Optional Excursions

Here's a list of optional excursions you can enjoy during your vacation. Whether it's a special dinner, a local show or a special behind-the-scenes glimpse into an historical site, optional excursions are a wonderful way to enrich your vacation even further. Plus, they give you flexibility. We include the must-see sites and experiences, and we also understand that people take interest in different activities and may want to craft a more personal vacation by hand-picking optional excursions that appeal to them.

Availability is subject to sufficient participation, weather conditions, seasonal suitability, days of operation, group interests, and general feasibility for your vacation. The approximate value listed gives you a good, general idea of what you can expect to pay but may vary once you are on your vacation. Some information provided might be in a foreign currency; you can use our online currency converter for exchange rate information.

CITY: Belgrade

Dinner At Belgrade's Skadarlija District
Once the home of many Serbian poets, writers, artists, and actors, the cobble-stoned Skadarlija (or Skadarska) street today hosts some of the best restaurants in town, all of which strive to preserve bohemian traditions from the early 19th century. Definitely the place to go if you want to get a feel of the atmosphere of Belgrade's old times, cruise art galleries, shop for antiques or souvenirs, or taste the best of local food
Approximate value: EUR €42 per person

CITY: Budapest

Hungarian Puszta Farm With Horse Show And Lunch
Admire the unsurpassed qualities of the Hungarian Equestrian virtue at an active stud farm in the Great Hungarian Plain. Enjoy the sight of the proud hoses as he leads the festive procession. Take a typical country wagon ride and learn about the life on the typical Hungarian farm. Experience the well-known Hungarian hospitality in the most natural environment of the Puszta Farm. The Hungarians have been inseparable from their horses for more than a thousand years. Do not miss this unique opportunity to experience the Hungarian countryside and its authentic ways
Approximate value: EUR €54 per person

CITY: Novi Sad

Excursion To Sremski Karlovci
Fruska Gora is a long ridge of low hills running east-west to the south of Novi Sad. Although it reaches heights of only 500 m / 1640 ft, the hills add welcome variety to the flat relief of Vojvodina. These southern valleys also shelter more than a dozen monasteries, which often blend in style of the Byzantine and Baroque of which the best known is Krusedol. But the Srem region is also one of the oldest viticulture areas in Europe. The grapevine has sprouted on Mt. Fruska Gora's fertile hills for over 1,700 years, ever since it was first planted by Roman Emperor Probus of the ancient Sirmium. And finally where the wooded slopes of the Fruska Gora meet the Danube there is Sremski Karlovci, once an important town, where for the last hundred years history seems to have passed by. . .
Approximate value: EUR €29 per person

CITY: Vienna

A Visit of Schonbrunn Palace
Schonbrunn, the former summer residence of the imperial family, is considered one of the most beautiful baroque palaces in Europe. The Habsburgs resided here the better part of the year in numerous rooms for the large imperial family in addition to representational rooms. Emperor Franz Joseph, who later married the enchanting Sisi and reigned from 1848 to 1916, was born here in 1830. The monarch spent his last years entirely in the palace, which became the property of the new Republic of Austria only two years after his death. Today, the palace is part of UNESCO's cultural heritage due to its historic importance, its unique grounds and its splendid furnishings. Follow our local expert and visit Empress Sisi's former summer residence, afterwards take your time to stroll through the park or enjoy a demonstration of how the famous Viennese Apple Strudel is being made - Samples to taste included. . .
Approximate value: EUR €44 per person

Royal Waltz Concert
Would a stay in Vienna be the same if you were not able to listen to the tunes of the "Blue Danube Waltz" or the "Radetzky" March? Your Cruise Director will accompany you to one of the Vienna's Famous Concert Halls. Avalon will make preferred seating arrangements. In order to celebrate this evening in style, have a glass of sparkling wine in the intermission, before you listen to the famous tunes brought to you by opera singers and watch the elegant ballet dancers as they interpret some of the most well known classical tunes from Vienna.
Approximate value: EUR €49 per person

Beethoven's Vienna Woods
Vienna is surrounded by a ring of hills and forests; the famous Vienna woods. Composers like Strauss, Schubert and Beethoven were inspired by the lovely landscape and the unique buildings that shaped this area. A leisurely motorcoach transfer brings us to the abbey of Heiligenkreuz for a first stop and a short inside visit of the little church. On the way to Baden, we hear about crown-prince Rudolf's love and tragic end, and see the Helenental that inspired Beethoven to one of his most famous music pieces before we arrive in Baden, once the summer spa of the Viennese nobility. Free time for lunch; Music lovers may enjoy an inside visit to the Beethoven house, or simply stroll through the lovely pedestrian area before returning to Vienna via the Wine road.
Approximate value: EUR €54 per person