Balkan Discovery – 9 Days

Onboard welcome reception. Flights into Budapest must arrive by 2 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.

Overnight cruise to Mohacs.

Breakfast. Choose today’s activities from:

• Explore Mohacs by foot as you follow your Adventure Host, OR
• Join a morning Guided Sightseeing Tour of Mohács – the quiet Danube harbour town with historical memorial parks, statues, and distinctive churches. Tour the remarkable medieval St. Nicholas Watermill – one of only a few remaining watermills performing stone-ground grain processing, OR
• Take a Guided Tour of nearby Pécs to see its 4th-century Christian underground tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with fascinating murals. You’ll also enjoy an organ concert on your tour.

Overnight cruise to Ilok.

Breakfast. Choose from:

• Join your Adventure Host on this walk in and around town, OR
• Join a Guided Tour of Novi Sad, the second largest town in Serbia. Admire this Austro-Hungarian old town, with its baroque buildings, and ancient fortifications.

Overnight cruise to Belgrade.

Breakfast. Choose from:

• Discover Belgrade’s central walkway with your Adventure Host, OR
• Join a Guided Sightseeing Tour of Belgrade, where the Danube and Sava Rivers converge. See many fascinating sights, including Saint Sava, one of the world’s largest Orthodox churches. Attend an onboard lecture to learn about the rich history, destinations, and culture of the Balkan states.

Explore the city on your own this afternoon on Knez Mihailova Street – Belgrade’s central pedestrian thoroughfare with many lively cafés, shops, and cultural spots. This evening, join an Optional Excursion for an authentic Bohemian Dinner in the Quarter of Skadarlija.

Overnight cruise to Golubac.

Breakfast. Choose from:

• Visit to the Fortress of Golubac, one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses in Europe. Hear about its tumultuous history as a border control for defence in the Middle Ages. It was a source of conflict between Serbia, the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. Enjoy a brief sailing to Donji Milanovac. Stretch your legs, ease your mind and enjoy a walk led by your Adventure Host OR
• Join a Guided Tour to the Mesolithic archaeological site of Lepenski Vir with unique views of the Danube Gorge. Sail through the spectacular and narrow Iron Gates Gorge – a natural border between Serbia and Romania.

Overnight Cruise to Vidin.

Breakfast. Choose today’s activities:

• Join your Adventure Host for a walk, OR
• Join Guided Sightseeing in Vidin, followed by a Guided Tour of Belogradchik. Marvel at the remarkable rock formations on the western slopes of the Balkan Mountains, sculpted by 200 million years of natural elements.

Overnight cruise to Rousse.

Breakfast. Choose from:

• A walk in the park in Rousse with your Avalon Adventure Host, OR
• A full-day Guided Tour to the former Bulgarian capital of Veliko Târnovo – with its ancient stone houses clinging to the cliffs above the Yantra River. Discover one of the oldest towns in Bulgaria (circa 4300 BC), and Bulgarian Revival architecture in the 15th-century town of Arbanassi, OR
• A Guided Sightseeing Tour of Bulgaria’s largest inland port and visit to its impressive Holy Trinity Church.

Later, enjoy live entertainment on board with a Bulgarian folklore show.

Overnight cruise to Oltenita.

Breakfast. Choose from:

• A Guided Tour of the Romanian capital city of Bucharest with its tree-lined boulevards and Arc de Triomphe honouring WWI Romanian soldiers. See the Royal Palace Square, the scene of the city’s 1989 riots to overthrow the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Spend some free time exploring on your own to visit shops and museums. See the beautiful homes and churches along Victory Avenue.

Overnight docking at Bucharest.

Breakfast. Your vacation ends this morning. Transfer on your own to the airport or your next destination.