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Apr 14, 2023
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Oct 18, 2023
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Itinerary

Tour Itinerary

Walk in the footsteps of musical giants... like Mozart, Beethoven, Bartók, Schubert, Liszt, Strauss, Haydn and others... as you discover their "haunts" in great cities throughout Austria, Hungary, Germany, Slovakia and Czech Republic... Join Tauck's "maestro" and listen to the immersive music of both active music scholars and experienced performers alike on this most musical of Danube River cruises. Explore Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Bratislava, Budapest and more, visiting homes these musical greats lived and composed in, and concert halls and palaces where they performed... enveloped by their glorious music throughout a magical journey filled with Tauck Exclusives! Along with your Tauck Cruise Director and Tauck Directors, your cruise is accompanied throughout by Tauck's "maestro." Active music scholars and performers, our maestros include current doctoral recipients in music history who are passionate and knowledgeable about European music and the destinations you'll visit. They'll guide your explorations ashore and enrich your onboard experience with interactive music workshops, seminars and much more!

Countries Visited

Austria , Czech Republic , Germany , Hungary , Slovakia

Cities Visited

Bratislava , Budapest , Grein , Linz , Passau , Prague , Vienna

  1. Day 1
    Arrive Budapest

    Tour begins: 5:00 PM, Budapest. A transfer is included from Budapest's Ferenc Liszt Airport or Keleti Train Station to your riverboat. Join us for a welcome toast and dinner onboard this evening.


    Meals:   Dinner
  2. Day 2
    Discovering Budapest
    Statues of Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi and Liszt greet you at the 1884 State Opera House in Pest, with its gilded vaulted ceiling, murals, royal boxes and three-ton chandelier; expect some surprises on a guided tour of this neo-Renaissance masterpiece, including the private box of Habsburg Empress Elisabeth ("Sisi"). Discover some of Budapest's key sites today, such as Heroes' Square – bounded by some of the finest architectural works in Hungary – and Central Market Hall. After a free afternoon in Budapest, join us for a performance at one of the city's premier concert venues.
    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch   Dinner
  3. Day 3
    Bartók & more in Budapest & begin cruise
    After a free morning, head to Buda for a walking tour and, if you wish, time to check out the Museum of Music History, whose exhibits portray centuries of Hungarian musical life in a former palace on Castle Hill. The legacy of Béla Bartók lives on in his 1924 home, now a memorial dedicated to the composer and musicologist – listen to his melodies in a piano recital during your visit; explore Gellert Hill. Return to the riverboat for dinner at leisure.
    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch   Dinner
  4. Day 4
    Bratislava, City of Prodigies
    After a morning's cruise with lectures, workshops and a guest choir rehearsal, arrive in Bratislava, Slovakia – the Baroque stomping grounds of great musical prodigies, as you'll discover firsthand today. A walking tour includes the city's Old Town, now a pedestrian-only, vehicle-free zone. Stroll down a lane where 6-year-old Mozart performed and 9-year-old Liszt played across the street 58 years later – around the corner, 30 years after that, one of Liszt's young students inspired him to write a sonata for the boy!  You'll also see where a young Béla Bartók attended grammar school in the 1890s. Following time to relax aboard the riverboat or explore more of this ancient city on your own, join us back onboard for dinner and some local entertainment.
    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch   Dinner
  5. Day 5
    Exploring Vienna's musical treasures

    If you had to choose only one European city to musically explore, Vienna – home to Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Strauss – would be it! This morning, you may choose a visit to Schönbrunn Palace of the Habsburgs, followed by some free time to explore this grand Habsburg summer residence and its magnificent gardens on your own. Or, join our maestros for a city tour and a visit to the Museum of Musical Instruments at Hofburg. This museum offers a stunning collection of renaissance and baroque instruments for your viewing pleasure. This afternoon, you'll have time to explore more of Austria's remarkable capital on your own and have an early dinner before enjoying tonight's featured performance of Viennese opera at a premier venue in Vienna (subject to availability; if an opera performance is not available, a comparable classical music performance will be provided).

    Please Note: On some departures, days 5 and 6 may have their evening activities swapped based on performance schedules.

     


    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch   Dinner
  6. Day 6
    Behind-the-scenes palace rehearsal & a grand evening in Vienna

    Vienna springs to musical life on a day featuring a pair of Tauck Exclusives. For the first one, sit in on a rehearsal this morning at beautiful Auersperg Palace as an orchestra prepares for a performance. Then spend the afternoon as you please in amazing Vienna. Tonight, nothing quite compares to the royal treatment you'll receive at today's second Tauck Exclusive: our private grand evening at Palais Ferstel, a private palace in the heart of Vienna – an incomparable setting for welcome cocktails and apéritifs, an amazing dinner, an orchestra, ballet, Strauss... it's Tauck's musical Vienna at its best!

    Please Note: On some departures, days 5 and 6 may have their evening activities swapped based on performance schedules.


    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch   Dinner
  7. Day 7
    Melk Abbey & some musical cruising
    Melk Abbey, a beautiful Benedictine monastery complex overlooking the Danube, has been a significant center of learning and culture since its founding over 900 years ago. Get a sense of the importance of music to the abbey's cultural life through the ages as you tour its lovely Baroque buildings dating to the early 18th century, which often host concerts and musicals today. Back on the riverboat, enjoy lectures by our maestros and dinner en route to Grein, where you'll disembark this evening for a walk through this picturesque riverside town. After you're back onboard, your riverboat continues cruising the Danube to the city of Linz overnight.
    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch   Dinner
  8. Day 8
    Mozart's Baroque hometown, musical Salzburg

    Picture a small boy of 5 wowing a royal audience with his piano virtuosity, then crawling up on the lap of the Empress of half of Europe, and giving her a kiss! Little Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1756, did just that. Walk in Mozart's footsteps this morning on an excursion from Linz to his Baroque hometown, visiting a museum in the house where he was born, among other locations. You'll have some free time for lunch and to explore as you please in town. Return to the ship for dinner, a guest choir rehearsal and an onboard classical chamber music concert by Donau 3klang as your riverboat charts a course for pretty riverside town of Passau.


    Meals:   Breakfast   Dinner
  9. Day 9
    A grand pipe organ & more in Passau
    Your riverboat docks this morning in Passau, Germany – the "city of three rivers" at the junction of the Inn, Ilz and Danube. Discover this Baroque Bavarian town known for its many churches and exquisite stained glass on a walking tour. At St. Stephan's Cathedral, you'll find Europe's largest pipe organ – actually the largest cathedral organ in the world – and, if you wish, listen to a public recital of this amazing instrument. Back aboard the riverboat in Passau, enjoy a traditional German lunch and take part in seminars, workshops, a guest choir rehearsal, musical trivia fun, and tonight's captain's farewell reception followed by a gala farewell dinner; the ship departs Passau this evening for its final port of call, Vilshofen.
    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch   Dinner
  10. Day 10
    Disembark in Vilshofen & on to Prague
    This delightfully musical of Danube tours winds down as you disembark in the town of Vilshofen, bid your riverboat and its crew goodbye, and travel to historic (and extremely musical) Prague for a two-night stay. Arrive in time for a traditional Czech lunch at the delightful Art-Nouveau Municipal House, then embark on a walking tour of Prague's storied Old Town. The rest of the afternoon and evening are yours to explore Prague as you wish, and enjoy dinner as you please this evening.
    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch
  11. Day 11
    Musical giants and more in and around Prague
    Many musical giants have left their mark on Prague – capital of today's Czech Republic, and a city with a rich musical legacy of its own – and its environs as you'll discover during both guided sightseeing and time spent exploring on your own. Your day begins with an excursion to Vyšehrad, a historic fort and Czech national cultural site dating back to the 10th century, perched on a hill overlooking the Vltava River. Set within the castle is the Basilica of St Peter and St Paul and the Vyšehrad Cemetery, final resting place of many notable Czechs – including beloved Czech composers Antonín Dvo?ák and Bed?ich Smetana. The afternoon is yours to explore more of Prague on your own. Later, you'll gather to visit the Church of St. Ondrej, then travel to Nelahozeves Castle for a grand farewell dinner and our guest choir performance... what a way to end your musical odyssey!
    Meals:   Breakfast   Dinner
  12. Day 12
    Journey home
    Tours ends: Prague, Czech Republic. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the Hilton Prague Old Town to Václav Havel Airport Prague or Praha Hlavni Nadrazi (Main Train Station); allow a minimum of 3 hours for flight check-in at the airport.
    Meals:   Breakfast

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Inclusions

Walk in the footsteps of musical giants... like Mozart, Beethoven, Bartók, Schubert, Liszt, Strauss, Haydn and others... as you discover their "haunts" in great cities throughout Austria, Hungary, Germany, Slovakia and Czech Republic... Join Tauck's "maestro" and listen to the immersive music of both active music scholars and experienced performers alike on this most musical of Danube River cruises.

Explore Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Bratislava, Budapest and more, visiting homes these musical greats lived and composed in, and concert halls and palaces where they performed... enveloped by their glorious music throughout a magical journey filled with Tauck Exclusives! Along with your Tauck Cruise Director and Tauck Directors, your cruise is accompanied throughout by Tauck's "maestro." Active music scholars and performers, our maestros include current doctoral recipients in music history who are passionate and knowledgeable about European music and the destinations you'll visit. They'll guide your explorations ashore and enrich your onboard experience with interactive music workshops, seminars and much more!

  • TAUCK EXCLUSIVE - Interactive onboard workshops, seminars and performances by Tauck's "maestro"
  • TAUCK EXCLUSIVE - A visit to the Opera House in Bratislava with special guests
  • TAUCK EXCLUSIVE - Grand Private Imperial Evening at a Vienna palace with gala dinner and performance
  • TAUCK EXCLUSIVE - Sitting in on an orchestra rehearsal in Vienna
  • All private Tauck shore excursions - $3,067 Value
  • All gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors, Tauck Cruise Director 

Health and Safety Protocols for Tauck Tours

Traveling with Peace of Mind
Our commitment never wavers – to earn your trust by always doing the right thing. As we explore the world together again, this will be more important than ever as we adapt to living and traveling in the presence of COVID-19.

Tauck is 97-years young this year, and our ability to weather many storms over the decades is a result of our values and beliefs – as a family and as a family-owned and led company. In addition to the guiding light of these values, our extensive experience, local knowledge and global support network help to ensure your safety on every Tauck journey. Building upon our bedrock of award-winning guest care, we have worked tirelessly to prepare for your return following the COVID-19 hiatus in travel. With guidance from leading experts, including the CDC and WHO, together with our internal Global Response Team and, most importantly, with feedback from thousands of our guests, we have redefined how we will conduct our experiences as we resume travel.

Tauck is Prepared for the Unexpected
For decades, Tauck has operated in over 70 countries in all 7 continents. Over this time, our staff and network of supplier partners have always been there to support our guests and team on the road. Our guests travel with a comprehensive, built-in support system that starts with the care and local knowledge of our Tauck Directors and extends to our network of partners around the world, including hoteliers and transportation companies.

At the core of our ability to quickly and effectively respond to the unexpected is our Global Response Team - a group of over 50 employees across all departments who stand ready to spring into action around the world. This team has plenty of experience, from weather events, high and low water on rivers, earthquakes, volcanic ash, civil unrest and work stoppages. They have also dealt with past virus outbreaks including the SARS and Zika viruses.

The Tauck Travel Well Pledge
Before we operate tours and cruises, all Tauck employees, our supplier partners and our guests will take Tauck’s Travel Well Pledge.

As a company, we will follow our enhanced protocols with diligence and rigor; review them frequently as the landscape changes and always make common-sense decisions grounded in purpose and pride. We embrace these new and necessary measures to combat COVID-19 and will do our very best to provide the Tauck care we have been honored to deliver for 97 years.

OUR NEW HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS
Consistent with our commitment to the well-being of our guests, we are implementing enhanced health and safety protocols. These protocols may vary by geographic regions and will certainly evolve over time, as science and society respond to new realities:

Tauck Staff
Prior to interacting with guests, each member of Tauck’s field staff is trained in enhanced protocols and participates in a personal health screening.

Once on tour, our Tauck Directors and supporting staff are responsible for maintaining these protocols with a special focus on cleanliness and physical distancing. They will relay critical information regarding requirements, advise when protocols are mandatory – such as wearing a face covering in group settings – and help facilitate guest care through communication with appropriate parties should a guest become ill on tour. All Tauck staff will adhere to the same requirements.

Guest Responsibility
When joining a Tauck journey, every guest is responsible for their own health and, in turn, the protection of their fellow travelers, the Tauck staff, our suppliers and the places we visit. Guests will pledge to follow the direction of the Tauck staff and adhere to health and safety protocols.

Guests are expected to wear face coverings in all group settings, to wash their hands frequently and to adhere to supplier and government regulations. While supplies of face coverings, gloves, and hand sanitizer will be available, guests are asked to bring such personal items for their own comfort.

Small is BIG
For many years, Tauck has emphasized and invested in more choices of activities, resulting in smaller groups for activities like sightseeing and events. This is consistent with our mantra that “Small is Big” – small groups and smaller ships with fewer guests.

We initially focused on these elements to improve the guest experience. Yet today they take on an additional dimension; small group experiences and more personal space are critical in providing the peace of mind our guests expect. Accordingly, we are offering even more small group experiences and limiting guest numbers across all of our journeys.

We have been working diligently with our partners to be prepared to welcome you back when the time is right.
Tauck has worked meticulously with our global supplier partners to plan for every itinerary following the hiatus in travel. All partners, whether they be a hotel, museum, small ship/riverboat, restaurant or other partner, have been thoughtful about how to provide a Tauck experience in this environment.

And while it's impossible to list all of the enhanced health and safety protocols for the hundreds of Tauck partners across the globe, we would like to share a representative sample of what you can expect:

Hotels
Our hotel partners all have world-class health and safety protocols. However, these guidelines may vary depending on local situations and regulations. Here are some typical examples:

  • Upon-arrival, health questionnaires and temperature checks may be required. Some hotels may even require daily temperature scans.
  • Social distancing may be required in public areas, bars and restaurants.
  • High-touch areas such as railings, door handles and elevators will undergo enhanced cleaning.
  • In-room measures may include removal of tent cards and magazines. Common use items, such as coffee makers and minibar amenities may be on demand.
  • High-touch areas, such as light switches, thermostats, remote controls and door handles will be subject to enhanced and frequent cleaning.
  • Guests will have the option to determine housekeeping frequency.
  • All hotel staff will undergo daily health screenings.

Ships and Riverboats
We have worked closely with our cruise partners to ensure the best possible health and safety protocols and to ensure the care and service you expect from Tauck:

  • Guests on cruises and river journeys will be required to complete a health questionnaire and will undergo a temperature check prior to boarding. In some instances, our ship partners will conduct daily temperature checks.
  • Face coverings and physical distancing will be required in most public spaces for guests and crew alike.
  • Meals may be offered at staggered times and self-serve buffets will be eliminated.
  • In-cabin measures include removing common use items. Coffee makers, minibar amenities and housekeeping will be on demand at guest discretion.
  • Ship staff will undergo daily health screenings.
  • All vessels will have medical staff onboard.

Sightseeing and Local Activities
Many of our experiences are exclusive and/or private and that’s important in taking care of you. Whether it be a guided tour, a visit to an iconic museum or private home, a musical performance, or any other special Tauck activities, we are applying the same rigor to health and safety protocols:

  • Tauck listening devices will be sanitized thoroughly and frequently.
  • Sightseeing is being adjusted to ensure proper physical distancing.
  • Admission times at venues may be altered to ensure no crowding.
  • Paper tickets, handouts and the like may be eliminated.

Dining
Tauck has always been known for a la carte dining; having more freedom to decide when and with whom to dine now has more value than ever. Additionally, our partners whether they be hotels, ships, special venues or restaurants, are raising their already rigorous hygienic standards. Here are some examples:

  • Waitstaff will likely be wearing face coverings and gloves.
  • Seating will be adjusted to accommodate physical distancing.
  • Self-serve buffets will be eliminated. Common use menus will no longer be used unless sanitized.

On-Tour Transportation
Keeping on-tour transportation safe is a major focus of our team who has worked with hundreds of partners to ensure continuity in health and safety protocols:

  • On motorcoaches and other on-tour ground transportation, such as airport transfers, guest should expect physical distancing and will be required to wear face coverings.
  • Prior to each trip, our motorcoaches, vans, airport transfer vehicles and on-tour aircraft will undergo a deep sanitizing process.
  • Luggage may also be sanitized at each movement.
  • Drivers will wear gloves and face coverings during all guest-facing interactions.
  • Drivers will frequently clean handrails, door handles, arm rests, tables, seats, air conditioning/HVAC units, restrooms and overhead storage areas.

Our Supplier Partners are ready for you
Tauck is proud to have worked closely with our partners around the world, many of them for decades, to deliver the quality, comfort and safety you expect. Whether it be hotels and resorts, riverboats and small ships, restaurants, event venues or transportation companies, their meticulous health and safety protocols reflect their leadership and well-earned respect in the travel industry. The following are some select health and safety protocols. We will update these on a regular basis.

In addition to our supplier partners, we have also been actively engaged with global travel organizations to standardize health and safety protocols throughout the travel industry. TourCare is one example:

TourCare are health and sanitation guidelines developed by the tour industry's major global associations: the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), The Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO) and the European Tourism Association (ETOA). Tauck, and our supplier partners, meet and exceed these guidelines that require members to adhere to the highest standards in the industry.

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Accommodations


ms Savor
Hilton Prague Old Town

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Questions & Answers

Question: How many suitcases can I take with me on my trip?

Each person is allowed one "check-in," and one "carry-on." Remember to take all valuables with you as "carry-on", because electronic equipment, cameras, laptops, jewelry, business documents and money are not covered by the airlines' liability, so always carry them aboard with you.

Question: Is Airfare Included in the Price?

Airfare from your point of origin to and from the trip is not included in the land price.

Tauck Tours Customer Reviews

Overall Rating
4.5
Accommodations
4.4
Itinerary
4.6
Professional Staff
4.7
Repeat with Operator
4.4
Value for Money
4.2

Ratings based off 875 reviews about Tauck Tours - currently showing 15 reviews with comments only

Can't go wrong with Tauck...outstanding!

We were very impressed with Tauck Tours and would book with them through you again!

We spent more money on this Tauck tour than a Luxury Gold trip to Spain and Portugal (top of the line) which required international travel and was for a longer duration. Also, I've said this before about Tauck. Although a good company, there is too much food offered and too much time spent sitting down to a meal when we could be sightseeing.

Our goals were met and exceeded by Affordable Tours.

Wonderful Tauck Tours..we will travel with them again..thank you for the suggestion..

This is our 7th Tauck tour/river cruise and they have never disappointed.

Our trip was amazing and we had to he most amazing guide Leah she went above and beyond

Ms Lawren Farias was our agent. She went out of her way to make sure that everything went smoothly and it did I would defiitely use her again. She was outstanding.

Maya was absolutely wonderful! I only want to book with her for any future travel.

The Tauck tour exceeded our expectations.Our tour director was exceedingly well informed and organized.She was the best.

The tour was one of our best. Tauck's attention to detail and covering nearly 100% of our costs or fees and booking 5* hotels is why we liked the trip.

Fantastic vacation! Exceeded all our expectations! Trip of a Lifetime!!!

Tauck delivered as promised and more. The tour director was very helpful and knowledgeable. We wouldn't hesitate to book with them again.

Tauck provides great tours. This is our 4th with Tauck. They provided transport for us even when our itinerary was different than usual. The Tauck tour director was wonderful.

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