DESTINATIONS DANUBE CRUISE Danube


Z ADVENTURE First, the bad news. Clients who thought they had ‘done’ the Danube when they cruised from Budapest to Passau (or the other way around) have actually barely sailed half the river. The good news? That means there is a lot more river for them to discover. And what a river it is. The upper


reaches have Vienna and Budapest, but the lower reaches, from Budapest to the Black Sea, have whip-cracking cowboys, brutal dictators, spectacular fortresses and grand palaces. Cruises on the Lower Danube are


not new, but they are in increasing demand among past passengers looking for new rivers to explore, and first-timers who want to learn about a region that remains shrouded in mystery even now, almost 30 years since the collapse of the Iron Curtain. Itineraries, offered by lines including


Uniworld, APT, Scenic, CroisiEurope and Viking River Cruises, are mostly seven nights and visit or sail through


LEFT:


We watched a show of Hungarian horsemanship by cowboys who raced around on their steeds while we sampled the wine


Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. All delve into the history of the


region, which was occupied by the Ottoman Turks for almost 500 years and gripped by communist dictatorships from 1945 to 1990. I sailed with Emerald Waterways, whose sailings include a pre- cruise hotel night in Bucharest and a tour of a vast palace built by former Romanian dictator Nicholae Ceausescu. Excursions on the river take in the former Bulgarian capital


Durnstein, Austria


RIGHT:


Emerald Destiny in Romania


BELOW:


Belogradchik, Bulgaria


of Veliko Tarnavo, a rock fortress in Belogradchik and the Roman archaeological site of Viminacium. All three trips involve an hour or


two of driving – an important point to mention to clients as many may expect to be able to just walk ashore and see the main attractions. We also had a day to explore in Serbian capital Belgrade, one place where you can simply walk ashore (turn to page 107 for more on what to do there), plus we tucked into a home- hosted lunch in Croatia, and watched a spectacular show of Hungarian horsemanship by the aforementioned- cowboys, who raced around the ring on their steeds while we sampled the local wine. It’s the Danube with a difference – and you can’t beat it. Book it: From £2,445 per person including flights for a nine-day Enchantment of Eastern Europe cruise from Bucharest to Budapest, departing May 18. emeraldwaterways.co.uk


88travelweekly.co.uk17 January 2019


PICTURE: SUPERISTOCK


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