Luxury Excursion Travel Society
Grand European Tour
Departing May 18, 2027
We’ll depart from either Orlando International Airport, with a connection at JFK or DTW. Upon arrival, a Viking representative will meet us at the airport, assist with our luggage, and transfer us to Budapest to board our longboat and begin our journey to Amsterdam.
Welcome to Budapest, capital of Hungary. After boarding Gefjon, the afternoon is yours to relax or do a bit of exploring. Tonight, return to your ship for a traditional Hungarian dinner. (D)
Today we visit highlights of the hilly Buda and cosmopolitan Pest sides of the city, starting with Pest’s National Opera House and historic Heroes’ Square. In Buda, walk along Castle Hill to Fishermen’s Bastion and Matthias Church. Enjoy lunch on board your ship; the rest of the day is yours to explore the city. You may choose to join an optional excursion to experience the thermal springs, restorative natural spas whose waters locals have bathed in for centuries. Or, perhaps select another of Vikings optional excursions designed to allow you to delve deeper into the history, culture and cuisine of this fascinating city. Return to your ship for dinner and evening departure. (B, L, D)
Day 3 Vienna, Austria
Enjoy a day of scenic cruising along the beautiful Danube toward Vienna. As we sail, perhaps join this morning’s German language lesson to learn a few key words and phrases. You may also choose to attend an afternoon presentation on Viennese coffee houses. We arrive early this evening. After dinner, relax or enjoy an optional classical concert. (B, L, D)
Day 4 Vienna, Austria
Today we tour the Austrian capital of Vienna. Ride along the Ringstrasse, which replaced the city walls in the mid-19th century. See some of the city’s baroque architecture, including the world-famous Opera House, St. Stephen’s Cathedral and Hofburg Palace. Return to your ship for lunch. The rest of the day is yours to further explore. As always, your Program Director can help you plan your free time. Alternately, you may wish to join us on one of the day’s optional excursions, perhaps touring Schönbrunn Palace, the “Versailles of Vienna,” visiting the Spanish Riding School’s famed Lipizzaner stallions, or celebrating a local tradition this evening at a high-spirited Heurigen dinner. (B, L, D)
Day 5 Melk, Austria
Today, visit the abbey at Melk, a 900-year-old Benedictine monastery featuring Austria’s finest Italian baroque architecture. See its wonderful frescoes and admire the comprehensive collection of medieval manuscripts in its library. Rejoin your ship and cruise through dinner. (B, L, D)
Day 6 Passau, Germany
Arrive this morning in Passau, at the confluence of the Inn, Ilz and Danube Rivers. Your guided walk along the town’s narrow streets takes you through Old Town and past traditional patrician houses. Admire the New Bishop’s Residence and see the impressive baroque St. Stephen’s Cathedral; its ornate interior is home to the Europe’s largest church organ. Enjoy lunch on board your ship, and return to the city for further exploration on your own. Alternately, set out this morning with your guide to enjoy a full-day optional tour of picturesque Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart and setting of The Sound of Music. We depart just before dinner and cruise through the night. (B, L, D)
Day 7 Regensburg, Germany
Arrive in Regensburg after breakfast and tour this wonderfully preserved medieval city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including structures dating back to Roman times. Discover many 13th- and 14th-century patrician houses and see the splendid St. Peter’s Cathedral. During free time, visit the Alte Würstküche (Old Sausage Kitchen), Germany’s oldest restaurant. Alternately, you may choose to disembark this morning and drive with your guide to Munich for an optional full-day tour of this cultural and historic city, rejoining your ship before our evening departure. Cruise through dinner. (B, L, D)
Cruise the Main–Danube Canal this morning. Or, instead, disembark for a short drive to the center of Nuremberg and use your free time to explore until lunchtime. After lunch, venture out on a tour of the city. Visit the ruins of Zeppelin Field, the Nazi parade grounds of the 1930s, and see the Palace of Justice, site of the infamous Nuremberg Trials. See the Old Town area as you walk past the Albrecht Dürer House and Main Market Square. Alternately, you may choose to join an optional afternoon World War II tour including the illuminating Documentation Center. Dinner is served on board your ship before we depart late this evening. (B, L, D)
Continue along the Main–Danube Canal this morning, arriving in Bamberg in early afternoon. Enjoy a tour of Bamberg, with its medieval city center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your walking tour includes a visit to the magnificent 11th-century cathedral, reworked in late Romanesque style in the 13th century, and the picturesque city hall built on a tiny island in the middle of a river. Take some free time to enjoy Bamberg and sample some of the town’s distinctive smoke-flavored beer before returning on board. (B, L, D)
Today, tour Würzburg’s Bishops’ Residenz, one of Germany’s largest and most ornate baroque palaces and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Or, you may choose to disembark this morning to experience an optional full-day journey along Germany’s picturesque “Romantic Road” to Rothenburg, with its turreted city wall and impressive Gothic and baroque architecture. Rejoin your ship for dinner and an evening glassblowing demonstration. (B, L, D)
Wertheim is located at the confluence of the Main and Tauber Rivers. During your morning walking tour, experience life in a typical small German town. Stop in a bakery and a butcher shop, and learn about Wertheim’s glassblowing tradition. Enjoy free time to explore before returning to your ship for lunch. Alternately, depart this morning on an all-day optional excursion that offers a rare glimpse into noble life, enjoying Privileged Access visits to two very different castles: Schloss Mespelbrunn and Schloss Löwenstein. (B, L, D)
Today, we cruise past hilltop castles along the Rhine; this stunning stretch of the river is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Be sure to keep an eye out for the Lorelei Rock, which marks the river’s narrowest point; the rock is named after a legendary Rhine Maiden who lured sailors to their demise. This afternoon, we’ll stop to visit Marksburg Castle, the only Rhine fortress never destroyed. Rejoin your ship in Koblenz and dine on board. (B, L, D)
Begin your day with a morning tour of Cologne, Germany’s fourth-largest city. Stroll through Old Town past St. Martin’s Church and see the Dom, Germany’s largest cathedral and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spend your free time enjoying Cologne’s atmospheric waterfront, or perhaps join an optional excursion on which you ascend to the Dom’s roof for up-close views of the cathedral’s architecture and bird’s-eye vistas of Cologne. Afterward, return on board for dinner. Alternately, you may set off on an optional excursion to explore Cologne’s spirited beer culture, sampling Kölsch, a light, crisp beer brewed only in Cologne, and enjoying a brauhaus dinner. After, return to your ship for a late-evening departure. (B, L, D)
Day 14 Kinderdijk, The Netherlands
We sail along the Rhine during the morning hours. Admire scenic views and enjoy a morning of enjoyable Dutch diversions: sample Dutch cheeses and jenever, a distilled juniper liquor, and take in a culturally enriching presentation on the Dutch Golden Age. This afternoon, your ship arrives in Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Disembark for an afternoon tour of this ingenious network of windmills and other flood management devices. You learn why the windmills were built and see how they work, plus you enter a working windmill for a tour of its mechanisms and living quarters. Board your ship for departure and dinner. Arrive in Amsterdam around midnight. (B, L, D)
Day 15 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
After breakfast, disembark and proceed to the airport for your return flight.* Or, extend your journey with 2 additional nights in Amsterdam; take time to explore the city’s neighborhoods, museums and exciting nightlife. (B)
Pricing per person:
Starting cruise fares range from $5,499 to $10,2499, with an average cost of $10,899.
Airfare Premium Coach $ 3,000 including transfers
Travel insurance is highly recommended. Cost is usually $ 900 t0 $1,400
Pre Trip Extension:
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Prague 3 nights $ 1,599 - highly recommended L.E.T.S also includes a Charles Bridge tour w/boat ride
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Budapest 2 Nights $ 1,399
Post Trip Extension
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Best of Holland 3 nights $ 1,999
Budapest
The previously separate cities of Buda, Óbuda, and Pest were officially unified in 1873[61] and given the new name Budapest. Before this, the towns together had sometimes been referred to colloquially as "Pest-Buda".[62][63] Pest is often used pars pro toto for the entire city in contemporary colloquial Hungarian,[62] although it is also used to refer to all parts of the city east of the Danube. Conversely, Buda colloquially means all districts to the Danube's west—including the former Óbuda. The Danube islands—including Csepel, the city's XXI. district—are part of neither Buda nor Pes
Included tour
Optional tours (extra cost)
Shore excursions vary by itinerary and are subject to change.
Vienna
Vienna is renowned for its rich musical heritage, having been home to many celebrated classical composers, including Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Haydn, Mahler, Mozart, Schoenberg, Schubert, Johann Strauss I, and Johann Strauss II.[17] It played a pivotal role as a leading European music center, from the age of Viennese Classicism through the early part of the 20th century. The city was home to the world's first psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud.[18] The historic center of Vienna is rich in architectural ensembles, including Baroque palaces and gardens, and the late-19th-century Ringstraße, which is lined with grand buildings, monuments, and parks.
Passau, Germany
Passau is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt, as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom about 12,000 are students at the University of Passau, renowned in Germany for its institutes of economics, law, theology, computer science and cultural studies.
Regensburg Germany
Regensburg is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the fourth-largest city in the State of Bavaria after Munich, Nuremberg and Augsburg and the eighth-largest of all cities on the river Danube.
Nuremberg Germany
Nuremberg is the largest city in Franconia, the second-largest city in the German state of Bavaria, and its 544,414 inhabitants make it the 14th-largest city in Germany. Nuremberg sits on the Pegnitz, which carries the name Regnitz from its confluence with the Rednitz in Fürth onwards, and on the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, that connects the North Sea to the Black Sea. Lying in the Bavarian administrative region of Middle Franconia, it is the largest city and unofficial capital of the entire cultural region of Franconia
Bamberg Germany
Bamberg is a town in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in 2022. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby Babenberch castle. Cited as one of Germany's most beautiful towns, with medieval streets and buildings, the old town of Bamberg with around 2,400 timber houses has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.
Würzburg, Germany
Würzburg, Germany
Surrounded by Franconian vineyards, Würzburg was heavily damaged during World War II, but has since been completely restored. This prestigious university city is a jewel of baroque architecture. Its most pristine example of pomp and glory is the great Bishops’ Residenz palace, built in 1744 for the prince-bishop; his unwavering support of artists is evidenced by the sweeping staircase and magnificent ceiling frescoes by Tiepolo. Other landmarks include the medieval, statue-lined Old Main Bridge and Marienberg Fortress, originally a Celtic hill fort and later residence of the bishops. The city remains a major wine-making center, hosting Germany’s oldest and largest vineyard.
Cologne
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Cologne, Germany
Cologne showcases its Roman roots in the city’s layout and the ancient ruins scattered throughout. Modern plazas and the bustling Hohe Strasse are lined with inviting shops, tempting restaurants, and charming cologne boutiques. The highlight is the 13th-century cathedral, a breathtaking masterpiece of Gothic architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Having withstood Allied bombings in World War II, its towering twin spires can be seen from miles away, while the colorful stained glass bathes the interior in brilliant light. Climbing its steps rewards visitors with stunning panoramic views.
Optional tours (extra cost)
Viking Long Ship
Gefjon - Norse Goddess of the Plow
Gefjon is credited with the creation of the Danish island of Zealand. When the ruler of Sweden offers her all the land she and four oxen can plow in a day and a night, she transforms her four sons into beasts of burden. Together, they uproot a swathe of earth from the mainland and deposit it into the sea, creating Zealand. This act of might earns Gefjon respect among gods.
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Only 190 guests
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Crew: 53
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Length: 443 feet
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Year built: 2015