Sailing on the beautiful River Danube
Our journey started at the Intercontinental Hotel in Prague - while this may not be the most beautiful hotel to look at from the outside it more than makes up for with its premium location (just a short walk from the old town and Charles Bridge) and rooftop bar when you are treated to uninterrupted views of the city. Welcome drinks were served on the rooftop where we could meet our fellow passengers followed by dinner in a private room adjoining the bar.
After 2 days of architectural wonders our coach took us to Straubing where we boarded the MS Joy and the start of our cruise. I particularly liked that we kept the same coach drivers throughout the whole tour. The MS Joy was indeed a joy - a beautiful ship, well designed with plenty of space all furnished to a high standard. It had a main restaurant but also a more informal café/bar where you could eat breakfast and lunch and have drinks throughout the day. I had a loft cabin which was split level giving you plenty of room but the most amazing feature was its floor to ceiling window which made the cabin unbelievably light and airy.
Over the course of the next 7 days we docked at Regensburg, Passau, Linz, Grein, Durnstein, Tulln, Bratislava and Vienna. This is an excellent itinerary taking you through the most stunning parts of the Danube including the Wachau valley and despite being a busy river, in some ports we were the only boat in town.
A variety of excursions had been organized along the way with at least 2 choices each day, sometimes 3. They were not just limited to the town where you had docked, for example I took the trip from Regensburg to Munich where we visited the impressive BMW Museum and showroom and the many splendours of the city. From Linz we went back into the Czech Republic to visit the ancient medieval town of Cesky Krumlov which includes Krumlov Castle, one of the largest castle complexes in Central Europe embracing 40 buildings and palaces. By contrast the visit to Mauthausen Memorial, site of an infamous World War II concentration camp was an incredibly moving experience. For those who craved exercise (apart from the gym onboard) there were also bicycles you could use and organized bike rides.
I loved Passau, the quintessential Bavarian town, and the magnificent views over the confluence of the 3 rivers and Slovakia's capital Bratislava. How can you fail to be impressed by Vienna! Lavish baroque palaces and wide boulevards, the fabulous Museum of Fine Arts, Schonbrunn Palace, the Vienna Woods a city full of style and sophistication, if a little pricey. We finished the holiday on a high with a gala dinner at the Palais Pallavicini, where we were wined and dined and entertained in style - a special Tauck exclusive.
I cannot recommend Tauck highly enough their attention to detail and organization were faultless with excellent customer service. This was an All inclusive holiday and the quality and choice of the food and drink onboard was fantastic. There were opportunities to sample the local cuisine which involved a lot of meat! I am not one for bratwurst but the schnitzels were delicious. Great wine tasting too, as this area of the Danube is home to one of my favourite white wines, Gruner Veltliner.
My first experience of river cruising was amazing and I felt very well looked after and as a solo traveler I can recommend this type of holiday. Fellow passengers were friendly and engaging and I was interested to see 2 families onboard with children in their late teens/early 20's, demonstrating that river cruising is not just for the older, retired generation.