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Land and River Cruise

Balkan Jewels with Bucharest and Translyvania

2026

River Cruise

Balkan Jewels with Bucharest and Translyvania

Balkan Jewels with Bucharest and Translyvania

Discover the hidden gems and iconic sites of the Balkans on this spectacular 12-day tour. Explore Bucharest’s Old City and visit Bran Castle, also known as ‘Dracula’s Castle’. Journey along the Danube on a seven-night cruise aboard the luxurious APT Ostara, discovering medieval fortresses and fascinating cities like Novi Sad and Budapest.

12 day River Cruise

Itinerary

Bucharest to Budapest

12 days / 11 night River Cruise

Day 1

Arrive Bucharest

Day 2

Bucharest

Day 3

Bucharest, Brașov

Day 4

Brașov, Bran

Day 5

Brașov, Sinaia, Giurgiu, Embark Ship

Day 6

Ruse, Veliko Târnovo

Day 7

Vidin, Belogradchik

Day 8

Scenic Cruising

Day 9

Novi Sad

Freedom of Choice

Day 10

Kalocsa, Puszta

Signature Experience

Day 11

Budapest

Freedom of Choice

Day 12

Disembark Ship, Depart Budapest

Coach/Vehicle
Stay/Stop name (no. of nights)
Cruise
Cruise Stay (no. of nights)

Trip Inclusions

Discover the inclusions provided on your all-inclusive tour, ensuring a stress-free journey where every detail is taken care of.

Freedom of Choice inclusions
Seven nights on a brand-new luxury river ship, the APT Solara or APT Ostara
28 meals – 11 breakfasts, 8 lunch, 9 dinners
The services of an expert Cruise Director
In-suite dining and beverage service in all suites
Transfers, port charges and gratuities
Exclusive – Enjoy a special lunch at Chateau Jemništĕ, then watch birds of prey fly free during an incredible falconry display
Visit a farm in a Puszta for a horse show and authentic Hungarian lunch

Tour Highlights

These exclusive or unique experiences are thoughtfully curated to take you on an inspiring journey beneath the surface of local history, culture and traditions. What's more, these once-in-a-lifetime moments are often not available to a regular traveller. The following highlights are just a taste of what we have prepared, especially for you.

Miniature Hungarian embroidery, transformed by tilt-shift photography.

Folk Art House and Horse Show

On this memorable Signature Experience, visit the Folk Art House, where local handicrafts are on show. Then, visit a producer of one of Hungary’s spiciest exports, paprika. Afterwards, a farm in Puszta is the perfect setting for a stellar horse show and authentic Hungarian lunch.

What's On Board

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Label images as (Artist's Impression)
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Come aboard the APT Solara and APT Ostara

With a host of alluring features, our brand-new, ultra-modern river ships, APT Solara and APT Ostara, offer unmatched opulence and style when travelling along the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers. Whether enjoying a cocktail up on the Sun Deck or retreating to your spacious, light-filled suite, there is so much to discover on board.

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2023 Photoshoot aboard the AmaReina.
New ship build design process for MS Ostara & Solara with Lou Tandy, Paul Hecker and Hamish Guthrie

Purpose-built for European Rivers

Crafted in Melbourne by the globally acclaimed Hecker Guthrie design team, our brand-new vessels seamlessly blend contemporary elegance with timeless allure, drawing inspiration from Europe's waterways, seasons, and locales.

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The Wachau is the landscape in and around the Danube valley between Melk and Krems an der Donau in Lower Austria, about 80 kilometers west of the federal capital Vienna. In 2000 it was added to the list of UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage as the Wachau cultural landscape with the Melk and Göttweig monasteries and the old town of Krems.

Sustainability Initiatives

Our ships utilise the most advanced and environmentally friendly technology currently available, which has earned us Green Award ‘Gold’ status. We champion eco-conscious best practices with no single-use plastics, and menus that minimise food waste.

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Personalised Service

A high crew-to-guest ratio offers impeccable onboard service and all suite categories feature indulgent in-suite dining. Your ship will have a dedicated Cruise Director on board, superb entertainment and a wellness host.

What our customers are saying

What a amazing tour. The countries and the villages we visited with all different history. Special thanks to our tour director. What a loving, caring and knowledgeable person.

Europe

What a cruise it was. Everything was excellent, from the crew, accommodation, meals, tours - we could not find a fault in anything.

Europe

What an experience, words are hard to find to describe these tours, anybody thinking of travelling with APT will never regret it.

The APT river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest has to be the measure that all other travel is measured against. It was living the dream! APT will be our recommendation to all.

Europe

We will recommend our friends to travel with your company and I am sure they will share the same experiences as we did. The entertainment, you provided was again first class.

Europe

This trip was the holiday of a lifetime for us and thanks to the excellent team of APT staff we had a wonderful experience. We will certainly be planning another trip using APT in the future.

Europe

We will recommend APT River Cruising highly, and hopefully may even be able to join in again one day. Thank you for showing us a wonderful part of the world....

Europe

The on-board entertainment was great and we danced many a night away as well as meeting some lovely people. What a wonderful introduction to Europe - loved every minute.

Europe

Frequently Asked Questions

Trip Notes

  • Itinerary, inclusions and pricing are subject to change

  • Prices are for land/cruise only. Flights not included unless specified 

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