Cruising Down the Danube, Main and Rhine

By The Bondi Travel Bug on January 22, 2016 in Other

We arrived in Budapest set to embark on a 15-day Avalon Waterways river cruise called ‘Magnificent Europe’, which would see us sail down the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers, and cut through Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands.

We were excited yet apprehensive, as we didn’t know what to expect. That feeling soon disappeared when the dynamic staff greeted us and we was shown to our dazzling panorama suite with floor to ceiling glass doors that opened up to fully expose the waiting vista.

Once settled on board and with all the formalities out of the way, we were taken on a night cruise of Budapest centre, where we saw the historic buildings that line the Danube River, such as the Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion and the colossal Hungarian Parliament Building, which were all vividly lit up.

The boat was moored overnight and the next day’s guided tour of Budapest saw us visit one of Europe’s liveliest cities, split by the Danube River, with the hilly and more exclusive Buda on one side and the flatter and busier Pest on the other. We could see why it is referred to as the ‘Paris of Eastern Europe’.

We departed Budapest during our welcome gala dinner and our vessel silently sliced through the Danube’s calm waters towards our next stop.

Our next destination was Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, situated at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Walking through the enchanting narrow cobblestone streets gave us an idea of what this magical town was like centuries ago, with its historical buildings and gothic cathedral. We half expected Shrek and Princess Fiona to jump out and greet us!

Over the two weeks that followed, we took a trip through the history books, visiting Melk, Austria, home to the largest Benedictine Abbey in Europe, and discovering elegant Vienna and its gilded architecture, and the home where Mozart spent his last impoverished years.

Soon we were cruising again, past some of Austria’s finest wine regions and down to the gorgeous little town of Durnstein, where the legendary King of England Richard the Lionheart was incarcerated in a castle that still stands today.

We also opted to take in the ‘Sound of Music’ excursion, visiting the stunning towns of Mondsee and Salzburg where a lot of the movie was filmed.

Leaving Austria behind, we sailed our way in to Germany to see more churches, castles and the world’s largest unsupported ceiling and its giant fresco. This was the start of the historical and enchanting ‘Bergs’ sector: Regensburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Wurzburg and Miltenberg.

In the ‘Bergs’ we discovered the oldest pub and sausage kitchen in Germany, the town where Elvis stayed while on army leave, and tales of witches and the black plague.

Continuing on, we ventured to the Rudesheim-Rhine Gorge, where we visited the quirky Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum and later gawked at the medieval castles perched high in the hills along the most beautiful stretch of the Rhine River, before heading to Cologne, one of Germany’s largest cities and home to the famous soaring twin-steepled gothic cathedral and Jewish quarter.

Our final stop was Amsterdam. Here, we were taken on a canal cruise and walking tour of the Netherlands’ sophisticated and modern capital with its elegant and classic architecture, cafes, restaurants and the famous red light district.

As well as the guided tours at each stop, free time was available to enable everyone on the cruise to discover the local bars, cafes and shops, or in our case, the best bakeries and gelato bars!

Avalon Waterways has got this river cruising formula down to an art form. From the delicious and abundant food, to the friendly, accommodating staff, fantastic onboard entertainment and well organised daily excursions, it left us wanting for nothing except to do it all again.

With incredible experiences gathered and new friendships forged, any thoughts we had that river cruising is only for the older generation were quickly put to rest; there really is something to see and do for everyone.

FACT BOX:

HOW TO BOOK:
www.avalonwaterways.com.au

WHERE TO STAY:
Adina Apartments Budapest
www.tfehotels.com/adina

HOW TO GET THERE:
Vicki Bloomfield at Hello World
(02) 9371 8556