I have just returned from a dreamy few days sailing the Danube! We had a beautiful itinerary with Viking Cruises visiting Passau, Linz, Krems and Vienna.
Viking exceeded all my expectations; the dining was superb and the ship itself was stunning. We stayed in Lower Deck Cabins with half-height windows, whilst we would normally recommend a Veranda Cabin so that you can watch the world go by on your Balcony, the Lower Deck Cabins were extremely spacious and very comfortable. We got spoilt with a bottle of fizz and some choccies on arrival too!
A typical river cruise day would be as follows: Breakfast at about 8am, Walking Tour at 8.45, Lunch at 12, afternoon at leisure to explore or read a book on deck, afternoon tea at 3pm, cocktails at 6.15pm and Dinner at 7pm! There would normally be either a local musician performing on board after dinner or something like a fun quiz for an hour or so before bed.
The next thing to mention is the food, it deserves a paragraph itself! There were international and local options at all mealtimes with a great range of choices. The buffet was always available and there were always set menus for all sittings if you preferred. Wine and beer are included with meals and there are tea and coffee stations on the ships where you can help yourself any time of the day or night, there are always cookies and pastries to help yourself too. You will definitely go home several pounds heavier! They even put on a themed German night, expect lots of Lederhosen and schnitzel!
The tours with Viking were fab, in every port you have an included excursion. The trips would generally be 1.5 - 3 hours long, you have a guide escorting you and you get your own VOX headset so that you can wander off from the group and still hear your guide if you wish! This gets charged in your cabin every night. The guides were local and really knew their stuff regarding the history of the areas you were visiting and would drop in fun facts along the tour. You would then stop at a central spot for some free time before heading back to the ship. I was particularly looking forward to Vienna on this trip and it didn't disappoint, the architecture and history there were fascinating and I will be heading back on my own City break!
One thing that makes Viking stand out from other River Cruise lines is its docking positions, in almost every port they dock in, they have the prime positions where you are moored right next to the riverbank. This means you don't have to cross over several other ships to disembark. This made such a difference when we were moored in Passau, Krems, Linz and Vienna and meant you could step straight off the ship and do some exploring.
The Danube itself is a very beautiful area to sail and a great choice for a first-time river cruiser. If you're thinking of a river cruise and enjoy seeing lots of different places in one go, art, culture, history and some very fine dining then river cruising is most certainly for you.
