From the Tisza to the Danube, through the Real Hungary (port-to-port cruise)

In the company of our guides, we will leave for a panoramic tour of Budapest, the Pearl of the Danube. First we will head for the hills of Buda by crossing the Elizabeth Bridge and we will go up to the Castle quarter, from where we'll enjoy a fantastic panoramic view of the city. We will walk round the castle quarter and on to the Fisherman's Bastion, built in neo-Roman style in 1902 for the simple pleasure of offering a panoramic view over the city and the Danube. Behind the Bastion, we will find Matthias Church which notably was the venue for the coronation of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife "Sissi". Our coach will then take us down to the plains of Pest. There, we will visit Heroes' Square whose central monument depicting Prince Arpad and the chieftains of seven Magyar tribes was built for the millennium of Hungary. We will pass by the famous Szechenyi thermal baths, the zoo - a true piece of architecture - Vajdahunyad Castle and more. We will walk through the famous Andrassy Avenue and pass by St. Stephen's Basilica whose construction began in 1851 and was only completed in 1905. We will walk along the river and see the famous Parliament building overlooking the Danube with its white silhouette in the Byzantine and neo-Gothic styles. Return on board. 

PLEASE NOTE

• Panoramic tour with stops to take pictures.
• Entrance tickets for these monuments are not included.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.

Departure by coach for Gödöllö Castle. In the company of your guide, you will visit Gödöllö Castle, one of the most important and largest Hungarian Baroque palaces, commissioned by Count Antal Grassalkovich. The castle is mainly known for having been one of the favorite residences of Empress Sisi, who loved to get away from the etiquette of the Vienna Court in Gödöllö. Your visit will take you through the Empress's apartments with their original decorations, including a majority of purple objects and wallpapers, in accordance with the Empress's favorite color. You will also see the Castle Church (behind a glass screen), Joseph I's Wardrobe, the Minor Coronation Hall, Franz Joseph's office and more. Return on board by coach.

PLEASE NOTE

• Upon arrival at the castle, the main stairway has to be climbed.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.

Departure by coach to visit Hortobagy Park. Created in 1973, Hortobagy national park is located on the Great Plain of Hungary: the Puszta. Hortobagy Park is one of Europe's largest expanses of grassland. It is unique and gives all its meaning to the word "Puszta", which means at once desert-like and desolated, as well as a grouping of isolated farms and vast plain. The park covers 70,000 hectares, and has been listed as a World Cultural Heritage site since 1999. It teems with incomparable curiosities and treasures.
Riding aboard a charabanc - a traditional horse-drawn carriage with wooden benches - you'll be amazed by the wonderful landscapes and unusual fauna of the Puszta. In a small part of the Hungarian Steppe, you'll get to observe Racka sheep with their spiral-shaped horns, Mangalica pigs with their curly coats and Hungarian Grey cattle with their long, curved horns, as well as rare species of birds. In the course of your visit, you'll get the chance to attend a traditional equestrian show while tasting* "palinka" (plum eau-de-vie) and some "pogacsa" (small savory buns) as well as mineral water, sheltered from the sun under a thatched roof. The csikós, the mounted horse-herdsmen of Hungary dressed in traditional blue attire, will invite you to take part in their "games of skill and ability”.
After your visit of the park, you will have some free time near the famous Nine Arch Bridge of Hortobagy before returning on board in Tiszafüred.

PLEASE NOTE

• Good walking shoes, sunglasses and caps are recommended.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.
• *Alcohol can be harmful to your health. Please drink in moderation.

We'll set off by coach to visit the town of Novi Sad. Capital of the autonomous region of Vojvodina, Novi Sad is also the second largest town in Serbia, going by the size of its population. The town has a long and troubled history since it was under the rule of Celts, Romans, Franks, Barbarians and Turks until it became part of the Habsburg empire. It was known as "Petrovaradin” in the past, and the name Novi Sad (meaning ‘new plant') only came into use in 1748. The history of the town was further troubled during the 20th century when after the First World War, the Balkan territories were in turn united and separated under different names, until in 2006 when the town finally became part of an independent Serbia.
We'll visit the city center on foot. The Austro-Hungarian old town, with its baroque buildings, grew up around the ancient fortifications. We'll get the chance to visit the Episcopal Church as well as an orthodox church before we continue up the main street to Freedom Square where we'll find the Town Hall, dating from 1895. The coach will be waiting for you near Freedom square to finish the visit with a panoramic tour up the main boulevards leading to the boat.
Our coach will continue to the little village of Sremski Karlovci where we'll visit the Cathedral of St Nicholas, built in typical baroque style in 1758, and the first ever secondary school of Serbia dating from the end of the 18th century which has a library housing around 18,000 books. We'll take time to admire one of the most well-known of the town's monuments, the Four Lions Fountain, built in 1799 to celebrate the town's first ever waterworks. Return on board in Novi Sad.

PLEASE NOTE

• Good walking shoes are recommended (paths with cobbles and earth in the fortress).
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.

Departure by coach to visit beautiful Pécs in Southern Hungary.
Pecs was first mentioned in old Latin documents as "Quinque Ecclesiae” in relation to the materials from five former Christian chapels that were used to build new churches in the city.
In the company of our guide, we'll set out for a visit of the city on foot, starting with Sts. Peter and Paul's Cathedral or Basilica whose Roman foundations date from the 4th century. The Basilica's current neo-Romanesque facade is the result of the reconstruction carried out between 1882 and 1891, although it has kept its medieval floorplan and post-Romanesque interiors. You will also have the opportunity to see the Basilica's treasure and crypt. The visit continues with the Early Christian Necropolis dating from the 4th-century foundation of the Roman town under the name "Sopianae". These tombs, richly decorated with wall paintings depicting Christian scenes, were built underground as funerary chambers with commemorative chapels above them. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. Afterwards, our tour continues downtown, stopping at the Djami. In the 13th century, the Turks destroyed St Bartholomew's church and used its stones to build a mosque following the orders of Pasha Gazi Kassim. Pécs was freed from Turkish occupation in 1868 and the mosque became a Catholic church again, although it kept the aspect of a Turkish mosque. Enjoy some free time downtown before returning on board by coach.

PLEASE NOTE

• Visit entirely on foot, good walking shoes are recommended.
• The visit of the necropolis is not recommended for claustrophobic people. There are also stairs to climb.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.

Departure by coach for the guided walking tour of Szeged.
The privileged geographical location of the city explains a human presence going back several thousand years. Szeged was founded by the Romans and was originally called Partiscum.
The results of excavations that were carried out on the site lead us to believe that Attila the Hun had set up a military base there. A river flood in 1879 destroyed the city almost entirely, allowing a new and more beautiful Szeged to emerge.
Our tour will first take us to Szechenyi Square, one of the finest and largest in the city with numerous statues of famous Hungarians. We will see the neo-Baroque City Hall dating from 1799, before heading for the statue-filled pedestrian streets. Our coach will then take us to the Votive Church and Cathedral of Our Lady of Hungary, whose construction was commissioned at the beginning of the 20th century by the city officials following the great floods of 1879 in order to commemorate the rebirth of the city. Next, we will head for the Synagogue which was built at the turn of the 20th century in Moorish Art Nouveau style. Its impressive dimensions make it the largest synagogue in Hungary after the one in Budapest. Our visit ends at the University's musical clock. Return on board by coach or on foot.

PLEASE NOTE

• The visit of the Synagogue will be replaced by a visit to the Orthodox Church on Saturdays, Sabbath day.
• The visit of the Votive Church will be exceptionally replaced by a visit to the Parish Church if a wedding is planned on Saturdays or Sundays during mass.
• Good walking shoes are recommended: the visit will be mostly on foot, the coach will only be used in between the visit of the monuments.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.

Departure by coach in the company of your guide towards the Tokaj vineyards and the Hetszölö domain, considered to be the most beautiful in all of Tokaj. You'll be greeted by an oenologist who will guide you through its vineyard and tell you about its meaning and history. The tour continues to downtown Tokaj where you'll learn more about the town's history through your guides while walking round the tiny Main Square. Afterwards, you'll enjoy a wine-tasting session in historic Rakoczi cellar. In the course of centuries the cellar, built at the beginning of the 15th century, was owned by kings, sovereigns, princes and generals. The imposing (28 m long, 10 m wide and 5 m high) knights' hall is the largest underground hall of this wine region and this is where the orders elected János Szapolyai the king of Hungary in 1526. There, you will get to taste* 4 Tokaj wines - from the driest to the sweetest - as well as "pogasca” (small savory buns). An oenologist from the cellar will provide commentaries throughout the tasting, telling you all about the traditions and production method for the famous "aszu” wine.
After the tasting, enjoy some free time before returning to the boat at your own pace.

PLEASE NOTE

• Caps, sunglasses and warm clothes for the tasting in the cellar are recommended.
• Good walking shoes are recommended.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.
• *Alcohol can be harmful to your health. Please drink in moderation.

Explore Budapest by night from the comfort of our coach. Your guide will show you the charms of this capital city with its turbulent but incredibly rich past. Despite the vicissitudes of history, Budapest has managed to preserve and bear witness to a succession of dynasties and civilisations. We'll start off towards the citadel for an impressive view over the city and on Pest. We'll then walk up to the citadel and the Liberty Statue from where we'll get to marvel at the most beautiful view of Budapest and the Danube, as well as catch a glimpse of the Parliament building and the famous Chain Bridge. We'll continue by coach towards the Castle Quarter from where you'll get to admire the Royal Palace, former residence of the Hungarian kings. As we drive alongside the banks of Buda, we'll stop off before the Parliament for an occasion to admire and take pictures of the largest building in the country. We'll continue across Margaret Bridge and enjoy a beautiful view of downtown Budapest. Before we go back on board, our coach will drive along the Danube so you can enjoy once again the wonderful view over Buda, the Castle Quarter and the Fishermen's Bastion. Return on board.

PLEASE NOTE

• Visit by coach with stops to take pictures.
• This excursion will not occur on August 20th, Hungarian National Day.
• Good walking shoes are recommended.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.