Eastern Europe Explorer with the Danube Delta

Titan Travel door-to-door travel service collects you from home for your flight to Budapest. On arrival, embark where light refreshments are available.

Budapest is dramatic and historical and flamboyant and peaceful all in one. It is architecturally beautiful; feast your eyes on baroque, neoclassical and art nouveau buildings on our included city tour this morning. Together we’ll explore the Parliament Building, peek inside St Stephen’s grand, opulent basilica and explore the Palace District before you’re free to spend the rest of the day discovering the city under your own steam.

Perhaps take a wander in City Park – walk past the lake and through a tree-lined avenue to the gates leading to the beautiful Vajdahunyad Castle. This picturesque area is seemingly taken straight from the pages of a fairytale book.

Excursions & visits:

City tour of Budapest (morning)

Known as the paprika capital of the world, the small town of Kalocsa gives a fascinating insight into local life in Hungary. On our optional excursion you’ll visit the Folk Art House before learning about the regional spice at the Paprika Museum, where you’ll enjoy a small tasting of some traditional cuisine – you’ll learn there’s more to Hungarian food than goulash! Later, enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride followed by a performance of Hungarian horsemanship – a fascinating experience.

Vukovar was once a pretty town on the banks of the Danube; its streets were lined with elegant baroque mansions, museums and art galleries. Today the town has more memorials and other war-related sites than any other single place in Croatia. The Battle of Vukovar took place in 1991, in the early stages of the Yugoslav Wars and although there has been much work to repair the damage, the remaining blasted facades give the town an undeniably eerie yet alluring ambience. We dock until late this evening, so after our morning city tour you’ll have the rest of the day to immerse yourself in the town’s stirring history.

Excursions & visits:

City tour of Vukovar (morning)

Belgrade stands proudly on the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers. Here, historical buildings sit pretty on lively pedestrian boulevards, while its backstreets are a treasure trove of cultural, religious and military heritage. Unravel the city’s chaotic past as we learn about the legacies of Habsburg, Ottoman and Socialist rule on our included city tour. We’ll take in the Republic Square, Saint Sava Cathedral and Kalemegdan Fortress.

Excursions & visits:

City tour of Belgrade (morning)

Today is dedicated to scenic cruising as we glide through the famous Iron Gates gorge. This spectacular passage is made up of narrow gorges and wide basins. Sit up on deck for the best views and watch the scenery slowly roll by.

Opulent, leafy squares and elegant belle époque buildings and neatly kept parkland – you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped into Vienna at first glance.

Rousse is one of Bulgaria’s most grand and beautiful cities, but this metropolis is more than just a pretty face; there’s history in abundance, as displayed in the many museums. It’s also home to a ruined Roman fortress that you might like to explore on today’s optional excursion.

We arrive in Romania this morning as we dock in Tulcea. The city itself is home to some great museums and a 19th-century church, but we’re using it as a base to explore the famed Danube Delta; a wilderness of wetlands and forests. We’ll navigate these forested waterways with a local guide, who’ll keep us on the lookout for wildlife. During the summer, 350 species of birds gather here – including the white pelican – so it’s a real must for twitchers. But we might also see croaking frogs, tortoises, emperor dragonflies and more – you’ll likely think you’ve been transported somewhere a little more tropical.

Excursions & visits:

Danube Delta cruise (afternoon)

Today you have the chance to visit the Romanian shores of the Black Sea on an optional city tour of Constanta, the oldest city on the Black Sea coast. This ancient metropolis by the sea is a lively city with beaches, parks and lakes.

The richly decorated Orthodox Cathedral of St Peter and Paul is particularly interesting.

Today, our included excursion brings us to the Romanian capital city of Bucharest where we have a full day to explore this historic city, with its splendid Orthodox churches, the opulent Parliament palace, concert halls, religious monuments and more.

We enjoy lunch in a local restaurant and travel back to our ship in the late afternoon.

Excursions & visits:

City tour of Bucharest (all day)

Resting on a bend of the Danube, Vidin offers beautiful riverside views and the distinct feeling of being far, far away from anything else. The sprawling town square is dominated by an enormous communist-era monument and the majestic Baba Vida Fortress is one of the country’s best. We start our day here with a city tour this morning. We’ll also venture out to the legendary Belogradchik Rocks; a collection of bizarrely shaped formations which date back about 230 million years. This fascinating ancient site is shrouded in some equally bizarre legends, but excavations of the site have revealed the bones of prehistoric creatures, wall foundations, ceramic fragments and the iron gads of spears and arrows.

Excursions & visits:

City tour of Vidin with Belogradchik Rocks (morning)

In Serbia’s mystical east, Donji Milanovac is a pretty town with panoramas stretching between towering cliff faces. Take a wander through the quaint streets and you’ll soon stumble upon the striking centrepiece of the town, the Church of St Nicholas, which houses artefacts dating back centuries. For wonderful views of the river, you might like to take a walk into the hills just above the town.

Alternatively, you could join our optional excursion to Lepenski Vir; one of the most significant prehistoric archaeological sites in Europe, with examples of human life dating back to 20,000 BC.

Novi Sad is a relaxing, youthful city. Locals lull on the lawn of Danube Park and the welcoming centre is made up of pretty, pedestrianised streets and pavement cafes. It competes with Belgrade as Serbia’s capital of art, architecture and culture (it plays host to Serbia’s largest music festival each July), so it’s a really lovely city to simply ‘be’.

You can join our optional city tour or explore as you please. The hilltop citadel, Petrovaradin Fortress is a walk across the Varadinski Bridge and hosts artist workshops, the City Museum, the Church of St George and some spectacular viewpoints of the river and city.

We’ll spend the day sailing back towards Budapest. It’s the perfect opportunity to relax, perhaps up on deck or in the lounge and take the time to reflect on your trip through five captivating countries.

Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK. On arrival, your Titan vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.