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River Cruises

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Hi everyone, My wife and I and 2 others are booked on a river cruise on Viking Cruises in June of 2015. Our itinerary is: fly to Prague and stay there 3 nights in the Marriott Prague; then bus to Nuremberg to board the ship; then 8 days cruising on the Danube to Budapest and sty there for 2 nights prior to flying back to the U.S. We are looking for any suggestions on the trip and what special things to see. We'd appreciate any help.
Thanks,
Tip and Diane Clark

Posted by
408 posts

We took a similar trip. Flew to Prague for three nights. We hired a private guide that we found through Rick Steves guide. Her name was Sharka and she was great. We spent 8-9 hours seeing the wonderful sights of Prague. It was inexpensive and she took us to all the sights and taught us so much about their history. I highly recommend her. We then took the train to Vienna where we stayed one night prior to a Riverboat cruise with AWW. It was a Christmas market tour which was wonderful.
It ended in Nuremberg. We will take another Christmas market tour next year. I would also like to go in the fall to the wine region of France. Enjoy your trip.

Posted by
252 posts

We did the exact same trip but with Gate 1 Travel. We had an optional side trip to Cesky Krumlov which I would highly recommend if it is offered by Viking.

We also had included sightseeing by local guides at each port on the cruise. Other than that, there wasn't much time left for individual exploration.

In Vienna, we took a cab to Grinzing for a heuriger visit which we enjoyed. In Budapest, we had an included day trip to Szentendre, a shopping haven not far outside the city. We also did an optional dinner at a restaurant with traditional folk dancing. The food was actually good and the entertainment was fun. Lots of colorful costumes and good music.

Posted by
16895 posts

Unfortunately, Rick doesn't have a guidebook that combines these cruise destinations, so you'd have to select chapters or snapshots from up to 3 different books. Your local library can be a good resource to photocopy just what you need. for your stops.

Posted by
195 posts

We did an AMA Waterways River Cruise in April, 2014, with essentially the same itinerary, only we boarded in Vilshofen, instead of Nuremberg. We hired a private guide with PragueWalkers for 1 day....excellent guide and tour. Also did a tour of the Jewish District with her, if you are at all interested in Jewish history and culture. One of the highlights of our time in Prague was a prearranged (online) tour called "Taste Of Prague"....fabulous, both the guide and the food. The tour takes you to a cafe, a restaurant, and a wine bar, and you have an introduction to Czech food, along with a history lesson from the guide. On the cruise, we loved Cesky Krumlov, and Passau, also the concert in Vienna, the bike ride along the Danube, Durnstein, Melk.. It was all very fabulous!!! I think Viking includes those, either as an option or as an included tour. When in Budapest, be sure to visit St Matthias Church and the Cave church, both so unique. We found the House of Terror to be quite interesting, as well as the Great Synagogue and a tour of the Jewish District in Budapest. The Grand Market Hall in Budapest is a must, as well as the "Shoes on the Danube" memorial. We had added 3 extra days on for Budapest and it wasn't nearly long enough!!! Budapest and Prague are fabulous cites with much to recommend them, much to see.

Posted by
12040 posts

I believe most of the Viking Danube cruises stop in Passau. Well worth a visit, especially the magnificent St. Stephen's Cathedral. You won't find a more elaborate Baroque church anywhere. If time is tight and you need to prioritize, Veste Oberhaus (the inticing looking fortress/palace overlooking the city) is skippable. The interior contains only a relatively uninteresting municipal history museum. Unless you just can't get enough of the history of the salt trade.

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