Cruising The Danube River With Avalon Waterways Travel Tips

I had been wanting to go on a river cruise for some time. And, for even longer, I had been wanting to visit Budapest and Prague. This September I got to have both experiences with Avalon Waterways’ Blue Danube Discovery cruise and tour!

I landed in Budapest, after quite a bit of flying and a short layover in Paris, and met the Avalon Waterways representative who connected me with the driver for my transfer to the Sofitel Chain Bridge Budapest. Despite my fatigue, I was excited to start my adventures and see some of the city. So, after checking in and cleaning up, my Dad and I started out for some lunch and exploring.

Back in the hotel for our first cruise briefing with our Avalon Waterways Cruise Director, Vlad, we learned how the next (nearly) two weeks would work and met some of our fellow passengers. The travel and excitement caught up to us, so we called it an early night. We wanted to be rested for our first tour in the morning.

We had a day full of tours and experiences – from the included city tour to a Food & Culture tour to a Dinner and Wine Tasting. But we also had plenty of time on our own in between to explore and relax. The next day, after a relaxing morning, we left for the countryside and a visit to the Lazar Equestrian Park. After the horse show, we had a great lunch and some time to visit the stables. Then, off to board the Avalon Visionary!

The ship was wonderful and our stateroom, a Panorama Suite, was comfortable and well appointed. The Open-Air Balcony ^SM may have been my favorite thing about the room. But the very comfortable bed was a very close second! To a one, the staff was friendly and their service was impeccable. The chef and his staff prepared wonderful meals every day that complimented the region. And having local wines made the meals even more interesting.

The Adventure Host onboard was able to hook up the very active minded with one of the bicycles or gear for a hike along with maps and advice. As nice as she was, I was more than happy to lounge on the sun deck with a drink watching the Wachau Valley roll by instead of peddling along the river.

After a beautiful day cruising the Danube, we reach Vienna in the early evening. That night, after dinner, we went to a Palace for a semi-private classical concert. I do recommend this optional excursion, even if you aren’t a big fan of classical music. The musicians, singers, and dancers were obviously enjoying themselves and it made us enjoy it more.

The next day, we had a city tour and some time on our own to visit St. Stephen’s Church and attempt to get into the café at the Sacher Hotel for a Sacher Torte. There was a long line and we didn’t have the time to spend waiting, so we got some torte to go from the Sacher Hotel gift shop on the corner. The afternoon was spent at Schönbrunn Palace. We had a great tour of the inside and some time to explore the grounds. Although, I would always want more time. It was a fascinating glimpse into Austria’s past.

The following morning, our first stop was Durnstein. We had time to wander, shop, and maybe get a morning snack after our walking tour. I bought a pair of beautiful earrings at Donau-Stein Design. They make jewelry from Danube River stones. Back on the ship, we cruised by one picturesque town after another on our way to Melk. There we had a tour of the Melk Abby. The building was lovely and the library was quite impressive. We wandered through town on our way back to the ship. It was nice to be able to soak up the atmosphere and a bit of local life.

Now, halfway through our trip, we took a full day optional excursion to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. Several people had recommended I take this tour, if given the option. It was well worth the two-hour drive from Austria! We had a wonderful walking tour and then plenty of time to wander around on our own. After going to the castle bridge for the view, and photos, we stopped at Cesky Pernik for gingerbread. The painted cookies were gorgeous and all of their gingerbread products were delicious. After lunch with some of our new friends from the ship, we had time to wander and shop some more before we had to meet the coach for the drive back to the Visionary in Passau, Germany.

Due to some low water issues, we were given the option of taking a full day off ship for tours and sightseeing. We left the ship to visit Regensburg and had a walking tour of the old town. At the conclusion of the tour, we had an early lunch at the Historic Wurstkuchl. I definitely recommend a stop here! If you eat inside, the food is plated. If you eat outside, it’s served in a bun.

After getting ourselves a bit lost, we visited the cathedral to see the “laughing angel” before we had to meet our group for the drive to Weltenburg. We had a 40-minute boat ride down to the abbey through the Danube Gorge. Our guide explained the art and architecture of the church as well as the history of the brewery. We had time to sample a drink and a pretzel before heading back to the ship.

The last full day of the cruise started with a “lazy” morning. We had a lecturer onboard who explained the history of Rhine-Main-Danube canal. And, as we went through all the successive locks, we enjoyed the scenery before arriving at our last stop, Nuremberg.

Dad’s a bit of a history buff so we took the WWII tour. We visited, from the outside, the courthouse where the Nuremberg Trials were held. The next stop was the Nazi Rally Grounds. It was somewhat disconcerting to see the area, but it has been repurposed as a park and a racetrack. Finally, we visited the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds museum.

Disembarkation was as easy and seamless as embarkation. Each coach was assigned a color. Every passenger picked a color and received luggage tags in that color. The bags were picked up from outside the staterooms and taken to the coach. Before boarding, we had to point out our bags and have them loaded.

The drive to Prague was easy but long – 4 hours. We arrived just in time to store our carry-ons and head out on our Food & Culture tour. Despite some rain, we had a great walking tour and a lot of really good food. The local wines we tasted were wonderful. After the tour, we were able to check in at the InterContinental Prague. Due to the rain, and some strong wind gusts, we had an early night to rest up for our last full day.

The next morning, with beautiful weather, we had a walking city tour. We visited the castle area and went though some of the courtyards. The coach took us back toward the hotel and we walked a few blocks to the Old Square. There, we saw the Astronomical Clock and watched as it chimed the hour.

We had time for one last lunch with our new friends before our Hidden Treasures of Prague walking tour. We got to see parks and areas that, while open to the public, a lot of people don’t know are there. On the way back, we walked across the Charles Bridge and enjoyed the musicians and the artists. We had just enough time to clean up before our very last event – a Folk Show and Dinner. The food was good, the wine was plentiful, and the entertainment was wonderful!

Sadly, it was time for my return home and to reality. But now I dream of another river cruise and more cities to explore.