MS Douce France, 5 Night The Beautiful Blue Danube ex Budapest, Hungary to Passau, Germany

From Budapest to Passau via Bratislava, Vienna and Melk, these cities rich in culture and history will unveil their secrets. Discover the Schoenbrunn Palace and the beautiful Wachau Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its wooded hillsides, orchards, small villages, vineyards and monasteries, it is the most picturesque part of the Danube and where the majestic Dürnstein Castle stands.

Day 1
Passengers are welcome to board our ship at 6:00 p.m. After comfortably settling into your cabins, we'll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail before dinner. In the evening, join us on an optional excursion : Evening of traditional entertainment in Budapest.

Day 2
Join us on an excursion : Guided tour of Budapest.The afternoon will be spent cruising to Bratislava.

Day 3
We'll arrive in Bratislava in the early morning. Join us for the optional excursions proposed:Guided Tour of Bratislava.Hiking in Bratislava: The Little Carpathians. From Devin Castle, we'll take in the splendid view of Bratislava.Our ship will cruise to Vienna. Enjoy a free evening or join us on an optional excursion: Concert of Viennese music (subject to availability.)

Day 4
Join us on an optional excursion : Visit Schönbrunn Palace (only on pre-booking before departure), former summer residence of the imperial family, and tour of part of Vienna.This afternoon, join us on an optional excursion : Hofburg Palace (only on pre-booking before departure), the Hapsburg's winter residence and its Sisi Museum.Our ship will cruise to Melk.

Day 5
Early in the morning, we'll cruise along the most beautiful section of the Wachau Valley before arriving in Melk. Join us on an optional excursion : Visit of Dürnstein, the fortified village where Richard the Lionheart was once held prisoner. In the afternoon, join us on an optional excursion for both packages: Visit of the Melk Abbey (only on pre-booking before departure). Originally a Baroque-style palace built between 1702 and 1736, it is now a Benedictine monastery that hosts a prestigious coed school with more than 900 students. We'll return on board in Ybbs.In the evening, we'll begin to cruise to Passau. Tonight is our gala evening.

Day 6
Enjoy one last buffet breakfast on board before disembarking at 9:00 a.m. End of our services.

Completely renovated in 2017 according to the company’s new standards, this ship now offers much more spacious cabins with large bay windows on the upper deck. The soft and feminine decoration mixes shades of pink with aubergine and anise colors in the common areas. The cabins evoke a marine atmosphere. Located on the upper deck, the lounge / bar (at the front) and the restaurant (at the rear) have wide panoramic windows. The cabins are spread over two decks: on the upper deck, they have large windows with French balconies; on the main deck, they have large windows. Do not hesitate to go to the sun deck to relax! It is furnished with armchairs and sun loungers to allow you to relax while enjoying a panoramic view of the landscapes.

CroisiEurope has a fleet of Prestige category boats with cabins, which ply the most beautiful rivers in Europe. Spacious and light, they offer a welcoming and refined setting. Accommodation capacity varies from 100 to 180 passengers depending on the boat's design. At the cutting edge of technology, their facilities offer comfort and safety.

Carefully maintained and partially renovated each year, the CroisiEurope fleet is largely made up of recently built vessels, less than five years old, all with Veritas certification. The leading European river tour operator, our company owes its international reputation to its seriousness, its dynamism, its sense of innovation and its recognised value for money of long standing.

Vessels are rated four-star and food is superb – as you’d expect on a French-owned cruise line, staffed by French chefs and with top French and German wines aboard. One cruise of the Rhone and Saone Rivers in France concentrates on gastronomy and traditional French cusine, visiting Collonges Abbey, renowned for its great French chef, Paul Bocuse.

CroisiEurope is a family-owned and operated firm, with brothers and sisters running different aspects of the company and keeping a close eye on all operations to ensure excellence.

River cruising offers much free fun. Wake in the morning and observe the passing riverside scenery through your cabin window – perhaps from your bed. Gaze upon village churches or a patchwork of fields sparkling in the morning sun.

CroisiEurope’s network traverses a phenomenal number of European rivers and waterways. They range from the Guadalquivir and Guadiana (flowing through Spain and Portugal respectively); the Douro in Portugal, the Po and Venice Lagoon in Italy; the Rhone in Provence, plus the Seine from Paris to the Normandy Coast. And there’s more: the Moselle, the Neckar, the Saar, the Oder, the Havel, the Baltic Sea, the Camarge, the Rhine, the Main and the mighty Danube; the Tisza and the Black Sea; the Belgian and Dutch waterways. Everything from tulip time in Holland to Christmas Markets in Germany.

Drinks included with on board meals: mineral water, house wine, beer, fruit juice, and tea or coffee.