Cruising on the Danube

Cruising on the Danube

Although Passau is the natural gateway to the cruising destinations of Eastern Europe on the Danube, it is by no means the only starting point. You can board a deluxe river cruise ship in Nürnberg, landlocked but for the very small river Pegnitz, then cruise "overland" through Franconia on the Main-Danube canal across the Continental Divide until you join the Danube at Kehlheim, a few miles west of Regensburg. After Passau you enter Austria, where you come to the city that most people automatically associate with the Blue Danube, Vienna. The next border crossing brings you into Slovakia and to your second capital, Bratislava. Budapest, Hungary is next, and capital number four is Belgrade, Serbia. Some of the Danube cruises begin in Amsterdam, making them five-capital cruises.

Two American and one British company offer most of the long-distance trips on the Danube, which pass through or originate from Regensburg or Passau.

Viking River Cruises has a Grand European Tour from Amsterdam to Budapest. The two-week Eastern European Odyssey starts in Nürnberg and ends at Bucharest. The reverse direction is also available on both cruises.

Amadeus Waterways offers half a dozen cruises through Franconia and the German Danube, including a Christmastime cruise, which stops at the fascinating Christmas markets between Nürnberg and Budapest. The reverse direction is also available.

The British Blue Water Holidays has nine cruises starting on the Rhine, some from Basel in Switzerland, which follow the Main-Danube Canal to the Danube and four cruises from Nuremberg or Passau to Vienna or Budapest.