Delightful Danube

Drive along one of the prettiest streets in Budapest, Andrassy Ave, on your way to the St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Andrassy Ave is a broad promenade of breathtaking neo-Renaissance architecture and home to many of Budapest’s must-see sites. You’ll pass by Heroes’ Square, the Franz Liszt Memorial House, the House of Terror, the Szechenyi Baths, City Park and, of course, the Castle District.

You will get off the coach near St. Stephen's Cathedral to visit this beautiful Catholic church. St. Stephen’s Basilica, the largest church in Budapest, is dedicated to St. Stephen, the first King of Hungary. Its towers and domes feature prominently in the Pest skyline. The interior of the cathedral is a masterpiece of dramatic arches, marble and liberally applied gilding. Inside you’ll find one of Hungary’s most sacred artifacts, the Szent Jobb—meaning “Holy Right Hand—is the mummified right hand of St. Stephen.

Today your guide will show you how to snack around Budapest like a local, starting with a tram ride to the House of Parliament. Hop off the tram and take a short walk to your first treat: a coffee break at the First Strudel House of Pest. Energized by your cup of coffee, you’ll continue your walk down to St. Stephen’s Basilica—a handsome Neo-Classical building that is one of Budapest’s most significant cultural sites.

From there, we’ll head to the Great Market Hall to sample some traditional Hungarian fare, such as salami, sausages and cheese, while your local expert explains the intricacies of Hungarian cuisine.

On your way into the Jewish Quarter, take a panoramic drive along the UNESCO-designated Andrassy Avenue. Among its beautiful neo-Renaissance architecture are such sites as Heroes’ Square, the Franz Liszt Memorial House, the House of Terror, and the Castle District.

You will get off the coach near the Dohány Synagogue. The Great Synagogue of Budapest (also known as the Central Synagogue) on Dohány Street is a good starting point to learn about Jewish Budapest. The Dohány Synagogue is the largest in Europe and the 2nd largest Synagogue in the world.

The Belvedere is a Baroque palatial complex commissioned during an immensely productive Habsburg building spree. Originally the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy, the complex was acquired by Empress Maria Theresa after his death and turned into an exhibition venue for imperial art collections. In this way, The Belvedere become one of the first public museums in the world.

Today it is one of the finest art collections anywhere, making it an incredibly popular destination for Vienna tourism. Skip the crowds entirely this morning on your early private tour through the Upper Belvedere exhibits with Uniworld. You’ll appreciate the space and time to take in the palace’s expansive collection, including the world’s largest collection of works by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt. His most famous work, “The Kiss” is on display here.

In many ways a must-visit destination for both the art lover and the gourmand, Vienna is full of artistic and culinary treasures. Today’s walking tour is all about immersing ourselves in that side of this beautiful city.

Our menu for the day includes a stop for coffee and strudel at a local coffee house—a hallmark of Viennese culture—and a glass of Viennese wine from one of the city’s oldest cellars. These treats will fuel our walks to see the Sisi Monument, a life-sized mosaic replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, the Habsburg Palace and the extravagant St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

Vienna is linked inextricably with music, as so many great composers lived and worked here: Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss, Schubert, Mahler, Brahms-the list is as long as it is glorious. Enjoy an evening of chamber music performed by some of Vienna's world-class professionals in a historic and intimate concert venue.

*Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences can be added to a booking up to 5 days prior to the cruise/tour start date if space allows. Some venues are limited in the number of guests they can accommodate. Guests can book onboard (space permitting) and pay in Euros. Pre-booked Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are refundable up to 48 hours prior to the cruise/tour start date; if inside of 48 hours they are non-refundable. Select Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences require a minimum number of participants and are subject to cancellation (with full refund) if minimum is not met. Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are non-commissionable. Prices are subject to change.

Embrace the imperial flair of Vienna with a visit to the famous Schonbrunn Palace complex. Arrive to marvel at the massive Baroque building with it’s iconic yellow exteriors and head straight to the East Wing, where you’ll find Cafe Residenz. Housed in the former kitchens for the palace guard, this elegant Viennese coffee shop and restaurant prepares the same traditional strudel recipe once used by the imperial palace bakers. Today, their pastry chef will demonstrate the laborious process of preparing this pastry. To get a perfectly smooth, elastic dough, a particularly rigorous kneading method is required. The dough is then rolled paper thin and topped with apple fling, and the entire pastry is then rolled up to create the characteristic spiral pattern that appears when sliced after baking. You’ll leave this demonstration with your own copy of the original recipe. After the Strudel show, enjoy a guided visit of the palace. Stroll hallways elaborately decorated with golden stucco, rich velvet and stunning frescoes. This palace complex was the primary summer residence of the Habsburgs and features many testaments to their history and extravagance.

*Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences can be added to a booking up to 5 days prior to the cruise/tour start date if space allows. Some venues are limited in the number of guests they can accommodate. Guests can book onboard (space permitting) and pay in Euros. Pre-booked Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are refundable up to 48 hours prior to the cruise/tour start date; if inside of 48 hours they are non-refundable. Select Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences require a minimum number of participants and are subject to cancellation (with full refund) if minimum is not met. Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are non-commissionable. Prices are subject to change.

Explore the “City of Waltzes” from a Jewish heritage perspective on today’s outing. Beginning at the Judenplatz, you’ll learn about the community’s history and follow in the footsteps of some of the most internationally well-known figures. Your guide will take you by the Shoah Monument and Jewish museum, then stop at the Stadttempel, Vienna’s main temple and the only synagogue to have survived the “Night of Broken Glass”—a pogrom against Jews throughout Nazi Germany, Austria and other areas in the region. This temple dates back to 1826 and is the only synagogue in Vienna built in the simple, yet elegant, “Biedermeier Style.”

You’re invited to a private reception at Artstetten Castle with a member of Habsburg royalty—a direct descendent of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. As a pivotal part of world history, Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination in Sarajevo triggered WWI. The seven-towered castle, parts of which date back to the 13th-century, remains the private property of the Hohenberg family. It is the final resting place of the archduke and his wife, who are entombed in the family crypt, which you may explore. A museum within the castle walls is dedicated to Franz Ferdinand; you might be surprised to discover that the archduke, a stern military man if one judges him by his portrait, renounced his descendants’ claim to the Habsburg throne in order to marry for love.

Drive from Emmersdorf to the attractive town of Spitz, and take note of the vine-covered hill rising above the town on your way in. A famous local landmark, this hill is the source of much of the town’s grapes. Wine is one of Spitz’s most important local products, alongside apricots. You’ll taste both of these today, starting with a variety of apricot treats upon your arrival.

Visit the shipping and maritime museum in town before meeting Spitz’s former count, Ferdinand Kufstein, who will take you on a walk through the charming village he calls home. Learn about his family history and get a local’s perspective on life in Spitz and the Wachau Valley.

After the walk, return to Emmersdorf, where a local wine expert will be waiting to guide you through a wine tasting onboard.

Set off on an invigorating bike ride from Engelhartszell to Passau, led by an experienced professional bike guide. Wind your way through the lovely countryside, along the Danube’s right side, into the picturesque Danube Valley. These particular landscapes are some of the most beautiful in all of Europe—characterized by expansive vineyards, tree-lined slopes, and castle-dotted hillsides—and seamlessly blend the region’s cultural, historical and natural components together. Pedal onwards toward Passau, past more charming villages, meadows and orchards, rounding out your trip in Passau’s Old Town.

You’ll have the opportunity to choose one of four different ways to immerse yourself in this wonderful city today, learning about local people, trades and pastimes. Your first option, a visit to a berry farm on a mission to provide good work for people with disabilities. There, you’ll be taken on a tour of the farm and enjoy a tasting of its products, such as jams and vinegars.

With another option, you’ll meet a family from Passau as you’re invited into their home. Your host may welcome you with food, drinks and or stories about their life in the city.

At still another, we’ll mingle with people at work around town, including an artist, a pub owner and others.

And finally, you may opt to set out on a hike popular with locals. Take in Passau’s best scenery as you stop at a castle—the Veste Oberhaus—and the Triftsperre nature reserve, then walk along the Ilz river delta.

Meet a modern-day farm family in a region where tradition lives on. This is a fun--and delicious!--excursion that gives you a taste of daily life on a farm in today’s Germany. A scenic road winding through the Bavarian Forest, Germany’s first national park, leads to the tiny village of Anschiessing, where Christa and Josef Artman (and their children) welcome you to their farm. Cows in the stable, chickens pecking in the yard and a traditional wood-fired outdoor oven all speak to a traditional lifestyle, but these days a small family farm won’t support a family, so the Artmans have branched out. They created a farm stand to sell their eggs and produce; then Christa decided to put her love of baking to good use: she has a bakery truck where she makes and delivers krapfen--fritters--to customers hungry for the hot, sugar-sprinkled treats. Want to try making them yourself? You’ll get the chance. See how to light the wood-burning oven (and taste the bread baked in it), sample yogurt and farmers cheese made on the premises, ramble through the picturesque village. The scenery is lovely and the insight into the daily routine of the region is enlightening.

*Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences can be added to a booking up to 5 days prior to the cruise/tour start date if space allows. Some venues are limited in the number of guests they can accommodate. Guests can book onboard (space permitting) and pay in Euros. Pre-booked Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are refundable up to 48 hours prior to the cruise/tour start date; if inside of 48 hours they are non-refundable. Select Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences require a minimum number of participants and are subject to cancellation (with full refund) if minimum is not met. Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are non-commissionable. Prices are subject to change.

Begin this three-hour excursion with a visit to the city center of Regensburg’s Old Town, which has much to offer including the Porta Praetoria Roman ruins, the Old Stone Bridge, St. Peter’s Cathedral, medieval patrician towers and the former Jewish Quarter among many other sights. Next, take a short walk to the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis. The family estate is difficult to miss: at over 1,000 years old, the mansion boasts over 500 rooms complete with chandeliers, gold leafing, incredible art and architectural touches to make it truly a sight to behold. The palace has an incredible history and stands as a tale of revival, endurance and baroque style.  What’s even more spectacular? The palace has a long list of celebrities who have stayed within its walls: Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Steve Martin, Plácido Domingo and more. These walls may not be able to talk, but if they could they would surely say, “Come see us for yourself!”

Hops vines grow up their strings in a field tower almost twice a person’s height. They’re grown for their flowers, which add a distinctive flavor to beer—but the fields they grow in add a distinctive flavor to the hops. You could call it terroir for beer, and you can delve into hops cultivation and hops brewing today. Travel through Bavaria’s Holledau region, the largest hops growing district in the world, and meet an enthusiastic ambassador of hops growing and beer making. She will give you a quick and lively history of hops in Germany—including Bavaria’s law governing the making of beer, which has specified since 1560 that the only ingredients permitted in beer are water, barley and hops—and lead you on a tour through the growing fields her family owns, followed by a craft beer tasting in the cozy barn turned beer hall. It’s a delicious way to get to know a fascinating aspect of the international farm-to-table movement.

Join your local guide for a walking tour through the delightfully medieval town of Regensburg. Stroll over the Iron Bridge and on to the magnificent Stone Bridge, and pass by the architectural Gothic masterpiece of St. Peter’s Cathedral. Regensburg is the oldest documented settlement of Jewish people in Germany and your walk through the former Jewish Quarter (Neupfarrplatz) will introduce you to their enduring legacy here. See the Dani Karavan Monument memorializing the original Regensburg Synagogue and visit Oskar Schindler’s house.

Make your way to the New Synagogue for a presentation about Jewish culture and history in Regensburg. Here, you’ll meet some of Regensburg’s Jewish citizens and walk with them to the nearby Café Fürstenhof for a chat over coffee and cake.