12 Day Black Sea Explorer

Bucharest to Budapest

Overview

DAY 1: Bucharest
Welcome to Bucharest, Romania’s capital. You will be met and transferred* to your hotel.
Two Night Stay: Bucharest

DAY 2: Bucharest (FB, D)
We journey through the farmland and valleys of The Transylvanian plateau today, passing medieval towns and castles as we venture into the Carpathian Mountains. We’ll visit Bran Castle, originally a stronghold of the Teutonic Knights and of strategic importance as a barrier to invading Ottoman forces. Of course, it is more widely known as the legendary home of Count Dracula.

DAY 3: Bucharest (Embarkation) (FB,D)
This morning we enjoy a city tour of Bucharest before joining our river cruise ship this afternoon.

DAY 4: Cernavoda / Black Sea (FB,L,D)
Cernavoda in Romania, famous for its chardonnay-producing vineyards, is our ship’s base today for an excursion to the seaside town of Constanta, the gateway to the Black Sea coast with the largest harbour in the Black Sea. We also visit Mamaia. This popular resort town stretches 8 kilometres in length with only a 300 metre sliver of land separating the Black Sea shore from the waters of Lake Siutghiol.

DAY 5: Russe / Arbanasi / Veliko Târnovo / Svistov (FB,L,D)
The nearby village of Arbanasi is included in UNESCO’s world heritage list of valuable cultural sites. From here we venture to we venture to Veliko Tarnovo, a town with a rich historical past dating back to 3,000 BC. In the 14th century as the Byzantine Empire weakened the town was the Bulgarian capital and known as the third Rome. We continue to the former Roman fortress town of Svistov in Bulgaria before reboarding our ship.

DAY 6: Iron Gate (FB,L,D)
Keep your camera at the ready as we cruise the spectacular Iron Gate, a narrow gorge carved by the Danube between the Carpathian and Balkan Mountains, which forms a natural border between Serbia and Rom

DAY 7: Belgrade (FB,L,D)
Today we explore Serbia’s capital Belgrade, one of the oldest capital cities in Europe and site of the famous siege in 1456 which ‘decided the fate of Christendom’. We’ll visit Tito’s memorial, the Fortress Kalemegdan and St Sava Church.

DAY 8: Novi Sad / Vukovar (FB,L,D)
Our cruise takes us to Novi Sad where our guided tour reveals the multiethnic origins of the city, known as the Serbian Athens for its cultural renown in the 19th century. We journey to Vukovar this afternoon. Vukovar is situated at the confluence of the Vuka River with the Danube, and locals in summer relax on the sandy river beaches.  We see architectural monuments and baroque squares, along with sombre reminders of the Balkan Wars of Independence of the early 1990’s.

DAY 9: Kalocsa (FB,L,D)
The Baroque provincial town of Kalocsa lies at the periphery of the great Hungarian plain and is renowned for its decorative embroidery and paprika production. Today we will visit a Hungarian Puszta horse farm and enjoy a show before tracing the Turkish origins of paprika.

DAY 10: Budapest (Disembarkation) (FB,D)

Today enjoy Budapest at your leisure; perhaps enjoy a trip to the baths, wander the streets of the old town or simply relax onboard.
Two Night Stay: Budapest

DAY 11: Budapest (FB,HD)

Budapest is one of Eastern Europe’s most ancient cities. Your morning tour will visit all the major sights. Tonight, soak up the spirit of the hungarian culture at a lively folklore show including dinner.

DAY 12: Depart Budapest (FB)

After breakfast you will be transferred* to Budapest International Airport for your onward or homebound flight.

*Check transfer entitlements with your travel agent. For passengers who have already received documentation - refer to your booking summary.