Itinerary
- Day 1
Bucharest
You'll get picked up at Bucharest airport and taken to your hotel in the city center. The capital has this nickname 'Paris of the East' because of its wide Parisian-style avenues and tree-lined boulevards. After you settle in, the evening is yours to rest.
- Day 2
Bucharest to Giurgiu
Following breakfast at your hotel, you have a guided drive through Bucharest that includes a stop at the Spring Palace. After that, you can walk through the city's leafy boulevards on your own. Later in the afternoon, you'll transfer to Giurgiu on the Danube where you board your Emerald Cruises Star-Ship and get a warm welcome from the captain and crew.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided drive through Bucharest with a visit to the Spring Palace
- Choir concert
Landmarks/POIs Spring Palace 
- Day 3
Rousse
You have a choice in Rousse, Bulgaria. Either take a leisurely walking tour of this city known as 'The Little Vienna' for its Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo architecture, or go on a more active guided hike to the Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo to see 14th-century frescoes. By evening, there's a welcome reception and dinner with other guests on board.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Welcome reception and dinner)
Included Activities
- Walking tour of Rousse
- Guided hike to Ivanovo Church
- Choir concert
Optional Activities
- Full day tour of Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanasi (extra expense)
Landmarks/POIs Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo - Day 4
Vidin
You'll visit a local vineyard to learn about Bulgarian winemaking traditions and try their wines. Then you head to Baba Vida Fortress, one of Bulgaria's best-preserved castles built in the 10th century. If you prefer something more active, there's a guided hike option to nearby Belogradchik Fortress instead.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit to a local vineyard with wine tasting
- Visit to Baba Vida Fortress
Optional Activities
- Guided hike to Belogradchik Fortress
- Traditional Bulgarian pastry making (extra expense)
Landmarks/POIs Baba Vida Fortress Belogradchik Fortress - Day 5
Donji Milanovac
The ship sails to Donji Milanovac in Serbia while you relax on board. Once you arrive, you visit the Lepenski Vir archaeological site right on the riverbanks, one of Europe's most important Palaeolithic locations. The museum there shows you eight millennia of Stone Age settlements and how prehistoric cultures moved across Europe.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit to Lepenski Vir archaeological site and museum
Optional Activities
- Golubac Castle visit (extra expense)
Landmarks/POIs Lepenski Vir - Day 6
Belgrade
In Belgrade, you can take a coach tour through Serbia's capital to see landmarks like the Church of Saint Sava and the Museum of Yugoslavia. Another option is a guided bike tour if you want to explore the city's history more actively. Later this evening, there's a spectacular traditional Serbian folklore show on board.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Highlights of Belgrade
- Serbian folklore evening show on board
Optional Activities
- Guided bike tour in Belgrade
- Routes of Nikola Tesla (extra expense)
Landmarks/POIs Church of Saint Sava Museum of Yugoslavia - Day 7
Croatia to Hungary
You're invited into a local Croatian family's home for a traditional lunch and cultural exchange as part of the EmeraldPLUS experience. Afterward, the ship continues sailing up the Danube toward Hungary. By evening, you and your fellow passengers gather for a farewell dinner together.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Traditional lunch with a Croatian family), Dinner (Farewell dinner)
Included Activities
- Home-hosted lunch with a Croatian family
Optional Activities
- Vucedol Culture Museum (extra expense)
- Day 8
Kalocsa and the Puszta
You reach Kalocsa, Hungary's heart of paprika production and folk traditions. In the afternoon, you head out to the Puszta to visit a traditional horse farm where you watch expert Magyar cowboys perform equestrian skills. That night, there's an authentic Hungarian folklore show and traditional dinner on board.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Traditional Hungarian dinner)
Included Activities
- Puszta Equestrian Heritage
- Traditional Hungarian folklore show on board
- Day 9
Budapest
This is a leisure day in Budapest. You can explore the city at your own pace and check out whatever catches your interest, or simply stay on board and relax. Tonight brings another authentic Hungarian folklore show and traditional dinner.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Traditional Hungarian dinner)
Included Activities
- Traditional Hungarian folklore show
- Day 10
Budapest
You explore Budapest's architectural heritage through a guided coach tour that includes Heroes' Square, Andrássy Avenue, and the Buda Castle District. If you prefer to be more active, you can hike to Gellert Hill for views of the Danube from above. The city originally had two parts—Buda on the west and Pest on the east—each with their own character.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided coach tour of Budapest
Optional Activities
- Hike to Gellert Hill
Landmarks/POIs Heroes' Square Andrássy Avenue Buda Castle District Gellert Hill - Day 11
Bratislava
You arrive in Bratislava, Slovakia, where you take a walking tour of the city's center and see the Episcopal Summer Palace and the Slovak National Theatre. If you'd rather hike, the gardens of Bratislava Castle are a good option. In the afternoon, you visit a local family's home for coffee and cake to learn about their traditions.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Walking tour of Bratislava
- Home-hosted coffee and cake with a local family
Optional Activities
- Guided hike to Bratislava Castle
- Skoda tour of Post-Communist Bratislava (extra expense)
- Carpathian wine route (extra expense)
Landmarks/POIs Episcopal Summer Palace Slovak National Theatre Bratislava Castle - Day 12
Vienna
Vienna's sweeping boulevards and Baroque palaces show off Habsburg Monarchy history. You can take a guided tour that includes the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Austria's largest art museum. Or you can cycle along the riverbanks, Danube Island, and the Prater with its iconic 19th-century Ferris wheel.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Vienna art tour with a visit to the Kunsthistorisches Museum
Optional Activities
- Guided bike tour in Vienna
- Viennese evening concert (extra expense)
Landmarks/POIs Kunsthistorisches Museum Prater - Day 13
Göttweig Abbey and Wachau Valley to Dürnstein
You visit Göttweig Abbey overlooking the Wachau Valley and enjoy wine tasting with panoramic views of the UNESCO World Heritage region. Then you sail toward Dürnstein. For more activity, you can hike to Dürnstein Castle or bike through the Wachau region past terraced vineyards and castles. You finish in picturesque Dürnstein in the heart of the wine country.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Göttweig Abbey with wine tasting
Optional Activities
- Guided hike to Dürnstein Castle
- Guided bike tour along the Danube River
Landmarks/POIs Göttweig Abbey Wachau Valley Dürnstein Castle - Day 14
Passau
The ship sails to Passau, Germany, nicknamed 'the city of three rivers' for where the Danube, Inn, and Ilz rivers meet. You see Gothic and Baroque architecture on a guided tour, and there's an optional bike tour along the River Inn. After exploring at leisure, you sail toward Regensburg in the evening.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Passau
Optional Activities
- Guided bike tour along the River Inn
- Bavarian Traditions (extra expense)
- Day 15
Regensburg
In Regensburg, built on an ancient Roman fort, you take a guided walking tour through the UNESCO World Heritage medieval center with narrow cobbled lanes. You can stop for a local Bavarian sausage tasting to experience daily life here. Another option is biking to the Walhalla monument for views of the Danube landscape. Later, there's a traditional Bavarian band performance on board.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Walking tour of Regensburg with Bavarian sausage tasting
- Traditional Bavarian band performance on board
Optional Activities
- Guided bike tour to the Walhalla monument
Landmarks/POIs Walhalla 
- Day 16
Regensburg to Munich
After breakfast, you say goodbye to your fellow guests and leave the Star-Ship. Then you transfer to Munich airport, taking memories of Roman architecture and Danube River culture with you.
- Meals
- Breakfast
