It’s been about 18 months, so it’s about time I mentioned our vacation last July. We’ve never taken a vacation on a big cruise ship, so we decided to start with a river cruise. It was a great trip, covering five countries. The trip began in Prague and ended in Budapest.
We added an extra day of sightseeing in Budapest. All the cities were beautiful.
We had such a positive experience with Globus on our trip to Italy, we decided to go with Avalon Waterways, a Globus brand. It was a middle tier priced trip, with nice hotels on each end of the cruise. There were plenty of ways to spend less or more, but this seemed like the right balance of amenities and cost.
The food on the boat was fantastic. The waters were calm, with land always in sight. It was a good choice for us. Each day there was a mix of organized excursions and free time. We had a complication with a labor strike by the lock workers. It cost us a couple of days on the river. Avalon did some quick re-planning and arranged hotels, meals, and changes to the excursions. It was a bit disappointing to lose time on the river, but the trip was still great. It would seem a little silly to complain about touring Europe in nice hotels. It was out of Avalon’s control and they made the best of it.
Here’s the itinerary:
Day 1 Arrive in Prague, Czech Republic
Day 2 and 3 Prague
Day 4 Prague–Nuremberg, Germany (Embarkation)
Day 5 Nuremberg
Day 6 Regensburg
Day 7 Passau–Linz, Austria
Day 8 Melk–Vienna
Day 9 Vienna
Day 10 Budapest, Hungary
Day 11 Budapest (Disembarkation)
Day 12 Budapest (an extra day)
I highly recommend a trip like this!
