Cruise & Tour: 22 Day Imperial Capitals & Grand Cities: Budapest to Paris

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

Welcome to the Netherlands. On arrival in Amsterdam, make your own way to your hotel, leaving the rest of the day free to begin discovering the city at your own pace.Amsterdam grew wealthy in the seventeenth century on trade carried through its harbour, and the ring of canals cut at the time still shapes the centre. The Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht curve out from the old town in three arcs, lined with the tall gabled houses the merchants of the period built for themselves, and the whole ring is UNESCO listed. Depending on your arrival time, a walk along the water is the easiest introduction, taking in the bridges, the houseboats and the narrow warehouse fronts.This evening is at leisure. The Jordaan, just west of the canal ring, has a good spread of brown cafes and small restaurants 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 Amsterdam, with a one hour canal cruise included. The boat runs through the seventeenth century canal belt, passing the gabled merchant houses and slipping under the low bridges, with a free audio guide on board covering the history of the ring and the harbour trade that paid for it.The rest of the day is at leisure, and much of the centre is flat and walkable with the trams covering the longer distances. Begin in the Nine Streets, a grid of small shops and cafes set between the main canals, then continue to the Begijnhof, a quiet almshouse courtyard reached through an unmarked door off the Spui. The floating flower market on the Singel runs along the water a short walk south, its stalls selling bulbs, seeds and cut flowers throughout the day. Museumplein, further out, is the city’s museum quarter, with the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk set around one open square.For those wishing to head further afield, an optional half day excursion into the countryside north of the city is available today. Otherwise, the remainder of the day and the evening are yours to enjoy at leisure.Inspiring HighlightsAmsterdam Canal CruiseSpecial InformationYour canal cruise ticket and directions to the dock will be included in your final documentation. The cruise operates daily between 9:00am and 9:00pm and departs from the main LOVERS dock at Central Station.

This morning, after breakfast, check out of your hotel and board the train south to Bruges, changing once en route. The journey runs out of the Netherlands and across the flat farmland of Flanders, passing through Antwerp on the way.Bruges made its money as a cloth and trading town in the Middle Ages, and when the waterway to the sea silted up the town stopped growing, which is why so much of it survives. The centre is UNESCO listed and small enough to cross on foot in twenty minutes. Spend the afternoon at leisure among the cobbled lanes, the canals and the step gabled houses. An optional guided walk of the old town is available this afternoon.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.

Enjoy a slower morning in Bruges after breakfast before checking out and boarding the train east to Brussels, a little over an hour on the direct service.Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the seat of the European institutions, and the two sit alongside each other without much overlap. The Grand-Place at the centre is a single enclosed square of gilded guild houses rebuilt after the French bombardment of 1695, with the Gothic town hall on one side and the King’s House opposite. Spend the afternoon at leisure exploring the old town on foot.The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, among the first covered shopping arcades in Europe, runs north from the square past chocolatiers and cafes. The Manneken Pis stands a few streets south, smaller than most visitors expect. Further up the hill, the Mont des Arts looks back across the lower town, and the Sablon quarter beyond it is given over to antique dealers and chocolate shops.Special InformationYour travel time today will be approximately 2 hours.

Continue your independent exploration of Brussels. The old town is compact, and the metro and trams reach the outlying sights easily.The Comic Strip Centre, housed in an Art Nouveau warehouse designed by Victor Horta, sets out the Belgian tradition from Tintin onwards, and a marked trail of painted wall murals runs through the streets around it. The Musical Instrument Museum occupies the Old England building on the Mont des Arts and has a rooftop cafe with a view over the city. The Parc du Cinquantenaire, east of the centre, is a short tram ride and makes an easy walk on a fine day.For those wishing to head further afield, two optional activities are available today, one a sightseeing bus linking the centre with the outer sights and the other the Atomium, north of the city. Otherwise, the rest of the day and the evening are at leisure.

This morning, after breakfast, check out of your hotel and board the high speed train to Paris, which covers the distance in a little over an hour and arrives at the Gare du Nord.The afternoon is at leisure to begin on your own terms. The Seine runs through the middle of the city, and a walk along the quays takes in the bridges, the bookstalls and the Île de la Cité, where Notre-Dame stands at the eastern end.From there the Marais, on the right bank, keeps the narrow street plan the rest of central Paris lost in the nineteenth century, with the Place des Vosges at its centre. On the left bank, the Latin Quarter climbs towards the Panthéon through a grid of small streets, bookshops and cafes. Both are within walking distance of the river.Special InformationYour travel time today will be approximately 2 hours.

Spend the day at leisure in Paris. The city is large, but the centre is well served by the Metro and a day pass covers as much of it as you are likely to need.The Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay in its converted railway station on the left bank, and the Eiffel Tower are the obvious calls, and all three are busy through the middle of the day. The Tuileries and the Luxembourg Gardens are quieter, as are the nineteenth century covered passages off the Grands Boulevards, where glass roofs run above small shops and tea rooms.Montmartre sits on the hill north of the centre, with the Sacré-Coeur Basilica at the top and a view across the rooftops of the city. The streets around it are steep, though the funicular from Place Suzanne Valadon saves the climb. Three optional activities are available today. Otherwise, the remainder of the day and the evening are at leisure.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and make your own way to the airport, where your tour comes to an end.Take with you the memory of a journey by rail from the canals of Amsterdam through Bruges and Brussels to Paris, and of the squares, markets and cafes along the way.Thank you for travelling with Inspiring Vacations. We hope you had a memorable experience.Special InformationAirport transfers are not included. Our transfer portal offers 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.