Imperial Cities and Danube Delta Cruise (Bucharest-Budapest)

After meeting your group in London, you'll take a direct flight to Bucharest, the lively capital city of Romania. On arrival we transfer to our hotel for the night, checking in and enjoying a three course dinner to kick off our adventure.

• Dinner

We set out on a guided city sightseeing tour, discovering the palaces, medieval homes and 21st century skyscrapers that make this a remarkable and surprising destination. You have free time for lunch and might like to try out one of the many al fresco restaurants tucked away among the tangled network of streets and parks. This afternoon we transfer to our ship, the Amadeus Imperial - moored in Fetesti - where we're welcomed with a drink. There's time to settle into your cabin before our first 5-course dinner of our cruise.

• Breakfast, Dinner

We hop aboard smaller safari boats today for a nature cruise through the UNESCO-listed Danube Delta, formed by the river as it splits into hundreds of tributaries on its way to the Black Sea. This biosphere reserve is packed with wildlife, including many rare and endangered species such as the golden jackal, European hoopoe, white-tailed eagle and lesser-spotted wood-pecker.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, we moor in Hirsova and are driven by coach to the nearby port town of Constanta for a guided tour. Here we discover Constanta's fascinating ancient history - its Greek origins, Roman ancestry and Persian influences. Some of the attractions we see include the great mosque, art-nouveau casino and Genovese lighthouse. A short visit to the city's History and Archaeology Museum is also enlightening, and there's time to take a stroll along the pristine beach before we return to our ship.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we arrive in Rousse, in Bulgaria. We dock there and take an excursion to Veliko Tarnovo, a striking medieval city - known as the 'City of the Tsars' - which was once the cornerstone of Bulgaria's 14th century empire. We explore its medieval churches and Old Town on our guided tour. We return to our ship for lunch and this afternoon continue cruising towards the Iron Gates.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is spent at leisure on board as we sail towards Belgrade. During the afternoon we pass through the spectacular 'Iron Gate' Gorge, a scenic area which forms part of the boundary between Serbia and Romania. Enjoy the cruise director's informative commentary as we witness towering mossy cliffs, some parts of the rock face decorated with ornate and detailed carvings. During dinner this evening we set sail towards Belgrade in Serbia.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We moor in the Serbian capital of Belgrade this morning, then head out on a guided walking tour to see the attractions of a city whose history can be documented through its architecture. First we see the Kalemegdan Fortress, the oldest surviving part of the city dating back to the 3rd century BC, which offers wonderful views across the Danube and Sava rivers. Next we see Belgrade's National Museum before seeing the parliament building, Terazije Square and lastly, the Palace of Princess Ljubica. With its Asian influences, this is an unusual building for this part of the world; it was built in the 1800s for the wife of Prince Miloš - Princess Ljubica. This after-noon we set sail, cruising overnight, to Mohács.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We arrive into the port of Mohács this morning, close to the Hungarian border, and set off on a 'puszta' tour by coach that takes us Kalocsa, with stops along the way. The puszta is an area of Hungary defined by a grassland ecosystem on the Great Hungarian Plains. Our first visit here is to a paprika house.

One of Hungary's most famous and important cooking ingredients, paprika was once known as 'red gold' in this region, and we get to taste it in a variety of dishes while learning about the his-tory of the spice and how it help shaped the lives of the people here. We continue to the former home of a wealthy 19th century family for a performance of traditional folk music and dancing. We then head out into the great plains to try more local delicacies, meet Hungarian half-blood horses and experience a wagon ride hauled by these magnificent creatures. We meet our ship in Kalocsa with time at leisure before tonight's gala dinner.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We moor into Budapest this morning. A city of two halves divided by the mighty River Danube and sewn together by a collection of beautiful bridges, we enter the handsome city of Budapest in the most elegant way possible, enjoying the multitude of impressive sights that line the banks of the river as we sail leisurely through this historic and grandiose capital city. After breakfast, we disembark and are taken on a coach tour of this wonderful city, with entrance included at Matthias Church and Fishermans' Bastion. After our tour we are transferred to Budapest station for our train to Prague. We arrive into Prague early evening, to spend two night, checking in and dining at our hotel.

• Dinner

We enjoy a guided tour of the Czech capital today, starting at Hradcany Castle, the largest medieval complex in Europe, where entrance is included. We walk across the 14th century Charles Bridge, with its 75 statues, and pass the Gothic spires of St Vitus' Cathedral. The rest of your day is at leisure to enjoy lunch and explore at your own pace, before dinner back at the hotel. You may wish to delve deeper into the Old Town, with its grand churches and squares, or explore the Jewish Quarter.

• Breakfast, Dinner

We take the train to the German capital, Berlin this morning, arriving at our hotel in the afternoon. The rest of your day is at leisure to discover this fascinating city before dinner at our hotel. Monuments to explore in this once divided city include the incredible Brandenburg Gate - heavily bombed prior to the surrender of Germany in 1945, its neoclassical arch survived with only minor damage - the Berlin Wall, and the Reichstag, meeting place of the German parliament. The city has many galleries, museums and other attractions to visit, and lots of colourful cafés and street culture in vibrant suburbs which you may like to experience, before our final group dinner together at our hotel.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Leaving the city of Berlin early this morning, we travel by rail via Cologne to Brussels Midi, where we join the Eurostar service to London St Pancras International.

• Breakfast