The Glorious Danube - Final Day

Our epic 11-day voyage along the Danube River on Uniworld's River Duchess comes to an end in Austria... 

Vienna - Day 2 

We had finally come to our last full day on the Glorious Danube in the company of Uniworld's boutique river voyages and the wonderful River Duchess ship, with all her 82 passengers (normal full complement - 130).

We had passed right through the heart of eastern Europe and finished in The City of Music, a fitting finale to a truly memorable voyage. For my first full river-cruise, it had more than lived up to expectations, and my wife and I are keen to do more in future.

For now, our final day was one completely at leisure, to head back into Vienna and sample some more (literally and metaphorically) of this amazingly scenic city.

With a simple four-stop ride on the U-bahn (underground metro; 2 euros per person, per journey), we were at the Rathaus stop (City Hall, above) and able to enjoy a Sunday stroll of the many sights in almost complete uncrowded comfort on a beautiful Austrian morning.

City Hall itself is a stunning Gothic edifice (built from 1872-83) and is fronted by lovely gardens leading up to the main Austrian Parliament building, a Greek Revival style that took shape at the same time as the Rathaus and is ringed by fabulous statuary.

Across the street, the Volksgarten - previously a private preserve of the Habsburgs - is now the city's famous Rose Garden (right), full of magnificent blooms and more neo-classical architecture. 

It also leads into the full majesty of the Hofburg, the former Imperial Palace, which stretches across this part of the city like a vast Baroque Lego set. From 1438 to 1583 and 1612 to 1806, it was the seat of the kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, and thereafter the seat of the Emperor of Austria until 1918 (including the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1867). Today it is the official seat of the Austrian Federal President but also houses a variety of museums, public offices, the famed National Library (as visited the previous day) and the even-more-famous Spanish Riding School. 

It was warm enough to require a pre-lunch cafe stop, for which the outdoor terrace of the Hofburg's own Kaffeehaus was ideal (below) before we headed back into the city for another wander along the pedestrianised confines of Stephensplatz, including a stop at St Peter's Church and then lunch at the Wiener Stadtbrau Restaurant for some classic Viennese fare (and another beer!).

The afternoon wandering was beginning to look slightly less promising with more cloud cover, but we pressed on, determined to see as much as we could on foot. An array of street artists enlivened the weekend proceedings (helping to counter the fact that many shops were closed), and, everywhere we went, the mixture of modern and classical architecture provided seemingly endless perspectives.

Eventually, we wandered out to the Ring Road (the extent of the former city walls) and ambled along the Stadtpark, the main City Park, and home to several more eye-catching monuments, including the 1921 Johan Strauss II bronze statue, Franz Schubert Statue and Bust of Robert Stolz.

Here, we also discovered the 19th century Kursalon, the fabulous former Spa pavilion in which 'healing mindreal waters' used to be sold but is now home to a stylish restaurant, garden terrace cafe and music hall. Johan Strauss II gave his first concert here in 1868 but, this afternoon, we were more interested in sampling the local coffee and world-famous Sachertorte (below), which were, truly, world class.

After some more meandering around the Gardens, we decided the weather was beginning to look distinctly more threatening and, with the Captain's Farewell Dinner this evening back on board the Duchess, we decided it was time to head back.

Again, the U-Bahn was quick and easy to navigate and we had plenty of time to get ready for dinner, which was preceded by another typically fun and entertaining reception with Captain Michael Hofmann, Cruise Manager Christine and Hotel Manager Jaroslav.

The set menu was another memorable dinner adventure, a largely set-meal affair crowned by the typical cruise tradition of Baked Alaska on Parade for dessert. The real highlight, though, was dining with six new-found friends from our cruise, with Maitre D' Dimitar organising our eight-seater table in advance and ensuring the final evening went with a swing.

It brought down the curtain on an unforgettable cruise experience that was everything we had hoped it would be, and a lot more besides. The wonderful style of travel, the great cultural experience, the fabulous camaraderie enjoyed on board and the firm friendships that were forged were all firm highlights, but it would be hard to single any one thing out as the over-riding memory.


Suffice it to say, this River Duchess was an absolute royal treat and we can't wait to repeat the experience at some stage in future. 

Next - Danube Epilogue. 

This ‘Imperial Capitals of Europe’ voyage can be booked at www.uniworldrivercruises.co.uk, with Titan Travel (in the UK only) at www.titantravel.co.uk or, for more on river-cruising in general, seek out the luxury cruise-agent specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd on this link.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.

The Glorious Danube - Austria

Coming towards the end of our epic 11-day voyage along the Danube on Uniworld's River Duchess...

Vienna - Day 1

After six countries in 9 days, we had finally reached our final destination along this stretch of the imperious Danube River - although not the end of our trip.

We had passed through the rest of Slovakia in the night (even with a midnight departure from Bratislava, it was only a couple of hours to the Austrian border), and now stood close to the end of our trip through eastern Europe.

Surprisingly, for all the reputation as one of Europe's most refined and graceful capitals, the arrival in Vienna was not a memorable one, with the river-front at this point looking distinctly drab and modern (with the notable exception of the 19th century Jubilee Church, or the Church of St Francis of Assisi).

Basically, this was because the river was 'evicted' from the city in 1598 after it flooded once too often, and the re-routed course is now more than a mile from the centre (linked by the man-made Danube Canal of Baron von Hoyos).

With our ship way too large for the Canal, we anchored in the cruise centre at Vorgartenstrasse at around 8am and awaited our chariot for the day - another luxury coach complete with expert local tour guide.

With another 1,000-plus years of history on offer, we knew we were never going to get through even the basic highlights in a day, hence the need for a double overnight stay to complete the cruise and two full days to explore.

To start with, our initial tour was only an appetiser, a chance to get the basic layout of The City of Music, learn the essential history and get a feel for the place that was the capital of the Habsburg Empire for six centuries.

En route, we paid our first visit to the mighty Hofburg (above, former home of the Habsburgs, and now an impressive series of museums, public buildings and the Spanish Riding School), explored the National Library, the impossibly gilded St Stephen's Cathedral and the shopping hub of Stephensplatz, the geographical heart of the city.

Despite heavy destruction in World War II, Vienna's long, rich history has stood the test of time and now exhibits a breathtaking array of Romanesque, Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture that makes for a kaleidoscopic view almost everywhere you turn.

Once our official tour was over and the coach headed back to the Duchess, we decided a more in-depth exploration was called for on foot, so we stayed in the city centre, taking in the amazing Naschmarkt (below) a colossal series of permanent stalls, kiosks, restaurants and cafes offering just about every kind of fresh produce, from exotic herbs and succulent pastries to seafood and cheese.

It dates back to the 16th century and was also the obvious place for a tasty lunch before we continued our perambulations by returning along Stephensplatz and enjoying the 'village'-style stalls selling tourist bric-a-brac, along with other window-shopping.

An early return to the ship was essential, both to make sure we were well in time for dinner but also to allow for time to change and prepare for the evening's optional excursion - to the famous Vienna Konzerthaus for an evening of music with the Johan Strauss Salon Orchestra (below).

We knew we had to sample at least a 'greatest hits' package of the city's most famous musical influences, and we weren't disappointed as the likes of Strauss, Mozart and H.C. Lumbye (the 'Danish Strauss'), as well as a couple of arias from The Merry Widow (Franz Lehar), The Magic Flute and the Marriage of Figaro (Mozart), provided the bulk of a captivating programme.

The vocal duets were also followed by two ballet dancers, to Strauss' Treasure Waltz and Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, while a duet from the Strauss operetta Viennese Spirit added further enchantment, along with the obvious finale of On The Beautiful Blue Danube (to give it its full title).

The Orchestra boasted the lightest of touches and the music positively floated around the salon, carrying us with it for much of the time.

And, while the Concert House, with its Mozart Saal, was only inaugurated in 1913, the likes of Strauss and Mozart most certainly still infused the building with their spirit - and that enthralling, beguiling sound so beloved of the 18th and 19th centuries.

To put the cherry on the metaphorical chocolate gateau of a day, our coach driver took us back to the ship via a fabulous night-tour of the city, full of brilliant lighting around the main monuments and buildings (below). And to complete the icing, another night-time 'snack' awaited us back in the Danube Lounge, with fresh breads, cheeses, meats and a wonderful soup. High travelling pleasure, indeed!  

This ‘Imperial Capitals of Europe’ voyage can be booked at www.uniworldrivercruises.co.uk, with Titan Travel (in the UK only) at www.titantravel.co.uk or, for more on river-cruising in general, seek out the luxury cruise-agent specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd on this link.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.