We boarded the ship in Budapest after an interesting cab ride from the airport with a driver who did not speak much English. We were made welcome by the Viking Danube crew and offered a light luncheon while our cabin was made ready. The first night was spent in Budapest and we undertook a city excursion the following day. We visited several prominent city landmarks and returned to the ship in time to set sail down river. The following days saw a succession of incredible scenery and interesting stops at Bratislava, Vienna, Melk, Passau, Regensberg, Nuremberg, Wurzberg, Wertheim, Koblenz, Cologne, Kinderdijk and finally Amsterdam.
The scenery was everything we had imagined, "post card perfect" is a fair description I think. At each stop there were included tours and options to do additional sightseeing if we wished. In Vienna a visit to the opulent Schonbrunn Palace and an evening Mozart and Strauss concert at one of the city salons is a must. The historic Melk Abbey is another fascinating place to visit. The trip was fantastic, we were well looked after both on board ship by the excellent crew and on shore by our tour directors and local guides. We learned a lot about the history of the areas we visited and were able to sample the cuisine of the regions.
We took the cruise at the end of a two month holiday around Europe and were delighted with the quality of food and service provided. We were able to relax and thoroughly enjoy the last couple of weeks of our holiday being looked after by the excellent staff and meeting new friends. River cruising is a very civilised way to travel!
