Cruising on the Danube (between Vienna and Budapest): 5 good reasons to choose a river holiday

When thinking about a river cruise we must abandon the concept of half and rather embrace that of voyageindeed of flowfrom slow scrolling. After two years of short and very short-haul travel, the urge to go as far as possible is strong. Yet, to regain possession of the concept of exotic the distance covered during the journey does not matter: to discover new horizons, it is enough to change the way you travel. On foot, by bike or, as in this case, on a cruise.

The river one, for example, can hold many surprises from this point of view. And we have identified at least five good reasons for choosing a river cruise to discover Central Europe. We tried the Enchanting Danube Cruise – with an Italian guide – proposed by Avalon Waterways Italyon board the ship Illumination starting from Nuremberg and arrive at Budapestwith intermediate stages a Regensburg, Passau, Linz, the Wachau Valley and Vienna (cruise with Italian guide and departing on 4th and 24th July, and then on 7th and 21st August). The fluvial colossus always offers the Romantic Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam (departing on 3 July, 17 July and 14 August).

1- Another perspective
Seeing the views scroll by on board a river boat offers the possibility of discovering a place “from the inside”. Contrary to sea cruises that lap the perimeter of a territory, river cruises allow a slow transition in the heart of the country, along an “obligatory”, dotted with micro ports and destinations often outside the traditional routes of mass tourism, such as the cathedral of Melk. , one of the most famous Benedictine monasteries in the world, nestled among the rows of apricots, a few hundred meters from the bank of the Danube.

2- Cultivate mindfulness
Practicing awareness means living in the here and now, instant by instant and discovering that time is able to expand thanks to experience and that every detail can hide a world. Slow, panoramic, romantic and even meditative, a spectator’s journey on the floating cinema that is the deck of a ship offers us the great opportunity to learn not to mark time in minutes, hours or days, but through the loop of images of di vineyards, woods, medieval castles and apricot trees in bloom such as those that can be admired along the banks of the river especially in the Wachau Valley, famous for its mild climate, its variety of apricots and the precious vineyards such as Riesling.

A mindful experience can also be considered the passage through the locks those hydraulic systems that help to compensate for the difference in depth of the river bed and allow navigation to boats. Their slow filling and subsequent emptying can be an interesting suggestion to be experienced as a pause of thoughts during which to let go of old thoughts and create space for new perspectives.

3- A transversal full immersion in the culture of places
More than a journey to discover a place, a river cruise is a crossover experience that allows a transversal knowledge of a place beyond its political borders. Once you have landed in the ports, every day it is possible to set out to discover the genius loci through bike excursions, visits to the museum, classical music concerts or through a coffee break in the historic bars of the place to discover that the culture of a place crosses political boundaries and that customs, dishes, clothing styles and mythological anecdotes flow without barriers and that unite us more than we think. All this can be discovered thanks to the precious guides in Italian present at each stage. Like Péter Horvàth for the Hungarian section of the cruise (di ungherialeggendaria.com), an infinite resource of anecdotes and tales of the history and art of what was once the Habsburg reign of Maria Theresa of Austria, of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth of Austria (better known as Sissi), and then one independent state. Traveling along rivers, rather than through airport gates, makes it possible to understand a territory, through its history and local communities, often divided only by a border drawn on the geographical map, but practically twins, and therefore contemporaneity.

4- The service of a luxury hotel
Itinerant yes, but deluxe. You are practically on board a floating hotel equipped with all the comforts that allow you to enjoy the best of an “on the road” holiday. The rooms, restaurants and on-board service are in fact comparable to those of a boutique hotel because they are equipped with panoramic cabins with large windows and high-level services such as yoga lessons on the deck, gourmet menu, guide in Italian during navigation. and evening entertainment.

5- Social, but not too much
A boat destined for river cruises has the indisputable advantage of having smaller dimensions compared to those destined for sea routes. This allows to preserve some characteristics of the classic cruise, including conviviality, meals served in the restaurant or on the deck and excursions, but in a more private dimension, with reduced numbers of passengers who can enjoy large spaces and a high ratio of staff and travelers, a privilege that allows you to feel practically at home right away.

Avalon Waterways launched the tinaugural ariffa Be The First valid only for the departure of your first cruise in Italian which will be on 3 July 2022 Romantic Rhine with itinerary from Basel to Amsterdam. For info: https://avalonwaterways.it/