I’ve always been intrigued by taking a river cruise but hadn’t done so, until December 2022. At the urging of a friend, I started looking at European cruise destinations, and after seeing the discounted pricing (due to the loss of revenue during Covid) I decided that this was the time to go. December isn’t your usual time to “cruise” but the Christmas Markets looked beautiful and after breaking my knee and my wrist in an accident a few months prior, I needed to go somewhere. A friend of mine hadn’t been to Europe before and was up for the adventure. We booked it on Emerald Cruises and knowing that flights were unpredictable, we flew into Budapest a day early and extended our stay by 3 days in Prague, after the cruise ended. Since I still had trouble walking and I was using a cane at this point, I used the wheelchair assist program at all airports, and what a wonderful option this was. We were allowed to board early and when possible, were given an extra seat. I can’t thank the airline staff enough for helping me maneuver through this trip!
The Hotel Barcelo in Budapest was wonderful! I don’t know if it was because we were tired from traveling or not, but the room was quiet, the beds were amazingly comfortable and the staff and food offerings for breakfast and dinner were fantastic. The cruise line picked us up on the following day and took us to the ship to check in and have some lunch. The room was cozy and efficient with full-viewing windows if you wanted or double shades if you wanted to sleep. The outside deck was only used for morning walkers since it was winter, but I’m sure it’s fantastic during the summer months.
Our first day in Budapest, Hungary included a morning bus tour for a large scale introduction to the area and then smaller walking tours, which included a Christmas Market. Everywhere that we visited, we had local tour guides to give us the history of the city and they were all wonderfully knowledgeable and informative.
After experiencing our first Christmas Market and our first city, we settled in for day two – Bratislava, Slovakia. Our ship was docked very close to the city center, so the walking tours started from the ship and included the historic district and more outdoor markets. After lunch, we were given the option of smaller tours going into the countryside a bit to experience a home hosted business. They were all different and I randomly got on a bus and absolutely loved our tour that afternoon – to a small, family owned winery. What a beautiful ride through the country, along the farm roads and the owner of the local winery guided us through his tastings of wine and showed us some of his vineyards, right in his backyard. I almost skipped this because I had already done a lot of walking in the morning and my knee was throbbing, but I’m so glad I went in the long run.
When I travel, I try to find the odd and different things to photograph, along with the usual suspects, because there’s so much to take in wherever you go. I like to go off the beaten path and locate the small and simple things.
The architecture was stunning, even in the drab winter months.
The food on our cruise line was delicious and plentiful and for dinner each night, they offered a chef’s menu that consisted of food and wine (or beer) from the country that we were in that day. So, every night we ate and drank like locals 🙂
Our next day took us down the river to Vienna, Austria. Once again, the morning consisted of an overall view of the city and then after lunch we took a walking tour in the historic district which included St. Stephen’s Cathedral and a Christmas market surrounding it. After the tour and the market, we stopped in a cafe for a coffee and biscuit and then went back after dinner so that we could enjoy the city enveloped in holiday lights. What an enchanting city!
On day 5 we cruised slowly down the Danube with beautiful landscapes on each side of the river. We visited Durnstein and then Melk, and ended with a tour of the Melk Abbey (a UNESCO world heritage site) on top of a hill with sweeping views of the area.
Days 6 and 7 took us into Germany, stopping and touring around Passau and then Regensburg. Once again, the small winding streets, the architechture, the outdoor markets and the tour guides were captivating. In Regensburg, we opted out of the formal walking tour and decided to do our own thing and spend most of the afternoon at the Christmas Market. We heard that this was the biggest one so far and it didn’t dissappoint. It was a bit damp and cold that day, so we stopped a few times for hot beverages and snacks, to take a break and to warm up.
The following morning, we were still in Regensburg and this is where the tour ended – but we jumped on a bus for about 3 hours and headed to Prague…
I found the Hotel Pod Vezi on Trip Advisor and we couldn’t be happier with our choice. The rooms were charming, the included breakfast was wonderful, the staff was so helpful and it was located in the historic part of town, at the end of the Charles Bridge, and only a few minutes walk to the castle. It snowed on our last day here and at this point, it was really getting hard to maneuver the cobblestones with rain and snow and my cane, so I hopped on a few local light-rail trains and toured the city that way and walked around the neighborhood that was close to our hotel.
Having seen just a glimpse of some beautiful cities in Europe along the Danube River, I now know that I want to go back to spend more time in many of these countries. This was not my usual way of traveling, but due to my recent injuries, it worked out really well. Not having to move hotel rooms every few nights, was wonderful, and getting to know the staff and other cruise guests at meals was fun. Now that I’m more mobile and I’m not using a cane anymore, I’m looking forward to my next trip to Ireland for 2 weeks, which is not on a cruise, but via bus and train travel around the country.
My favorite item that I purchased at the Vienna Market was this snow globe. The woman had so many to offer but this drew me in immediately because of the symbolism. It’s really small, simple, and slow because it’s a snail – my blog logo 🙂
