When you will consider a vacation in Austria, you will most likely think first at mountains and not rivers. But following rivers through Austria will get you close enough to the mountains as well, you will get a glimpse of the country as well as the people in it. Nearly all of Austria is pretty much drained by the Danube River toward the Black Sea. More than 39 lesser rivers will the Danube River, including the Wien At Vienna, the Inn at Passau or the Mur at Graz. There are several cruise companies which will run Austrian cruise tours through many various river routes.
Viking River Cruises
This company has been voted the best river cruise company by Travel Weekly as well as the most awarded cruise line in the world by many travel publications in this industry. Viking is considered to be the largest river cruise company as it operates on the 1.780-mile Danube River. No more than 7 distinct Viking cruise tours will cover Austria, featuring multi-country adventures and providing various routes or prices.
Within Austria, there will be various stops which will range from the charm of Passau, a cobblestone-street town with storybook castles and ideal cathedrals, to the sumptuous capital of Vienna, with its historical buildings as well as public squares.
The Danube River will flow through Wachau Valley, where the extraordinary sights of picturesque vineyards or villages are so breathtaking that will for sure leave you with an unforgettable memory.
Viking River Cruises
5700 Canoga Ave.
1 877 668 4546
vikingrivercruises.com
Smolka Tours
Smolka Tours is a travel agency specialized in river cruises from the eastern side of Europe. Nine Austrian river tour packages will offer many cruising dates throughout the entire year. Smalka`s cruise tours will reflect a powerful emphasis on the romance of Austria, from the waltzes of Vienna to the symphonies of Mozart. One river cruise tour will include a “Sound of Music” palace week-end in the nearby areas of Salzburg, which is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A special Opera Cruise will set sail 4 times during a year and will move from Passau to Vienna, as well as toward Bratislav or Melk, which is home of the extraordinary Baroque Benedictine Abbey.
Smolka Tours
39 Avenue at the Common
1 800 722 0057
smolkatours.com
AMA Waterways
River tours are the specialty of this cruise company, which has been voted “Best River Cruise” in 2009 by Porthole Magazine. It will operate 7 tours along the Danube River through Austria, ranging from twelve-day Romantic Danube cruise to the twenty-three-day Grand Danube. Two eleven-day Christmas cruise tours will coincide with historical and cultural Christmas markets in Linz, Regensburg or Vienna.
AMA Waterways will offer a genuine glimpse into traditional Austrian village life. While cruise tours will make the usual stops in Vienna with trips to Salzburg, AMA Waterways will emphasize the romance of the smaller villages or towns, from the storybook village of Darnstein, the picturesque town of Passau or the medieval Benedictine Abbey at Melk to the well-preserved medieval town of Regensburg.
AMA Waterways
21625 Prairie St.
1 800 626 0126
amawaterways.com