Danube River South End with Tauck

We arranged travel to arrive a day early so we could explore Budapest and the surrounding area. We hired a local guide and driver for the day.

Spent the morning and early afternoon with our guide and drive.
Met the tour group and enjoyed a welcome reception late afternoon.

Once independent cities located on opposite sides of the Danube, Buda and Pest joined together when they were linked by the Chain Bridge in the mid-19th century to become Hungary's cosmopolitan capital, Budapest. We joined Tauck's local guides for sightseeing in Pest starting with a visit to St. Stephen's Basilica, Budapest's neo-Renaissance cathedral completed in 1905; continuing with Pest's impressive mix of architectural masterpieces and historic monuments, including City Park, patriotic Heroes' Square with its statues of Hungarian leaders through the ages, the Gothic-Revival Parliament building and tree-lined Andrassy Avenue; and time spent wandering through bustling Central Market Hall, a veritable showcase of Hungarian life from food to gifts and cafés.

Today's exploration of Buda begins with a visit the Hungarian Parliament building, rich with history; it is nothing short of an architectural masterpiece. Next, travel to Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where a guided walking tour introduces architectural landmarks such as well-known Fisherman's Bastion. Go back to the days of World War II and the Cold War at the Sziklakórház ("Hospital in the Rock"), a museum recreating underground military medical and civil defense facilities in a former secret nuclear bunker hidden beneath Buda Castle.

Boat arrived in Mohacs this morning and we traveled to Pécs for a walking tour. Explored the fascinating Christian Necropolis, a complex dating back to the 4th century that includes underground burial chambers and chapels adorned with early Christian art and frescoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the 19th century, Pécs was famous worldwide for the exquisite Zsolnay porcelain manufactured here, and our visit included a stop at the Zsolnay Museum for a look at its stunning examples of Art Nouveau stoneware, tiles and pottery.
we visited a winery in Villány for lunch (this region is renowned for its red wines).

We docked in the Baroque city of Vukovar, once showcasing opulent 18th-century mansions, but now poignantly symbolizing the effects of the 1990s war as it rebuilds; We visited the home of a Vukovar family who have recently returned to resume their lives in the city after the conflict. They shared homemade refreshments. We Reboarded the riverboat for lunch and cruise to Novi Sad, Serbia. We had free time during the evening to explore Novi Sad before continuing to Belgrade.

Dock in Belgrade, Serbia's eclectic, cosmopolitan capital at the juncture of the Danube and Sava rivers. We were joined with local guides for a city tour that includes visits to Tito's Memorial and the formidable Kalemegdan Fortress, and views of busy Slavija Square (now one of the city's major squares, but once a large pool where residents hunted wild ducks!), Parliament, Republic Square and City Hall. Following onboard entertainment by Serbian performers during cocktail hour, you'll return to shore for this evening's sparkling dinner at the Royal White Palace of the Serbian Royal Family in Belgrade, built in the 1930s for members of the Yugoslavian royal family and set within the same complex as the Royal Palace of Dedinje, today home to HRH Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia and his family.

Spent the day sailing past the fields and vineyards of Eastern Europe. Pass into Romania and through the Kazan Narrows and the Iron Gate of the Danube, a two-mile-long series of narrow gorges between the Carpathian and Balkan mountain ranges. Along the Bulgarian / Serbian border there is a massive monument of the 2nd-century Dacian King, Decebalus, the last king of Dacia who fought to preserve the independence of his country (now known as Romania). Completed in 2004, it's Europe's tallest rock sculpture, carved into the riverbank on the Romanian side. Also views of the Transylvanian Alps as we cruised to Bulgaria.

Bulgaria today; largely off limits during four centuries of Ottoman rule and decades behind the Iron Curtain, the country's rich natural beauty and history is ours to discover. Disembark after lunch in Ruse – often referred to as "Little Vienna" for its Art Nouveau homes, Austro-Hungarian architecture and lively cafés – for a choice of afternoon sightseeing. A guided walking tour of the Basarabov rock church, and its easily-accessible chapel.

Spent the morning cruising the Danube all the way to Constanta, Romania on the Black Sea coast. Upon arrival in the early afternoon, we took a guided tour of this historic port city, originally the ancient Greek colony of Tomis and home to numerous Greek and Roman antiquities; sights include an Art-Nouveau casino and a monument to the Roman poet Ovid, who was exiled here by the Emperor Augustus. Then it's on to Mamaia, the largest seaside resort on the Black Sea, for some time at leisure to enjoy the beach before returning to the riverboat, docked in Constanta.

Disembarked our riverboat in Constanta and traveled to Bucharest, capital of Romania and once regarded as the "Paris of the Balkans." A sightseeing tour of city landmarks includes Revolution Square and the Triumphal Arch; erected to commemorate Romania's reunification and those who fell in World War I, it is a smaller but otherwise exact copy of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Lunch in the Old Town, the city's charming historic center; a former enclave of artisans and merchants in the 16th century, it's now a trendy district of old inns, antique shops, galleries, and cafes, riddled with winding networks of vaulted cellars, cobblestone streets and passageways. Settle in for the next two nights at the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel in the heart of the city.

A drive to Targoviste to visit the formal royal court of Vlad the Tepes a.k.a. Dracula, and the military barracks museum were the trial and execution of Romania's Communist leader, Ceausescu, took place.