Danube River Cruise: Vienna

by Bethany Explores May 21, 2023

In this eighth post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores Vienna, Austria on her Active and Discovery on the Danube Cruise on Avalon in 2018.

The Active and Discovery on the Danube cruise was the second river cruise I did with Avalon. This cruise sailed from Linz, Austria to Budapest, Hungary in the summer of 2018. Join me as I explore many wonderful stops in the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary along the way!

Active and Discovery on the Danube Full Itinerary

Below is the full itinerary for the trip. This post includes details about my two days in Vienna, Austria.

July 26 & 27: Prague, Czech Republic
July 28: Český Krumlov, Czech Republic
July 29: Linz & Steyr, Austria (embarkation)
July 30: Engelhartszell & Schlogen Oxbow, Austria
July 31: Mauthausen & Grein, Austria
August 1: Wachau Valley, Krems, & Vienna, Austria
August 2 & 3: Vienna, Austria
August 4: Komarno, Slovakia & Visegrad, Hungary (disembarkation)
August 5: Budapest, Hungary

Day 1 in Vienna

After arriving in Vienna the prior afternoon, today was the first of two full days spent in the vibrant city of Vienna. I opened the curtains on my panoramic window in my stateroom to see a beautiful sunrise over part of the skyline of Vienna.

Vienna Insider’s Tour

My morning excursion on the first full day in Vienna was called the “Vienna Insiders Tour.” This was a very interesting tour through part of the city, with “behind the scenes” stops at three different locations. We started by taking the subway a short distance from the ship’s docking location to the center of the city. Then we took a short walk to our first stop, which was a local market area. We walked through the maze of stalls in the market, selling a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and other local products.

From the market, we continued on foot to our next stop: a violin maker’s shop. This small shop both makes new and repairs old instruments, including violins and cellos. The friendly owner took some time to explain how she crafts the new instruments.

Our final stop of the Insiders Tour was to a local cooking school called Andante. We were welcomed with a refreshing glass of prosecco before getting to work. Our gregarious instructor, Nabiel, explained how to make and form three different types of traditional Viennese rolls. Once they finished baking, we got to enjoy the fruits of our labor there as a snack. The rest of the rolls we made were carefully packaged up and sent back to the ship with us so our fellow shipmates could enjoy them with lunch – they were a huge hit!

Schnapps Museum

After lunch on the ship (and more of those delicious rolls we baked that morning!), I headed out for an optional afternoon excursion to discover the secrets of schnapps and absinth. This was a tour of a local schnapps museum. To my surprise and delight, I was the only person who signed up for this excursion. So, they arranged for a private guide and driver (in a fancy Tesla, no less!) for me. When my guide learned that I hadn’t done a typical city tour that morning, she insisted we take a quick drive through the city so she could show me some of the sights.

We arrived at the Schnapps Museum where I got a private tour of the facility. I learned all about the history of schnapps. The guide also talked about this family business which has been distilling spirits and liqueurs for more than a century.

The museum tour ended in the tasting room. I was first greeted by a long bar lined with a variety of schnapps in all sorts of different flavors. I was welcome to sample as many as I wanted to, and I did try a good share of them! The salted caramel one was my favorite. Next, we headed over to a side table for a demonstration of three different ways to serve absinthe. First up was Bohemian absinthe. Next was French absinthe. The last was a cocktail made with absinthe, lemon juice, and ginger beer, which was very refreshing on another very hot day!

After the tasting was over, we got one last glimpse of the outside of the distillery. The distillery is on the fifth generation of Fischer family ownership. But the rain started to fall, so we made a quick dash back to the car and headed back to the ship in the rain.

Classical Music Concert

My first full fantastic day in Vienna wrapped up with a classical music concert. This was held in a beautiful, historic music hall. The show included a 9-piece orchestra, two ballet dancers, and two opera singers. We were treated to some well-known pieces by Johann Strauss, Franz Schubert, and Mozart, among others. The show ended with Strauss’ “Blue Danube Waltz,” of course!

Day 2 in Vienna

I got a good night’s sleep after the first full day in Vienna. Day two also included a jam-packed itinerary full of interesting and fun activities.

Early Riser Walking Tour

Day two started with an Early Riser Walking Tour. This tour started like yesterday’s did, with a quick subway ride into the heart of the city. We then set out on an interesting walking tour. Since it was so early (we left the ship at 7:00am!), we basically had the city to ourselves. The architecture is amazing here in Vienna. We wandered around some of the main areas of the city. We also ducked down some smaller alleyways to see some other sides of the city.

Along our walk, we ducked into a few spots, including this gorgeous church.

We also stopped for a typical Viennese breakfast at a cute and quirky spot called Cafe Diglas. I enjoyed a delicious breakfast of ham, cheese, bread, jam, a soft-boiled egg, and coffee.

After breakfast, we continued the walking tour. Next up was a visit to St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Construction of this church completed in 1578. We admired the gorgeous exterior, including the intricate and colorful patterned roof design. The roof is covered by 230,000 glazed tiles! We then went inside to admire the stunning interior. There are 18 altars in the main part of the church.

Our walk continued through the quiet city. We meandered down winding, cobblestone alleyways and walked past more historic and modern buildings set side-by-side. We also got a small glimpse of the stables that house the Lipizzaner Stallions.

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Our Early Riser walking tour ended at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (the Museum of Fine Arts). The building itself is a work of art, inside and out. Once inside, we got a VIP tour of the extensive Habsburg Collection.

Cooking Class

From the museum, I joined a smaller group for a mid-day excursion called “Austrian Chef for a Day.” We went back to the same cooking school I visited yesterday to bake the rolls. This time, a lunch of local Viennese specialties was on the menu. After a warm welcome and a cool glass of prosecco, we sliced and diced our way to the perfect Kartoffelsalat (potato salad), Wiener schnitzel, and apple strudel. We started with dessert first – our gregarious instructor, Nabiel, led us through making the delectable apple strudel.

While the strudel was baking, we moved on to the rest of the menu. We learned how to make a warm potato salad (which, quite honestly, was the best potato salad I have ever had!). Our instructor also gave us the secrets to the perfect Wiener schnitzel. We got everything ready and then headed over to the table to enjoy everything. Once we finished our meal, we each got a certificate of achievement. We then headed back to the ship with some more apple strudel to share with the rest of our passengers for dessert at tonight’s dinner.

Sailing Through Bratislava

I got back to the ship mid-afternoon and took the opportunity to relax and recharge a bit after two very busy (but very fun!) days. I was greeted by two different types of animals…one in towel form on my bed, and one in live form swimming just outside of my stateroom! We also had some fantastic onboard entertainment that evening. the Pressburger Duo performed some Austrian classics for us in the lounge before dinner.

Just before dinner we set sail from Vienna to Slovakia. On the way, we sailed through Bratislava. The views here were breathtaking as the sun was setting on the horizon.

Conclusion

To say that I enjoyed my two days in Vienna would be an understatement. Every minute I spent in this vibrant city was a pleasure. I had a wonderful mix of excursions that gave me several different views of the city. There is so much to see and do here, but I feel like I had a perfect overview of everything. It was a busy two days for me, but well worth it!

Danube River Cruise: Vienna

In this eighth post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores Vienna, Austria on her Active and Discovery on the Danube Cruise on Avalon in 2018.

Active and Discovery on the Danube Full Itinerary