DESTINATIONS — CRUISE
Cesky Krumlov
Melk’s Benedictine abbey
Benedictine abbey that overlooks the river, and in Dürnstein, clients will hear the tale of Richard the Lionheart, who is said to have been imprisoned in the castle above the town. From Linz, there are tours to Salzburg, the home of Mozart and The Sound of Music, or the beautiful town of Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. Whichever clients choose, the coach ride is about two hours each way. The attractions beyond the
former Iron Curtain are less well known and can usually be reached only on a coach trip. Favourites include tours to fresco-filled churches and the town of Veliko Tarnavo, the capital of Bulgaria when the Ottomans ruled the region, from Ruse. From Vidin, also in Bulgaria,
there are tours to Ottoman rock fortress Belogradchik; from Kostolac in Serbia, passengers can visit the ruins of the former Roman city of Viminacium; and from Vukovar in Croatia, tours go to the
old city of Osijek.
Among the Danube’s natural highlights are the beautiful Wachau Valley in Austria and the Iron Gates Gorge – actually four gorges that stretch for 83 miles, narrow to 150 metres at one point and divide the Carpathian and Balkan mountains.
l DAYS ASHORE The top-end river cruise companies include tours in the price of the holiday, while they are an optional extra with the likes of CroisiEurope, The River Cruise Line and Shearings.
These companies argue it is
easy for independent-minded passengers to go ashore alone in most ports, so they don’t necessarily want to go on – or pay for – tours. Of course, it also allows them to keep their prices down. Scenic Tours and Tauck include concerts in Vienna in their prices, while other lines offer them as an optional extra. Day trips often involve a
walking tour of the local town or city, but Scenic Tours, Emerald Waterways, AmaWaterways and Avalon Waterways are among a few lines that offer a choice of complimentary excursions at selected ports to cater for clients visiting for a second or third time. In Vienna, for instance, there might be an alternative visit to the Spanish Riding School, while in Budapest, Scenic offers a guided city tour, a spa visit or an excursion to the city’s Hospital In The Rock.
l ITINERARIES There are numerous Danube itineraries, including two-week
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travelweekly.co.uk — 26 March 2015 Iron Gates Gorge
Dűrnstein
PICTURE: CORNELIUS BECHTLER
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