Stay active on your cruise down the Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers! You’ll enjoy a bevy of active endeavors. Here are but a few:

• Extend your walks! Your Cruise Director or local guide can suggest scenic routes by location
• Reserve a complimentary bicycle aboard ship and explore designated biking routes in select cities
• Make use of your ship’s fitness room and spa services, including massage

• Join an exclusive “German Village Life” tour in Marktheidenfeld, featuring visits to local artisans and a wine party with barbecue lunch and live German music
• Enjoy an exclusive Hungarian folklore program in Kalocsa, including a welcome drink, paprika bread-making workshop, folk painting, wine, and sausage tasting — a Vantage exclusive!
• Engage in lively conversation over lunch with university students in Veliko Tarnovo
• Visit the Church of Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Arbanasi for an Orthodox choir performance

• Enjoy complimentary use of high-end bicycles on board & helmets — simply see your Concierge once you're on board to reserve, keeping in mind that the bikes are first-come, first-served
• Use our suggested route maps, or your onboard staff can add alternatives
• Bring along water in a collectible Vantage bottle from your stateroom

If biking, please bring firm-soled shoes, lightweight layers in moisture-wicking fabrics, a windbreaker, and pants made of breathable fabric (or padded cycling pants). Hats and gloves are suggested for chilly months.

• Opportunities for intimate cooking classes with our world-class chefs, learning about how to prepare local delicacies — and then savoring them!
• Rub elbows with the locals over lunch at a traditional restaurant in the ancient town of Heidelberg
• Learn how to make an authentic Apfelstrudel, or apple strudel, in a culinary demonstration by the ship’s chef. Hint: It’s all in the dough!
• Enjoy local beer with regional specialties, including Kölsch beer with sour cabbage
• Take part in a folklore workshop to explore the importance of paprika to Hungarian culture. You’ll discover it’s many grades, from sweet to spicy hot, and see how a tasty paprika bread is made
• Enjoy lunch and conversation with university students who are eager to meet Americans and practice their English in the ancient Bulgarian capital of Veliko Tarnovo
• Sit down with a Croatian family to share stories, laughs, and traditional dishes at a home-hosted lunch
• Raise a toast with daily demonstrations teaching you how to make cocktails — then enjoy them with fellow travelers!

• In Rüdesheim, take the opportunity to visit Siegfried's Musikkabinett, a remarkable collection of mechanical music makers, from tiny music boxes to giant calliopes
• Learn about “Musical Vienna” during a shipboard lecture by an expert in the field, and attend an exclusive classical concert at the city’s Kursalon music hall
• Listen to a concert played on the massive pipe organ in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Passau
• Learn about Bulgarian music during live performance by an Orthodox choir
• Enjoy children's dance performance in Donji Milanovac, Serbia

You’ll want to have your camera ready at all times to capture the majesty of all seven countries you’ll visit on this epic cruisetour. Here are a few tips to help you along the way:

• Don’t be afraid of the dark! Exploring cities and landmarks at night offers different lighting and unique new perspectives — just make sure you have a tripod or your camera comes equipped with a night feature!
• Change your point of view. Try shooting from a different angle and enjoy the adventure. For example, climb a stairwell and shoot a landscape from up high or, alternately, get low and shoot a scene from the ground. Wherever you are, embrace this artistic challenge by getting out of your comfort zone!
• Take a selfie! You’ll be glad to have a few portraits of yourself at the distinctive landmarks you’ll find on this journey
• Look beyond landmarks — sometimes everyday scenes are just as inspiring, and a lesson in embracing the unexpected and seizing the moment in front of you

• See Cologne’s great twin-towered cathedral, a UNESCO site
• Hear a concert on the world's largest church organ in Passau
• Enjoy an organ concert in Kalocsa
• Enjoy an Orthodox choir concert in a village church in Bulgaria

• Cruise through two UNESCO World Heritage landscapes — the Upper Rhine Gorge and the Wachau Valley — enjoying views of hilltop castles, ancient monasteries, terraced vineyards, and more
• Experience a full-day tour to one of Bulgaria’s most beautiful towns, Veliko Tarnovo, and the 16th-century village of Arbanasi
• City tour of Budapest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including Fisherman's Bastion
• Walking tour of Regensburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Visit Cologne’s UNESCO-listed Cathedral

Your solo-friendly river cruise has been enhanced with special features catering to independent travelers, including:

• Complimentary biking options — take a spin alongside your Destination Manager, who will lead small-group bike rides, or explore independently with our complimentary locks, helmets, and biking maps
• A lively social media night and musical performances most nights
• Solo-friendly social activities, including a Solo Connection mixer
• Onboard entertainment, lectures, and cooking demonstrations

Prior to your expedition cruise, our complimentary Concierge service will be available to help you customize your journey. Here are just a few services your Concierge can provide:

• Do you have a special birthday, anniversary, family reunion or other important event you want to celebrate on board? Let your Concierge know and he or she can make all the special arrangements, whether it’s a private reception in your suite, a gathering in the lounge, and more
• Restaurant reservations. Just notify your Concierge of your interests, and he or she will be happy to make recommendations, and will call ahead to reserve your table
• Special excursions. Would you like a limo to take you for a special night in the city? Perhaps you’d like to look up long-lost relatives. Your Concierge is here to help!
• Extend your stay! Your Concierge can help modify your hotel reservations and flights if you decide to stay on
• Tickets to local concerts, exhibits, theater, sporting events, and more

Take advantage of this free, start-to-finish service by making your requests prior to your journey or during your journey. We are one of the only companies to offer this level of service! Call 1-888-982-6824 or email Concierge@vantagetravel.com to speak to a Concierge today, or simply log into My Portfolio up to two weeks prior to departure.

During your journey, your onboard Destination Manager can assist with any special requests such as spa reservations, hotel reservations, and more.