Cruise to the Danube Delta

Travel to Engellhartszell in Austria, where you’ll meet your sleek A-ROSA vessel. Perhaps take a stroll through the town, before your ships departs in the late afternoon.

Overnight, you’ll sail east, toward Vienna.

You’ll arrive in Vienna around lunchtime. Spend the day in the Austrian capital, enjoying an included tour that will introduce this city of Strauss waltzes, ‘coffee and cake’, elegant arcades, the Ringstrasse of imposing buildings, great St Stephan’s Cathedral and the magnificent Hofburg Palace. Perhaps join one of several extra optional excursions that will bring to life this wonderful city, including the imperial summer home, Schönbrunn Palace, whose opulent salons once echoed with the sound of the young Mozart.

Your ship will depart in the early evening for the overnight journey to Hungarian capital Budapest.

Enjoy a morning on your ship, before arriving in Budapest around lunch, where an included city tour will bring to life the ‘Pearl of the Danube’. The most striking monuments are found on the left bank of the river, Buda, and include the romantic Castle Hill, home to the former Royal Palace and to important museums. The vast Gothic Parliament buildings line the right side of the river, Pest, in the style and location of their British counterparts, while the buzzing metropolis of the Belváros, or old town, is a hive of designer stores, elegant coffee houses. Return to your boat to depart around 10pm.

This morning, you’ll stop at Kalocsa for the opportunity to visit nearby Pécs. Located on the slopes of the Mecsek Hills, Pécs is blessed with a Mediterranean-like climate, and grapes, almonds and figs thrive in the region surrounding the city, earning it the nickname of ‘The Mediterranean City’. Over the years, Pécs has been settled by numerous different peoples, which is reflected in its eclectic religious architecture and its multiculturalism. Today, the city is famed for its Zlsolnay ceramic production and several fascinating landmarks, including the UNESCO-protected 4th-century early Christian Necropolis.

Rejoin your ship at Mohács and continue overnight to the Serbian capital Belgrade.

You’ll arrive in Belgrade early in the morning and stay until the evening. Explore the city, either under your own steam, or by joining one of several optional tours, which will really bring this fascinating city to life.

Sitting on the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, Belgrade has been a strategic stronghold for centuries. Overlooking the city is the imposing Kalemegdan Fortress, which dates to the 3rd century BC and was originally built by the Celts. The fort is surrounded by Kalemegdan Park, which meets the old town at its outer reaches. At the heart of the old town is Republic Square, a great place to sit and relax, and maybe try a pljeskavica, a tasty local burger-like snack, served with cream cheese and flatbread.    

Enjoy a relaxing day on the water as you watch some wonderful scenery drift by, perhaps making use of the ship’s facilities.

After a blissful morning’s cruising, you’ll tie up at Rousse (also known as Ruse) just after lunch. Located in northeastern Bulgaria opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, Rousse is famous for its 19th-and-20th-century Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo architecture and is often referred to as Little Venice. Step ashore to explore, perhaps to take a stroll along the Ulitsa Aleksandrovksa, which connects the city’s two main squares, or join in the optional city tour, which takes in the port and the nearby Basarbovo Monastery, located in a cave and dating back to the Ottoman Empire. Enjoy an evening moored at Rousse, before your boat sails late at night.  

Early this morning, you’ll make a brief stop at the Romanian city of Oltenita for a customs and border check before continuing toward the Danube Delta.

This morning, you’ll enter the Danube Delta, a patchwork of marshy land and islets near where the Danube joins the Black Sea. Cruise along the idyllic Saint George distributary, the oldest and most sparsely populated, keeping your eyes open for freshwater and saltwater bird species including pelicans, herons, great white egrets, cormorants, black-winged stilts and spoonbills.

Around midday, you’ll arrive at the Romanian city of Tulcea. This UNESCO-listed city has an interesting history, and was once part of Bulgaria, but is now the Romanian gateway to the Danube Delta. Soak in the unique atmosphere in this city and then choose between two exciting optional excursions on the Delta: a private safari or a boat trip on the upper Delta, before your ship sets sail in the early evening.

Today you can choose to join the optional excursion to Romania’s fascinating capital Bucharest. Moor up at Oltenita and make the one-hour journey by road, where you can choose between several fascinating excursions. Pay a visit to the monumental Palace of the Parliament – the world’s most expensive (and heaviest) administrative building – for an insight into the city’s ommunist past, while the wonderful open-air Village Museum and 17th-century Patriarchal Church provide earlier, alternative perspectives. An afternoon stroll around the colourful, chaotic old town, filled with an ever-increasing number of über-trendy eateries and coffee-houses, is the best way to get to know the modern city. Guests who opt to join the optional excursion to Bucharest will depart the city in the early evening and rejoin the boat at Giurgiu.

Enjoy a relaxing day on the water, perhaps making use of the ship’s spa or other facilities, or maybe just taking in the views with a refreshing drink and good book in hand.  

This afternoon, you’ll pass through one of the most scenic stretches of the Danube, the Iron Gates. Sit back and relax as you cruise past the steep-sided dramatic gorges, and the mighty Danube is reduced to a narrow channel. Keep an eye out for the 141ft-high carving of Decebalus, the last king of Dacia who fought against the Romans and preserved his country’s independence. 

Tie up this morning at the Serbian town of Donji Milanovac, nicknamed the town of 100,000 roses thanks to its abundance of deciduous forest and colourful flowers. Step ashore to explore this charming town under your own steam or join the optional excursion to the nearby Mesolithic and Neolithic archaeological site at Lepenski Vir, which is around 8,000 years old. 

Your ship will sail after lunch, giving you the chance to enjoy a relaxing afternoon on board watching the scenery float by.

This morning you’ll dock at Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-largest city. Dominated by the Petrovaradin Fortress, nicknamed Gibraltar on the Danube, Novi Sad boasts a captivating old town, with a distinctly Italian feel to it. Perhaps join one of several excursions to discover the city, or alternatively explore by your own arrangement.

Your ship will depart in the early afternoon and head to Vukovar, across the Croatian border. Step ashore to explore this lively city, which sits at the confluence of the Danube and the Vuka. The city played an important role in the Croatian War of Independence, and some of its scars are still visible.

Enjoy a relaxing day on the water today, pausing early in the morning for a customs and border check at Mohács. Make the most of the ship’s facilities or watch the scenery pass by as you rest and relax.

This morning, you’ll wake to the delightful scenery of the Wachau Valley. Sit back and relax, as you enjoy a delightful morning cruising on the river, passing by picturesque rolling hills, carpeted with vineyards and dotted with medieval villages and fortresses.

Around lunchtime, you’ll dock at the picturesque town of Melk for the afternoon, home to the famous abbey. Join an optional excursion to explore the magnificent 11th-century abbey, perched high above the town.

Enjoy a last night on board, as you depart Melk in the late afternoon, arriving back at Engelhartszell early the following morning.

Disembark your ship this morning after a fascinating cruise on the Danube.