Itinerary
- Day 1
Budapest
Included Activities
- Airport transfer to hotel
- Day 2
Budapest
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Guided coach tour of Budapest including Chain Bridge and Parliament building
Optional Activities
- Tastes of Hungary - culinary tour sampling goulash, lángos, chimney cake, and pálinka at markets and eateries (1.5 hours, Easy activity level)
Landmarks Chain Bridge Parliament Building Danube River - Day 3
Budapest to Danube River
- Meals
- Dinner (Welcome dinner on board)
Included Activities
- Coach transfer to Emerald Star-Ship
- Welcome dinner on board
- Day 4
Ordas
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Puszta Equestrian Heritage - travel to the Great Hungarian Plain to watch traditional performance showcasing exceptional equestrian skills of Magyar cowboys, including horse parade and exercise drills
- Day 5
Novi Sad
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided walking tour of Novi Sad including market, Orthodox Cathedral, City Hall, Catholic Cathedral, and Synagogue
Optional Activities
- Home-hosted lunch with a Serbian family - visit a local home and share a traditional lunch while discussing Serbian traditions and daily life
- Guided e-bike tour in Novi Sad - ride along the Danube promenade and past iconic landmarks with leisurely cycling pace
Landmarks Petrovaradin Fortress Orthodox Cathedral Catholic Cathedral Synagogue - Day 6
Belgrade
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Highlights of Belgrade coach tour including Church of Saint Sava, Parliament Building, Republic Square, City Hall, and Tito's Mausoleum
Optional Activities
- Serbian folklore evening show on board - watch local musicians and dancers perform traditional dances from around Serbia in authentic, colourful costumes
- Guided e-bike tour in Belgrade - cycle through the city to experience landmarks and natural beauty along the Danube, including Belgrade Waterfront, Staro Sajmiste (former concentration camp), and Ada Island
- Routes of Nikola Tesla - visit museum dedicated to Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla, see working models of his machines, personal items, and visions of the future (2.5 hours, Moderate activity level)
Landmarks Church of Saint Sava Parliament Building Republic Square City Hall Tito's Mausoleum Belgrade Waterfront Staro Sajmiste Ada Island Nikola Tesla Museum 
- Day 7
Golubac - Donji Milanovac
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit to Lepenski Vir archaeological site and museum
Optional Activities
- Golubac Castle visit - walking tour of the medieval fortress built at the entrance to the Iron Gates where the Danube is widest before entering the Carpathian gorge, offering strategic control of East-West routes (2 hours, Moderate activity level)
Landmarks Lepenski Vir Iron Gates Decebalus Rock Carving Golubac Fortress - Day 8
Golubac - Donji Milanovac
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Guided hike to Belogradchik Fortress - transfer to the park for a guided hike to the ancient mountaintop fortress in Bulgaria, first built during Roman Empire times, extended in the 14th century and by the Ottomans until the Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885
- Traditional Bulgarian pastry making - watch your host prepare banitsa pastry, then learn to make your own. Banitsa features dough sheets with various fillings, most popularly white cheese and eggs. Tasting served with Lactobacillus Bulgaricus yoghurt (3 hours 15 minutes, Easy activity level)
Landmarks Belogradchik Rock Fortress 
- Day 9
Rousse
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Walking tour of Rousse including Court House, City Hall, Opera Building, Alexandrovska shopping street, and St. Trinity Church with coffee and cake at a local restaurant
Optional Activities
- Guided hike to Ivanovo Church - transfer to River Lom Nature Park for active hike to World Heritage-listed Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo from the 13th and 14th centuries, featuring exquisite frescoes of biblical scenes
- Full day tour of Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanasi - visit the former capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire with its three-hill fortifications and cobbled streets, then explore Arbanasi on a high plateau with traditional houses and old churches (8.5 hours, Moderate activity level)
Landmarks Court House City Hall Opera Building St. Trinity Church Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo Veliko Tarnovo Arbanasi - Day 10
Giurgiu to Bucharest
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided coach tour through Bucharest with visit to Spring Palace
- Visit to Nicolae Ceaușescu's private residence
Landmarks Palace of Parliament Spring Palace 
- Day 11
Bucharest to Brasov
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch at Bran Castle)
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Bran Castle with lunch
Landmarks Bran Castle 
- Day 12
Brasov
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Guided city tour of Brasov including Museum of Urban Civilisations and Black Church
Optional Activities
- Prejmer & Harman UNESCO Fortified Churches - visit Transylvanian villages founded by Saxons featuring fortified churches with striking building styles from the 13th to 16th centuries, preserving centuries-old land-use systems and settlement patterns (3 hours, Moderate activity level)
Landmarks Black Church Museum of Urban Civilisations Prejmer Fortified Church Harman Fortified Church - Day 13
Brasov
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Sighisoara & Viscri Village - visit the World Heritage-listed medieval town of Sighisoara founded by German Saxon craftsmen and merchants, explore hilly streets of this well-preserved 16th-century gem, then visit Viscri Village and enjoy a delicious lunch with the locals (8 hours 30 minutes including free time for lunch, Moderate activity level)
Landmarks Old Town Square Mount Tampa Sighisoara Viscri Village - Day 14
Brasov to Bucharest
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch at Peles Castle)
Included Activities
- Peles Castle visit with lunch
Landmarks Peles Castle - Day 15
Bucharest
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
