See some of Europe’s greatest cities on Danube trip
Wake up to the relaxing sound of waves lapping against your ship on river cruise
THERE can’t be many more relaxing ways to wake up than to the sound of gentle waves lapping as you gaze at blue skies through an open window.
Even better is the chance to turn on the telly and via the nifty Bow Cam, savour the view as your river cruiser sails serenely on.
Welcome to the most relaxing holiday you will ever take.
My wife and I had answered an appeal for virgins — not that sort!
Emerald Waterways wanted a couple who had never been on any type of cruise before to discover first-hand why river cruising is booming.
After a week aboard the Emerald Sky travelling up the River Danube from Budapest to Nuremberg, it is easy to see why it has become so popular, especially with couples.
This 500-mile journey through four countries, visiting three capital cities and a host of pretty German country towns, is the perfect way to see the heart of Europe.
Doing the same journey by coach and having to pack and unpack to stay in a different hotel each evening is a nightmare.
But with river cruising you simply stay in the same room each night — and your hotel does the travelling.
Each morning you wake up in the heart of a new town, ready to explore.
The 445ft long Emerald Sky is one of the newest boats in Emerald’s fleet — and the Australian company is celebrating its third anniversary in the European river cruise market.
Many of the 170 guests on-board were Aussies and Canadians but more and more Brits than ever are discovering the delights of the Danube.
BUDAPEST
Passengers fly in from regional UK airports and as you gather in the arrivals lounge in Budapest with your green Emerald rucksack, a camaraderie quickly develops. Our trip began two days after the Brexit vote and everyone wanted to quiz the “naughty Brits” about whether we’d voted in or out.
A night-time cruise up and down the river past Budapest’s historic Parliament Building was the highlight of day one — closely followed by a night of Hungarian dancing.
Dining is informal. Beer and wine are served at meals and included in the price and often feature local wines from vineyards you can see as you sail by on the ship. We didn’t have a single bad bottle the whole trip.
BRATISLAVA
Walking down the gangplank straight into the heart of Slovakia’s capital, there were soldiers everywhere and police helicopters hovered like wasps.
Slovakia took over the EU presidency last month and it’s here Theresa May will come to haggle with Euro chiefs over Brexit in the coming months.
In Bratislava, locals say public transport is like death — no one ever knows when it comes.
So, our cruise director Patricia arranged private buses to take us off the tourist trail on a 35-minute ride to the small town of Shenvita, where grapes for the royal wines that graced the tables of the Hapsburg emperors were grown. Small groups visited the homes of local people — including Ella Bilska, who supplements her pension by growing row upon row of vines in her garden to supply the local winery and giving afternoon tea to curious cruisers.
As Ella told us shipmates about her life living under Russian rule until the Berlin Wall fell, her daughter Katarina, inset, with mum Ella and daughter Viktoria, served coffee along with a delicious chocolate and strawberry cake.
“A traditional family recipe?” I enquired.
“No, internet!”
Leaving Partyslava, as the city is known to British revellers, we left the quayside and headed to the on-board bar . . . and Vienna.
VIENNA
The Danube — Europe’s longest river after the Volga — is now so popular more than 20 cruise boats were moored at the quayside when we woke in Vienna.
Often, boats from rival companies tie up alongside each other and you have to walk through other ships to get to the dockside — it’s a great way of checking out the opposition.
Tours are organised at every stop but you don’t have to do them all.
If you are suffering from what Australians called ABC syndrome — “another bleedin’ church” — you can do your own thing. We took a taxi to check out Vienna’s spectacular Spanish Riding School and while waiting for our tour to begin, headed just down the road to Herrengasse for coffee and pastries in the Austrian capital’s famous Central Coffee House.
It was here Lenin and Trotsky planned the Russian revolution — but no one openly admits this was also Adolf Hitler’s favourite place for tea.
One of the city’s other gems, the Crown Jewels of the Habsburgs, doesn’t open on a Tuesday.
As the Emerald Sky navigated through spectacular gorges, historic picture-postcard towns glided by and the remaining days in southern Germany passed as serenely as the swans that came to visit.
Activities on-board included the chance to improve a skill for keeping our grandchildren happy when we got home — using a bath and a hand towel to create a swan and an elephant.
At Nuremberg after eight days, 700km and 25 locks, we could have happily stayed an extra week to continue the journey to Amsterdam with our new friends on Emerald Sky.
Arriving home, our biggest disappointment is that Bow Cam is not screened live on the company’s website — emeraldwaterways.co.uk — so we could enjoy that view all year.
GETTING/ STAYING THERE:
Head off on an eight-night Emerald Waterways Danube Delights cruise next year and save up to £700pp, as well as 250 Euros to spend onboard. Book before September 30 and prices are from £1,395. This includes return flights from London, Manchester or Birmingham, 20 meals including free wine, beer and soft drinks, six shore excursions plus activities on and off the ship. All tips are included. Book at or call 0808 115 6269.