5. DREAM CASTLES AND ABBEYS This morning your riverboat docks in Krems, which offers you a choice of unforgettable sightseeing excursions. Visit Grafenegg Castle, a 19th-century count’s madly romantic vision of a medieval castle, complete with fairy tale turrets and towers, balconies, and gargoyles... then ascend to the monastery at Göttweig Abbey, a mountaintop retreat with Baroque architectural features as stunning as the views. Or stay aboard the riverboat and sail to the picture-perfect Austrian village of Dürnstein, for a guided walking tour. Enjoy free time to explore, and if you’re game, climb to the ruins of Kuenringerburg Castle high above the town, where Richard the Lionheart was held for ransom in the 12th century. Later, cruising through the Wachau Valley takes you past rolling vineyards, castles, and ancient hilltop ruins; the wine country is famous for its Rieslings and Grüner Veltliners, which you’ll get a chance to sample at a tasting stop in Weissenkirchen village today. Meals BLD
6. SCENIC WACHAU VALLEY Spend the morning on a leisurely, scenic river cruise through the Wachau Valley. Arrive in Grein for a choice of sightseeing activities. A walking tour of the village includes Greinburg Castle, 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 a World War II-era concentration camp. After free time on your own, return to your riverboat for dinner aboard ship. Sail tonight for Linz. Meals BLD
7. THE CASTLE AT CESKY KRUMLOV Your boat remains docked in Linz while you embark on a full-day excursion through wine country to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. Cesky Krumlov is a well-preserved medieval town in a landscape of exceptional beauty. Your walking tour includes Krumlov Castle, one of the largest castle complexes in Central Europe, composed of medieval, Renaissance and Rococo palaces, plus courtyards and gardens. Then, enjoy a 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. Return to Linz, for this evening’s cocktails, dinner and live music aboard your riverboat. Meals BLD
8. PICTURESQUE PASSAU – CITY OF 3 RIVERS At the confluence of three rivers, Passau, 2,500 years old, is a quintessential Bavarian town. Our walking tour immerses you in its storybook mix of Roman, Italian Baroque, and German Gothic architecture. Visit St. Stephan’s Cathedral; its jaw-dropping Baroque interior includes statuary, frescoes, and a massive pipe organ (the largest in Europe). View Bavaria’s largest glockenspiel; see the hilltop fortress where Passau’s prince-bishops once resided; and take in the 14th-century Rathaus (Town Hall), adorned with murals commemorating scenes from the Nibelungenlied, an epic poem believed to have originated here in the 12th century. This afternoon sail for Regensburg. Meals BLD
Call your travel agent or Tauck at 877-519-1035
The Glories of 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, allegoric ceiling frescoes, a vast library, a collection of antiquities – not to mention the view from its lofty heights – add up to a priceless experience.
tauck.com/river-cruises 85
Picturesque Dürnstein You might have to ask yourself if Dürnstein is real
or a Hollywood version of an Austrian village; the postcard-perfect cobblestone lanes and medieval half-timbered houses, winding around a Gothic church and rathaus, may fool you. But the epicurean pleasures of the Wachau Valley should ground you, and if you’re game, climb to the ruins of the 12th-century hilltop castle that presides over the village. (Richard the Lionheart was once imprisoned there.) Then you’ll know that this is, in fact, reality.
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