Four capitals... and eight brilliant days
DAY ONE VIENNA
FLY to the Austrian capital Vienna from a choice of regional airports. On arrival, you will transfer to your luxury Scenic Space-Ship, which will be your home for the next eight days. Enjoy a welcome dinner on board.
DAY TWO VIENNA
CHOOSE from two fascinating excursions today: either a visit to Vienna’s world-famous Spanish Riding School, or entry to the magnificent former imperial residence, Schonbrunn Palace, one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in the city. Enjoy a welcome cocktail and the captain’s gala dinner. Afterwards, former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove will give an exclusive talk discussing the role of MI6 in Europe and how the art of intelligence has changed.
DAY THREE BRATISLAVA
YOU dock at Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, this morning. Sir Richard will accompany readers on a tour of the city, exploring its communist past, before returning to the ship for a light lunch. The ship will then set sail for Budapest.
DAY FOUR BUDAPEST
YOU wake up this morning in the magnificent surroundings of Budapest, where you will have the chance to explore the history of this remarkable city, including the Second World War bunkers beneath the castle district, Heroes’ Square and Matthias Church, one of the finest churches of the region. John Simpson will join you and give a talk about witnessing the communist era coming to an end, and the changes he has seen since. In the evening you have the opportunity to attend an exclusive classical music concert.
DAY FIVE KALOCSA
TODAY you will travel to Kalocsa, where you will disembark and travel to the Puszta Horse Farm, where there will be a horse-riding show, which is often cited as a highlight of this itinerary. The ship sails from Kalocsa in the early evening for Mohacs.
DAY SIX MOHACS
WAKE up in Mohacs on the right bank of the Danube this morning. Again you have a choice of excursions: either travel to see the Zsolnay ceramic museum, which details the region’s history at the cutting edge of porcelain manufacture and design in the 19th Century; or you can take a trip to the wine-growing area around Villany and taste some of the region’s vintages. You will rejoin the ship for lunch before setting sail for Croatia.
DAY SEVEN OSIJEK
EXPLORE two fascinating Croatian towns today – Osijek and Vukovar. In Osijek, housed on the banks of the River Drava, you have the choice of a guided walking tour (including a visit to the fortress in the old town), a bike ride, or take a fishing tour (limited places). In the evening you will stop at Vukovar, the scene of fighting during the Balkan conflict, where you will have time to explore, before joining locals in nearby villages for a home-hosted dinner. Later that evening the ship will depart from Vukovar and sail towards Serbia.
DAY EIGHT BELGRADE
YOU wake up today in your fourth capital city of this itinerary: Belgrade. After breakfast, you will take a tour of the city, including entry to the Tito memorial. After lunch, you will disembark and transfer to the airport for your return flight.