Newly redesigned for a more intimate cruising experience, ms Esprit offers a seamless combination of luxury and comfort as you glide along the Danube and Rhine Rivers... enjoy views of fairy-tale castles that line the riverbanks from the Sun Deck... gaze at picture-book villages while you dine at Compass Rose, or simply enjoy the camaraderie of fellow passengers in the lounge before heading out, ready for the adventures that lie ahead...
Day 1 Budapest
Caught between eastern and western Europe, Budapest has a character uniquely its own. It's also the last cheap, civilised city in Europe. Budapest can seem like one big sight, with each phase in its history, from the Ottoman period until the Communist days and from renaissance to revolution, leaving its mark on the city. For the tourist, a trip to Hungary's capital is dominated by the majestic sights of Buda. In the summer, there are open-air festivals at Szeged, Diosgyor Castle in Miskolc, Gyor and Pecs. Visit the former Royal Palace complex, the Matyas templom and the Belvaros. Margaret Island is a giant recreational park and feels pleasantly separated from the city bustle. Hungarian National Gallery houses Hungarian art since the birth of the nation. Although Esztergom is Hungary's most sacred city, home of the Archbishop and the nation's biggest church, it has a real-life edge. The first-time visitor to Szeged is invariably struck by its space and grandeur. One's immediate impressions of Hungary's third largest provincial city are of greenery and plazas, of broad.
Day 2 Budapest
Caught between eastern and western Europe, Budapest has a character uniquely its own. It's also the last cheap, civilised city in Europe. Budapest can seem like one big sight, with each phase in its history, from the Ottoman period until the Communist days and from renaissance to revolution, leaving its mark on the city. For the tourist, a trip to Hungary's capital is dominated by the majestic sights of Buda. In the summer, there are open-air festivals at Szeged, Diosgyor Castle in Miskolc, Gyor and Pecs. Visit the former Royal Palace complex, the Matyas templom and the Belvaros. Margaret Island is a giant recreational park and feels pleasantly separated from the city bustle. Hungarian National Gallery houses Hungarian art since the birth of the nation. Although Esztergom is Hungary's most sacred city, home of the Archbishop and the nation's biggest church, it has a real-life edge. The first-time visitor to Szeged is invariably struck by its space and grandeur. One's immediate impressions of Hungary's third largest provincial city are of greenery and plazas, of broad.
Day 3 Budapest
Caught between eastern and western Europe, Budapest has a character uniquely its own. It's also the last cheap, civilised city in Europe. Budapest can seem like one big sight, with each phase in its history, from the Ottoman period until the Communist days and from renaissance to revolution, leaving its mark on the city. For the tourist, a trip to Hungary's capital is dominated by the majestic sights of Buda. In the summer, there are open-air festivals at Szeged, Diosgyor Castle in Miskolc, Gyor and Pecs. Visit the former Royal Palace complex, the Matyas templom and the Belvaros. Margaret Island is a giant recreational park and feels pleasantly separated from the city bustle. Hungarian National Gallery houses Hungarian art since the birth of the nation. Although Esztergom is Hungary's most sacred city, home of the Archbishop and the nation's biggest church, it has a real-life edge. The first-time visitor to Szeged is invariably struck by its space and grandeur. One's immediate impressions of Hungary's third largest provincial city are of greenery and plazas, of broad.
Day 4 Mohacs
The town of Mohacs, located in southern Hungary, is an important river port and railroad terminus. It was also the site of 1526's Battle of Mohacs, where Louis II of Hungary suffered a crushing defeat by the Turkish army. The defeat brought with it more than 150 years of Ottoman domination. There are monuments commemorating the famous battle, of which the slain have ever since been regarded as martyrs to Christianity and Hungarian independence.
Day 4 Pecs
The history of Pecs, Hungary, dates to 2,000 years ago to ancient Rome. In ancient times, it was known as Sopianae, and you can view the remains of an early Christian cemetary and mausoleum. Since, it has gone through many rulers, wars, and revolutions. View beautiful period architecture from its various eras: Roman tombs and chapels, mosques and medevial cathedrals. Many museums offer invaluable looks into European art, like the Vasarely Museum, Ferenc Martyn museum and the Zsonay Ceramics museum. Visit the Csontvary Museum to view artworks by Kosztka Tivadar Csontvary, an artist whose work Picasso greatly appreciated and the first widely renown Hungarian artist.
Day 4 Villány
Villány has been known for its production of wine for centuries. The most popular event and town feast is the annual Villány Red Wine Festival, held every October. Cellars and charming architecture line picturesque streets, and at the town's Wine Museum, you can find intriguing documents and artefacts, as well as antique, unique bottles. Natural highlights include Templom Hill, an old quarry, where red sand stone - hundreds of thousands of years old - is laden with reptile and animal fossils.
Day 5 Vukovar
Located in eastern Croatia, the city of Vukovaris located at the confluence of the Vuka River into the Danube. It is the largest Croatian town and river port on the Danube, with an economy based on farming, livestock breeding, textiles and food-processing.
The most interesting of its attractive buildings are the 18th century Eltz family castle, the town center's Baroque buildings, the Franciscan monastery, the parish church of St. James, and the Orthodox church of St. Nicholas.
Day 5 Novi Sad
Novi Sad is a simple city, hospitable and open-hearted to all of its visitors, built by measure of man.
It is a city one gets to know and love easily, but also a place hard to forget and leave forever.
Day 6 Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital of Serbia with about 1.6 million inhabitants. It is located in southeast Europe, in the Balkan Peninsula, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe and since ancient times it has been an important traffic focal point, an intersection of the roads of Eastern and Western Europe. Belgrade is the capital of Serbian culture, education, science and economy. As a result of its tumultuous history, many nations live in Belgrade for centuries, and the majority of the population make Serbs (86%) of Orthodox persuasion.
Day 7 Iron Gates (Cruising)
This scenic passage is truly a spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Iron Gates are a narrow gorge between the Carpathian and Balkan Mountains. The gorge, one of the most dramatic sights in Europe, forms a natural border between Serbia and Romania.
Day 8 Ruse
Day 9 Constanta
Romania's second largest city, Constanta attracts by the harmony between ebulient business world and intense cultural life.
Developed upon the ancient ruins of the Greek stronghold Tomis, Constanta has always been a centre of ethnic and spiritual diversity, a pole of economic exchanges in the Black Sea region and in South-Eastern Europe
Day 9 Mamaia
Day 10 Constanta
Romania's second largest city, Constanta attracts by the harmony between ebulient business world and intense cultural life.
Developed upon the ancient ruins of the Greek stronghold Tomis, Constanta has always been a centre of ethnic and spiritual diversity, a pole of economic exchanges in the Black Sea region and in South-Eastern Europe
Day 10 Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital and largest city in Romania and is located in the southern part of the country. Referred to as the ‘Paris of the Balkans’, Bucharest has ornate buildings, wide boulevards and gardens fashioned after French architecture and city planning. In the name of progress and modernization, North Korean style buildings began being erected – many of which still stand unfinished today. Sights to see in Bucharest range from the stately to the heavenly. The Palace of Parliament should not be missed while in Bucharest – and it’s hard not to. It’s the second largest building in the world behind the Pentagon. Containing over 1,000 rooms, restaurants, conference areas and an art gallery, it houses the Romanian Parliament. There are several museums in the city, such as the National Art Museum and the Village Museum - an open–air museum containing over 300 houses, churches and mills from all over Romania and displays of some of the best folk architecture in the region. The Antim Monastery and Patriarchate Church are among Bucharest's outstanding religious structures.
Day 11 Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital and largest city in Romania and is located in the southern part of the country. Referred to as the ‘Paris of the Balkans’, Bucharest has ornate buildings, wide boulevards and gardens fashioned after French architecture and city planning. In the name of progress and modernization, North Korean style buildings began being erected – many of which still stand unfinished today. Sights to see in Bucharest range from the stately to the heavenly. The Palace of Parliament should not be missed while in Bucharest – and it’s hard not to. It’s the second largest building in the world behind the Pentagon. Containing over 1,000 rooms, restaurants, conference areas and an art gallery, it houses the Romanian Parliament. There are several museums in the city, such as the National Art Museum and the Village Museum - an open–air museum containing over 300 houses, churches and mills from all over Romania and displays of some of the best folk architecture in the region. The Antim Monastery and Patriarchate Church are among Bucharest's outstanding religious structures.
Day 12 Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital and largest city in Romania and is located in the southern part of the country. Referred to as the ‘Paris of the Balkans’, Bucharest has ornate buildings, wide boulevards and gardens fashioned after French architecture and city planning. In the name of progress and modernization, North Korean style buildings began being erected – many of which still stand unfinished today. Sights to see in Bucharest range from the stately to the heavenly. The Palace of Parliament should not be missed while in Bucharest – and it’s hard not to. It’s the second largest building in the world behind the Pentagon. Containing over 1,000 rooms, restaurants, conference areas and an art gallery, it houses the Romanian Parliament. There are several museums in the city, such as the National Art Museum and the Village Museum - an open–air museum containing over 300 houses, churches and mills from all over Romania and displays of some of the best folk architecture in the region. The Antim Monastery and Patriarchate Church are among Bucharest's outstanding religious structures.
Day 13 Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital and largest city in Romania and is located in the southern part of the country. Referred to as the ‘Paris of the Balkans’, Bucharest has ornate buildings, wide boulevards and gardens fashioned after French architecture and city planning. In the name of progress and modernization, North Korean style buildings began being erected – many of which still stand unfinished today. Sights to see in Bucharest range from the stately to the heavenly. The Palace of Parliament should not be missed while in Bucharest – and it’s hard not to. It’s the second largest building in the world behind the Pentagon. Containing over 1,000 rooms, restaurants, conference areas and an art gallery, it houses the Romanian Parliament. There are several museums in the city, such as the National Art Museum and the Village Museum - an open–air museum containing over 300 houses, churches and mills from all over Romania and displays of some of the best folk architecture in the region. The Antim Monastery and Patriarchate Church are among Bucharest's outstanding religious structures.