Cruise itinerary
28-Night Europe Cruise from Amsterdam
28 nights · Europe · 28 ports of call
28-night Europe cruise aboard Scenic Opal, departing Amsterdam and calling at Cologne, Bonn, Rhine Gorge, Germany, Rüdesheim, Miltenberg and Wertheim and 21 more.
- Free advisor
- No booking fees
- 10,000+ sailings
At a glance
- Ship
- Scenic Opal
- Cruise line
- Scenic
- Duration
- 28 nights
- Region
- Europe · Southern Europe · Western Europe · Danube · Black Sea
- Departs
- Amsterdam
- Returns
- Istanbul
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 Scenic Opal sailing, typically within 24 hours.
Where this voyage takes you
Day-by-day itinerary
- Day1
Amsterdam
The Dutch capital, laced with concentric canals and gabled merchant houses from its 17th-century golden age. Most river sailings depart from here, leaving time for the Rijksmuseum, the Anne Frank House or a stroll through the Jordaan before lines cast off.
- Rijksmuseum
- Anne Frank House
- Jordaan canals
- Day2
Amsterdam
The Dutch capital, laced with concentric canals and gabled merchant houses from its 17th-century golden age. Most river sailings depart from here, leaving time for the Rijksmuseum, the Anne Frank House or a stroll through the Jordaan before lines cast off.
- Rijksmuseum
- Anne Frank House
- Jordaan canals
- Day3
Cologne
A Rhineland city dominated by its twin-spired Gothic cathedral, the tallest in Germany when built. River cruises call beside the old town, where the cathedral, riverside promenade and 12 Romanesque churches sit within easy walking distance.
- Cologne Cathedral
- Old town
- Rhine promenade
Bonn
A city on the Rhine in western Germany and the country's former capital. The birthplace of Beethoven, it keeps a fine old town, riverside promenades and a cluster of museums along the Museumsmeile.
- Beethoven House
- Old town market
- Rhine promenade
- Day4
Rhine Gorge, Germany
A scenic stretch of the Rhine in western Germany, where the river cuts a steep gorge between vine-clad slopes. Castle after castle crowns the heights above the water, including the legendary Lorelei rock on a sharp bend.
- Clifftop castles
- Lorelei rock
- Riverside vineyards
Rüdesheim
A small wine town on the Rhine, set where the river enters its dramatic gorge. River ships call here for the half-timbered lanes of the Drosselgasse, the vineyards of the Rheingau and the cable car up to the Niederwald monument above.
- Drosselgasse
- Rheingau vineyards
- Niederwald monument
- Day5
Miltenberg
A small medieval town on a bend of the Main River in Bavaria's Franconia region. Half-timbered houses line the marketplace below a hilltop castle, and the surrounding hills are planted with vineyards and forest.
- Market square
- Half-timbered houses
- Mildenburg castle
Wertheim
A timber-framed town in Baden-Württemberg where the Tauber River joins the Main, a frequent river-cruise stop. Wertheim is known for its half-timbered old town, the ruined hilltop castle above the rivers, and its long glassmaking heritage.
- Hilltop castle
- Half-timbered old town
- Glass museum
- Day6
Würzburg
A Bavarian city on the river Main, at the start of Germany's Romantic Road. The hillside Marienberg fortress overlooks the old town and the vineyards along the river, while the baroque Residenz palace anchors the centre with its grand frescoed staircase.
- Marienberg Fortress
- Würzburg Residenz
- Old Main Bridge
- Day7
Bamberg
A Bavarian town built across seven hills above the river Regnitz, its medieval and baroque core preserved as a whole. A painted town hall stands on an island mid-river, and the town is known for its smoked Rauchbier and many small breweries.
- Old Town Hall
- Bamberg Cathedral
- Smoked beer
- Day8
Nuremberg
A Bavarian city on the Pegnitz with a walled medieval core and an imperial castle above it. River ships call here along the Main–Danube corridor, within reach of the old town's half-timbered houses and the famous grilled Nürnberger sausages.
- Imperial Castle
- Old town walls
- Nürnberger sausages
- Day9
Regensburg
A Bavarian city on the Danube with one of Germany's best-preserved medieval centres. River ships call within walking distance of the 12th-century Stone Bridge, the Gothic cathedral and a tangle of lanes lined with patrician towers.
- Stone Bridge
- Regensburg Cathedral
- Medieval old town
- Day10
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
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
- Day11
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
Krems
A town at the eastern gateway to Austria's Wachau Valley, where the Krems River meets the Danube. Its medieval old town and the nearby Göttweig Abbey anchor a wine region known for Grüner Veltliner and terraced vineyards.
- Wachau vineyards
- Göttweig Abbey
- Steiner Tor gate
- Day12
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
- 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
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
- Day15
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
- Day16
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
- Day17
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
- Day18
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
- Day19
At Sea
- Day20
Svishtov
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
- Day21
Silistra
- Day22
Giurgiu
A Danube port in southern Romania, set opposite the Bulgarian city of Ruse. It is the river crossing nearest to Bucharest, with wetland lakes nearby and the capital's grand boulevards reachable on excursions inland.
- Bucharest gateway
- Danube crossing
- Friendship Bridge
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
- Day23
Istanbul
The city straddling Europe and Asia along the Bosphorus, once Byzantium and then Constantinople. Ships dock near the historic peninsula, within reach of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the covered Grand Bazaar's labyrinth of stalls.
- Hagia Sophia
- Blue Mosque
- Grand Bazaar
- Day24
Istanbul
The city straddling Europe and Asia along the Bosphorus, once Byzantium and then Constantinople. Ships dock near the historic peninsula, within reach of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the covered Grand Bazaar's labyrinth of stalls.
- Hagia Sophia
- Blue Mosque
- Grand Bazaar
- Day25
Istanbul
The city straddling Europe and Asia along the Bosphorus, once Byzantium and then Constantinople. Ships dock near the historic peninsula, within reach of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the covered Grand Bazaar's labyrinth of stalls.
- Hagia Sophia
- Blue Mosque
- Grand Bazaar
Çanakkale
A Turkish port at the narrowest point of the Dardanelles strait, between the Aegean and the Sea of Marmara. It is the gateway to the ruins of ancient Troy and to the Gallipoli battlefields and war memorials across the water on the peninsula.
- Ancient Troy
- Gallipoli battlefields
- Dardanelles strait
- Day26
Çanakkale
A Turkish port at the narrowest point of the Dardanelles strait, between the Aegean and the Sea of Marmara. It is the gateway to the ruins of ancient Troy and to the Gallipoli battlefields and war memorials across the water on the peninsula.
- Ancient Troy
- Gallipoli battlefields
- Dardanelles strait
- Day27
Çanakkale
A Turkish port at the narrowest point of the Dardanelles strait, between the Aegean and the Sea of Marmara. It is the gateway to the ruins of ancient Troy and to the Gallipoli battlefields and war memorials across the water on the peninsula.
- Ancient Troy
- Gallipoli battlefields
- Dardanelles strait
Istanbul
The city straddling Europe and Asia along the Bosphorus, once Byzantium and then Constantinople. Ships dock near the historic peninsula, within reach of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the covered Grand Bazaar's labyrinth of stalls.
- Hagia Sophia
- Blue Mosque
- Grand Bazaar
- Day28
Istanbul
The city straddling Europe and Asia along the Bosphorus, once Byzantium and then Constantinople. Ships dock near the historic peninsula, within reach of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the covered Grand Bazaar's labyrinth of stalls.
- Hagia Sophia
- Blue Mosque
- Grand Bazaar
- Day29
Istanbul
The city straddling Europe and Asia along the Bosphorus, once Byzantium and then Constantinople. Ships dock near the historic peninsula, within reach of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the covered Grand Bazaar's labyrinth of stalls.
- Hagia Sophia
- Blue Mosque
- Grand Bazaar
Upcoming departures
- 29 Sep 2026
- 13 Oct 2026
Upcoming sailings of this itinerary — a NestCruise advisor confirms current availability and your fare.
28-Night Europe Cruise from Amsterdam FAQ
Which ports does this cruise visit?
This 28-night Europe cruise calls at Amsterdam, Cologne, Bonn, Rhine Gorge, Germany, Rüdesheim, Miltenberg, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Schlögen, Dürnstein, Krems, Vienna, Budapest, Mohács, Vukovar, Belgrade, At Sea, Svishtov, Ruse, Silistra, Giurgiu, Bucharest, Istanbul and Çanakkale.
How many days are spent at sea?
1 day is spent at sea; the rest are in port.
Where does this cruise depart from?
It departs from Amsterdam and ends in Istanbul.
How long is this cruise?
28 nights aboard Scenic Opal.
When does this itinerary sail?
Upcoming departures include 29 Sep 2026 and 13 Oct 2026. A NestCruise advisor can confirm current availability.