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Avalon Waterways Active & Discovery on the Danube (Westbound) (WBL)

8 days from Budapest to Deggendorf 
Whether you’re an art lover, a foodie, a history buff, or an energetic adventurer, your Active & Discovery cruise on the Danube River offers included activities and excursions to suit your interests. With Avalon Choice®, you can select the experiences that are perfect for your preference and pace. From Classic to Active to Discovery inclusions, you can explore and experience each destination your way.

Embark your Avalon Suite Ship® in Budapest and enjoy a scenic sailing through the Danube Bend on your way to Visegrád. Attend a Medieval Knights Tournament at a Visegrád castle; see Gustav Klimt’s renowned “The Kiss” painting in Vienna. With Avalon Choice®, each day is yours to spend your way. Whether you prefer browsing the art collection of the Habsburg Empire, sipping local vintages at an Austrian wine tasting, or joining a canoe excursion, your Active & Discovery cruise is packed with included excursions for every pace in every place we go. Sample cheese and beer made by Trappist monks and explore their Abbey gardens; take a hike to Count Dracula’s prison tower; or tour Mauthausen Concentration Camp, one of WWII’s most notorious sites, selecting from an unmatched variety of ways to cruise your way.

Whichever way you choose to explore new locales—from paddling canoes to picnic views—Avalon Choice includes the excursions and activities to invite you to discover each destination your way. Your Active & Discovery Danube River cruise can be as active or leisurely as you like!

Ships: View - Ship TBA IV - Envision - Tranquility II - Illumination - Impression - Passion

Avalon Highlights & Sightseeing

Day 1 Budapest (Embarkation)-Danube Bend: Welcome to Hungary; onboard welcome reception; scenic sailing

Day 2 Visegrád: Choice of medieval knights tournament, or guided hike in the Danube-Ipoly National Park, or canoe tour

Day 3 Vienna: Choice of bike tour, or Insider’s tour of Vienna, or guided tour, visit to Belvedere Palace

Day 4 Vienna: Choice of early risers walking tour with breakfast at a Viennese café, or guided tour, see Habsburg private art collection and the Italian or Dutch masters works, or guided tour, see Habsburg private art collection and the Military Museum

Day 5 Krems-Grein: In Krems choice of canoe tour, or bike tour from Krems to Spitz, or Wine World Experience with tasting, or local encounter showcasing regional products; visit Clam castle in Grein and meet the Count

Day 6 Grein-Mauthausen-Linz: Guided walk in Grein, visit the historical theater; in Mauthausen, choice of visit to St. Florian Monastery, or guided tour of Mauthausen Concentration Camp, or guided bike tour

Day 7 Engelhartszell-Schlögener Oxbow: Choice of visit to Engelszell Abbey, or visit Jochenstein Power-Station or guided bike tour; choice of scenic cruising around the Schlögener Oxbow, or guided hike along the Danube trails

Day 8 Deggendorf (Disembarkation): Your cruise ends this morning

Special Interest Departures

07/23/2024 - Active & Discovery on the Danube with Sister Hazel (Westbound)

Related Avalon Tours

WBL - Active & Discovery on the Danube (Westbound)
WBLE - With 2 Nights in Prague
WBLP - With 1 Night in Budapest & 2 Nights in Prague
WBLQ - With 1 Night in Budapest
WLB - Active & Discovery on the Danube (Eastbound)

Itinerary (2024)

Day 1BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (EMBARKATION)–DANUBE BEND
 Welcome to Hungary. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding.

Flights into Budapest must arrive by 3:30 pm.

Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.

The day is yours to relax and enjoy Eastern Europe’s shining city on the Danube.

Enjoy a Hungarian Dinner on board during a scenic cruise through the Danube Bend.

Later, enjoy live entertainment onboard.

EVENING CRUISE TO VISEGRÁD

(D)
Day 2VISEGRÁD
 Jousting Tournaments and Dracula’s Tower

ACTIVE Visit Count Dracula’s prison tower on a Hiking Tour, OR:

ACTIVE Take part in a Canoe Excursion through the picturesque Bend Region of the Danube for a truly unique perspective of one of the river’s most beautiful stretches, OR:

DISCOVERY Join a Guided Visit to the Medieval Knights Tournament at Visegrád’s Lower Castle, featuring targeting and fighting demonstrations by members of the St. George Knightly Order.

Spend free time after your selected activities to explore Palotaház, where stonemasons, smiths, potters, and paper-makers produce their traditional items using age-old techniques.

AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO VIENNA

(B,L,D)
Day 3VIENNA, AUSTRIA
 Strauss, Schnitzel, Strudel and Sachertorte the Blue Danube

ACTIVE Take a Guided Bike Tour along the famed Ringstrasse and pedestrian avenues of Vienna to see the city’s highlights from a unique perspective, OR:

DISCOVERY Take an Insider’s Tour of Vienna to get behind the scenes of her sights and attractions. You will meet locals, have the chance to prepare some food, and enjoy other surprises, OR:

CLASSIC Take a Guided Sightseeing Tour of Vienna, including a tour of Belvedere Palace to see Gustave Klimt’s renowned “Kiss” painting.

Spend free time this afternoon strolling through the pedestrian Kärntnerstrasse then take a break for a piece of Sachertorte.

This evening consider joining an optional excursion to attend a Royal Waltz Concert in an elegant hall.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN VIENNA

(B,L,D)
Day 4VIENNA
 Feast for the Soul

DISCOVERY Enjoy a morning Guided Walking Tour to see the city in her best light, along with breakfast at a Viennese café, OR:

CLASSIC Dive into one of the world’s most important museums with a Guided Tour of the Habsburg family’s private art collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, and enjoy Italian or Dutch master works, OR:

CLASSIC Take a Guided Tour of the Museum of Fine Arts, followed by the Military Museum, commemorating the past of the Habsburg Empire.

OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO KREMS

(B,L,D)
Day 5KREMS
 Take a Canoe or a Bike through Austria’s Wine Country

Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.

ACTIVE Paddle a canoe on a Guided Tour to see the Austrian waterways and shoreline scenery from a unique perspective, OR:

ACTIVE Take a Guided Bike Tour from Krems to Spitz, and enjoy a stop in Dürnstein to see the mesmerizing blue Stiftskirche, and to sample local specialties, OR:

DISCOVERY Join an interactive Wine World Experience with wine tasting, OR:

DISCOVERY Enjoy a Guided Visit that showcases production of regional fruits, vegetables, wine, or other products.

Relax on board this afternoon to enjoy the picturesque Wachau Valley scenery as you cruise to Grein.

GREIN

A Modern-Day Castle and the Count

DISCOVERY See Burg Clam on a Guided Visit, and meet the Count of Clam during your tour.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN GREIN

(B,L,D)
Day 6GREIN
 Theater History...Alive and Well in Grein

CLASSIC Take a Guided Walk of Grein, including its historic theater, the oldest in Austria still holding regular performances.

Take a mid-morning cruise to Mauthausen.

MAUTHAUSEN

History Lessons and Monastic Life

ACTIVE Take a Guided Bike Tour along the Danube and discover how fertile this area is. Stop at a local farm and learn more about farming life and flood protection, OR:

CLASSIC Visit the 9th-century St. Florian Monastery—the largest monastery in upper Austria and home to Augustine monks, OR:

CLASSIC Join a sobering Guided Tour of Mauthausen Concentration Camp, one of the largest and most brutal Nazi camp of WWII.

This afternoon sail to Linz arriving this evening.

LINZ

Tonight, enjoy live entertainment on board your ship.

OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ENGELHARTSZELL

(B,L,D)
Day 7ENGELHARTSZELL–SCHLÖGEN OXBOW
 Memories and Beer in the Making

ACTIVE Bike your way to a local trappist monastery in Engelhartszell, OR:

DISCOVERY Join a Guided Tour to the “House by the stream” (Haus am Strom) and walk across the Danube Power-Station Jochenstein, OR:

CLASSIC Visit the stunning rococo-style Engelszell Abbey, and explore its Sensory Garden—complete with stone labyrinth, herb garden, and vineyard. Sample cheese and beer made by the resident Trappist monks.

ACTIVE This afternoon, enjoy a scenic Guided Hike along the Danube’s Schlögen Oxbow, a dramatic bend carved by centuries.

Or, as a relaxing option, enjoy free time on the Sky Deck this afternoon while you sail through the amazing horseshoe bend of the Danube’s Schlögen Oxbow on your way to Deggendorf.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO DEGGENDORF

(B,L,D)
Day 8DEGGENDORF (DISEMBARKATION)
 Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning.

Flights should not leave Munich airport before 8 am.

(B)

Avalon Pricing Details

Gateway city for departures is Munich.

Port charges:
$210

Gratuities to Local Guides & Excursion Drivers are included.

Avalon offers the opportunity for solo travelers to sail with no single supplement (subject to availability).

Please call for single accommodation details and prices. Triples not available.

Avalon Notes

  • In the event of technical or water level issues, it may be necessary to operate the itinerary by motorcoach or alter the program, including hotel overnight when necessary.
  • Guided Tours, Optional Excursions, activities, sailing and docking schedules may be contingent on weather conditions or other issues outside of our control and could therefore be subject to change at any time.
  • Please check visa requirements with your local consulate(s); responsibility for obtaining visas rests with the traveler.

Avalon Waterways Fleet

Click Quote for an Avalon Waterways Tour Date for our low price tour quote


Avalon Tour Dates

Tour Land StartAvalon RetailRequest Quote
*05/16/2024 $3,899.00
*06/05/2024 $3,999.00
*07/18/2024 $3,899.00
*07/23/2024 $3,899.00
*08/27/2024 $4,199.00
*05/06/2025 $3,899.00
*05/27/2025 $3,999.00
*06/11/2025 $3,999.00
*06/30/2025 $3,999.00
*07/14/2025 $3,899.00
*08/23/2025 $4,099.00
*09/06/2025 $4,299.00
*09/16/2025 $4,299.00
*09/30/2025 $4,199.00
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