Where am I – River Cruising in Europe - Germany, Austria, Budapest & Italy
Duration – Two weeks
Suitable for – Anyone who wants to visit European cities without having to pack up and move each time (river cruises are a spectacular way to travel!)
Emerald Cruise (Germany & Austria)
I commenced my Emerald cruise in Regensburg. The city itself was gorgeous, lots of history at every corner you turn. A major highlight was the popular dachshund store in town. You are welcomed of course by a real dachshund at the front of the shop for a quick pat before entering. It’s small shop with all things dachshund, from socks to t-shirts – they have all the essentials. I ended up settling on a dachshund coaster as it was my first stop on the journey so I knew I shouldn’t go too crazy with the souvenirs. It’s called the Dackelmuseum and a must visit if you’re ever in Regensburg.
Sailing down the Danube was gorgeous and definitely a highlight in itself while we sailed to Passau. I watched my first and last lock of the cruise – it took 1hr to pass through and I ended up with too many mozzie bites to count!
Passau was my second favourite city of my trip as it’s a very charming city. I tried an authentic German pretzel (which was massive!) and stole someone’s beer for a quick snap for the insta. Possibly the highlight of Passau was the St. Stephan's Cathedral. It literally took my breath away when I walked in (and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one!). It’s truly a must see when travelling to Passau, I still think about it!
From Passau, we stopped in Engelhartszell and I had the most divine hot chocolate… my sweet tooth was satisfied. Also having some time to sit up at the sun deck while cruising down the river was much appreciated. It was super quiet and relaxing, with a slight wind to keep you cool while sitting in the sun.
Scenic Cruise (Austria & Budapest)
After being in small towns for a couple of days, it was strange waking up in Austria and seeing a few skyscrapers! I absolutely loved Vienna – the Schonbrunn Palace was definitely a highlight. The Palace itself was gorgeous, but it was 35 degrees and the Palace had no aircon so I was overheating! The gardens of Palace were also amazing (I just also happened to stumble upon a zoo within the gardens, so strange!). I finished off my visit with a much needed iced chocolate with ice cream from the cafe… super yummy.
Also while in Vienna, we had a Scenic Enrich at the Palais Liechtenstein where timeless music of Strauss and Mozart was performed by a renowned orchestra. The Palais Liechtenstein is only open for private concerts with Scenic so this really was a once in a lifetime experience! The Palais Liechtenstein itself was absolutely gorgeous, it felt really special to be in such a well renowned historical building of Vienna which has been around since the 1600s.
We were still sailing when I woke up just before Budapest (my favourite city on my trip) so I was able to relax in bed for a little longer as I watched the Danube go by. I headed to Szentendre, which is a colourful town just 40mins from Budapest. It’s only small and suddenly pops up when you go down a road. There really isn’t much to do except for shopping and eating. It was also still really hot when I went so I ended up at in the shade most of the time! Nevertheless, still a really nice town to visit and a nice getaway from Budapest.
That night we were able to enjoy a night cruise onboard going up and down the Danube. The Parliament house was lit up and it looked completely different to the day time. The night cruise lasted about 1hr and it was a great way to end the cruise with everyone up on the sun deck! There were heaps of local cruises also on the Danube so the public can easily experience the city from the river.
I had an extra 2 days in Budapest after the cruise. Myself and others from my group decided to do a 2 hour city tour where we got to visit the ‘must sees’. The Parliament House was enormous and certainly the main attraction of the city. I made my way to St. Stephen's Basilica which was unforgettable. You do have pay a small fee to enter, but it undoubtedly worth it. It was the perfect place to escape the summer heat and relax in a quiet place. I finished the night up on the rooftop of the Marriot Budapest with my fellow travellers and watched the sunset. I also checked out the popular ‘floating moon’!
It was tough trying to figure out which other city I wanted to add onto the end of my travels in Europe. I’m really happy I chose Rome, it was entirely different from the calm cities I had just come from. I took one full day venture to Pompeii, Positano & the Amalfi Coast which so worth the 7am wake up and late arrival of 10pm! Not going to lie, the windy roads of the Amalfi Coast did take a bit of getting used to and I felt like we were going to fall off the cliff at any second. Part of the experience, right? Positano was exactly how I imagined it but WAY too many steps for me to count. It was also over 30 degrees so I had to take a few too many breaks. The views of the ocean were impeccable.
I really loved Pompeii, we were only able to explore a tiny part of the vast sight due to time restrictions but I could have easily done a full day in Pompeii. It was super fascinating. We had a knowledgeable guide who knew so many interesting facts, having a guide makes your experience so much better.
I headed to the Colosseum on my final full day in Rome. It was cloudy in the morning so for once I wasn’t sweating before I had arrived at my destination! The Colosseum was also a place I have wanted to go to for a long time. It packed as expected, so it was a little difficult getting around. I was very thankful that I had chosen the arena access as I was able to go inside the grounds (which is still restricted but better than just looking from afar!). We also explored the Roman Forum – crazy to think this was the city centre all those thousands of years ago! It’s still also really well preserved so it was worth visiting. I finished off my travels with The Trevi Fountain which was super packaged – one good thing about travelling solo means you can squeeze through people and get the perfect pic!
