Cruise Description

21 Night Cruise sailing from Amsterdam to Constanta aboard ms Esprit. Hotel stay post-cruise in Bucharest.

Travel like the royals of old on our grand eastern European river cruises combining Amsterdam to Budapest by Riverboat with Budapest to the Black Sea to create an unforgettable 24-day experience through the heart of Europe.

This remarkable voyage virtually links the North Sea to the Black Sea via the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers, taking you through the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. Glide past grand cathedrals, medieval monasteries, and historic citadels – as well as through the Main-Danube Canal and the Iron Gate of the Danube. Tauck’s private, inclusive shore excursions take in many UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and in-depth exploration of cities including Amsterdam, Köln, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade and Bucharest. It's the ultimate European river cruise... with the Tauck Difference!

Highlights of this cruise:

Amsterdam
Amsterdam, the capital of The Netherlands is built around a concentric network of canals spanned by over 1000 bridges making canal cruises one of the most attractive ways of viewing the city. Many of the houses date back to the 17th century. These narrow-fronted merchants' houses are characterised by the traditionally Dutch ornamented gables.

The oldest part of the city is Nieuwmarkt, located near the first canals - Herengracht, Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht - built to protect the city against invasion in the 17th century. Today, Amsterdam's famous liberalism has survived in the city's 'coffee shops and thriving sex industry.

The city has also long been a centre of diamond cutting and it is still possible to see diamond cutters at work. Amsterdam has a booming cultural life, boasting 53 museums, 61 art galleries, 12 concert halls and 20 theatre. A special canal boat (the 'museum boat') links 16 of the major museums. In the local countryside it is still possible to see working windmills. There are annual events such as the Amsterdam Arts Week and the Holland Festival.

Wurzburg
Wurzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Würzburgis renowned for the Residence, regarded as one of the finest palaces in Europe and a high point of Baroque art (also UNESCO cultural world heritage!). Würzburg is also home to one of the oldest churches in Germany, built in the 8th century on top of a former pagan shrine. One of its most famous structures, Festung Marienberg, is a fortress which now surrounds the church.

The main sights at the Wurzburg Residenz include the Hofkirche church. Its interior is richly decorated with paintings, sculptures and stucco ornaments. The altars were painted by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. The reppenhaus is the largest fresco in the world, it adorns the vault of the staircase by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. For many years the staircase appeared on a Deutschmark bill. The Kaisersaal is the centerpiece of the palace, emperor's chamber which testifies the close relationship between Würzburg and the Holy Roman Empire.

Nuremberg
Nuremberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest town in Franconia, a region in the north of Bavaria and is located approximately two hours north of Munich. Nuremberg's Alstadt, or Old Town is surrounded by a mighty city-wall that is 5km long. Cobble-stoned squares and half-timbered houses make it easy to picture Nuremberg’s medieval past. This is also where sights such as Dürerhaus are to be found and in the festive season, thousands of people from all over the world visit the famous Christmas market on the Hauptmarkt. The city of Nuremberg expanded on both banks of the river Pegnitz and because of this, the Old Town is often divided into the Seebald-quarter and the Lorenz-quarter, both of which are named after the two main parish churches. Each quarter has its own distinct character.

Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. Cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, its extensive World Heritage Sites includes the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes' Square and the Millennium Underground Railway, the second oldest in the world. Other highlights include a total of 80 geothermal springs, the world's largest thermal water cave system, second largest synagogue, and third largest Parliament building.

Most of Budapest's famous sights are concentrated on Castle Hill on the Buda side, in downtown Pest and along the riverside walkways. The main sights on Castle Hill are the Royal Palace, the National Gallery, the Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church. In downtown Pest the main sights are the Parliament Building, St Stephen’s Basilica, the Great Synagogue and the Jewish Museum and the Eötvös Loránd University.

Budapest is also known for its many hot and thermal springs. Budapest has 118 hot springs that supply the city’s many bathhouses and spas with warm therapeutic spring water. Such was the reputation of its springs that in 1934, the Budapest was declared the “City of Springs.”

Constanta
Constanta is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region. It is also a beautiful touristic city during summer. It is Romania's largest seaport and a great city to begin to explore the wonders of the sea.

One of the largest cities in Romania, Constanța is an important cultural and economic center, worth exploring for its archaeological treasures and the atmosphere of the old town center. Its historical monuments, ancient ruins, grand Casino, museums and shops, and proximity to beach resorts make it the focal point of Black Sea coast tourism. Open-air restaurants, nightclubs and cabarets offer a wide variety of entertainment. Regional attractions include traditional villages, vineyards, ancient monuments and the Danube Delta, the best preserved delta in Europe.