Danube Cruise

Danube cruise tips & insights
When you cruise makes a big difference
Timing signficantly affects your Danube cruise experience and wallet. Read my advice below.

May to September
This is the prime Danube cruise season. But be aware that the quality of your experience varies by when you go.

• Mid-June through August
  It can be quite hot and crowded. And fares are at their highest level and booking availability is at its lowest point.
  
• May and September
  These two months are pleasantly cooler, crowds are thinner, fares are lower, and bookings are easier to make. But May is the rainiest month of the prime season. And September, though drier, has fewer daylight hours for sightseeing.

October to April
It's too cold for most cruisers. However, if you love shopping and bundling up, consider booking one of the special cruises that visit towns hosting atmospheric outdoor Christmas markets. These cruises sail from late November through December.

Best direction?
Sail downstream if you're on a one-way cruise. The Danube is fast moving. Traveling upstream takes about 50% more time and the ride is less smooth than cruising downstream.

Best Danube section for cruising
From a cruiser's perspective, the Danube River can be divided into two parts:

• Upper Danube
  Upstream from Budapest.
  
• Lower Danube
  Everything else downstream.

I strongly recommend the Upper Danube for cruising because its riverside vistas are significantly more scenic. And overall, the Upper Danube has more interesting cities.

Why a Danube cruise is special
You view from your Danube cruise boat and experience ashore:

• Cities and towns rich in history, music, art, and architecture.
  
• Charming villages with traditional, slow-paced lifestyles.
  
• Medieval castles standing guard over countrysides graced with postcard-perfect forests, pastures, farms, and vineyards.

World's most international river
The Danube River passes through or brushes ten countries (see map):

Danube River length
It flows 2860 kilometers (1777 miles) from the Black Forest in Germany to the Black Sea. About 2575 kilometers (1600 miles) is navigable.

Best Danube cruise cities
Use my list when selecting your itinerary. The Top 2 Danube cruise cities are Vienna (Austria) and Budapest (Hungary).

Other worthy Danube cruise ports of call include Bratislava (Slovakia), Durnstein (Austria), Esztergom (Hungary), Melk (Austria), Passau (Germany), and Regensburg (Germany).

Danube Delta
Just before the Danube River empties into the Black Sea, it splits into several arms, creating a delta that is shared by three countries: Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine.

Cost
Most cruise lines offer all-inclusive fares that cover cabin, three meals, wine with dinner, and various shore excursions costs. But tipping and cocktails are extra on most boats.

Shore excursions
The majority of passengers go on the boat's organized tours. Some prefer to explore on their own, which is easy to do in Danube River cruise port towns.

Theme cruises
They focus on a particular field of interest (such as opera) to enhance the cruising experience for like-minded passengers.

Language
If possible, select a cruise line geared mainly for your particular language. The top 3 for the English-speaking market are Amawaterways, Avalon, and Viking.

Dress code
You will find it much more relaxed than on cruise ships. For nearly all Danube cruise boats, it's casual for shore excursions, dressy casual for dinner (for men, this means a collared tieless shirt with long pants - a jacket is optional though preferable). Leave the tux and gown at home.

River traffic
It's noticeably less dense on the Danube than on the Rhine River.

Blue?
Enjoy listening to Johann Strauss' "Blue Danube" but ignore his color description. The river may have been blue in his days, but now, it's muddy hued.

Location in Austria