The Iconic Danube with Scenic River Cruises

(23 Reviews)
100% Recommended

Angie Matthews

Amaranth, ON

Safari & Cruising Specialist

I have been in the travel industry for over 7 years. I am passionate about nature and I love travelling to different countries to experience some of the most amazing sunrises or sunsets this world has to offer. I share my experiences and offer in...

Email me Call Me

View from the Castle above at Cesky Krumlov

We arrived in Munich and boarded our Scenic tour bus to settled in for an enjoyable narrated ride to our destination in Passau where the Scenic Amber awaited.

We arrived early in the afternoon and joined the Christening ceremony for the Amber later that day.The officials gathered for pictures after the Amber’s christening. There was plenty of food and some entertainment for guests after the ceremony.

We spent our next day in Passau and it was time to start exploring! Our mornings started early with some exploring on our own.We explored the castle across the river and enjoyed wonderful views of the river.

We returned to the ship in time for our guided tour of Passau. The Scenic guides were excellent, they were entertaining and informative.They kept us interested and engaged throughout the tour with the unique history of the area.

We visited Saint Stephen’s Cathedral and it is breath taking. The pictures do not do it justice.The Cathedral organ is the largest in the world with 17,744 pipes and 233 registers. After the tour we returned to the ship and spent the rest of the afternoon cruising along the Danube.

The next day we went out early to wander the streets in Linz before we boarded our bus to Cesky Krumlov. We enjoyed the city’s unique history and architecture as we wandered along the route chosen from our Tailor-made device.

Soon it was time to board the bus. The day was overcast and cool, but that did not spoil the views from the castle above once we reached Cesky Krumlov. We enjoyed our tour and then warmed up over a hearty lunch at a local tavern before heading back out to wander the neighboring shops. After a full day we boarded the bus for a relaxing drive back to the ship.

We cruised that evening and began the following day in Melk. We set out early to explore the Abbey before our afternoon bike ride. It was a unique experience to explore the area before the busy activity of the day.

The Highlight of the cruise for me was the ride from Melk to Durnstein. Touring the countryside by bicycle is the best way to enjoy the area. Don’t let the distance discourage you, Scenic has electric assist bikes and the peddling is easy. As we peddled alongside the river, we watched the Amber cruise by to our next port. We traveled through small villages and local vineyards, enjoying the scenery and taking lots of pictures!

After a 20 mile bike ride through the countryside, who would think it could get any better. It did! We explored the shops of Durnstein and then we trekked up the 780 foot cliff to the castle ruins for a spectacular view of the valley. It was like standing on top of the world, a bit of a climb but well worth it! From the top we made our decent back to the village and enjoyed our sun-downer event with Scenic at a local tavern. The warm, welcoming atmosphere and local entertainment, was a perfect ending to a spectacular day.

We boarded our ship for an evening cruise to Vienna. The next morning we decided to relax and just go out on the tour of the Spanish Riding School. The school is strict and does not allow pictures, but you can purchase pictures in the gift shop. We learned a little history of the School's origin and why it is called the Spanish Riding school. I will let you travel there to discover that for yourself!

For free time in Vienna, there is a bus to take you into the city. I chose to take the bikes out for a spin again along with the tailor made GPS. I took a phone picture that morning over breakfast. I am glad I did because it helped me to locate the ship when I emerged down river too far to locate it by sight. Of course the tailor made could have taken me on a guided tour but I decided to wander my own path and thankfully the GPS brought me safely back to the ship. I arrived just in time to get ready for our Scenic enrichment event.We topped the evening off with an evening recital at the Garden Palace Liechtenstein. The music was enchanting. I learned that a very familiar classical waltz was titled The Blue Danube.

Our next day was in Bratislava. With so many full busy days, I found myself slowing down and just doing the scheduled tour. Bratislava had interesting architecture and unique statues, like the brass workman popping up from the ground. His helmet was shiny from everyone touching it for good luck. We spent our free time wandering the shops and we ventured into the museum before boarding the ship.

An evening cruise brought us to our final destination, Budapest. It was difficult to choose our tour but we decided on a hospital in a rock. This was a very interesting tour, like stepping back in time with the air raid siren sounding in the back ground. Unfortunately we could not take pictures but it is well worth the experience.

Our final evening was spent on board with spectacular views of the Parliament building at sunset. This was followed by a scenic river cruise up and down the Danube, displaying the beauty of Budapest at night.