My husband and I are going on a river cruise the last two weeks in October. The itinerary includes stops at:Amsterdam,Cologne,Rudesheim,Frankfurt, Wurzburg,Bamberg,Rothenburg,Nuremberg, Kelheim,Regesburg,Pasau,Linz,Melk and Vienna.<BR> We want to make the most of our time, does anyone have suggestions for "must see" or unique things at any of these destinations. <BR> Thanks.

My husband & I just returned on 9-26-02 from a cruise on the Viking Danube. We went from Passau to Budapest. The boat was very comfortable & the staff quite friendly & helpful. They had shore excursions you could sign up for at various charges & every day the had free maps of the city they were stopping at. The area from Passau to Vienna is especially beautiful & you should definitely take the the tour of Melk Abbey. We had spent several days in Vienna before the cruise & it is a very exciting city with lots to see. I highly recommend Viking cruises. Take an umbrella & enjoy your trip.

How does a river cruise compare to an ocean/sea cruise? Of course I realize the boats won't be as big, but other than that what are the river cruises like?<BR><BR>Thank you.

In a word: BORING! You pass hundreds of pretty little places, but you are stuck on this slow moving boat, unable to enjoy any of them. After the first day, the boat trip wears then. Trust me, I've been there.

Hate to disgree with arthur but I just returned from that trip your biggest problem will be the time you are in port as the river boats are on a "very" tight schedule due to the schedulling of passing thru the locks and there are 66 of them. Vienna - Hofburg Palace, <BR>Melk, The baroque Beneditine Abby probably the most magnificent building you will ever see,<BR>Passau St. Stephens Cathedral the largest Pipe organ in the world. <BR>Regensburg nothing special just a quaint town. <BR>Nuremburg you can see the courthouse where the war trials were held. <BR>Bamberg the city was 90% destroyed in 45 nicely rebuilt as a World Cutural Heritage site now. From Frankfurt you could drive to Hidleburg and see the castle ruins where the Sudent Prince was made. <BR> Rudesheim Don't miss the Seigfried's musical museum fascinating.<BR> Lorlei rock by the way is not a rock sitting in the water as depicted in pictures it is a large hill on the side of the river after you leave Rudesheim.<BR> Cologne (we arrived at 8PM) and it was raining all I saw was the exterior of the huge cathedral would have liked to go inside.<BR>It was very cool and we had 4 days of rain/mist so be prepared. Enjoy.

Just a quick correction to the above post. The city of Bamberg was essentially untouched by WWII and has some astounding architecture. It is a world heritage site precisely because the town remained intact. Perhaps the previous poster was thinking of Dresden, which was remarkably rebuilt following the war.

We took the 16 day cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam late June/July and it was a most mememorable experience. The ship, upgraded cabin, was very adequate, food plentyful and good. Staff was excellent. Not a lot of night life if that is what you are looking for but after a day of touring, the quiet relaxed time was welcome. We enjoyed it more than the cruise on a much larger ship. The age group is older so keep that in mind if you are looking for night life excitment <BR>

Thanks to everyone who posted responses regarding the Amsterdam to Vienna,Viking River Cruise. We leave tomorrow morning and I'm really looking forward to the trip.I've been watching the weather reports and it has been raining or having showers for almost two weeks. Perhaps I should take more than a cheapo rain parka. Put away the camel hair coat and wear the 50 pound trenchcoat. Oh to always have such hard decisions!Thanks again.Micky.