Grand European Tour
Holiday Dates: 22 September - 7 October 2023
Viking River Cruise assigned Room: French Balcony, #210
Viking Bragi-built in 2013. It has a crew of 50 and can hold up to 190 passengers. In Norse mythology, Bragi is the giant god of poetry, music and eloquence.
If some of this looks or sounds familiar, it is because in 2018 we did the Passage to Eastern Europe River Cruise. Yes, I was even able to secure the same state room.This is just an extention of that cruise.
About 30 days before we received a booklet from Viking with all the information in it from flights, booked excursions, transfer points...it made us feel really at ease with the whole trip. Having spent a career in the military, knowing that things are organized and documented, made things so much easier for Sharon and I.
We departed 22 Sep 2023
23 Sep 2023 Arrived Burdapest
Our River Cruise path. We follow the Danube which is Europe's second longest river, after the Volga.
Itinerary
Day 1 (23 Sep). 
Budapest, Hungary. Welcome and our arrival at the airport is met by Viking personnel. We are transferred to the Ship and have the afternoon to relax and visit. We returned for supper.
Day 2 (24 Sep). Budapest, Hungary. Today we visit highlights of the hilly Buda and cosmopolitan Pest sides of the city, starting with Pest’s National Opera House and historic Heroes’ Square. In Buda, walk along Castle Hill to Fishermen’s Bastion and Matthias Church. Hungarian Horsemen
Day 3 (25 Sep). 
Vienna, Austria. Enjoy a day of scenic cruising along the beautiful Danube toward Vienna.We arrive early this evening.
Day 4 (26 Sep). Vienna, Austria. Today we tour the Austrian capital of Vienna. Ride along the Ringstrasse, which replaced the city walls in the mid-19th century. See some of the city’s baroque architecture, including the world-famous Opera House, St. Stephen’s Cathedral and Hofburg Palace. Panoramic Vienna.
Day 5 (27 Sep). Melk, Austria. visit the abbey at Melk, a 900-year-old Benedictine monastery featuring Austria’s finest Italian baroque architecture. See its wonderful frescoes and admire the comprehensive collection of medieval manuscripts in its library.
Day 6 (28 Sep). Passau, Germany. Arrive this morning in Passau, at the confluence of the Inn, Ilz and Danube Rivers. Your guided walk along the town’s narrow streets takes you through Old Town and past traditional patrician houses. Admire the New Bishop’s Residence and see the impressive baroque St. Stephen’s Cathedral; its ornate interior is home to the Europe’s largest church organ.
Day 7 (29 Sep). 
Regensburg, Germany. Arrive in Regensburg after breakfast and tour this wonderfully preserved medieval city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including structures dating back to Roman times. Discover many 13th- and 14th-century patrician houses and see the splendid St. Peter’s Cathedral. During free time, visit the Alte Würstküche (Old Sausage Kitchen), Germany’s oldest restaurant.
Day 8 (30 Sep). Nuremberg, Germany. Cruise the Main–Danube Canal this morning. Or, instead, disembark for a short drive to the center of Nuremberg and use your free time to explore until lunchtime. After lunch, venture out on a tour of the city. Visit the ruins of Zeppelin Field, the Nazi parade grounds of the 1930s, and see the Palace of Justice, site of the infamous Nuremberg Trials. See the Old Town area as you walk past the Albrecht Dürer House and Main Market Square. Alternately, you may choose to join an optional afternoon World War II tour including the illuminating Documentation Center. Dinner is served on board your ship before we depart late this evening.
Day 9 (1 Oct). Bamberg, Germany. Continue along the Main–Danube Canal this morning, arriving in Bamberg in early afternoon. Enjoy a tour of Bamberg, with its medieval city center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your walking tour includes a visit to the magnificent 11th-century cathedral, reworked in late Romanesque style in the 13th century, and the picturesque city hall built on a tiny island in the middle of a river.
Day 10 (2 Oct). Wurzburg, Germany. Today, tour Würzburg’s Bishops’ Residenz, one of Germany’s largest and most ornate baroque palaces and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Or, you may choose to disembark this morning to experience an optional full-day journey along Germany’s picturesque “Romantic Road” to Rothenburg, with its turreted city wall and impressive Gothic and baroque architecture.
Day 11 (3 Oct). Wertheim, Germany. Wertheim is located at the confluence of the Main and Tauber Rivers. During your morning walking tour, experience life in a typical small German town. Stop in a bakery and a butcher shop, and learn about Wertheim’s glassblowing tradition.
Day 12 (4 Oct). Koblenz, Germany. Today, we cruise past hilltop castles along the Rhine; this stunning stretch of the river is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Be sure to keep an eye out for the Lorelei Rock, which marks the river’s narrowest point; the rock is named after a legendary Rhine Maiden who lured sailors to their demise. This afternoon, we’ll stop to visit Marksburg Castle, the only Rhine fortress never destroyed. Rejoin your ship in Koblenz and dine on board.
Day 13 (5 Oct). Cologne, Germany. Begin your day with a morning tour of Cologne, Germany’s fourth-largest city. Stroll through Old Town past St. Martin’s Church and see the Dom, Germany’s largest cathedral and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spend your free time enjoying Cologne’s atmospheric waterfront, or perhaps join an optional excursion on which you ascend to the Dom’s roof for up-close views of the cathedral’s architecture and bird’s-eye vistas of Cologne.
Day 14 (6 Oct). 
Kinderdijk, The Netherlands. We sail along the Rhine during the morning hours. Admire scenic views and enjoy a morning of enjoyable Dutch diversions: sample Dutch cheeses and jenever, a distilled juniper liquor, and take in a culturally enriching presentation on the Dutch Golden Age. This afternoon, your ship arrives in Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Disembark for an afternoon tour of this ingenious network of windmills and other flood management devices. You learn why the windmills were built and see how they work, plus you enter a working windmill for a tour of its mechanisms and living quarters.
Goodbye countries