I took my teen daughter with me on a European river cruise

As we sail out of Budapest I blink back tears. It’s not the sight of Buda Castle or Fisherman’s Bastion high up on the Hill of Buda nor the Citadella on the Gellert mountain. Although seeing these stupendous landmarks at sunset on the Danube River is stirring.

The Danube River and Budapest, from the viewpoint of Fisherman’s Bastion.Credit: iStock

As I stand at the ship’s bow, I see a young bride and groom being photographed on a wooden speedboat, dwarfed by the gothic revival Parliament Building behind them. They remind me of my mother-in-law, Edith, who fled the Hungarian capital around their age never to return. Before leaving Australia, we told her we were going to see her beloved homeland. She has advanced dementia, and I knew she wouldn’t understand, but she squeezed my hand when I mentioned Budapest.

Now here we are. First-time river cruisers embarking on Travelmarvel’s flagship, “European Gems” cruise. We’re onboard Vega, one of Travelmarvel’s three identical new ships, and my teenage daughter is by far the youngest onboard.

The river ship Vega.

For the next 15 days, from Budapest, we’ll sail 1811 kilometres, through five countries, six waterways, 68 locks and beneath 600 bridges, before finishing in Amsterdam – the home of canals, Vincent van Gogh and the distinctive waft of cannabis.

Bringing a teenager on a river cruise known to attract predominantly an older clientele raises a few questions from family and friends – will we enjoy cruising with the “oldies”? Will my teen lock herself in our cabin complaining about the Wi-Fi? Will we be desperate to disembark after two weeks onboard?

There’s only one way to find out.

Spending a few nights in Budapest before embarking gives us time to delve into my husband’s Hungarian heritage (amazingly we find my mother-in-law’s old family home). By the time we meet the captain, multicultural crew and our fellow passengers – hailing from Australia, the UK, New Zealand and Canada – we are well and truly on local time.

I’ve always loved the idea of river cruising, especially the concept of unpacking once (twice in our case, but I’ll get to that later) and waking up every day to a new city, village or country.

On the street in Vienna, Austria.Credit: iStock

On our third day we fling open the curtains to find ourselves in Vienna, the Austrian flag proudly flapping on the stern. We join a guided tour of the City of Music, home to Mozart, Beethoven and Freud, marvelling at the baroque architecture, horse-drawn carriages, palaces and monuments. My daughter, Ella, however, has her heart set on the Prater Wien, the amusement park.

While our fellow passengers sit down for the famous Sacher torte in elegant Viennese cafes, I find myself strapped into a metal chair and spun 360 degrees at an alarming height. From a distance, the ride looked innocent enough, but later I learn the Prater Tower is the world’s highest flying swing at 117 metres.

Back onboard, legs like jelly, Ella tells anyone that will listen how I screamed for dear life. Much more to my liking is dressing up and attending a classical concert at Palais Eschenbach that night.

Next stop is Durnstein where King Richard the Lionheart was once briefly imprisoned by an Austrian duke in the now ruined castle above the town. It’s harvest time in the UNESCO-feted Wachau Valley and it’s incredible to watch the sun-kissed grapes being harvested by hand.

Durnstein and the Wachau Valley, Austria.Credit: iStock

A barbecue lunch and local wine is served on the ship’s Sun Deck as we sail off, soaking up vistas of apricot orchards and steep terraced vineyards tumbling down to the riverbanks. That afternoon we tour the World Heritage listed Melk Abbey, a baroque monastery, strolling back to the ship with a gelato.

Earlier at Durnstein we bypass the guided tour and stumble upon Domane Wachau, one of Austria’s most renowned estates, where I taste the region’s impressive rieslings and gruner veltliners.

This, I discover, is one of the best things about river cruising. You can avail yourself of the daily guided tours (included), side trips to Bratslavia or Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic and optional experiences (extra cost) or do your own thing – no guilt attached.

Travelling with a teen means there are only so many cathedrals, historic sites and long monologues that will be tolerated, so we dip in and out. Sometimes we take the complimentary bikes for a spin along the river; try a local eatery for a change from the excellent (all-inclusive) meals onboard or hunt down good coffee (for me) or handmade chocolates and bubble tea (for Ella).

We soon find our rhythm and our onboard tribe, which includes Scottish couple Jen and Doug, Brisbane couple Paul and Maria and New Zealand friends Suzy and Liz. From Durnstein, we join a Sound of Music Salzburg tour, stopping enroute at Mondsee (Moon Lake) in the Upper Austrian part of the Salzkammergut where they filmed the wedding scene in the former monastery. As our guide played Edelweiss outside the church a fellow passenger – a tattooed Scotsman – chimes in with his rich baritone voice. We clap and cheer.

We sail through lock after lock, sometimes a mere ruler’s length either side to spare, past fairytale medieval villages and historic towns with informative commentary from Andrew Masters – our knowledgeable and unflappable British cruise director not only speaks four languages but has an encyclopaedic knowledge of European history, its river-ways and wine.

While Masters dubs it the milk run, he says Australians and Kiwis, particularly first timers like me, love this classic route along the Rhine, Main and Danube, taking in five countries and encompassing beautiful landscapes, cities and historic small towns. “Primarily however I think they like the ship and the atmosphere onboard which is pleasantly informal rather than stuffy,” he says. “This is river cruising’s bread and butter and was set up after the Main Danube Canal was opened in 1993.”

Approaching the end of our first week, there’s a rumour the lack of rain and subsequent low river height will prevent us sailing past Passau. Masters assures us we needn’t worry as we’ll simply swap with sister ship Polaris heading upstream from Amsterdam. Hence the need to pack and unpack twice.

The day of the ship swap is a long one as we travel by bus instead of sailing to Nuremberg where we join an interesting tour of Bavaria’s second-largest city, most famous for Hitler’s annual Nazi party rallies and later the Nuremberg Trials.

Back onboard our bags are waiting in our cabins (the same cabin number onboard Vega) in an identical ship to the one we’ve just left. The only difference is a new crew, although Masters travels on with us. Pressing on through Germany, we soar above Rudesheim on a gondola one day before sailing the most picturesque section of the Rhine, where we castle-spot over drinks on the top deck.

Bamberg Germany, also known as Little Venice, is another highlight. We skip the guided tour in the hope of seeing the old town before the crowds descend. With river cruising fast superseding coach touring in Europe, every other cruise line makes identical stops as our ship (mainly due to logistics) – meaning port stops can at times be overrun with tourists.

The town hall and a river scene in Bamberg, Germany.Credit: iStock

Our plan succeeds, and we have the narrow cobblestone streets virtually to ourselves. We admire the half-timbered houses and beautifully preserved old town (spared from major bombing in World War II) before finding the best coffee so far at Seven Hills Coffee Roasters (tip: download the European Coffee Trip app). Ironically, you can get a beer at one of Bamberg’s nine breweries before you can get a coffee – the cafes don’t open until 10am.

By the time we dock in Amsterdam, I’m a river cruise convert having loved watching the ever-changing scene glide by our window. Surprisingly, so is Ella, who enjoyed mingling with the older crowd, the crew who spoil her at every opportunity and learning about war history and her Hungarian roots.

Reflections of Amsterdam in the morning.

Two weeks after returning home we’re by Edith’s bedside as she quietly slips away. We like to imagine her sipping a palinka and enjoying poppy-seed beigli in a special corner of heaven reserved for Hungarians – thankful we got to see her treasured motherland.

Viszontlatasra – goodbye – Edith.

Sheriden Rhodes was a guest of Travelmarvel.

THE DETAILS

FLY
Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways fly from Sydney and Melbourne to Budapest and Amsterdam via Dubai, Singapore and Doha. Travelmarvel can book flights and hotels.
See emirates.com; singaporeair.com; qatarairways.com

CRUISE
Travelmarvel’s 14-night European Gems cruise sails from March to December (you can cruise in either direction). Alternatively sail seven-nights Amsterdam-Nuremberg and Nuremberg-Budapest. Fares from $4995 a person. Pre and/or post-trip extensions to Prague are available from $316 a night or Paris from $550 a night. See travelmarvel.com.au