Embark on a journey through several countries in Europe with a Danube River Cruise from Germany to Hungary. Relax along the Danube River on a luxurious ship. Enjoy the rich history, gorgeous landscape, and cute towns while floating down the Danube River. Each day brings new discoveries from picturesque towns like Dürnstein and Melk to world class cities like Vienna and Budapest. A Danube River Cruise from Germany to Hungary will certainly be a trip of a lifetime for many and hold forever memories.
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The MS Amelia is luxurious, a 5-Start resort floating above the water. As you enter the main entrance you are kindly greeted by professional staff. A chandelier hangs above the elegant staircase near the multi-level restaurant. Play Mini-Golf on deck, relax in the hot-tub or just lay down on a lawn chair as the MS Amelia takes you along the Danube River from Passau, Germany to Budapest, Hungary. To this day, the Danube River Cruise remains one of our favorite trips, thanks to the MS Amelia and its staff.
MS Amelia Statistics
- Length – 135 Meters
- Number of Passengers – 216
- Number of Crew Members – 42
- Number of Decks – 4
- Length of Time on Board – 8 Days
- Meals per Day – 3, which includes a breakfast buffet, light lunch, and 4 course meal for dinner. Desserts and late night snacks were also included.
For booking and finding River Cruises, we used Phoenix Reisen. The site is in German, but very easy to navigate and find great deals!
Our Crew and how we Decided on a River Cruise
My mom was the ultimate decider on the cruise. A river cruise (specifically a Danube River Cruise) has been her dream for many years. 2019 just so happened to be the year everything fell into place and my mom, Jill, myself, and several of my mom’s friends all agreed upon dates and made it happen! In total, there were 8 of us, and we all just had a remarkable time. My mom’s friend Heidi was phenomenal and planned/booked the trip for all of us. Jill and I, flew to Germany and met up with my mom who was already there. We had friends from Colorado meet us in Passau a day prior to the journey. So began our Danube River Cruise.
The Route and Locations
There are so many River Cruise companies and routes throughout Germany, making it difficult to select what route to take and where to visit. For starters, I think we all kind of wanted the popular Passau to Budapest cruise. After picking the cruise and number of days, the next step was to select a cruise company. Myself and many people in the U.S. are familiar with Viking River Cruises, but who wants to pay $10,000 on a trip when you can get the same experience for $1,000? That is right, $1,000 for an 8 day cruise, everything included.
The ship that was ultimately decided upon was the MS Amelia. The cruise started in Passau, Germany and ended in Budapest, Hungary.
I don’t think I would ever do a Caribbean Cruise, I can’t see myself at sea for days sitting there drinking, and watching people stuff their face at the buffet daily, not my style. I guess, if I got a free vacation on a cruise I would take it, but that is it! The River Cruise is much different, you are on a smaller ship, surrounded by scenic towns and nature the entire time not to mention you port somewhere daily.
Below are the stops the MS Amelia made port at along our Danube River Cruise.
The Danube River Cruise left port from Passau, then stopped in Durnstein, Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, Melk, before returning to port in Passau, 8 days later.
Passau, Germany
Passau, Germany – The start and end to one of the most wonderful trips we’ve had.
I’ve been to Passau before, at a much younger age, so I was very excited to get a chance to see this beautiful city once again. Passau is located in Southern Bavaria not far from the Austrian border. It is known as the “City of Three Rivers” because the Danube is met here by two smaller rivers, the Inn and Ilz.
I find Passau to be the perfect size city, it is not a big city by any means nor is it small. It is a University City, so there are a lot of young people here as well as great restaurants and bars/breweries.
Passau is very walkable and most the attractions are within the Altstadt (Old town) area. The St. Stephan’s Cathedral is a must, I believe it has the world’s largest musical organs, they have daily concerts, which visitors can attend. There is also a castle on top of the hill that is worth exploring. After working up an appetite, go to the Löwen Brauhaus for a local beer and traditional Bavarian Food!
Dürnstein, Austria
After leaving port from Passau, Germany the first stop along the Danube River Cruise was Dürnstein, Austria. Dürnstein was a lovely town and their claim to fame was Dürnstein Castle which sits atop a hill overlooking the town and river.
We had around 8 hours to explore Dürnstein. If fit, I recommend hiking to the castle right away. Rumor has it that King Richard I of England was imprisoned here. The hike was not to difficult, the views are absolutely worth it. You can explore the ruins for a bit before coming back to town. While in town, there is a cute cathedral that stands out. Unfortunately, it is part of a museum and there is an entrance fee, well worth it though. Whatever time there is left, I recommend walking the side streets and try some Marillen. Marillen is a fruit that grows in the area and of course they make it into Schnapps!
Dürnstein and the surrounding area is part of a UNESCO site, known as the Wachau Cultural Landscape. I wrote more on the area in my Top UNESCO World Heritage Site Post.
Vienna, Austria
Vienna, Austria, probably my favorite city in the world. I’ve been here twice and just fell in love with it the first time around. I was amazed by the massive baroque style buildings here, the cathedrals and palaces, not to mention to food is world class!
Our ship arrived at port in Vienna at night, so we have an evening to explore and the entire following day. You have to see Vienna at night, it is just as beautiful as during the day.
Vienna is a massive city with an amazing transportation system and is very bike/pedestrian friendly. Just walking around historical Vienna I am always fascinated by the Baroque Buildings and how massive they are.
After exploring at night, the following day we did a hop on/hop off bus. I highly recommend hop on/off buses, especially if visiting Vienna for the first time. The tickets are good for two days and the bus stops at all the “must see” locations. Be warned, you won’t see everything!
Start the day off at Schönbrunn Palace, it gets crowded! From the Palace you can check out the Belvedere Palace, Hofburg Palace, the Prater (Biggest Ferris Wheel in the world), or just get back to the Altstadt and explore by foot. I think Vienna deserves its own post, one day.
I can’t write a quick post on Vienna without mentioning food. Of course, try the apfelstrudel. You can find this anywhere although the best I had was at the Café Restaurant Residenz, in Schönbrunn Palace.
You can’t leave Vienna, without trying their famous Sacher Torte at the famous Hotel Sacher. The Sacher Torte kind of gets mixed reviews, many people think it’s overrated. I found it to be very good, not the best cake I’ve had, but I am glad I tried it.
Budapest, Hungary
You could say Budapest, Hungary was the main event, as it was the farthest point before turning around. We arrived at Budapest in the afternoon, and had until the following afternoon to explore. No one in my crew has been to Budapest so we definitely did the hop on/off right away.
Budapest is a huge city and two days does not give it justice. Most people are probably aware of this, but in case you are unfamiliar with Budapest, it consists of two cities Buda and Pest. Eventually the two cities merged into one to form Budapest. Both sides are very different, each worth minimum a day to see. As a reference the Parliament is on the Pest side and the Fisherman’s Bastion inside Buda Castle is on the Buda side.
Besides the Parliament, the Vajdahunyad Castle (replica of Hunyadi Castle in Romania) was probably my favorite site in Budapest. The Castle reminded me of something you would see in Romania, very Dracula like!
The Hungarian Parliament in Budapest is one of, if not the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen. According to our tour, it is the third biggest Parliament in the world after the Palace of Westminster in London and the Palace of the Argentine National Congress in Buenos Aires. You can tour the inside but must either go very early when they open or make reservations. Luckily, I went in the morning and managed to squeeze in the second tour of the day.
Budapest is also known for their food and drinks! I had to find goulash at some point and had my first bowl at a small pub on the Buda side. Goulash is a hardy stew paired perfectly with a local brew. Beer wise, I tried Soproni, Bocskai Freedom, Stari Sor, Dreher Sorgyarak and they were all pretty average, not as good as I was hoping.
Lastly, I heard getting shit on by a bird is good luck! Um, well that was a first for me, just so happened to be in Budapest. Bright and early, on my way to the parliament, a pigeon pooped on my shoulder :(. Although I cleaned most of it off, I had to walk around Budapest all day feeling defeated.
Bratislava, Slovakia
Bratislava, Slovakia was one of the biggest surprises along the cruise. I was excited to visit but really had no idea what to expect. Bratislava gets tourism but it seems Budapest and Vienna get all the love.
Bratislava has a huge castle overlooking the town and a very nice and manageable historic center. Honestly, I think one day is good enough here. I recommend walking to the castle, but no need to go inside as I’ve heard it’s pretty bland. The exterior is very unique, it is not a medieval castle anymore, in fact it looks quite modern. The castle architecture is pretty boxy but there are a few remnants of older castles built within the wall that are shown, making it pretty unique.
Once going downtown, I recommend just walking around. Bratislava is easy to familiarize yourself with. Many of the small narrow alley ways have restaurants and bars.
There is an ice cream chain here called Arthur Ice Cream, they had some of the best I’ve ever had. Another recommendation I have is the Underground Tea Room. I am not a huge tea drinker, Jill is, but this place was well worth a visit. It is located in an old bomb shelter and the rooms are separated each having their own theme.
I would love to come back to Bratislava to try some more cuisine and do some day trips.
Melk, Austria
Melk, Austria was the last stop before reaching Passau. Prior to our trip, I’ve never heard of Melk but now I highly recommend everyone add it to their itinerary.
The main attraction in Melk has to be Melk Abbey. The Abbey sits atop a hill above the small town of Melk. The Abbey is easily accessible by foot from town. The sheer size of Melk Abbey is impressive, I’ve never seen a place like this before. There is a museum with an entrance fee that I highly recommend, mainly because it allows you access to the church and it is probably the most gorgeous church I’ve seen in my life. After a few hours at the abbey, we walked around town, which is your pretty typical small sized European town. I did stop for a Döner Kebab which is always fabulous. Melk does have a few restaurants, bars, and cafe’s that line the main street.
Food on Board
When I think of food on a cruise ship, I think of cheap buffets serving chicken nuggets and mac ‘n’ cheese, with long lines of people waiting to stuff themselves full, gross! Well, that might be the case on Caribbean cruises but definitely not aboard MS Amelia. The food served on board the MS Amelia was much better then everyone imagined. There was a breakfast buffet every morning. The buffet was your typical German style breakfast with hard brötchen, meats, cheeses, and other various pastries. Lunch and dinner were four-five course meals, you would easily pay $50 per sitting if not more.
Let’s start with breakfast. I absolutely love European style breakfasts. The hard rolls, pastries, fresh meats, on and on. They had a chef making omelets and eggs along with pancakes and waffles. A good breakfast with a cup of coffee is the best way to start and plan the day.
Lunch was served daily, although we didn’t eat lunch everyday since we were traveling off the ship. But the few meals I had were delicious. Lunch was extensive, starting with a soup, entrée, and finishing with a dessert.
Germans love their sweets and coffee, so it only made sense for them to eat again around 3 p.m. – The crew would always have a small treat for us. I say small, but it was like a full bowl of ice cream or slices of apfelstrudel, as many as you’d like.
As if we needed more to eat, Dinner was the most exciting meal of the day while on board. The prep and presentation of the meals for dinner was something you would expect from a high-end restaurant. We received a menu with various courses to choose from. Usually it was a soup, appetizer, entrée, and dessert. There were of course vegetarian options as well. My mom is a vegetarian and would give the dishes an A+, for flavor, amount, and appearance! Some nights, the dinners were themed. As an example, they had goulash the night we were in Budapest. I can’t describe how well the food was prepared, the meats were so flavorful and tender, the sides were all seasoned to perfection, and the desserts were just fabulous.
Thoughts After the Cruise
I have my thoughts on cruises, I am not a fan of the huge cruises, especially after all the news you hear about them, but the river cruises are much different and I highly recommend going on one.
I really did not know what to expect, but the experience blew my expectations. The ship was beautiful, the crew was fantastic, and my friends and family were simply a blast, I loved hanging out with them for 8-days.
One of my favorite aspects about the ship was the fact we were forced to relax. After boarding the ship in the afternoon headed to our next destination, there was nothing to do but relax. You could sit on deck and enjoy a beer, relax in the hot tub, take a nap, and just enjoy the views of castles, small towns, and forests along the Danube. Would I do it again? Oh Hell yeah! I wouldn’t change a thing about it. Well, I would love to go on a 15-day cruise so maybe that will be next!
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