Renaissance and Rococo designs, numerous courtyards and gardens, and the breathtaking, impeccably preserved Castle Theatre. Then, a special Tauck Exclusive – a private lunch at the Winter Riding School, a hall where 18th-century aristocrats exercised their horses in inclement weather, now a lavish venue for concerts, balls, and social events. You will return to Linz late in the afternoon to reboard your riverboat, where cocktails and dinner aboard ship are in line for this evening. Meals BLD
5. WINES OF WACHAU VALLEY Arrive in Grein this morning for a choice of sightseeing activities. A walking tour of the village includes Greinburg Castle, which is an imposing 15th-century palace with a gracious arcaded courtyard, and the Grein Theatre, since 1791 the oldest operating theatre in Austria... or take a guided tour of nearby Mauthausen Memorial, site of an infamous World War II-era concentration camp. This afternoon, cruise the lush landscapes of the Wachau Valley, with its rolling vineyards, fairy-tale castles, ancient hilltop ruins and monasteries; this is wine country famous for its Reislings and Grüner Veltliners, which you will get a chance to sample at Weissenkirchen village en route to your overnight at anchor in Dürnstein. Meals BLD
6. DREAM CASTLES AND ABBEYS This morning, your riverboat departs Dürnstein and docks in Krems, which offers you a choice of unforgettable sightseeing excursions: visit the lofty, lavish monastery at Göttweig Abbey, a mountaintop Benedictine retreat with Baroque architectural features as stunning as the views... then descend to the Tulin plain to encounter Grafenegg Castle, a 19th-century count’s madly romantic vision of a medieval castle. Or explore the picture-perfect Bavarian village of Dürnstein on a guided walking tour, with free time on your own – maybe a climb up to the brooding ruins of Kuenringerburg Castle high above the town. Rejoin the boat, and set off on a leisurely, breathtakingly scenic river cruise to Bratislava. Meals BLD
7. A DAY IN BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA This morning, our local expert offers inside information and anecdotes on Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, before you embark on a walking tour of the city’s cobblestoned, vehicle-free historic center; medieval, Baroque and modern architecture mix in this visually intriguing city as you visit sites that include the 13th-century Old Town Hall, Baroque Habsburg-era palaces, the Opera House, Slovak Philharmonic Hall, Michael’s Gate, St. Martin’s Cathedral, and the Primate’s Palace where you’ll view rare 17th-century British tapestries. Your day in Bratislava ends with free time to explore on your own. Or you can opt out of the walking tour for an excursion to the countryside, lush with vineyards, for a wine tasting and castle visit. Back aboard ship, lunch and settle in for an afternoon at leisure before the riverboat departs for Vienna. Join us this evening for the captain’s farewell reception and dinner. Meals BLD
Call your travel agent or Tauck at 877-519-1035
INSIDE DÜRNSTEIN You might have to ask yourself at times if Dürnstein on the
Danube is real or a Hollywood version of a German Bavarian village, postcard-perfect cobblestone lanes, medieval half-timbered houses, winding around a Gothic church and rathaus. But the epicurean pleasures of the Wachau Valley should ground you, and if you’re game, climb to the ruins of the hilltop castle that looms above the village, where Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned in the 12th century. And at that point you will know that this, in fact, is reality.
INSIDE GÖTTWEIG ABBEY The Benedictine abbot who commissioned the rebuilding
of Göttweig Abbey in the 18th century decided to spare no expense (an idea which nearly got him fired). But for what it lacks in modesty, the monastery, which looms on a mountaintop like Valhalla, is stunning in all its Baroque features. The Imperial Staircase, its allegoric ceiling frescoes, its vast library, its collection of antiquities – not to mention the view from its lofty heights – add up to a priceless experience.
www.tauck.com/river-cruises 57
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