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: BudapestHungarian Dinner And Folklore Show The Hungarian Violins at times with melancholy and in the next moment hot and spicy like paprika is something that is so typical for Hungary. The music combined with dancers in their colorful costumes and their high leather boots, stomping that you can almost see the flints flying. And on top of it the show takes place in one of the finest restaurants of Budapest with a buffet dinner of Hungarian Specialties, from the spicy Goulash to the sweet, one might want to die for. . .
Approximate value: EUR €64 per person
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: LinzSalzburg - Mozart's Sound of Music True, Salzburg is the birth-place of Mozart and you will find the face of the city's most famous son everywhere. Salzburg is also the setting for the Sound of Music Movie, which has shaped the city's perception in the minds of generations. But Salzburg is much more. It is a city with history based on the salt trade from the nearby Alpine Mountains, it is a city of beautiful baroque buildings, and a city perched between the mountains and green waters of the Salzach river. It is a city with a long cultural heritage and in the small busy lanes like the "Getreidegasse" with its wrought iron signs you might get a feeling, how busy this city always was. Today we would like to show you Salzburg and its past, we will show you the Austrian Lake district and our local experts will talk about what it makes to be Austrian and to live in this country today. And who knows perhaps this excursion will give you also wings. . .
Approximate value: EUR €64 per person
CITY: PragueWonderful Dvorak - Chamber Music Concert Dvorak was neither conservative nor radical. His works display the influences of folk music, mainly Czech polka rhythms. But Dvorak performed also in the United States, he was for sure one of the first composers working globally. His Slavonic Dances show his very strong roots in the culture of his homeland, yet he was not afraid of letting Indian dances and songs influence his 9th Symphony: "From the New World". Enjoy an evening with tunes and themes of Antonin Dvorak, this great Czech Composer and find out a bit more about his works and his music.
Approximate value: EUR €42 per person
Prague Secrets Revealed It is quite possible to escape the touristy side of Prague. And just as before, it requires knowing just which street to turn down or even which unsigned walkway to pass. Knowing where to turn from the Old Town Square, you can leave all the crowds behind and find yourself shockingly alone in a twisting Medieval street, quiet as can be - with only the sound of your shoes clicking against the cobblestones or a tram swooshing by a few streets away. And in this street, it's also still possible to find the most interesting places when you least expect it. The houses and doors often look the same from the outside. To the naked eye, the street may even seem residential. There are no big flashing lights pointing out the history that lies behind these facades of Prague. It needs a local expert, who shows you these secrets and tell you the stories of what happened here and there . . .
Approximate value: EUR €19 per person
Prague's Jewish Heritage - A Visit To Important Sites Of Jewish LifeLocated between the Old Town Square and the Vltava River, Prague's Jewish Quarter (known as Josefov) was once one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe, with a rich and varied history dating back to the 10th century. The circumstances leading to WW II and the country's post-war Communist regime did little to revive the hopes and religious rights (or indeed living standards) of those who survived, with many deciding to emigrate to the US, Western Europe or Israel. Today, whilst only 1500 or so Orthodox Jews now live in what remains of the traditional Jewish Quarter, it has once again become a thriving - and fascinating - part of Prague. Follow our local expert on a tour to the Jewish Museum, the Jewish Cemetery and the Synagogues and get an inside view of Jewish Life in the past and today
Approximate value: EUR €36 per person
Terezin - The Fortress Of Theresienstadt And Its HistoryTerezin was established at the end of the 18th century as a fortress; still surrounded by its massive ramparts, the town lies at the confluence of the rivers Labe (Elbe) and Ohre (Eger). The Main and Lesser Fortresses at Terezin, although modern for their period, gradually became obsolete, and having lost their military function fell into disregard. Only in the relatively recent past has Terezin once again entered the world's public consciousness as a tragic symbol of the sufferings of the tens of thousands of innocent people who died here during the Nazi occupation of their homeland. Ghetto Theresienstadt has long been remembered for its culture, its famous prisoners, and its visit by Red Cross officials
Approximate value: EUR €44 per person
CITY: RegensburgExcursion To Weltenburg Abbey And Danube Gorge The Danube Gorge has both a gentle and a strange beauty. In a magnificent show of force, the Danube has carved its way through the Swabian Alb to create a stunning landscape - a wild, romantic stretch of river with sheer cliffs rising up to 100 meters out of the water. At its upper end the Weltenburg Abbey is located on a peninsula directly beneath the cliffs of the Gorge. It was founded by Irish or Scottish monks in 620 and is one of the oldest abbeys in Bavaria. The present Benedictine abbey dates back to the 18th century when it was extensively rebuilt in baroque style. Their ceiling frescos of the Heavenly Jerusalem blend seamlessly with the abbey interior and are particularly noteworthy. Important is also that Weltenburg Abbey houses the oldest abbey brewery in the world, as the monks have been brewing beer since 1050. A beer and a "pretzel" are a welcome refreshment
Approximate value: EUR €39 per person
CITY: ViennaRoyal 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
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
Please note that some amenities, features and enhancements are only available on 2011 river and small-ship cruise departures.