Cruise itinerary
16-Night Europe Cruise from Bucharest
16 nights · Europe · 21 ports of call
16-night Europe cruise aboard Avalon Illumination, departing Bucharest and calling at Oltenita, Ruse, Vidin, Iron Gates, Golubac and Belgrade and 14 more.
- Free advisor
- No booking fees
- 10,000+ sailings
At a glance
- Cruise line
- Avalon Waterways
- Duration
- 16 nights
- Region
- Europe · Western Europe · Danube
- Departs
- Bucharest
- Returns
- Vilshofen
How NestCruise works:we're advisor-led, not a booking engine. No fares are listed and there are no booking fees — tell an advisor your dates and party and they price your exact Avalon Illumination sailing, typically within 24 hours.
Where this voyage takes you
- History & Culture
Day-by-day itinerary
- Day1
Bucharest
Romania's capital, set on the plains of the lower Danube basin and reached by river from the nearby port towns. Grand boulevards and the colossal Palace of the Parliament reflect its 20th-century rebuilding, alongside surviving belle-époque streets once dubbed 'Little Paris'.
- Palace of the Parliament
- Old Town
- Herăstrău Park
- Day2
Bucharest
Romania's capital, set on the plains of the lower Danube basin and reached by river from the nearby port towns. Grand boulevards and the colossal Palace of the Parliament reflect its 20th-century rebuilding, alongside surviving belle-époque streets once dubbed 'Little Paris'.
- Palace of the Parliament
- Old Town
- Herăstrău Park
Oltenita
A Danube port town in southern Romania, set on the river's north bank across from Bulgaria. A quiet agricultural centre on the Wallachian plain, it serves as a river crossing and a stop on cruises bound for Bucharest, which lies a short drive inland.
- Danube waterfront
- Bucharest day trip
- Wallachian plain
- Day3
Ruse
A Bulgarian port on the Danube, facing Romania across the river in the country's northeast. Known for grand nineteenth-century architecture that earned it the name Little Vienna, it centres on a neo-baroque square and serves as a stop toward Bucharest.
- Freedom Square
- Neo-baroque architecture
- Danube riverfront
- Day4
Vidin
A Danube river port in northwestern Bulgaria, opposite Romania across the water. Its medieval Baba Vida fortress stands on the riverbank, and the town serves as a gateway inland to the dramatic rock formations and monasteries of the Belogradchik region.
- Baba Vida fortress
- Danube riverfront
- Belogradchik rocks
- Day5
Iron Gates
A dramatic gorge where the Danube cuts between Serbia and Romania, forming the river's narrowest and deepest stretch. River ships pass beneath sheer cliffs, the rock-carved face of the Dacian king Decebalus and the locks of the great Iron Gate dams.
- Danube gorge
- Decebalus rock carving
- river cliffs
Golubac
A small town on the Danube in eastern Serbia, set where the river narrows toward the Iron Gates gorge. It is dominated by a large medieval riverside fortress, and lies at the edge of the Đerdap National Park along the Romanian border.
- Golubac Fortress
- Iron Gates gorge
- Đerdap park
- Day6
Belgrade
The capital of Serbia, set where the Sava River joins the Danube in the Balkans. The hilltop Kalemegdan fortress overlooks the meeting of the rivers, with the bohemian Skadarlija quarter and a lively riverside nightlife below.
- Kalemegdan Fortress
- Skadarlija quarter
- River confluence
- Day7
Novi Sad
Serbia's second city, set on the Danube in the northern Vojvodina plain. The riverside Petrovaradin Fortress overlooks the water, the old centre keeps elegant squares and cafés, and the EXIT music festival fills the fortress each summer.
- Petrovaradin Fortress
- Danube quay
- City squares
- Day8
Ilok
A small hilltop town in eastern Croatia, set where the Danube meets the wine-growing slopes of the Fruška Gora. Its medieval fortress and Franciscan friary overlook a wide bend of the river, marking the country's far eastern frontier with Serbia.
- Ilok fortress
- Danube vineyards
- Odescalchi cellars
Vukovar
A town on the Danube in eastern Croatia, where the river forms the border with Serbia. Once heavily damaged in the 1990s war and since rebuilt, it sits in the flat, fertile Slavonia region known for its vineyards and baroque waterfront.
- Danube waterfront
- Slavonia wines
- Baroque architecture
- Day9
Mohács
A town on the Danube in southern Hungary, near the Croatian and Serbian borders. It is remembered for the 1526 battle that shaped Hungarian history and for its Busójárás carnival, when masked figures parade to drive off winter.
- Busójárás carnival
- Danube riverfront
- Battle of Mohács
- Day10
Budapest
Hungary's grand capital, split by the Danube into hilly Buda and flat Pest. River ships moor in the centre, within reach of the neo-Gothic Parliament, the thermal baths at Széchenyi and the panoramic ramparts of Fisherman's Bastion.
- Parliament Building
- Széchenyi Baths
- Fisherman's Bastion
- Day11
Budapest
Hungary's grand capital, split by the Danube into hilly Buda and flat Pest. River ships moor in the centre, within reach of the neo-Gothic Parliament, the thermal baths at Széchenyi and the panoramic ramparts of Fisherman's Bastion.
- Parliament Building
- Széchenyi Baths
- Fisherman's Bastion
- Day12
Bratislava
Slovakia's compact capital on the Danube, within sight of both Austria and Hungary. A hilltop castle overlooks a small, walkable old town of pastel facades, baroque squares and the Gothic St. Martin's Cathedral where Hungarian kings were once crowned.
- Bratislava Castle
- Old Town
- St. Martin's Cathedral
- Day13
Vienna
Austria's imperial capital on the Danube, long the seat of the Habsburgs. River ships call within reach of Schönbrunn Palace, the Hofburg and St. Stephen's Cathedral, in a city famed for coffee houses, classical music and grand ringstrasse architecture.
- Schönbrunn Palace
- St. Stephen's Cathedral
- Coffee houses
- Day14
Dürnstein
A village in Austria's Wachau valley, set among terraced vineyards on a bend of the Danube. A blue-and-white baroque abbey tower marks its skyline, and the ruined castle above town is where Richard the Lionheart was once held captive.
- Baroque abbey
- Castle ruins
- Wachau vineyards
Wachau Valley Austria
A stretch of the Danube in Lower Austria between Melk and Krems, a UNESCO cultural landscape. The Wachau Valley is known for its terraced vineyards, riverside villages, hilltop abbeys, and apricot orchards along a famously scenic reach of the river.
- Terraced vineyards
- Dürnstein village
- Apricot orchards
Neuhofen an der Ybbs
A small market town in Lower Austria, set in the rolling farmland of the Mostviertel where the Ybbs river runs down from the Alps. The region is known for its orchards and cider, with the abbey of Seitenstetten and the foothills of the Eisenwurzen nearby.
- Mostviertel cider
- Seitenstetten Abbey
- Ybbs valley
- Day15
Linz
An Austrian city on the Danube between Salzburg and Vienna, with a large baroque main square at its heart. A pair of funiculars and a tram climb the Pöstlingberg hill above town, and it serves as a river gateway toward the Salzkammergut lakes.
- Main Square
- Pöstlingberg hill
- Danube promenade
- Day16
Schlögen
A hamlet on the Danube in Upper Austria, known for the Schlögener Schlinge, a dramatic double loop where the river doubles back between forested hills. River ships pass through this quiet stretch of the valley, prized for its walking trails and views.
- Schlögen Loop
- Danube valley
- Forest trails
Passau
A Bavarian city where the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers meet, near the Austrian border. Long a starting point for Danube cruises, its baroque old town centres on St. Stephen's Cathedral, home to one of the largest church organs in the world.
- Three rivers
- St. Stephen's Cathedral
- Baroque old town
- Day17
Vilshofen
A small Bavarian town on the Danube in Lower Bavaria, often a river-cruise stop for its preserved historic core. Vilshofen's pastel market square and riverside setting make it a gateway into the surrounding Bavarian Forest countryside.
- Stadtplatz square
- Danube promenade
- Bavarian Forest
Upcoming departures
- 11 May 2027
Upcoming sailings of this itinerary — a NestCruise advisor confirms current availability and your fare.
16-Night Europe Cruise from Bucharest FAQ
Which ports does this cruise visit?
This 16-night Europe cruise calls at Bucharest, Oltenita, Ruse, Vidin, Iron Gates, Golubac, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Ilok, Vukovar, Mohács, Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Dürnstein, Wachau Valley Austria, Neuhofen an der Ybbs, Linz, Schlögen, Passau and Vilshofen.
How many days are spent at sea?
This is a port-intensive itinerary with no full days at sea.
Where does this cruise depart from?
It departs from Bucharest and ends in Vilshofen.
How long is this cruise?
16 nights aboard Avalon Illumination.
When does this itinerary sail?
Upcoming departures include 11 May 2027. A NestCruise advisor can confirm current availability.