PRAGUE to BUDAPEST
NEW DATES July 25–Aug 2, 2009

After an optional 2-day pretour in Prague (Capital of the Czech Republic), we'll pick up last minute arrivals at the airport and embark on our chartered 5-star cruise ship that same afternoon. Seven days of rides along the Danube include supremely scenic portions of Bavaria, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Tandeming into Budapest on the afternoon of the seventh day, we'll find our cruise ship at the very center of Europe's most vibrant city.

As with our wildly-successful tandem cruises on the Mississippi (2006 & 2007), chartering a cruise ship for a bike tour means our 5-star hotel travels to meet us at the end of each ride. Because the drudgery of daily repacking is avoided, this tandem-specific cruise vacation provides an extra hour of leisure per day—more time for cycling, sightseeing and sleeping. By repositioning up to three times a day (and traveling up to 100 miles at night) our buoyant stretch limo allows us to cover more ground while skipping past boring or industrial stretches.

In additional to Prague, our tour reaches three more European capitals (Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest). Our week of rides along the Danube allow us to explore the Shlogen Gorge, Wachau Valley, Vienna Woods, Danube Elbow and scores of historic villages (such as Passau, Linz, Melk, Durnstein, Komarno, Esztergom, Visegrad and Szentendrei) before tandeming into exotic Budapest—"Paris of the East"— where our boat remains our hotel for two additional nights.

Unlike the Mississippi, bike paths line the Danube. After we leave the boat each morning, our sleek and powerful hotel will pass us before tying up 30-40 miles downriver, where we'll reboard for lunch. "Short" riders will stay on board for an afternoon cruise while "Medium" riders disembark to continue downstream for another 20-30 miles. If you want something more strenuous, Santana's European distributor Wolfgang Haas (tandeming's answer to Arnold Schwarzenegger) will guide "Long" riders on pre- and post-lunch rides into the surrounding forested hills. No matter which route you choose, villages are usually less than ten miles apart. The Danube's route from Bavaria to Budapest is not only downhill, the prevailing summer breezes are tailwinds.

The luxurious Amadeus Symphony, launched in 2003, is an inland cruise ship with distinctly European styling. Over 350 feet long, this river cruiser was engineered to squeeze through locks and pass under centuries-old bridges. By cruise ship standards, all 73 outside staterooms are generously proportioned. In Europe, where some of the best hotels lack air conditioning, the centrally-refrigerated staterooms have individual thermostats, panoramic view windows, large private baths, soundproofed walls, and twin or euro-king mattresses with soft sheets and comfy duvets. Austrian-owned, the spotlessly clean Amadeus Symphony is a 5-star (highest-rating) non-smoking cruise-ship with English speaking crew and wait-staff. The Symphony's spacious aft dining room and her inviting forward lounge both include floor-to-ceiling windows. Our tandems will enjoy a small portion of the open top deck; which is nearly as long as a football field. If the Danube's level is unseasonably high we may need to lay our bikes down in order to pass beneath some of the historic stone spans. River locks? We'll traverse more than a dozen.

In addition to Wolfgang's help with routes (Santana's European HQ is an hour's drive from the Danube), Robert Baur will work with the boat's Chef to make sure our meals include the finest signature dishes from all 5 countries. Additionally, as the Danube is a wine-growing region, Robert will make sure that our evening meals are expertly paired with wines from the vineyards we ride through. On our scouting trips (one down and two to go) Jan and I will personally choose great sites and guides; and select different entertainers for nightly after-dinner shows.

Price for this 9-day European cruise/tour with up to 8 days of great tandeming and 8 nights on the luxurious Amadeus Symphony starts at $4195 per person. More extensive than most cycling tours, our tandem-specific itinerary includes airport transfers, a wide choice of daily rides (plus the unique ability to skip any day of cycling by remaining on our cruise ship), admissions and guides, all meals, gourmet dinners with local beer or wine, nightly cultural entertainment, and (best of all) the enthusiastic company of energetic and adventuresome couples.