Cruise & Tour: 22 Day Grand Capitals of Europe: Berlin to Amsterdam

Welcome to Germany. On arrival in Berlin, make your own way to your hotel, leaving the rest of the day free to begin discovering the city at your own pace.Berlin wears its history openly. The Brandenburg Gate stood at the centre of the divided city and is now the symbol of its reunification, the Reichstag sits behind it under a glass dome open to the public, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe covers a full block just to the south. Museum Island, in the middle of the Spree, holds five museums in one UNESCO listed complex. Depending on your arrival time, a walk along Unter den Linden takes in most of this in an afternoon.This evening is at leisure. The streets around Hackescher Markt and Prenzlauer Berg have a good spread of restaurants and beer gardens within easy reach for a first meal, before an early night ahead of a full day in the city tomorrow.Special InformationAirport transfers are not included. Our transfer portal may offer the option to book your airport transfers for an easier arrival experience (additional charges apply). Access to this portal will be available through your Traveller Hub once your booking is confirmed.Please note - this itinerary is unescorted. You will make your way between destinations. A step by step guide will be included in your documentation.

Today is yours to spend in Berlin, with a 24 hour hop-on hop-off bus pass included. The route links the main sights across the centre, from the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate to the wide socialist boulevards of the former East, with commentary on board and the freedom to get off wherever you like and carry on by foot.Berlin is a large city and the bus covers ground that would otherwise take a full day to walk. Checkpoint Charlie, the surviving stretch of Wall at the East Side Gallery, Museum Island and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the west all sit on or near the route. Away from the main sights, Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg are worth an hour on foot for the cafes, the courtyards and the street markets.An optional half day tour of Cold War Berlin is available today. Otherwise, the remainder of the day and the evening are yours to enjoy at leisure.Inspiring HighlightsBerlin Hop-on Hop-off Bus, 24 hoursSpecial InformationYour hop-on hop-off bus ticket and boarding details will be included in your final documentation. The pass is valid for 24 hours from first use.

This morning, after breakfast, check out of your hotel and board the direct train south to Prague, a journey of around four hours. The line follows the Elbe through the sandstone gorges of Saxon Switzerland and on into Bohemia, and is one of the more scenic rail routes in central Europe.Prague sits on the Vltava and came through the twentieth century with its centre almost untouched, which is why so much of it survives. Spend the afternoon at leisure among the spires, the medieval Charles Bridge and the lanes of the Old Town, with the castle complex rising above the far bank.The Old Town Square is the natural place to start, with the astronomical clock on the side of the town hall and the twin towers of the Church of Our Lady before Týn behind it. From there the streets run down to the river and across the bridge into Malá Strana, where the lanes climb towards the castle.Special InformationYour travel time today will be approximately 4 hours.Your train tickets and step by step directions to the station will be included in your final documentation.

Today is yours to spend in Prague, with a panoramic cruise on the Vltava included. The boat runs for just under an hour below the Charles Bridge and past the National Theatre, with the castle and St Vitus Cathedral on the skyline above.The rest of the day is at leisure. The Old Town is compact and best covered on foot, from the astronomical clock on the Old Town Square through the narrow lanes of the Jewish Quarter, where six synagogues and the old cemetery are preserved together. Across the river, Malá Strana climbs towards the castle through baroque palaces and terraced gardens.An optional half day city tour is available today for those who would rather see the highlights with a guide. Otherwise, the remainder of the day and the evening are yours to enjoy at leisure.Inspiring HighlightsPanoramic Vltava River CruiseSpecial InformationYour cruise ticket and directions to the pier will be included in your final documentation.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and board the direct train to Budapest, a long journey of around seven hours through Moravia, southern Slovakia and out onto the Hungarian plain. The line runs through farmland and small towns for most of the way, so it is worth having something to read.Budapest is two cities joined by the Danube. Buda climbs the hills on the west bank around the castle, and Pest spreads flat across the east with the boulevards, the Parliament and most of the restaurants and bars. The rest of the day is at leisure to settle in.The evening is at your leisure, the Danube embankment is a short walk with the Parliament, Chain Bridge and castle all lit after dark.Special InformationYour travel time today will be approximately 7 hours.Please note this is a long rail day. Catering on board can be limited, so we suggest buying food and water before you board.

This morning after breakfast, a three hour guided tour takes in the highlights on both banks of the Danube. The route covers the castle district in Buda, Fisherman’s Bastion and its terraces looking back across the river, Heroes’ Square at the top of Andrássy Avenue, and the Parliament building on the Pest embankment.The afternoon is at leisure. Budapest sits on a network of thermal springs and the bath houses are the obvious way to spend it, whether the grand Széchenyi baths in the City Park or the Gellért baths in their Art Nouveau building on the Buda side. Both are open to visitors and swimwear is required.Otherwise, the Great Market Hall, the Dohány Street Synagogue, the largest in Europe, and the ruin bars in the old Jewish quarter are all within walking distance of the centre. The evening is at leisure.Inspiring HighlightsBuda Castle districtFisherman’s BastionHeroes’ SquareParliament buildingSpecial InformationYour Grand City Tour voucher and the meeting point will be included in your final documentation. The tour runs for approximately three hours this morning.

Spend the day at leisure in Budapest, or head further afield on an optional excursion.In the city, Andrássy Avenue runs from the centre out to Heroes’ Square and is lined with the opera house, embassies and old coffee houses, with the first underground railway on the European continent running beneath it. The Buda hills are reached by the cog railway or the chairlift, and the Citadella on Gellért Hill gives the widest view over the river and the bridges.The optional excursion today heads north along the Danube Bend. Otherwise, the remainder of the day and the evening are yours to enjoy at leisure.

After breakfast our rail tour comes to an end, and we make our way to the ship in Budapest to board our AmaWaterways river cruise.We settle into our stateroom and meet our fellow travellers over dinner on board as our voyage along the Danube begins.

We call at Bratislava, the Slovakian capital, where Baroque palaces, boutiques and cafes line the medieval old town. On a walking tour we take in the highlights with a local guide.Inspiring HighlightsBratislava walking tour

We arrive in Vienna, the former imperial capital, its city centre a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A city tour takes in the Opera House, the Habsburgs’ former Imperial Palace and St Stephen’s Cathedral, with time to enjoy the city’s gentle rhythm.Inspiring HighlightsHistoric Vienna tour

We cruise the UNESCO-listed Wachau Valley, past terraced vineyards and hilltop ruins. Ashore we take a walking tour of Durnstein and a tasting of the valley’s wines, with the Benedictine abbey of Melk on the river.Inspiring HighlightsDurnstein walking tour and wine tasting

From Linz we take a full-day excursion to Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart and the setting for The Sound of Music, set against the Alps, taking in the historic centre, Mirabell Gardens and the old town.Inspiring HighlightsFull-day Salzburg excursion

We call at Regensburg, one of Germany’s best-preserved medieval cities, with its UNESCO old town, the Old Town Hall and the medieval Stone Bridge over the Danube.Inspiring HighlightsRegensburg UNESCO city walking tour

We reach Nuremberg for a guided tour of the historic city and its heritage, the Imperial Castle above the old town and the reconstructed streets of half-timbered houses.Inspiring HighlightsNuremberg heritage and city tour

A second day in Nuremberg, with historic tours and riverside views and a choice of touring, before we enter the Main-Danube Canal, crossing Europe’s continental divide.Inspiring HighlightsChoice of Nuremberg toursMain-Danube Canal transit

We arrive in Bamberg, a UNESCO World Heritage town with one of the largest medieval centres in Europe. A walking tour takes in the cathedral and the Old Town Hall set in the river, with a tasting of the city’s smoked beer.Inspiring HighlightsBamberg UNESCO walking tour and smoked beer tasting

We reach Wurzburg on the Main, a city of Baroque architecture. A walking tour includes the UNESCO-listed Residenz Palace with its Tiepolo ceiling fresco.Inspiring HighlightsWurzburg and the Residenz Palace

We call at Wertheim, one of the loveliest riverside towns in Germany, gathered below the ruins of its hilltop castle.Inspiring HighlightsWertheim walking tour

We arrive in Rudesheim in the Rhine wine country. This afternoon we cruise the UNESCO-listed Rhine Gorge, past hilltop castles, the Lorelei Rock and the vineyards on both banks.Inspiring HighlightsRudesheimScenic cruising of the Rhine Gorge

From Dusseldorf we take a guided tour to Cologne, home to one of Germany’s great Gothic cathedrals. We explore the Old Town, the Rathaus (Germany’s oldest town hall), the Old Market and the Heumarkt, with a taste of the local Kolsch beer. Alternatively we join a guided bike ride along the Rhine.Inspiring HighlightsCologne guided Old Town tour and Kolsch tasting, or a Rhine bike ride

We arrive in Amsterdam. We might take a canal cruise through the UNESCO-listed ring of waterways, past the bridges and canal houses, discovering the city’s culture.Inspiring HighlightsAmsterdam canal cruise

This morning we disembark our ship in Amsterdam and make our own way onward.Thank you for travelling with Inspiring Vacations. We hope you had a memorable journey by rail and river.Special InformationTransfers from the ship, and international airfares home, are not included.