

Offer applies to new bookings only. $250 off per stateroom applies to Emerald cruises only made between April 5 through April 30, 2021. You must book through AffordableTours.com to receive offer. Additional restrictions apply.
Welcome to Budapest. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your luxury Emerald Cruises Star-Ship, before enjoying time at leisure to explore Budapest. This evening, enjoy an authentic Hungarian folklore show on board, followed by a traditional dinner.
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A traditional Hungarian folklore show
The ancient Roman city of Aquincum once sat on the site of modern Budapest, where architecture from across the centuries shines a light on the history of the Hungarian capital. Originally two separate cities, Buda on the right and Pest on the left offer incredibly different views on the culture of one of the liveliest cities in Eastern Europe. Today, you will have the opportunity to explore the city during a guided tour, including Heroes’ Square and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Andrássy Avenue and Buda Castle District. Alternatively, enjoy a hike to Buda Hill for a postcard-worthy panorama of the Danube banks.
EmeraldACTIVE
A hike to Buda Hill
Included Excursion
A guided tour of Budapest
This morning, relax on board as we sail to Bratislava. An ancient landscape awaits, where remarkable towers add to a skyline that perfectly encapsulates the history of the city, and preserved medieval fortifications tell tales of a turbulent past. Your local guide will take you through the heart of the city, as you soak in sights of the lavish Episcopal Summer Palace and the neo-Renaissance façade of the Slovak National Theatre. If you are feeling more active, then you could instead choose to hike around the serene gardens of Bratislava Castle, offering the perfect environment for the Shakespeare festival that occurs during the summer months. This afternoon, you will be invited into the home of a local family to learn about their culture over coffee and cake.
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Home-hosted coffee and cake with a local family
EmeraldACTIVE
A hike to Bratislava Castle
Included Excursion
A walking tour of Bratislava
Set on the banks of the Danube, Vienna has been considered to be Europe’s capital of music for centuries. Viennese Classicism is still highly regarded around the world, as the 18th century brought with it the First Viennese School, consisting of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Today, your local guide will take you for a drive around the world-famous Ringstrasse and a walking tour of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Historic Centre of Vienna, including a peppering of lavish Baroque mansions and the Vienna State Opera. If you are feeling more active, then choose to explore on two wheels instead, cycling along the riverbanks before touching on Danube Island and Prater, home to a traditional 19th-century Ferris wheel.
EmeraldACTIVE
A guided bike tour
Included Excursion
A guided tour of Vienna
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An exclusive Viennese concert with music from Mozart and Strauss (extra expense)
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Tastes of Vienna (extra expense)
This morning, arrive in Dürnstein; a small town nestled in the heart of the Wachau wine region. When you arrive, you will have the chance to hike to the medieval ruins of Dürnstein Castle, the site where King Richard I was held prisoner following his return from the Third Crusade, and part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Wachau Cultural Landscape, a place peppered with natural lookout points that highlight the beauty of the region. Alternatively, enjoy a guided bike ride from Dürnstein to Melk, traversing the banks of the Danube. Later, sail through the Wachau Valley, a place that showcases a plethora of historic architecture, in the form of monasteries, castles and ruins, and the development of urban design through the ages. When you arrive in Melk, you will be taken for a tour of the 900-year-old Melk Abbey, touching on the lavish surrounds of the former palace and viewing ancient manuscripts in the monastic library.
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A guided hike to Dürnstein Castle
EmeraldACTIVE
A guided bike tour along the Danube from Dürnstein to Melk
Included Excursion
A visit to Melk Abbey
After a morning of sailing along the Danube, perhaps relaxing with a drink in hand on the Sun Deck, we will take you into the heart of Passau. As the point at which the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers meet, Passau is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt, meaning the “City of Three Rivers”. Your included guided tour of Passau will unveil its noteworthy Gothic and Baroque architecture. The town was destroyed by a series of fires in the 17th century, leaving a blank canvas for Italian architects to work with. After your tour, enjoy some free time to explore Passau at leisure, before an afternoon spent sailing towards Regensburg.
Included Excursion
A guided tour of Passau
EmeraldACTIVE
A hike to Veste Oberhaus
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Excursion to the Bavarian Forest (extra expense)
This morning, we will arrive in Regensburg, a city that has been generously steeped in history, built on the site of an ancient Roman fort that went on to become a major centre for trade during the Middle Ages. Your guided walking tour of Regensburg will showcase its UNESCO World Heritage-listed medieval centre, where ancient Roman architecture can be found sitting alongside 11th – 13th century patrician houses. Narrow cobbled lanes and tall façades help to define the character of this enchanting Bavarian city. Afterwards, sail down the Main-Danube Canal, passing over a series of aqueducts as panoramas of idyllic landscapes pass by. This evening, enjoy a traditional Bavarian band on board.
EmeraldPLUS
A traditional Bavarian band on board
Included Excursion
A guided tour of Regensburg
After breakfast, it’s time to say farewell to your fellow guests and disembark the ship for your transfer to the airport, taking memories of Roman architecture and the cultural divide in Budapest with you.
This itinerary is a guide only and may be amended for operational reasons such as high and low water. As such, the cruise may operate altered from that stated above.
The world may have changed, however, our commitment to our guests and crew, the guest experience and their health, safety and wellbeing remains our key priority. We are working closely with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), local and international Government Health agencies, to ensure our protocols exceed the latest regulatory requirements. Our Health & Safety Steering Committee oversees all health and safety policies and training with Emerald Cruises, ensuring you can travel with complete confidence that your wellbeing and safety are taken care of to the highest standard. In addition, we are implementing the most recent insights and technologies, with our Emerald Cruises team dedicated to exceeding the levels of cleanliness required in today’s travel climate.
We are continuously updating our protocols to safeguard both the health, safety and the experience of our valued guests. You will be informed about these important procedures, well in advance of your journey departure, which may include the following information and guidelines:
Medical Evaluation & Test
To ensure all of our guests are safe and well before your journey with us begins, we will require you to complete a pre-departure medical health evaluation. During the phased embarkation process you, and your fellow passengers, will be tested for COVID-19 by a medical specialist. This will allow you to relax with complete peace-of-mind when you board our Star-Ships, in the company of other like-minded travelers.
Our Dedicated Team
Our Captains, Hotel Managers and Cruise Directors, alongside their exceptional teams, will deliver a first-class level of service during your time traveling with us. You can enjoy the same exciting program of on board and on shore experiences, tailored to smaller groups to allow for safe social distancing. The team are readily available to ensure every detail of your journey with us is memorable, for all the right reasons. They will ensure health and safety protocols are followed on a daily basis.
Healthy Crew
Having the best crew to look after you is at the heart of our core values at Emerald Cruises, and we will go the extra mile to ensure our crew is healthy in doing so. All crew will be regularly tested for COVID-19 and will have daily temperature and health checks. They will also be trained and regularly briefed on all aspects in preventing COVID-19 amongst themselves as well as our guests. They will go beyond the ordinary to make your cruise a truly exceptional experience.
Contact-Free Check In & Check Out
We have adjusted the various touchpoints of your journey, allowing you to check in and check out in a completely contact-free way. Through a phased embarkation you will be able to arrive and depart from your Star-Ship smoothly and with safe social proximity in mind. And, of course, every time you return to your Star-Ship, our crew will be there to greet you with a warm smile.
Briefings & Screenings
Our medical expert will host mandatory briefings and screenings. These events are designed to ensure every member of our guests and crew are healthy, and also offer an opportunity to allay any concerns or ask any questions you may have about our safety protocols.
Enhanced Cleaning Commitment
Our on board crew will be increasing and enhancing our already frequent and high standard cleaning protocols in public areas and suites, leaving surfaces and spaces spotless. Additional care and attention will be paid to high contact zones, such as communal restrooms and dining facilities.
Socially Aware Dining
You can expect the same delightful dining experiences when you travel with us, savoring a choice of dishes inspired by regional cuisine and local produce. We are adapting and redesigning our on board food and beverage service to ensure extra care is taken in order to minimize social contact. We will serve our delicious food a la carte or via served buffets.
Contact-Free Movement
The spacious surrounds of our ships in combination with the guest numbers provide ample room for you to relax, allowing for an abundance of personal space. We are introducing contact-free movement across our Star-Ships to further reduce risks. Contact-free hand sanitizer dispensers will be readily available in all public spaces and guest corridors on board, whilst automated doors and contact-free guest servicing will minimize the number of touchpoints.
Air Circulation
Our Star-Ships are equipped with air circulation systems. These systems ensure there is no re-circulation of inside air on board the ship. When you are relaxing in your suite you will be breathing air from outside the ship that is channeled directly to your suite. The air will also be released from your suite directly to the outside.
Smaller Groups & Social Proximity
Discovering the local culture of your destination is the highlight of every river cruise. Create memories to cherish during our choice of on shore excursions. You will travel in smaller groups, allowing for a more intimate travel experience, whilst respecting social proximity and destination specific regulations. To enhance your sightseeing, you can utilize our digital headsets, which will act as your personal tour guide and travel map.
Carefully Selected Local Partners
As well as enhancing our health and safety protocols on board and with our crew, we’re working closely with our local partners. We have forged long-standing relationships with our local partners, all of whom have been carefully selected for their expertise and high levels of service, and are committed to ensuring your safety. They will receive extensive training to adhere with our enhanced protocols. We will also introduce strict control and screening procedures for anyone boarding our Star-Ships.
Wellness Throughout Your Journey
Your wellbeing is our number one priority, both during your time on board and on shore. Journey to and from your destination with complete peace-of-mind. All transport vehicles will be equipped with hand sanitizer and will undergo deep cleaning after every journey, surpassing the high industry standards required. You can also rest assured that we will monitor social proximity, allowing you to travel safely, with plenty of personal space.
We are committed to continually reviewing and updating our protocols and guidelines as new information becomes available, to ensure that our guests can travel safely in the many destinations we operate in.
first emerald waterway tour was excellent ! excellent and unique excursions included plus good optional tours offered loved the Vespa ride, ox cart and rickshaw ride Hoi Ann and Halong bay are highlights emerald staff very welcoming to us
The staff and crew of the ship was fantastic. Christmas Markets are not to be missed.
Although this is my first river cruise, so I cannot compare with other companies, I was very happy with Emerald with a few exceptions. They advertise that it is all inclusive and do offer several free tour options at each port, but that also sell Discovery options that are more money. We did 4 of those which increased the cost for 2 by $600. If you like to workout, forget the gym, which had one rowing machine, an exercise bike and some dumbbells with enough room for 3 people at most. The staff were all great, the food was very good and the itinerary was excellent. They have a small swimming pool and late night activities. Good diversity with most people from US, Canada, Australia and new Zealand.
Was great, food was good, cabin small but nice, excursions were good.
This trip was wonderful, with only 160 passengers we were treated royally. Everyone on board the ship worked with only one thing in mind to please the customers.
Derek was very thorough and easy to work with. Our trip was what we expected.
We were fortunate the trip went as planned. A lock was damaged and the ship we were scheduled for was unavailable. Emerald provided a different ship and we completed our full itinerary. Great job Emerald. The trip wonderful. Great staff, tours and food. Our Affordable agent Allyson fulfilled all our needs efficiently providing excellent customer care.
Great river cruise, the operator Emerald Waterways did not disappoint. On board service was exceptional and the tours were very good. Only thought would be that having a little more free time during site visits would have made the excursions good to great.
Our third river cruise but found the baths on this particular ship to be very small. The crew, though, was excellent, especially the director!
This trip was all we expected and more. The booking and planning by Affordable Tours weas very helpful. The Emerald Radiance was a joy. The ship and crew were unbelievable. The Douro Valley is so very beautiful and Portugal an amazing destination-just need to explore it further.
Emerald provided a very memorable experience. Everything went according to plan. There were many activity options to pick from. The food and drink and staff were excellent. I liked the pool and bikes which gave us additional activities to enjoy, which Viking Cruises did not offer when I went on a previous river boat cruise with them 3 years ago.
I absolutely loved the cities and towns we visited. I met mant new friends on this trip. The staff were very friendly, professional and attentive to my needs.
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Emerald was awesome. It offered us cultural experience that was unusual and authentic. We felt like we got to know the countries we visited. We are looking to book with Emerald again in Europe. Local and tour Director was the best