Upgrade to a Panorama Suite for free on select 2021 Avalon Waterways Europe River Cruises*
Booking window: June 2 - January 4, 2021
All-in Price: $4,221 CAD per person
(Based on cabin category B, A or P. Featured price is per person, land/cruise only, based on double occupancy, and includes all taxes and fees (port charges)
Video: More in View. More to Do | Avalon Waterways®
CRUISING WITH CONFIDENCE
Avalon Waterways invites cruisers to say “hello” to the world’s most fascinating places with unmatched intrigue, curiosity, wonder and joy. Along the way, we’ve discovered the sights to see, encountered the people to meet, engaged in the customs to sample and indulged in the cuisine to savor. And we’ve done this while bundling amazing ports and shore excursions with the industry’s only Suite Ship® fleet to help you greet the globe on a journey where happiness flows.
When you’re ready to travel again, we're here to support you. Your safety, as well as the safety of our employees and partners, has always been our top priority, which is why new physical distancing and cleaning measures have been put in place on all of our tours. Our new Cruising with Confidence policy features new health and safety procedures from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave, without taking away from having the time of your life. The policy will evolve as time goes on and as we continue to monitor local public health recommendations, but what won’t change is our commitment to keeping you safe as you explore our big, beautiful world.
SIZE MATTERS
With Avalon, big things come in small packages. With fewer than 150 guests per cruise, you can rest assured that every inch of your ship is attended to with our famous attention to detail, including enhanced onboard protocols to help ensure a safe and healthy voyage for all. The lower guest count combined with our spacious ship design means you’ll always find extra room to make yourself comfortable—in your stateroom and around the ship.
COMMITMENT TO THE CLEANEST SHIPS
We’ve instituted enhanced cleaning procedures throughout each ship in our Suite fleet, with steps that go above-and-beyond Avalon’s already strict procedures. These include deep disinfection of each stateroom between cruises as well as dining areas between each meal service and the inspection and disinfection of all goods prior to loading on the ship.
FRESH AIR, INSIDE AND OUT
In addition to our unique Open-Air BalconySM stateroom design, promising both fresh air and wide-open perspectives, the air in our ships is not circulated between staterooms; only within an individual stateroom and mixed with clean, fresh, outside air.
A CREW THAT STANDS BY YOU
With a guest to crew ratio of 3:1, our attention is always on guest comfort, health and safety. And we’ve taken extra measures to ensure a healthy crew, including additional training, medical certificates required prior to start the season, daily temperature checks, regular crew health screenings and social distancing in crew living quarters.
CAREFREE CONFIDENCE
The world has changed, but what remains certain is our commitment to your peace-of-mind while travelling. Not only have we enhanced our on-trip health and safety protocols with our Avalon Assurance program, we are also offering you risk-free, hassle-free and strings-free bookings with a 2021 Peace of Mind Travel Plan.
Photo: Avalon Exterior Hungary
Photo: Map of The Blue Danube Discovery Itinerary
Itinerary:
Day 1 - Budapest, Hungary
Welcome to Hungary. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding. Flights into Budapest must arrive by 2 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm. The day is yours to relax and enjoy the city with time for photographs, cafés, and confections. Evening/Overnight cruise to Vienna
Day 2 - Vienna, Austria
Vienna Waltzes on the Beautiful Blue Danube. Visit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host. Enjoy sailing the Danube, which shares dozens of miles with Hungary and Slovakia. Relax on the Sky Deck to see the rolling landscape and red-rooftops of the Slovakian capital of Bratislava come into view. This evening in Vienna, you may choose to join an Optional Excursion to attend a Royal Waltz Concert for an unforgettable evening of music in an elegant hall. Overnight docking in Vienna.
Day 3 - Vienna, Austria
Classic: Explore the Habsburg empire this morning on a Guided City Tour of Vienna’s gilded landmarks. See the Imperial Palace complex—the winter residence of the Imperial Family, the iconic Vienna Opera House and stunning St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Join a Guided Optional Excursion to Schönbrunn Palace— summer home of the Habsburg Empire. Enjoy free time this afternoon to take a tram to visit Vienna’s Prater amusement park or one of the many museums nearby. You may also borrow a bike from the ship to explore Vienna’s square or the banks of the Danube. Later, enjoy live entertainment on board. Overnight cruise to Durnstein.
Day 4 - Durnstein
Classic: Join a Guided Walk, and hear the legendary tale of King Richard the Lionheart—who was imprisoned in the castle above the village during the Crusades, OR: Active: Join a Hike up to the castle ruins with your Adventure Host for a spectacular view of the village, Danube, and the Wachau Valley below. Enjoy coffee or a cocktail on the Sky Deck as you sail through the picturesque Wachau Valley to Melk.
Melk - Frescoes Above and Vineyards Below. Classic: Take a Guided Tour of Melk’s magnificent Benedictine Abbey to marvel at its frescoed ceilings, statues, incredible library, and ornate pipe organ. Discovery: Enjoy the flavors of the Wachau Valley with a Wine Tasting on board. Evening/Overnight cruise to Passau.
Day 5 - Passau, Germany
Where the Danube, Inn, and Ilz Rivers Meet. Classic: Join a Guided City Walk to learn more about this beautiful “City of Three Rivers.” Alternatively, join a full-day Guided Optional Excursion to Salzburg—the city of Mozart—or to the picturesque Bohemian town of Cesky Krumlov. Meet your ship back in Passau after your full-day selected activity for sailing. Evening/Overnight cruise to Regensburg.
Day 6 - Regensburg
Bavaria’s Medieval Miracle. Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities. Classic: Join a Guided City Walk and see Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) and Porta Pretoria—built in 179 AD as the entrance to Castra Regina fortress. You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to visit the Benedictine Monastery in Weltenburg. Alternatively spend a free afternoon exploring Regensburg on foot or by bike through its charming streets. This evening, enjoy live entertainment after dinner. Evening/Overnight cruise to Roth.
Day 7 - Roth - Excursion to Nuremberg
Legends and History Lessons. Discovery: Enjoy an Onboard Lecture about the Main-Danube Canal—linking these two rivers to make a vital connection enabling navigation between the North and Black Seas. Classic: Enjoy a Guided Sightseeing Tour of the Bavarian town of Roth—with its half-timbered houses, market square, and 1535 hunting lodge Schloss Ratibor, OR: Classic: Choose a Guided Sightseeing of Nuremberg—with its medieval architecture, gilded fountain, Gothic cathedral, and Kaiserburg Castle, OR: Classic: Take a Guided Tour of the historic Nuremberg Rally Grounds—used by the Third Reich. Discovery: Later, indulge in a Beer Tasting on board. Evening cruise to Nuremberg.
Day 8 - Nuremberg (Disembarkation)
Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning.
Photo: Avalon Expression sailing through Austria