Focus on Vienna and Budapest – River Cruise Royalty

So, what makes Vienna and Budapest two of the most popular river cruise destinations?  Well, these cities have been at the centre of European culture and civilisation for centuries, and have always been vital trading posts and seats of power for numerous European dynasties.

In Vienna you have the Schonbrun Palace and St Stephen’s Cathedral, plus the Hofburg baroque palace complex and traditional Viennese coffee houses.  In Budapest you have Buda Castle, the iconic Hungarian Parliament building, Fisherman’s Bastion, the thermal baths and St Stephen’s Basilica.  In fact, there’s enough to see and do that it will be difficult to pack everything into just a 1-day visit!

If you’re like me, you won’t necessarily have a ‘tick sheet’ of things to do; I prefer to take a leisurely stroll around the cities, slowly digesting the atmosphere and energy of the place, and whatever comes my way in the course of the day, I’ll be happy with.  The main centre of Vienna is conveniently located on a hill, surrounded by an inner ring-road, so, whilst it’s easy to lose your bearings, it’s pretty difficult to get lost for long.  Budapest, on the other hand, is a sprawl of two originally separate towns; ‘Buda’ on one side of the Danube, and ‘Pest’ on the other.  These can loosely be defined as ‘Buda’ having the castle and the aged grandeur, whilst ‘Pest’ has the more modern historical significance, and also possesses the main shopping, culinary and entertainment areas.  Your river cruise vessel will likely dock on the Buda side, but anyone with average fitness will be able to take a stroll across the river, using one of the many bridges that grace this beautiful stretch of the river.

Of course, if your time runs out before you have a chance to see everything, there’s always the option to return the following year to finish things off! 🙂