Scenic Cruise from Budapest to the Black Sea
The fourth part of our 2024 European adventure takes us on a Scenic Tours river cruise from Budapest to the Black Sea.
We boarded the Scenic Jasper on Monday, 27 May 2024, and began with a magical night cruise to see the glittering lights of beautiful Budapest. The following morning, the Jasper set sail down the Danube.
Our first stop was the Hungarian town of Kalocsa, where we enjoyed an entertaining Hungarian Horse Show on the Great Hungarian Plain.
On Wednesday, 29 May, we arrived in the Croatian town of Osijek for a guided walking tour through its lovely Baroque Old Town. Lunch was hosted by a local Croatian family, and our hostess shared her moving experiences from the Croatian War of Independence in the early 1990s.
The next day brought us to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, where we took a cycling tour along the Sava River before spending the afternoon exploring the city. That evening, we attended a classical concert in the crypt of the magnificent St. Sava Temple—a memorable highlight.
Friday was a leisurely sailing day as we cruised through the breathtaking Iron Gates Gorge, passing the striking rock sculpture of King Decebalus of Romania.
Saturday, 1 June—Sarah’s birthday—was spent sailing past Svishtov and on to Rousse, Bulgaria, where we enjoyed a relaxed walking tour.
On Sunday morning, we reached Silistra, the closest point to the mouth of the Danube, and took a bus excursion to Varna on the Black Sea. We spent a wonderful day sightseeing, swimming in the Black Sea, and enjoying a couple of drinks at a lively beach club.
On Monday, 3 June, we disembarked the Scenic Jasper at Giurgiu and travelled by bus to Bucharest, Romania. That afternoon we visited the Village Museum, followed by a farewell dinner with our tour group.
Tuesday, 4 June 2024, marked the beginning of our four-day Transylvania Scenic Tour—the next and final episode of our European journey.