Musical Magic Along the Blue Danube

•   Gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors, Tauck Cruise Directors and “Maestros”

Day 1: Arrive Budapest
A transfer is included from Budapest’s Ferihegy Airport to the Budapest Marriott Hotel. Your musical odyssey begins at Tauck’s exclusive welcome reception and dinner at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, where a local trio performs traditional Hungarian music.
Overnight:
Meals Included:

Day 2: Discovering Franz Liszt's Budapest
Statues of Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi and Liszt greet you at the 1884 State Opera House in Pest; expect some surprises on a guided tour of this neo-Renaissance masterpiece, including the private box of Habsburg Empress Elisabeth (“Sisi”). Join us for a private tour of Franz Liszt’s reconstructed Budapest flat, where the beloved Hungarian composer and piano virtuoso resided between 1881 and 1886; see many of his instruments, scores and personal effects. After time sightseeing or rehearsing with our guest choir, join us for a performance at one of Budapest’s premier concert venues, boasting superb acoustics.
Overnight:
Meals Included:

Day 3: Bartók & More / Your Cruise Begins
Head to Buda for a walking tour and, if you wish, time to check out the Museum of Music History, interpreting centuries of Hungarian musical life in a former palace on Castle Hill. The legacy of Béla Bartók lives on in his 1924 home, now a museum and memorial dedicated to the composer and musicologist; hear his melodies in a piano recital during your visit. Embark ms Swiss Jewel at the dock in Budapest; meet the Captain and crew at tonight’s reception and dinner, where Tauck’s “maestros” welcome you aboard with a musical performance!
Overnight:
Meals Included:

Day 4: Bratislava, City of Prodigies
After a morning’s cruise with lectures, workshops and a guest choir rehearsal, arrive in Bratislava, Slovakia, the Baroque stomping grounds of great musical prodigies. A walking tour features an exclusive behind-the-scenes visit to the 1886 Opera House, where you’ll meet a former director. Stroll down a lane where 6-year-old Mozart performed and 9-year-old Liszt played across the street 58 years later – around the corner, 30 years after that, one of Liszt’s young students inspired him to write a sonata for the boy! There’s a treat in store on your visit to the Primate’s Palace; tonight, attend an interactive traditional Slovak wedding dinner filled with music and dance at a historic 16th-century stone winery.
Overnight:
Meals Included:

Day 5: Vienna, Austria... a Musical Feast
If you had to choose only one European city to musically explore, Vienna – home to Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Strauss – would be it! Get your bearings on a city tour, then choose a visit to Schönbrunn Palace or an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at world-famous Bösendorfer pianos at their salon in the Musikverein. Enjoy a tour of the Musikverein, Vienna’s grand concert hall, do some exploring on your own and have an early dinner before a performance tonight at the Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera), where Mahler and Strauss made musical history, or at an alternate venue in magical Vienna (subject to opening and performance availability).
Overnight:
Meals Included:

Day 6: A Tale of an Orchestra and a Palace
Vienna springs to musical life on a day featuring a pair of Tauck Exclusives. First, sit in on a rehearsal at beautiful Auersperg Palace to watch a noted Vienna orchestra preparing for an upcoming performance. Nothing quite compares to the royal treatment – and pageantry – you will experience tonight at our private Imperial Evening in the historic Palais Pallavicini. Enjoy welcome cocktails and apéritifs... an amazing dinner where every plate is revealed simultaneously... an orchestra... Mozart... a ballet... This is Tauck’s Vienna.
Overnight:
Meals Included:

Day 7: Melk Abbey & Some Musical Cruising
Melk Abbey, a beautiful Benedictine monastery complex overlooking the Danube, has been a significant center of learning and culture since its founding over 900 years ago. Get a sense of the importance of music to the abbey’s cultural life through the ages as you tour its lovely Baroque buildings dating to the early 18th century, which often host concerts and musicals today. Back on the riverboat, enjoy lectures by our Maestros, a guest choir rehearsal, and an onboard concert by trio Donau Klang.
Overnight:
Meals Included:

Day 8: Everything Mozart in Salzburg
Picture a boy of five wowing a royal audience with his piano virtuosity... then crawling up on the lap of the Empress of half of Europe, and giving her a kiss! That was little Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in Salzburg in 1756. Walk in his footsteps today on an excursion from Linz to his Baroque hometown, visiting his birthplace, among other locations, and enjoying lunch along with informal scenes from his operas at the centuries-old Stiftskeller St. Peter, where the composer himself may have dined. Following free time in Salzburg – where much of The Sound of Music was filmed – enjoy guest choir rehearsal and return to the ship for dinner and an evening of karaoke with a twist!
Overnight:
Meals Included:

Day 9: Organ Music in Passau and Cruising
Dock in Passau, Germany, to visit St. Stephan’s Cathedral, home to Europe’s largest pipe organ, for a private behind-the-scenes tour and a demonstration of this amazing instrument. En route to Regensburg, enjoy seminars, workshops, a guest choir rehearsal, and an onboard evening of musical trivia fun!
Overnight:
Meals Included:

Day 10: Regensburg and on to Prague
Disembark ms Swiss Jewel in Regensburg, Germany’s largest surviving medieval city, where walking is a delight; a local guide leads the way to Germany’s oldest stone bridge, the Altes Rathaus, and Gothic Dom St. Peter, home to the world-renowned Regensburger Domspatzen boys’ choir. Explore and enjoy lunch on your own, perhaps sampling some of Regensburg’s famous Bavarian sausage, before traveling to historic Prague for a two-night stay.
Overnight:
Meals Included:

Day 11: Beethoven, Mozart and More in Prague
Many musical giants have left their mark on beautiful Prague, as you’ll discover on a walking tour of the Czech capital’s medieval Old Town. See the Estates Theatre, where Mozart himself conducted the premiere of his opera Don Giovanni, and enjoy free time in Prague this afternoon. Tonight, it’s a final Tauck Exclusive: view original Beethoven manuscripts as a string quartet plays the composer’s works during a private evening in Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle. Your memorable evening includes a reception, dinner, concert, tour of the Lobkowicz family collection and our guest choir performance!
Overnight:
Meals Included:

Day 12: Head Home with a Song in Your Heart
Tour ends: Prague, Czech Republic. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the Prague Marriott Hotel to Prague’s Ruzyne Airport; allow a minimum of 3 hours for flight check-in.
Overnight:
Meals Included:

Day 13:

Overnight:
Meals Included:

Day 14:

Overnight:
Meals Included:

Touring Date	Land Only	Land + Air	Single (Land Only)	Single (Land + Air)
5/24/2012 - 6/5/2012	$5,990
7/19/2012 - 7/31/2012	$4,890
8/30/2012 - 9/11/2012	$5,990
10/11/2012 - 10/23/2012	$4,890
Note: Departures appearing above in green are guaranteed to operate by the tour operator.
Airfare Disclaimer A NOTE ABOUT AIRFARE: We encourage you to buy your airfare from the tour operator, because if your tour cancels then your airlines tickets will be covered. Purchasing flights separately at a lesser rate and incorporating it with a Non-Guaranteed Departure Date can result in loss of total cost of your flight investment. Depending on the fare rules, flights may be Non-Refundable and/or Non-Transferable. Neither the tour operator and/or Atlas Cruises & Tours will be held responsible for loss if a tour is cancelled for Lack of Participation. If you would like to check for discounted fares on Guaranteed Departures or for competitive pricing on air and hotel packages, we invite you to follow this link. Documents TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Necessary Travel Documents such as Passports and Visas is the responsibility of the traveler. Passports must be valid six months from your return travel date.

Ratings & Reviews:

This tour has no reviews yet. Have you experienced this tour? Write a review.

Related Travel Articles

• Kyoto, Japan
• See Europe :: Travel Safely and In Style, Escorted Tours
• Europe Language Tips
• Tours :: The Most Common Questions about Escorted Tours