Karen s Danube River cruise report. Dates: April 14 th 24 th, 2015 Ship: Avalon Impression Itinerary: Capitals of Central Europe, Prague to Budapest We left on Tuesday and flew to PRG via YUL (WS) & CDG (AF). I had never been through CDG and would say that the 2 hours we had to connect in CDG were definitely needed. We had quite a hike to make our connection and of course had to go through passport control and security. We weren t asked any questions by the passport control officers. We literally walked up to their little booth and they stamped our passports and we were on our way. No questions asked. Arrival into PRG was also very simple. There was no customs or passport control at all. We collected our luggage and walked over to the arrivals area where an Avalon rep was waiting for us as I d prebooked our transfers. The transfer from the airport to the Intercontinental (one of the hotels Avalon uses, within a 10 minute walk to Old Town) took about half an hour. We were fortunate that our room was ready, but this may be in part due to the Avalon employee calling the hotel from the airport to see if we could get an early check in. The hotel is in a prime location, overlooking the Vlatva River and only about a 10 minute walk to Old Town. We had a wonderful buffet breakfast included in our stay. Prague Prague was absolutely my favorite city. I love Old Town and exploring all the narrow cobblestone side streets that lead up to the square. We never felt unsafe even when we were in a back street with less traffic. However, it s very important to let clients know what Prague has professional pick pockets. They are mostly an issue in the most populated areas like Old Town Square and Charles Bridge. A lady from New Zealand in our group was a victim of a pick pocket. She had a small backpack on and her money and camera were taken without her even knowing when and where it happened. Not a nice way to start your vacation.
Prague accepts Euro for payment in all the stores and shops, but they will give you Czech Koruna in change, which are completely useless anywhere else so it s best to use them up prior to leaving the country if you can. Prague is a beautiful city with the Vltava River running through it. Almost everybody spoke English well enough for us to have no problems communicating. Our cruise included 2 nights in Prague plus a guided tour of the major historical sites from a local guide. Even though Prague is not situated on the Danube, this tour includes it as the starting (or ending) point which is a bonus in my opinion. Prague is lovely and full of hidden treasures such as gingerbread and candy shops, bakeries, cafes, artist shops, outdoor markets, etc. I could have easily spent a week there.
Passau We were transferred by motor coach to Passau, Germany which took about 2 hour 45 minutes. The drive was very pretty as the countryside is picturesque. The town of Passau is a maze of narrow cobblestone streets with beautiful houses. Our local guide was born and raised in Passau and was a sweet lady with a great sense of humor. It was evident she is proud of her town and even pointed out the house she grew up in. (Pictured below under the EIS sign). I m kicking myself for not going to St. Stephen s Cathedral in Passau as it has the world s largest church organ with 17,774 pipes. But we ran out of time. Others who chose to do this excursion said it was wonderful. And, later in the year (middle end May sometime) they actually have concerts in the Cathedral where the pipe organ is played. Three rivers meet at Passau: the Inn, Ilz, and Danube. Because of this, Passau is naturally a popular stop for river cruises. However, I didn t find the town busy or overly crowded with tourists. I imagine summer months would be a different story.
After our tour of Passau, we boarded the Avalon Impression and set sail for Linz. The ship is very nice, modern, spotlessly clean, and only 1 year old. Every staff member contributes to every guest s experience and does their best to make sure everybody is happy and having a good time. Can t say enough about the crew members and cruise director. They were all fantastic. The Sky Deck facing aft: Our room, cabin #113 category D: The lounge where everyone chills: Linz We were told Linz is mainly a technical stop and that there really isn t much to see there. We didn t have a guided tour of the city, but our cruise director took everyone who wanted to go for a walk to the town square in the evening. He then told us how Hitler spent his childhood and early youth in Linz and loved it so much that he actually wanted to be buried there. Linz is an industrial city thanks to Hitler. It was surreal standing in the town square knowing that he used to walk the same streets. Salzburg From Linz, we took advantage of the optional excursion to Salzburg. The motor coach transfer was almost 2 hours each direction but the scenery was worth it. The Alps are gorgeous and Salzburg is located at the foothills, making it one of the most beautiful cities we visited. Of course, Salzburg is the birth place of Mozart and the setting for the Sound of Music. Our local guide was absolutely hilarious and talked almost non-stop on the way there, filling us with more information than my mind could process. She guided us through the town and gave us ideas of what to see and do during our free time after our guided walk. This excursion was my favorite as it was packed with amazing sights and views and history.
The birthplace of Mozart: Stumbling blocks located all throughout the city to commemorate those lost in the Holocaust Kollegienkirche:
View of the Salzach River from the fortress/castle in Salzburg: On our way to Mondsee where the von Trapps were married in the movie: Grein The motor coach took us from Salzburg to Grein where we had a guided tour of the town. The main attraction here is their historical Stadttheater which still holds regular performances.
Grein is located at a point of the Danube where the waters and current are especially bad. In the past, skilled boatmen used to guide boats through the narrow waters along the town of Grein or across the river to safety. Very interesting town history. Melk The main can t miss attraction in Melk is the included guided tour of the incredible Benedictine Abbey. This monastery is still in use, with approximately 70 monks residing there. It s a world heritage site and the building and grounds are stunning. The library alone has over 80,000 books. The church has a frescoed ceiling, intricate high altar, marble statues and a 210 foot high cupola. Not only is the monastery itself breathtaking, but the views from the terrace that overlook the Danube and town of Melk are gorgeous.
Mr. Monk : View from inside one of the courtyards: Cruising through the Wachau Valley The Wachau Valley is the most picturesque stretch of the Danube and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our ship did not include a stop in the town of Durnstein, but the views of the buildings and the castle up on the hill overlooking the town were beautiful. Vienna Vienna is a beautiful city full of grand, historical buildings, museums, and churches. The streets are dotted with cafes and antique shops and one of a kind boutique hotels and shops. Anyone with even a little appreciation of classical music will be wowed by the endless opera and concert options which are always in magnificent venues. There are more than 100 museums in Vienna but one of the main attractions in the city is the lavish Hofburg Imperial Palace, once home to the Habsburg family.
Typical cafe along the street: Hofburg Imperial Palace: We chose to attend the optional excursion to an Operetta in the evening and it was well worth it. It s a once in a lifetime experience and while in Vienna it only made sense to take one in.
Bratislava Bratislava is quite a contrast from Vienna. Slovakia doesn t have the wealth and resources to keep up with the restoration of their buildings, although I wouldn t say the city looks run down. But coming from Vienna where they keep the outside of all their buildings immaculately restored and clean (it s an ongoing process), to seeing the lack of this in Bratislava is quite a notable difference. Slovakia uses its own currency called the Koruna (similar to the one in the Czech Republic) but the Euro is widely accepted and if you pay in Euro, you will get Euro back for change. Our guided tour included the Bratislava Castle and a walk through old town.
Budapest Budapest is the absolute most stunning city from the water. There was so much to take in that our cruise director invited everybody to the sky deck to narrate what all we were seeing. The Parliament Building: During our included guided tour of some of the main attractions in the city we were given an opportunity to spend some time shopping on the Buda Castle Hill and the most incredible photos of the river and the city from Fisherman s Bastian overlooking Pest. The 11 th century Matthias Church is also on the hill. I would ve loved more than 40 minutes on the hill, as there were many shops and cafes and even a small supermarket to explore.
Matthias Church: View of the Danube & Pest: Great spot for photos (Fisherman s Bastian): After lunch, we took about 3 hours and walked through the fabulous Great Market Hall, an indoor market with two floors. The main floor is strictly food (everything from chicken to chocolate to cheese to paprika Hungary s specialty) but the second floor is booth after booth of local artwork, tapestries, leather, jewelry, etc. We did all of our souvenir shopping in the market plus bought some chocolate treats to take back to enjoy on the sky deck of the Impression since it was our last afternoon to enjoy the ship. I didn t take any pictures of the market but here s their website. It s quite the place! http://www.piaconline.hu/new/index.php?pagelang=angol
Our view from the sky deck while docked in Budapest: I suggest the optional excursion called Budapest s Night Lights which is apparently spectacular. We didn t take advantage of it as we had to be up at 3am to get ready to head to the airport for our 620am flight. If your flight departs after 6am, you can pre-book the departure transfer with Avalon. There were about 25 of us heading out at that time and although it s not uncommon to book a flight that early I would suggest a post-night in Budapest if possible. There s just so much to see and do I feel we didn t even scratch the surface. From the little we experienced I can say it s a remarkable city. Overall this trip was fantastic. I would highly recommend a river cruise first, over a motor coach tour! Granted, some clients will always prefer the coach over a cruise, I think it should be given as an option where possible. Although the cruise kept us busy, at least we weren t living out of different hotel rooms and not being able to unpack our suitcases like is the case with a motor coach tour. It s a more relaxed way to travel in my opinion and don t forget that with a cruise you have the same housekeeping, front desk, and dining room staff the whole time. You build relationships with them as they strive to get to know you quickly. I don t have another river cruise company to compare Avalon to, but I can say that the whole experience was excellent; everything from the ship itself to the local guides, the food onboard, our cruise director, etc. I d say the average age on our departure was 60 something but we had a couple in their early 30s and a lady from the U.S. who celebrated her 88 th birthday on the ship. There were 51 Canadians, 51 Americans, 4 Aussies, 2 Kiwis, and a handful of Brits and Asians. Overall it was a great group of people so we are fortunate to have booked the departure we did. Don t hesitate to talk to me if you have any questions about my trip or if I can help you in any way to get your clients on a river cruise! Karen Murphy.