaurant and time to explore on your own before returning to Aschaffenburg, where you’ll meet the ship
• Ship departs Frankfurt
• Ship arrives Aschaffenburg
• Local entertainment on board

• Ship departs Aschaffenburg
• Scenic cruising with commentary
• Morning glassblowing demonstration on board ship
• Ship arrives Wertheim
• Walking tour of Wertheim
• Ship departs Wertheim

• Ship arrives Würzburg
• Your choice of included tours:
• Excursion to Rothenburg ob der Tauber for a walking tour and free time — OR —
• Tour of the Würzburg Residenz, and wine-tasting in the Residenz cellar
• Ship departs Würzburg
• Scenic sailing with commentary from the Bridge
• Afternoon at leisure on board

• Lecture on the Main-Danube Canal
• Ship arrives Bamberg
• Morning walking tour of Bamberg — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — viewing the Old Town Hall, Imperial Cathedral, and viewing of St. Michael’s Abbey
• Afternoon at leisure in Bamberg with courtesy shuttle provided — or — optional beer tasting excursion
• Local entertainment on board
• Evening at leisure
• Ship departs Bamberg

• Ship arrives Nuremberg
• Onboard lecture on development of a typical German town
• Full-day tour of Nuremberg including visits to the Documentation Center and Rallygrounds, with free time for lunch on your own. Lunch money will be provided by your Vantage Program Manager. Then, in the afternoon, your choice of included visits to either the Toy Museum or Dürer House
• Ship departs Nuremberg

• Morning scenic cruising with commentary from the Bridge on the Main-Danube Canal
• Lecture on the Expansion of the European Union
• Ship arrives Regensburg
• Walking tour of Regensburg with free time
• Evening entertainment on board
• Ship departs Regensburg

• Ship arrives Passau
• Walking tour of Passau including St. Stephen’s
• Cathedral and Bishop’s Residence
• Organ Concert at the Dom (Cathedral)
• Afternoon at leisure in Passau — OR — optional Tour to Lock Jochenstein
• Ship departs Passau

• Morning scenic sailing Wachau Valley with commentary from the ship’s Bridge
• Apple strudel baking demonstration on board
• Ship arrives Vienna
• Your choice of included tours: Tour of Schönbrunn Palace — OR — “Musical Vienna” Tour
• Optional dinner with winetasting at Heurigen Wolff

• Lecture on Musical Vienna
• Panoramic city tour of Vienna including the Ringstrasse and St. Stephen’s Cathedral
• Afternoon at leisure in Vienna; courtesy bus provided
• Evening classical music concert at a famous concert hall in Vienna
• Ship departs Vienna

• Scenic sailing into Budapest with commentary from the ship’s bridge
• Ship arrives Budapest
• City tour of Budapest, including visits to Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion
• Captain’s Farewell Party and Dinner

• Tour to the artists’ colony of Szentendre

• Morning lecture aboard ship on Hungarian history, customs, and traditions
• Included visit to the Hungarian State Opera House
• Afternoon at leisure — OR — optional Jewish Heritage Tour with visit to Dohany Synagogue
• Dinner on board
• Ship departs Budapest
• Captain’s Welcome Party and Dinner

• Ship arrives Kalocsa
• Hungarian Highlights Puszta Tour including carriage ride and equestrian show at a ranch, lunch included
• Ship departs Kalocsa

• Ship arrives Mohacs
• Excursion to Pecs with included sightseeing tour, featuring the magnificent Basilica of St. Peter and the Roman Necropolis, UNESCO World Heritage Sites

• Ship arrives Vukovar
• Lecture on Croatian history, geography, and the present
• Full-day tour to Vukovar and Osijek including a home-hosted lunch
• Local Croatian entertainment onboard
• Ship departs Vukovar

• Lecture: “Introduction to Modern Serbia”
• City tour of Belgrade including a visit to the fortification Kalemegdan
• Afternoon at leisure — OR — optional Blue Train tour (Former President Joseph Broz Tito’s private train)
• Performance by a Serbian folk ensemble on board ship
• Ship departs Belgrade

• Enjoy a day of scenic cruising on the Danube, including the Iron Gates, a series of dramatic gorges where your ship will transit two sets of locks in the dams that control the river’s flow through the gorges

• Ship arrives Svistov
• Full-day tour to historic Veliko Turnôvo, and the nearby village of Arbanassi, including visits to a fortified house and an orthodox church, and lunch at local restaurant in Arbanassi with students, returning to ship in Ruse
• Ship departs Svistov
• Ship arrives Ruse
• Tour returns to ship in Ruse
• Ship departs Ruse
• Icon painter demonstration aboard ship

• Lecture on Bulgaria & Romania as new members of the European Union
• Morning panoramic city tour of Ruse including Sweta Troica Church
• Afternoon at leisure
• Onboard dance performance by Bulgarian children
• Ship departs Ruse
• Captain’s Farewell Party and Dinner aboard ship

• Ship arrives Constanta
• City tour of Constanta with visit to the Archaeological and National History Museum
• Included lunch in Mamaia

• Ship arrives Oltenita
• Disembark your Vantage river cruise ship
• Motorcoach transfer to Bucharest
• Panoramic city tour of Bucharest, including People’s Palace (Please Note: There is a fee of approximately $15 to bring cameras into the palace)
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Check in to the hotel
• Afternoon at leisure
• Farewell Dinner at the hotel

• Buffet breakfast at the hotel
• Motorcoach transfer to the airport for return flight, or begin optional post-extension
• You will be required to clear Customs and Immigration at your first point of entry in the United States
• Breakfast, most lunches & dinner included daily during your river cruise, either aboard ship or at restaurants ashore where indicated.

Breakfast, most lunches & dinner included daily while on board your Vantage river cruise ship or at restaurants ashore where indicated.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This day-by-day itinerary is preliminary and subject to change. If any major changes occur in advance of your departure, you will be notified in writing by Vantage. If changes occur while on tour, you will be notified by your Vantage Program Manager or local representatives. In addition, should there be an extreme change in water levels, Vantage will do everything possible to provide either the included excursion or an alternate excursion at Vantage’s discretion.