Viking River Cruises Romantic Danube - Detailed Daily Itinerary from Budapest to Nuremberg
Scenic cruise along the Danube is what European fairytales are made of. (© BIANCA BUSTOS-VELAZQUEZ)
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Well, this post is quite overdue. I wrote about our Viking River Cruises Romantic Danube trip with the intention of writing a whole series of posts about it. Alas, life.
Nonetheless, I replied (and continue to reply) to people who inquired about the excursions via email. And I thought, I have the responses already, people are still interested, I might as well continue with my original intentions.
This is not a sponsored post. This vacation and experiences were fully paid by yours truly, and in no part by Viking River Cruises or any third party.
The 8-day Danube river cruise through Hungary, Austria and Germany kicks off either in Budapest or Nuremberg. For us, we took the Budapest to Nuremberg itinerary aboard the Viking Tor ship. I have for you here all you need to know about the Romantic Danube cruise - a detailed itinerary for each day, shore excursions and optional excursions, what to be ready for, what to expect, and what the changes are beginning 2021.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The Food on the Romantic Danube
Day 2 - Hungary: Panoramic Budapest Excursion
Day 3: Austria: Morning - Panoramic Vienna Excursion; Evening - Mozart and Strauss Concert
Day 4: Austria: Göttweig Abbey Excursion in Krems
Day 5: Germany: Docked in Passau with Bus Ride to Salzburg, Austria
Day 6: Germany: Regensburg Walking Tour
What to Know Before you Go
A few weeks before your trip, you’ll receive a nice little travel bag containing your cruise documents, distinctive red leather Viking Cruises luggage tags, paper luggage tags with your stateroom number, plus your stickers that you put on yourself so that the guides picking you up from the airport can easily identify you.
Online, on MyVikingJourney.com, with your booking number, you’ll have your Viking account. And on there, you need to make sure all the document requirements are filled out. There is an excursion at every port, but you can also book optional excursions before the trip. Viking has so many offers - ie 2-for-1 prices, free air, free onboard credits - and with proper planning, you can surely wait to get all of them. There are plenty of these offers around throughout the year.
TIP #1: Use onboard credits for optional excursions
If you did get free onboard credits and want to use it for optional excursions., you should NOT book optional excursions BEFORE your trip. Otherwise, you pay for it. You can only use your onboard credits for excursions if you reserve your spot at the Reception Desk on the boat. Obviously, the benefit of reserving your spot before you go is that you are sure of the availability. When we embarked, all of the optional excursions were actually still available. So I’m glad that I waited to use my onboard credits for them.
TIP #2: paying for the VIKING air plus is worth it.
The main reason I went on a Viking River Cruise is because I wanted to go somewhere without doing all the planning. I like planning for trips and I would say I’m pretty good at it. But, for variety or if you’re strapped for time, it’s also good to be surprised. Now if you’re going on a cruise anyway, you might as well have them arrange air travel for you too. Viking Cruises has free air travel sales all the time. Definitely take advantage of that. Free air travel and a cruise booked way ahead can add up to a good chunk of savings.
Step aboard the Viking Tor - your home for 8 days on the Viking River Cruises Romantic Danube Tour
But what is Viking Air Plus? If you include air travel to your cruise but don’t purchase Air Plus, they’ll book you the cheapest flights to get you to your port of origin city. This could mean a few too many layovers. So if you’re asking yourself, “is the Viking Air Plus worth it,” well, for an additional $50 to $150 per person (depending on the itinerary), you can work with a Viking Cruises travel agent to customize your entire air travel. And, if you want to use airline points for upgrading your free flight, they can arrange it for you.
You also don’t have to purchase Air Plus at the time you book your cruise. What happened with me is that I actually forgot about it. Then 2 months or so before the trip, when they sent me my air travel itinerary and I saw that our flights included 2 layovers and was basically almost 30 hours of travel, I called Viking immediately. I told them that that much travel is too much for my husband with limited mobility. So they were able to find and rebook us flights with only 1 layover, for a total of about only 15 hours of travel. I also was able to request to find us flights that will arrive in Budapest early-ish enough (1PM flight arrival, and after gathering everyone from the flight, on the boat by around 3PM), which was great because we saw some folks still boarding the boat while dinner service already was going on.
About the Viking Longship Tor
I’ve only been on one cruise before this trip - an ocean cruise with thousands of people - and it was not really for me. It was from that experience that led me to Viking Cruises actually, because I did like the idea of a vacation all planned for me already, meals included, etc but I need it to be a lot less people, no kids would be best (I didn’t like it how kids were playing with the elevators on a huge ship!), geared towards slow travel, and focused on the sites we’re visiting rather than being a floating resort.
Here are the stats for the Viking Tor:
Staterooms: 95
Max number of guests: 190
Crew members: 50
Year built: 2013
The style is very Scandinavian, of course - modern, minimal, functional. The common rooms are comprised of the reception area - where the grand staircase, a little shop, a small library and business center are located, restaurant - where breakfast and dinner are served, lounge area - where there’s a bar and where they also hold some interesting lectures, the Aquavit terrace - where they also serve lunch, and the sun deck - where you should try to go whenever they say there’s a scenic sailing.
The stateroom is very comfortable. From my last cruise experience, the bathroom situation was really difficult, and it didn’t even try to make you feel like you’re not on a ship. On the Viking Tor, the bathroom felt like a small hotel bathroom, and the toiletries weren’t even travel size.
In your room, you’ll also find the audio receivers and earpieces that you’ll need during the walking tours. I couldn’t tell if they have extras in case you forget them during the tours as everyone was ready for it.
The Food on the Romantic Danube
What can I say, as someone who loves to eat, well, the food onboard Viking Cruises is where I got my money’s worth. I exaggerate, you will get your money’s worth on the comfort and luxury, but a big portion on the food.
They really serve you local dishes. On the Romantic Danube, you will get to savor your favorite Hungarian, Austrian and German dishes. I am talking about goulash (which you’ll actually get to have the Hungarian and the Czech versions), Esterházy tortes and Sacher tortes, schnitzels! You’ll even get to have peach schnapps when you depart Austria.
And when they do depart a bit from the locale, it’s special nonetheless - I mean, I would never have expected chateaubriand to be served on a cruise ship. If you’re a vegetarian, there’s always an option for you.
The quality is top notch, with the wines to your liking. The service is impeccable too. You will get to know your servers and soon, they’ll even know what you like to drink.
TIP #3: Don’t forget to let them know of special occasions you’re celebrating.
They’ll give you a bottle of bubbly and have a little something on your dessert.
You’ll have options to eat at the Restaurant or the casual buffet style Aquavit Terrace. At the Restaurant, it’s always a 3 course meal dinner. There’s always coffee and tea available throughout the day. And of course, the bar is well stocked. They have pastries at the coffee / tea station as well, in case you get hungry between meals.
Day 1 - Arrival in Budapest
Day 1 of the cruise is very much dependent on when your flight gets in! I only booked a post-cruise extension to Prague. I don’t know why in the world I did not include a pre-cruise extension to Budapest. I must not have had enough vacation or something to not have added this. So…
TIP #4: ADD BOTH THE PRE- AND POST- EXTENSIONS.
The Budapest extension is $399 per person for 2 nights while the Prague extension is $699 per person for 3 nights. Now that I think on it, if you have only the opportunity to book one extension, you’ll have a preference of what city to experience, but here’s another tip:
TIP #5: BETWEEN the pre- and post- extensions, the pre-extension is probably more worth it.
Here’s why I say so: Like I said, Day 1 of the actual river cruise is dependent when you get to the boat. If you’re already in the city, then you check-in to the river cruise early. They have lunch ready and they actually have an excursion on Day 1! Most people didn’t even get to join this on our cruise because most people were on the same flight as us that got in around 3PM.
If the pre-cruise extension is not viable, then consider adding the Viking Air Plus to at least try to find a flight that can get you in as early as you can. Here’s what’s planned on embarkation day:
11:30 AM - 3:00 PM: Embarkation buffet
1:30 - 3:00 PM: Welcome walk through historic heart of Budapest (I would’ve liked to join this one!)
3:30 - 5:00 PM: Cheese and Wine Tasting (do partake in this, especially if this is around the time you check in and did not get to have some buffet lunch because dinner is not for a few hours.)
5:30 - 7:00 PM: Cocktail hour
6:15 PM: Welcome Briefing and Port Talk - Viking Tor team introductions
7:00 PM: Dinner
8:00 - 10:00 PM: Scenic Evening Cruise (get your jackets and your tripods! Budapest is glorious at night! There’s a commentary from the program director which I found very useful.)
Every evening, you can cap the night off with music and drinks at the Lounge.
Hungarian Parliament Building during the Scenic Evening Cruise on the Danube. (© BIANCA BUSTOS-VELAZQUEZ)
Day 2 - Hungary: Panoramic Budapest Excursion
Breakfast views on the Romantic Danube.
It’s the first full day on the ship and yes there is an itinerary for you but this is when I tell you, you do you!
TiP #6: You may feel you have to stick to everything on the itinerary, but you actually still have options.
Every night, you will be given the Viking Daily newsletter for tomorrow’s activities. You may think you should be at all of them. Perhaps you can. And though I would say Viking’s allure for us is its slower pace, it can actually still be hectic. So don’t feel the pressure or fear of missing out. I know I did. But after day 2 where I knew I was missing out anyway compared to our style of travel that does not involve packaged tours, I decided to just let go and yes prioritize the included and paid excursions, and then everything else is more like what I’m feeling for, which may be a nap.
Here’s the plan for the day, and I will now add the excursion experiences.
Three breakfast options!
6:00 - 11:00 AM - Café style; 6:30 - 9:30 AM - Continental breakfast; 6:30 - 9:00 AM - Buffet breakfast (We did the buffet breakfast everyday in the restaurant. I love bacon and eggs, and the eggs are so fresh, the yolk is orange.
08:00 - 12:30 PM: Panoramic Budapest. If you didn’t get to join the walking tour the previous day, or did not do any pre-tour extensions, this is your only time in Budapest. Here you’ll get to experience the highlights of the hilly Buda side and the flat Pest (pronounced Pesht my friends) side. You start on the Pest side, and that entire time on the bus actually. I really really needed to manage my expectations after this one because yes you drive through the National Opera House and Heroes’ Square and the Széchenyi Baths, but you don’t even get to see the baths. You’re on the bus looking at the yellow building, wishing you get to see the famed baths. This is why the pre-extension feels so important.
Our guide talked less about history and more about the dire economic situation of the city. We even drove through the part of town where embassies are, which I thought was nice because the buildings are very nice, but his talk here was more about the people in power staying in these palatial homes while most of the country is struggling. I like to know these truths of course. However, I’d say a balance between that and art, culture and history would have been nice because the tone of this part of the tour was very angry and somber.
You get off the bus on the Buda side. Not a lot of time here. After a guided mini tour inside the Matthias Church, it’s about one hour only to explore the Fishermen’s Bastion and surrounding areas. It is here where I learned that Hungary is the largest producer of paprika in the world! Make sure you buy some paprika because this is essential for when you make goulash at home - which I still do!
TIP #7: Though you’re pressed for time and there’s a lot of people, FEAR NOT and just be patient, there’s time for you to take the requisite fishermen’s bastion shots.
I’ve wanted that shot overlooking the parliament building, and it is doable. The crowds come in waves so you’ll definitely get that photo op.
8:00 AM: Cast off. If you did not join the shore excursion, the ship sails from Budapest to Visegrád, where the shore excursion people will then join the ship.
12:15 PM: If you stayed on the ship, you have about 15 minutes in Visegrád.
12:30 PM: Lunch is served. We stayed in the restaurant for the goulash. But this is also one of the scenic cruises on the Danube Bend. So if you can enjoy the sit down lunch or enjoy the scenic cruise with buffet lunch at the Aquavit Terrace.
2:00 PM: Safety Instructions.
2:30 - 3:30 PM: Wheelhouse Tour. I found this very interesting actually. They talked about the locks that we would be going through. And I thought it’s very cool that the wheelhouse goes up and down if it needs to clear some bridges.
4:00 - 4:45 PM: Hungarian Teatime. I grabbed some pastries then took a nap, because I wanted to join what was next.
5:30 PM: Presentation: Austrian Coffee Houses. Learn about the coffee culture in Austria, which is very important. Thankfully from this talk, I was able to determine which coffee shop I wanted to go to in Vienna for the next day.
5:30 - 7:00 PM: Cocktail hour
6:30 PM: A Toast to the Guests. Grab a bubbly.
6:45 PM: Port Talk about tomorrow’s plan.
7:00 PM: Welcome Dinner. This is the first time you’ll meet the Chef de Cuisine and the Maître d’ at the Restaurant. And yes, this is when they served the chateaubriand. A casual meal is also served on the Aquavit Terrace.
9:00 PM: Presentation: Mozart and Austrian Coffee Houses. In case you missed the afternoon one, but with additional information about the genius that is Mozart.
Day 3 - Austria: Morning Panoramic Vienna Excursion and Evening Mozart and Strauss Concert
This is a long day but you have such a variety of experiences. Here’s what’s planned for the day:
Exploring Vienna on our own.
6:00 - 11:00 AM - Café style; 6:30 - 9:30 AM - Continental breakfast; 7:00 - 9:00 AM - Buffet breakfast
9:00 AM: Arrival in Vienna
9:15 AM - 12:30 PM: Included shore excursions - Panoramic Vienna or Up Close Vienna. The Panoramic Vienna is high level walking tour, talking about Vienna’s architecture, the Hapsburgs, and riding along the Ringstrasse - the circular grand boulevard around the historic district of Vienna. The Up Close Vienna is also about Vienna’s architecture and history, but this time, taking the local underground transportation.
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM: Optional Excursion - Jewels of Vienna’s Ring.
12:30 PM: Lunch at the Restaurant or Aquavit Terrace.
2:00 - 5:30 PM: Optional excursions - Schönbrunn Palace or Behind the Scenes at the Lippizzaner Stallions. The Schönbrunn Palace is one of the most magnificent in the world, so in this one, you get to tour this UNESCO world heritage site, learn more about the Hapsburgs, and specifically, Maria Therese. For the visit to the Lippizzaner Stallions, you will get to learn about the Spanish Riding School, home of the famed Lippizzaner Stallions, tour the historic stables and learn about the equestrian tradition. After which, you get to witness the Viennese coffee culture at a traditional kaffeehaus.
Tip #8: If your romantic danube cruise is in the summer, you won’t be seeing the stallions as they are at a different location every july and august.
5:30 - 7:00 PM: Cocktail Hour
Took a cab to Café Landtmann to experience Viennese coffee culture.
5:45 PM: Port Talk about tomorrow’s plan.
6:00 PM: First dinner seating at the Restaurant for those joining the optional concert excursion. 7:30 PM: Second dinner seating at the Restaurant or Aquavit Terrace if you’re not joining any optional excursions.
9:00 PM: Live music at the Lounge.
6:30 - 10:00 PM: Optional excursion - Heurigen Dinner. In this dinner, you get to join a classic dinner at a local vineyard and toast this year’s wine. Heuriger are the wine taverns in Austria and the spirit of gemütlichkeit, or good cheer, is what is planned for your evening.
7:30 - 10:30 PM: Optional excursion - Classical Concert. What better way to see a Mozart and Strauss concert than in Vienna? The Vienna Residence Orchestra performs in a historic venue. And from the concert, you will have a scenic evening drive back to the ship.
10:00 PM: Late night snack. After the concert, since you did have an early dinner, you can enjoy some Gulaschsuppe at the terrace.
11:59 PM: Cast off as the shop leaves Vienna for Krems.
So that’s a lot planned for the day and it’s tour after tour after tour. So, I’d like to share what we did.
Capped of the evening with a Mozart and Strauss concert.
We joined the Panoramic Vienna tour, and that was a great way to get oriented with the city. I really prefer exploring cities on my own so I managed my expectations here for sure. Like I said, we’re big coffee fans and from the previous presentation, we learned that Café Landtmann, which has been around since 1873, is a classic Viennese coffee house where Freud used to hang out. So we did not join any tours in the afternoon. Instead, we took a cab to Café Landtmann and truly relaxed, enjoyed some Viennese coffee and cakes.
Tip #9: Be Fearless and veer off the itinerary. Make sure you take the card with the ship’s location from the reception so you can go back on your own time.
It was raining that day and I’m so glad that I didn’t pay for an optional excursion in the afternoon, and instead partook in the famed Viennese coffee culture on our own. We had a good amount of time walk on our own, shop a little, take a cab to the café, and take a cab back to the ship.
TIP #10: since you know when you’ll be in vienna, you may want to book café sacher in advance.
If I knew of the timing of things ahead of time, I would have booked a table at Café Sacher and enjoyed a Sachertorte where it was invented. Without a reservation, the lines are very long. So this is something I’m sure I’ll go back for. This and the Schönbrunn palace.
We even had enough time to rest and freshen up before the early dinner, and then we were off to the concert. You actually end up joining guests aboard different Viking ships, which I think makes sense for the company because the hall where the concert is held probably seats about 300 people, certainly more than how many people are on your ship. I’m also glad I picked this one as an optional excursion. Worth every penny. The performance brought me to tears.
Changes beginning 2021: There will be more time in Vienna because the ship won’t be docking at Nuremberg anymore. So, starting 2021, day 3 will actually include 2 privileged access tour options: Schönbrunn Palace and Vienna Boys’ Choir or Behind the Scenes at the Vienna Boys’ Choir where you will get to tour the boarding school of the Wiener Sängerknaben at Palais Augarten. Both of these include an exclusive performance. I’m so glad they added an excursion like this. When we did our walking tour, that’s what I was wondering about. The difference between these two is that the former is a combination of the latter and the Schönbrunn Palace excursion I mentioned earlier - so it’s a 6 hour tour.
Beginning 2021, you will have another day in Vienna. The Lippizaner stallions and the Mozart / Strauss concert will now be an excursion on Day 4. In addition, there are 2 new optional excursions on the 2nd day in Vienna: Historic Farmers’ Market Visit with the Viking Chef, where the Executive Chef will lead you through a tasting journey of the Naschmarkt, and Picturesque Bratislava, where you will travel to the capital of Slovakia.
I’m very much considering another Romantic Danube cruise because of these changes. I will likely do the Schönbrunn Palace and Vienna Boys’ Choir, and the Picturesque Bratislava excursions!
Day 4 - Austria: Göttweig Abbey Excursion in Krems
We now arrive at what I would say was my favorite day of the cruise. I think it’s because this day was the one that was exactly what I expected a Viking Cruise would be. Changes in 2021: This will be Day 5 instead of Day 4.
6:00 - 11:00 AM - Café style; 6:30 - 9:30 AM - Continental breakfast; 6:30 - 9:30 AM - Buffet breakfast
8:00 AM: The ship arrives in Krems.
8:30 - 11:00 AM: Optional excursion - Wachau Valley by bicycle. Biking along the vineyards on an electric bike. If my husband were not disabled, we may have considered this. But, this is of course weather dependent.
8:30 - 11:30 AM: Shore excursion - Göttweig Abbey with optional 30 minute extension (either Apricot Dumpling demonstration or Historic Attic).
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Shore excursion - Göttweig Abbey no extensions.
The Göttweig Abbey is a 900-year old abbey ran by the Benedictine monks. It’s an abbey at the top of the hill and oh so magnificent views of the Wachau Valley. I don’t know about you but when I see Karine Hagen (Viking’s SVP and the founder’s daughter) in the ads visiting locals and talking to monks, that’s sort of what I imagined for all the shore excursions. Well, not quite, so I would say this excursion is the only one and the closest to that image - privileged access with that extra experience you see on Viking ads.
TIP #11: For a small fee, i highly recommend the apricot dumpling presentation. it’s a change of pace from all the walking.
And, more than that, volunteer to help cook during the presentation. I expected the optional extension to be a cooking session but it’s really just a demonstration. And unless you volunteer, you won’t get your hands dirty at all, but you will definitely taste the apricot dumpling. I, of course, volunteered!
12:00 PM: Lunch at the Restaurant or Aquavit Terrace.
12:30 PM: Ship departs from Krems.
1:15 - 3:00 PM: Scenic Sailing: Wachau Valley.
This is the other part that made this day my favorite on this itinerary. Sailing through vineyards, ruins, small towns and forests is truly what European fairytales are made of. For this, the Wachau Valley has been listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. Most definitely go to the top deck for this one.
It comes with the little Viking Cruises touches too like the staff bringing you blankets and small glasses of hot chocolate for you to comfortable enjoy the views.
3:00 - 4:00 PM: Austrian Tea time and Apple Strudel Live Demonstration.
5:30 - 7:00 PM: Cocktail Hour
6:35 PM: Viking Explorer Society Cocktail Party. By invite only, If you’ve sailed with Viking before, there’s a private cocktail party at the Lounge.
6:45 PM: Port Talk about tomorrow’s plan.
7:00 PM: Dinner at the Restaurant or Aquavit Terrace.
9:15 PM: World in Comfort with Viking Presentation. Here you can find out more about different itineraries and some discounts for future bookings. This is then followed by live music.
Day 5 - Germany: Docked in Passau with Bus Ride to Salzburg, Austria
Now we’re in our final country in the itinerary! But the options this day are quite varied! Changes in 2021: This will be Day 6 instead of Day 5.
6:00 - 11:00 AM - Café style; 6:30 - 9:30 AM - Continental breakfast; 7:00 - 9:00 AM - Buffet breakfast
9:00 AM: Arrival in Passau, Germany.
I was most definitely ready to burst out my Do Re Mi in Salzburg!
TiP #13: If you can wake up earlier, have an early breakfast and enjoy the cruise before arriving in passau for some striking misty morning views of the bavarian countryside.
9:15 AM - 6:00 PM: Optional excursion - Salzburg Highlights
I had heard that Passau, Germany was a very charming town with the famed pipe organ. However, this cruise was my first time in Austria, and with The Sound of Music being near and dear to me, Salzburg was a must. Remember to bring your passport since you are going to another country. It’s about a 2 hour drive from Passau to Salzburg, but the alpine views are very nice.
During our tour, it was actually raining, so the views were a bit dramatic. It was a bit cozy actually so I enjoyed a nap to and from Salzburg. From there, we did a walking tour of the Old Town and the Mirabell Gardens where we saw filming locations from The Sound of Music. We made our way to the Domplatz before our lunch in Austria’s oldest restaurant, entertained with the music from the movie by classically trained singers.
We had a bit of time on our own so we explored the cathedral cemetery, which if you recall was also part of the movie. And I did of course made sure I bought some Mozartkugels from Salzburg. You’ll see them throughout Austria in gold foils and in Salzburg, where it was created, is where you can find them wrapped in silver foil. Mozart was born in Salzburg and Paul Fürst honored him with this chocolate goodness.
After some walking while it was raining, it actually got a bit much for my husband, who had a swollen foot from a cut he got from walking around in Vienna. He already walks with a cane and the pain got a bit much for him. Seeing the challenge, instead of walking back to the bus after the tour, Viking actually called a car for us. I’m not sure if this would have been offered by other operators but that’s the type of attention to detail and dedication to customer service that I actually saw a lot from Viking Cruises.
9:15 - 10:45 AM: Shore excursion: Passau Walking Tour
11:00 - 11:25 AM: Passau Organ Concert. With more than 17,000 pipes, it is the largest pipe organ in Europe.
12:30 PM: Lunch at the Restaurant or Aquavit Terrace.
2:00 PM: Enrichment Lecture at the Lounge: Life in Germany.
2:15 - 6:00 PM: Optional excursion - Bavarian Beerfest. Drive through the Bavarian countryside from Passau to Gut Aichet and tour a riverside farm. Then enjoy an Oktoberfest-like party with traditional music, locally brewed beer, and Bavarian treats.
3:15 PM: Back on board if you didn’t join any optional excursions. Ship departs Passau for Vilshofen.
5:30 - 7:00 PM: Cocktail Hour
5:30 PM: Shuttle Passau to Vilshofen for those who either did their own thing.
6:00 PM: Stop at Vilshofen for guests not yet on board to rejoin.
6:45 PM: Port Talk about tomorrow’s plan.
7:00 PM: Dinner at the Restaurant or Aquavit Terrace.
9:15 PM: Rhine - Main - Danube Canal Presentation. Learn about the canal that connects the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea.
Since our cruise, Viking has added a few new optional excursions:
Hike the Passau Hills - for those looking for some challenge, you can do a hiking excursion from the Mariahilf Hill to Veste Oberhaus and enjoy spectacular views of the city.
Neuschwanstein Castle by Plane - you’ll board a plane to Reutte and transfer to Neuschwanstein to explore the famous castle that inspired Disney. You’ll get to tour the garden, courtyard and the castle’s rooms. And from there you drive through the Hohenschwangau valley for lunch before returning to the airport for a return flight to Vilshofen. If this were available at the time of my cruise, I probably would have done this optional excursion since I’ve always wanted to see the Neuschwantein Castle.
Flightseeing over Passau - if hiking is not for your, you can still enjoy breathtaking views from above of Passau and the three rivers - Ilz, Inn and the Danube - on a 45-minute private charter.
Bavaria by E-bike - another excursion with a bit of a challenge, bike along the Inn River through farm fields and riverside forests. You will leave Germany from Passau, and cross the bridge into Austria through Wernstein.
Day 6 - Germany: Regensburg Walking Tour
I can’t really decide on a favorite day for this tour. This day I really liked because of the freedom we had of having enough time to explore on our own. You can do it that way or spend a day full of excursions too. Changes in 2021: This will be Day 7 instead of Day 5.
6:00 - 11:00 AM - Café style; 6:30 - 9:30 AM - Continental breakfast; 7:00 - 9:30 AM - Buffet breakfast
Lunch at Alte Wurstkuchl, a Regensburg institution!
8:30 AM: The ship arrives in Regensburg.
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM: Optional excursion - Munich Highlights. You’ll take the bus to the Bavarian capital where you will meet a guide for a panoramic tour. As it was with Budapest, you’ll basically be driving past historic sights such as the Olympiapark and the royal avenues of Ludwigstrasse, Prinzregentenstrasse and Maximilianstrasse. You’ll have time to shop at the Viktualienmarkt and have lunch at Ratskeller.
Tip #14: If you did the salzburg excursion from passau the day before, i would not recommend doing the munich tour unless you really want to VISIT munich.
It’s another 2 hour drive each way and our friends who did both said they just got so restless from all that bus ride back to back.
TIP #15: Alternative to the panoramic tour, you can completely do your own thing in munich.
Some folks took a train on their own from Regensburg to Munich as they wanted to tour the BMW museum. Just make sure you look at the itinerary for the day to know what time you need to catch the train back.
9:15 - 10:45 AM: Shore excursion - Walking Tour - Regensburg. The city is very well preserved because it was never bombed during World War 2. You can even see some of the walls erected by Marcus Aurelius when the city was founded in the Roman times. In the Old Town, you’ll be able to see why this town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
9:15 - 11:15 AM: Shore excursion - Jewish Walking Tour - Regensburg. This tour is focused on Regensburg Jewish history and heritage, which includes the Neupfarrplatz and the Synagogue Memorial.
12:00 PM: Lunch at the Restaurant or Aquavit Terrace. As an alternative, we instead had lunch at the Alte Wurstkuchl (Sausage Kitchen). This is a historic restaurant as it’s been serving sausage to customers since 1146 - that’s more than 870 years, guys!
I don’t drink beer but it felt dutiful to try some Bavarian beer, learning that they are very serious about it having a purity law and all dating back from 1516, which states that they can only use water, barley and hops for brewing. Tried it, and nope, beer is still not my thing.
1:00 - 4:00 PM: Optional excursion - Microbreweries in Bavaria. If you’re a beer fan, this one’s for you! You’ll be able to sample some of Bavaria’s pride and joy - Ratskeller from Regensburg, beer from Bischofshof, a pilsner from Kneitinger, a dark beer from Weltenburger, and a wheat beer from Weissbräuhaus.
1:00 - 6:30 PM: Optional excursion - Weltenburg Abbey and Danube Narrows. If you’re not up for some biergarten fare in the afternoon, you can visit the abbey that was founded in the 7th century, with more Danube views. This excursion is only available if you go between May - October.
Or, you can do what we did and just explored Regensburg on our own after the shore excursion. I was able to buy a hat from the famous Hutkönig, which has been making hats since 1875 for European royalty, Johnny Depp in Alice in Wonderland, and Pope Benedict XVI. We had lunch at Alte Wurstkuchl. We were able to explore smaller streets and I even came across some Banksy graffiti - though I’ve never been able to verify if it’s truly his or some copycat.
1:00 PM: The ship leaves Regensburg for Kelheim.
5:15 PM: Transfer from Regensburg to Kelheim. If you wish to stay in Regensburg for the afternoon like we did to explore the town on our own, you need to sign up at the Guest Service Desk in the morning for the bus transfer. You’re to meet at the Sausage Kitchen and then walk as a group across the river to the bus stop. From there, you will travel to join the ship in Kelheim.
5:30 - 7:30 PM: Cocktail Hour
6:15 PM: Arrival in Kelheim for guests not yet on board to rejoin.
7:00 PM: Disembarkation Briefing and Port Talk.
7:30 PM: Dinner: A Taste of Germany. They went all out with this German buffet dinner! Even the servers were in their lederhosen and dirndl!
9:00 PM: Evening entertainment - live music and dancing.
Day 7 - Germany: Nuremberg through History Tour
Our last port! Changes in 2021: This will be Day 8 instead of Day 7. Instead of a day in Nuremberg, there is an optional excursion to the historic Nuremberg on day 6 from Regensburg. It’s a 10 hour excursion, which means you basically skip the Regensburg itinerary above. For what we did, and it’s still the same for 2020, here’s the schedule for the day:
6:00 - 11:00 AM - Café style; 6:30 - 9:30 AM - Continental breakfast; 7:00 - 9:30 AM - Buffet breakfast
7:30 AM: The ship arrives in Roth.
8:15 AM - 12:45 PM: Optional excursion - Faber-Castell Factory and Museum. Here you get to learn the historical method of manufacturing pencils.
8:15 AM: Shuttle bus from Roth to Nuremberg. This I was very unclear about. I think this was just if you wanted to drive instead of take the ship because at the same time, the ship leaves Roth for Nuremberg as well.
12:00 PM: The ship arrives in Nuremberg. Lunch is also served at the Restaurant or the Aquavit Terrace.
1:30 - 5:30 PM: Shore excursion - Nuremberg through History. Here we saw where Nazi rallies were held and drove by the Palace of Justice. We then visited the Imperial Palace, and walk past the picture perfect half-timbered houses. We made our way to the Market Square where there were several stalls selling Christmas decorations already, but we definitely enjoyed all the food stalls! You’ll have time on your own, which we spent by eating bratwurst and visiting a book shop. You’ll then take the bus back to the ship.
1:30 - 6:00 PM: Optional excursion - Nuremberg and World War II. More in depth of Nuremberg’s war history, here you’ll visit the setting of the rise and fall of the Third Reich.
5:30 - 6:30 PM: Cocktail hour and the Captain’s farewell cocktail party.
6:45 PM: Final farewell from the program director.
7:15 PM: Farewell dinner at the Restaurant or casual meal on the Aquavit Terrace.
9:15 PM: From the Danube to the Adriatic Sea: Enjoy local Nuremberg musicians in the Lounge for music from composers who lived in the banks of the Danube.
Day 8 - Disembarking from Nuremberg
Alas, the tour has come to an end!
From here, you are transferred to the airport or you join the bus to your respective post-cruise extensions. So the schedule varies depending on your flight. For us, our trip took us to Prague next after a 3 hour bus ride from Nuremberg. We had breakfast at 6:30 and were on the road by 8:30 AM. We had a guide on the bus so it wasn’t just 3 hours of sleeping.
You still have to check out, and this is also where and when you can leave a tip for the staff.
That was a lot in 7 days. Normally for us, that’s too many countries in a week but it’s a good taste of what the region around the Danube has to offer.
Despite my preference of having enough time to explore on our own, being able to go to museums, libraries or markets, cruising with Viking Cruises was really for the comfort and luxury of having everything planned for you, great food and service on board, with as much effort for slow travel and privileged access while not missing out on the main tourist attractions.
I hope you were able to get the information you need about the Romantic Danube cruise as much as I enjoyed walking down memory lane. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Bianca is one of the founders of get there | get lost. She is an avid writer and photographer based in Northern California. Her love for history, literature, architecture and food culminate to her passion for traveling and learning about different cultures. She advocates for accessible travel, and continues to explore with her husband and travel partner, Jesús, despite physical limitations. Follow their adventures on Instagram as @gettheregetlost and @coffeeandtherapy.