Summary
Short description
Sail in style between the off-the-beaten-path gems of Eastern Europe with Uniworld
Highlights
- A luxury all-inclusive Danube river cruise experience
- Begin with two pre-cruise days exploring Bucharest
- Explore historic ports and cities of Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Hungary
- Scenic cruising through the dramatic Iron Gates
- A private after-hours visit to Serbia’s largest museum
In Brief
- 3 Nights Bucharest
- 1 Night Ruse
- 1 Night Vidin
- 1 Night Golubac
- 1 Night Belgrade
- 1 Night Mohács
- 1 Night Budapest
In pictures
About
Recommended for:
River cruise
Embark on an all-inclusive Danube river cruise with Uniworld to explore the best of Eastern Europe, including time in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia and Hungary. Begin with two pre-cruise days in Bucharest to delve into Romanian culture and history. Embark your luxury cruise and make your way through Bulgaria, with stops in Ruse and Vidin and scenic cruising through the unforgettable Iron Gates. Explore Belgrade, including a private after-hours visit to Serbia’s largest museum, and make your way into Croatia before finishing your cruise in Budapest. You will have a full day and evening to explore this fascinating city before disembarking. Your cruise fare includes all meals, drinks, gratuities and more, so you will want for nothing while sailing along the historic waters of the Danube.
Day by day itinerary
Day
1
Depart for Bucharest
Enjoy complimentary airport lounge access before your flight from the UK to Bucharest. Upon arrival, a transfer will take you to your hotel (group or private transfers are available). Spend the rest of the day at leisure.
Stay: Luxury hotel accommodation in Budapest
Day
2
Bucharest, Romania
Get to know Romania’s capital city with a day to explore on your own. It's a city packed with impressive architecture, fascinating museums, beautiful parks and plenty of superb places to eat and drink. A stroll through the Old Town is a must, as is visiting the Palace of Parliament (the second-largest administrative building in the world after the Pentagon), which offers a fascinating insight into the city's communist past. And if you fancy an escape to a green oasis within easy reach of the city, King Michael I Park (formerly known as Herăstrău Park) is a delightful spot for a leisurely wander.
Stay: Luxury hotel accommodation in Budapest
Meals: B
Day
3
Embark Uniworld cruise
Enjoy a guided city tour of Bucharest today, discovering its fascinating combination of communist grandiosity, elegant French-influenced 19th-century buildings, and even some surprising relics from the 16th century.
Later on, you will be transferred via motorcoach to Giurgiu, where your Uniworld cruise will begin. Enjoy the Captain’s welcome reception and your first dinner onboard this evening.
Stay: S.S. Beatrice or River Duchess
Meals: B D
Day
4
Ruse, Bulgaria
Ruse is sometimes called “Little Vienna” due to its abundance of elegant architecture. Today, you will be able to choose between two shore excursions. A walking tour includes Freedom Square, the grand theatre, a city museum, and more. Walk through the woods of Runeski Lom to UNESCO World Heritage Site Ivanovo Rock Monastery, famous for its 14th-century murals. Basarbovo Rock Monastery is the only rock monastery where monks still live and worship.
Alternatively, visit Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria’s former capital. Perched on hills above the Yantra River, remains of great stone walls and towers once formed the heart of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Discover handicrafts in the Samovod Marketplace before heading to Abanassi, home to six 17th-century stone churches. Hear a choir in a short concert and enjoy a three-course Bulgarian lunch with accompanying folk music.
Stay: S.S. Beatrice or River Duchess
Meals: B L D
Day
5
Vidin, Bulgaria
Vidin is your base for a visit to the Belogradchik rock formations. Drive through scenic countryside to Belogradchik to explore the astonishing, 200-million-year-old rock formations. This is the stuff of legend. Learn the names of these weather-worn shapes, which once formed natural defences for the town. If you’re up for it, hike to the top with a local expert. Either way, you’ll experience incredible views. There will also be time to learn about Vidin’s rich heritage.
Alternatively, head to the village of Negovanovtsi to visit Dos Alamos Winery, a boutique estate, for a tasting. They make excellent use of the combination of sandy soil, continental weather and plenty of sunshine.
Stay: S.S. Beatrice or River Duchess
Meals: B L D
Day
6
Cruising the Iron Gates
You’ll spend most of today enjoying the spectacular scenery along the Danube as you cruise a stretch of gorges known as the Iron Gates, among the most dramatic sights in all of Europe. Take time to unwind and watch these beautiful sights unfold before you. Later, head ashore to Lepenski Vir, a significant Palaeolithic site, and Golubac Castle, a well-preserved medieval fortress looming over the Danube.
Stay: S.S. Beatrice or River Duchess
Meals: B L D
Day
7
Belgrade, Serbia
Belgrade dates back 7,000 years, making it one of Europe’s oldest cities. Serbia’s capital city bears plenty of scars from its tumultuous history, though the city’s vibrant present also shines through. Tonight, enjoy a private after-hours visit to the National Museum of Serbia. Explore the museum, which is the largest in Serbia and home to an impressive collection of Serbian art and archaeological findings. After exploring, take a seat and enjoy a special quartet performance.
Stay: S.S. Beatrice or River Duchess
Meals: B L D
Day
8
Vukovar, Batina (Croatia) & Mohács (Hungary)
Welcome to Croatia. Dock in Vukovar and choose between two shore excursions. Both options include a visit to the lovely village of Karanac for explorations of Croatian craftsmanship and then on to the Vučedol Museum. The entire structure was designed to be all but buried in the ground, with only the façade open to the landscape. Its serpentine shape follows the terrain, and its green roof is home to the archaeological sites over the museum. It is full of various archaeological findings. You can choose to either have lunch at a family restaurant afterwards or enjoy a home-hosted meal. You'll then return to the ship and cross the border to Mohács in Hungary.
Stay: S.S. Beatrice or River Duchess
Meals: B L D
Day
9
Budapest, Hungary
The ship will dock in Budapest today, where you'll have the opportunity to learn about the history of the Hungarian capital on one of two tours. A panoramic tour shows you Budapest in a whistlestop way, visiting Andrássy Avenue and the former Jewish Quarter before hopping off the motorcoach at Dohány Street Synagogue. This is the largest synagogue in Europe and one of the most striking buildings in Budapest.
Alternatively, embark on a walking tour exploring Budapest’s communist past. Begin at the Budapest Retro Interactive Museum and drive by Heroes’ Square on the way to Gellért Hill. The monument here was erected to celebrate the “liberation” from Nazi occupation, but the statue’s inscription was later altered to celebrate Hungarian freedom from the Soviet Union.
The captain’s farewell dinner is served onboard this evening.
Stay: S.S. Beatrice or River Duchess
Meals: B L D
Day
10
Return to UK
Disembark your Uniworld cruise today. You will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight back to the UK. Alternatively, why not extend your time in Budapest, we can arrange a two-night post-cruise extension for you including luxury accommodation. Please speak to a one of our specialists for more details.
Meals: B
Map
Pricing
Any element of this cruise can be adjusted to suit your needs. Just contact us to find out more.
Prices
Accommodation rating:
10-day luxury river cruise holiday
from £3,110 pp incl. flights
Early booking offer - save 10% on departure dates in 2026
Book by: 30 November 2024
Special offer:
- Save 10% on selected departure dates in 2026 - prices from £3,460 pp
- 2025 departure dates from £3,110 pp
Includes:
- Scheduled flights from the UK to Bucharest and back from Budapest
- 2-nights hotel stay in Bucharest
- 8-night luxury river cruise aboard SS Beatrice, River Duchess or River Princess depending on voyage date
- All transfers on a group/shared basis
- All gratuities onboard and onshore
- In-suite butler service
- Delicious onboard dining and unlimited beverages (including many premium spirits and wines)
- A variety of excursions led by English-speaking local experts
- Bicycles and Nordic walking sticks
- State-of-the-art Quietvox portable audio-headset system on all excursions
- Shipwide internet and wi-fi access
Departures most Sundays from March to September.
The itinerary operates in reverse on selected dates from Budapest to Bucharest.
Price varies by departure date and stateroom availability, please call for details.
Terms & Conditions: Prices are per person based on two people sharing a twin/double room; prices are subject to availability and possible change; normal booking conditions apply.
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