Discover Transylvania’s fairytale village of Sighisoara and the birthplace of Vlad Tepes (better known as Dracula) that has become a favorite location of Romania’s travellers and Dracula fans. Founded by Transylvanian Saxons during the 12th century, Sighisoara still stands as one of the most beautiful and best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. Designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, this perfectly intact 16th century gem with nine towers, cobbled streets, burgher houses and ornate churches rivals the historic streets of Old Prague or Vienna for atmospheric magic. It is also the birthplace of Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), ruler of the province of Walachia from 1456 to 1462. It was he who inspired Bram Stoker’s fictional creation, Count Dracula.

Among the most striking sights is the 14th century Clock Tower. Passing under the 64-meter tall clock tower, you will be mesmerized by the medieval architecture and buildings well preserved and still in use. The Sighisoara Citadel is the old historic center of the town of Sighisoara (Hungarian: Segesvar, German: Schaessburg), Romania, built in the 12th century by Saxon colonists. It is the last inhabited medieval citadel in Europe and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, for its 850 year old testimony to the history and culture of the Transylvanian Saxons.

Holland’s Capital has 160 canals and 1,000 bridges. Experience Amsterdam from water. Cruising through a number of Amsterdam’s canals, this cruise passes along some of the city’s most beautiful spots. You will see elegant merchant mansions, carillon-crowned churches and the warehouses with their rich history from Holland’s Golden Age. This wonderful evening cruise through Amsterdam’s enchanting canals is a memorable experience. Relax in glass-enclosed comfort, while gliding through the canals. Each table is provided with red, rosé or white wine, a variety of cheese, and a typical Dutch cheese cookie. Soft drinks are also available. During the canal cruise, your host or hostess will gladly answer your questions and give you information about the city’s places of interest.

This tour offers everything quintessentially Dutch: from canals, old farmhouses, and windmills ... to cheese and wooden clogs ... to idyllic rural settings and typical Dutch villages.

The Dutch say, “if you only have one day to see Holland, then go to Zaanse Schans.” You’ll take a short scenic ride through the colorful countryside to this village, a special place as it’s a living museum. Admire the green wooden houses from the 17th and 18th centuries, hump-backed bridges, charming gardens, tradesmen’s workshops, and authentic, working windmills. You’ll get a lesson in making cheese, visit the inside of a windmill, and see how a clog maker crafts those unique shoes.

Next you’ll continue on by bus to the picturesque town of Edam, famous for the cheese named after it. Take a guided stroll through the flat, narrow main street to the bell tower and enjoy browsing for souvenirs. Before heading back to Amsterdam, you’ll get a typical Dutch treat — coffee and apple cake at a town café and a chance to mix and mingle with locals. Weekday tours will include a visit to the Aalsmeer Flower Auction, the world’s largest.

Please note: Aalsmeer tour is not available on weekends.

The people of Bamberg love their beer! This tour will give you a sample as to why. Bamberg, known as the “Beer City,” boasts nine breweries, which produce over 50 distinctive, full-flavored beers, including of course Bamberg’s smoke beer, Rauchbier. There are popular taverns (“Gaststatte”) and beer gardens, always full in fine weather. Local brewmasters have been perfecting their craft in Bamberg for almost 900 years.

So, let’s go for a pub crawl and hoist a pint or two! Your guide will take you to Klosterbreau, a traditional small family-owned brewery in the old town. Here you will learn the process of beer brewing by a tour of the brewery while sampling a Klosterbraeu brewed original. Next, we will walk through Old Town Bamberg to a traditional pub and have a typical Bamberg snack of smoky Rauchbier and a Bavarian pretzel. After a short lecture on Bamberg Beer Traditions and it’s history at Schlenkerla, your motorcoach will return you back to the ship.

Please Note: The Bamberg Beer Tasting tour is not available on all itineraries; call for details.

When Josep Broz Tito became president of Yugoslavia, he had a special train constructed for his exclusive state use. Known in Serbian as the Plavi Voz, or Blue Train, this rolling presidential palace provided the charismatic Tito with a way to conduct meetings, carry on state business, and host visiting dignitaries while traveling among the member states of the Yugoslav federation and elsewhere within Europe. Over the years he travelled some 350,000 miles on the Blue Train, visiting France, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece. The train, which has interiors of mahogany, pear, and walnut, was refurbished in 1972 when Queen Elizabeth II came aboard to travel through Yugoslavia. Your ride on this piece of political and railroading history begins when you board the train just a few yards from your ship in Belgrade, and continues through the city to a small station in the countryside where Tito had a private waiting room. Here, you’ll have time to stroll and photograph the train as we enjoy light refreshments and a performance by local musicians, before the return trip to your ship.

Jewish cultural and religious heritage in Budapest represents one of the largest Jewish population's history in Europe. Around 90,000 Jewish practice an active life and culture in Budapest. Today you will visit Dohány Synagogue which was built in the Romantic style between 1854 and 1859 after the plans of Ludwig Förster. At the time, the Jewish community of this area of Pest numbered abut 30,000. Dohány Synagogue has a rich but tragic history. In March 1944, Adolf Eichmann arrived in Budapest with the occupying Nazi forces to supervise the establishment of the Jewish ghetto and the subsequent deportations. Up to 20,000 Jews took refuge inside the synagogue complex, but 7,000 did not survive the bleak winter of 1944-45. These victims are buried in the courtyard, where you can also see a piece of the original brick ghetto wall.