European Discovery 2007

 

Please Note: Dates are subject to change and rates are Cruise only rates

May 1, 2007
$3698
May 15, 2007
$3898
July 16, 2007
$3698
July 30, 2007
$3698
September 30, 2007
$3698
October 14, 2007
$3598
October 28, 2007
$3498
November 11, 2007
$3298
14-night cruise in an outside stateroom on River Countess
All meals onboard included
12 shore excursions with English-speaking guides
Captain's Welcome & Farewell Dinners
Exciting onboard entertainment and insightful lectures
European Discovery
Basel to Vienna - 16 days
Day 1:
Depart Home Gateway City to Basel

Day 2:
Arrive Basel
Arrive in Basel and be greeted by a representative who will escort you to the ship. (D)

Day 3:
Basel
Featured Excursions: Basel City Walk
Optional Tours: Half-day Tour of Lucerne
Onboard Highlights: Captain's Welcome Dinner
Basel, Switzerland's second largest city, is best explored on foot. Your guide will take you to the attractive Old Town with fine buildings, Münster Cathedral, the striking Medieval City Hall, and the maze of narrow alleys along the banks of the Rhine. (B, L, Captain's Welcome Dinner)

Day 4:
Strasbourg
Featured Excursions: Canal Cruise
Onboard Highlights: Exciting Local Entertainment
See Strasbourg in the way it has been seen through the centurieson a canal cruise. You'll also see Petite France, a picturesque district that seems as if it has been lifted from the pages of a fairytale with its timberland houses adorned with flower boxes. (B, L, D)

Day 5:
Speyer (Rüdesheim)
Featured Excursions: Gondola Ride to Niederwald Monument
Optional Tours: Full-day Tour of Heidelberg and/or Rüdesheim Dinner
Rüdesheim is one of the most scenic wine towns of the Rhine Valley, and you'll get to see the beauty of it from up high as you travel by gondola to the top of the Niederwald Monument, a symbol of Germany's birth as a nation. (B, L, D)

Day 6:
Aschaffenburg
Featured Excursions: Renaissance Castle Johannisburg*
Onboard Highlights: Exciting Onboard Entertainment
Aschaffenburg is an impressive 1000-year old town. King Ludwig I called it his Bavarian Nice due to its Mediterranean flair.We'll guide you to the 17th-century Johannisburg Castle with art treasures and Pompeiianum  a Roman villa rebuilt on plans discovered in Pompeii. *Closed on Mondays (B, L, D)

Day 7:
Miltenberg
Featured Excursions: Miltenberg Walking Tour
Your city tour of Miltenberg, a Medieval town with crooked streets and leaning houses right out of the pages of a German fairytale, takes you past Main Castle on the way into Old Town and New Square. You'll see the famous Royal Inn, which has been a working hotel since the 16th century, the aptly named Crooked House, and Old Square. (B, L, D)

Day 8:
Würzburg
Featured Excursions: Würzburg Residenz & Wine Tasting
Optional Tours: Half-day Tour of Rothenburg
You'll visit Würzburg Residenz Palace, a UNESCO Heritage Site, and one of Germany's greatest architectural treasures. Your tour will be capped off with a wine tasting of Franconian wines. (B, L, D)

Day 9:
Cruising Main River & Main-Danube Canal
As we head toward Bamberg, enjoy cruising the Main River passing picturesque green meadows and typical Franconian towns. At the mouth of the Regnitz River marvel at the engineering prowess exemplified in the Main-Danube Canal as you travel through it. (B, L, D)

Day 10:
Bamberg
Featured Excursions: Bamberg Walking Tour
Bamberg is an architectural gem and UNESCO World Heritage Site boasting Renaissance palaces, Baroque houses and a breathtaking cathedral. You'll discover on your walking tour a town untouched by time. (B, L, D)

Day 11:
Nuremberg
Featured Excursions: Nuremberg City Tour
Your Nuremberg tour begins with the Nazi Party Rally grounds, the Medieval landmark of the Kaiserburg Castle, the Medieval town wall and its towers, and ends with a walk to the central market with its beautiful fountain. (B, L, D)

Day 12:
Regensburg
Featured Excursions: Old Town Walking Tour
Onboard Highlights: Exciting Local Entertainment
An unspoiled gem, Regensburg is a friendly town with quaint cobblestone streets and historic Roman remnants. On your tour, you'll see the Cathedral of St. Peter, with magnificent stained glass windows dating from the 14th century and the town's famous 12th-century Stone Bridge. (B, L, D)

Day 13:
Passau
Featured Excursions: Passau Walking Tour and St. Stephan's Organ Concert
Optional Tours: Bavarian Heritage Village
Your guided walk starts in the medieval section of Passau and then takes you past St. Stephan's Cathedral home to Europe's largest pipe organ and site of your concert.** ** Only May 1 to Oct 31, and not on Sunday. (B, L, D)

Day 14:
Melk and Cruising the Wachau Valley 11
Featured Excursions: Melk Abbey
While in Melk, you'll be guided through the Melk Abbey, one of the finest examples of Baroque art in the world. Leaving Melk, you'll enjoy a scenic cruise through the vineyard-rich Wachau Valley. (B, L, D)

Day 15:
Vienna
Featured Excursions: Vienna City Tour
Optional Tours: Visit Schönbrunn Palace
Onboard Highlights: Captain's Farewell Dinner
Vienna is a city steeped in history yet on the cusp of current trends. With your panoramic city overview, travel the stately Ringstrasse to St. Stephen's Cathedral, where Mozart was married, and then onto Figaro House. (B, L, Captain's Farewell Dinner)

Day 16:
Depart Vienna
Disembark the ship and transfer to the airport in Vienna for your trip home

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