Peering down at the blue Danube from atop Budapest’s muscular Buda Castle, a World Heritage Site, I knew this river cruise would be a superior experience to the last one I’d taken on the Rhine, Europe’s other most popular cruising river.
That Rhine cruise included castle visits, too, but only after enduring a crowded bus ride. This time, alongside a dozen fellow cruisers from the AmaSerana, we had reached Buda Castle on foot. Our route traced the shoreline on the “Pest” side of the river, crossed the 19th-century Chain Bridge and, finally, demanded a climb of hundreds of steps to the topmost castle turrets. We earned this view.
We would relish many more views on the daily hikes and bike rides offered to AmaWaterways Danube cruise passengers. Active river cruising is a flourishing trend that has passengers burning as many calories as they take in when they’re back on board.
SWEAT, DINE, SLEEP
It was on that first hike that we met Kevin and Susan Garnier, retired teachers in their sixties from Newfoundland and Labrador, who took every scheduled walk from the ship. “We do a couple of hikes a week, so this was an opportunity to see some new places on foot,” said Kevin.
It was also on that hike that we met Carolyn Lewis, 68, and her husband, Tom, 70, who we would see on every other hike and bike ride. “We’re avid hikers back home in Montana, but neither of us had spent much time on a bike since childhood,” said Carolyn. “I had to get off and push my bike once on a hill in Austria, but we enjoyed every ride and every hike. And we liked the fact that vigorous and easy walks were separated, so no one was left out, and that the tour guides were so knowledgeable and enthusiastic.”
The first bike ride of the cruise was a pleasant two-hour spin in Vienna, past beer gardens on the Danube, over pedestrian bridges and through the park on the Donauinsel – a narrow, 21km-long island of green in the river. “That was a good introduction to riding with a group,” Carolyn told me later.
At each berth where bike excursions were offered, the 25 on-board bikes were rolled off the ship to be claimed by passengers. Local bike-touring guides were always ready to take us out and brought extra bikes in case they were needed. The bikes were as comfortable as the pace. Guides ensured that no one got left behind as they shepherded us over the route from the front, back and middle, and we accordioned often at stops for rest, photos and brief talks by the guides about local history and architecture.
It’s a commendable way to see a city, a string of villages or the countryside at a speed that’s faster than walking and more intimate than looking out a bus window. The group that day was typical: about a dozen of us ranging in age from thirties to seventies. Most rode as couples.
PEDALING THROUGH AUSTRIA
Our second bike ride took us three hours, but only because the Austrian bike-tour guides were eager to detail the history of local landmarks at stops. The 24km route rolled through villages and woods linking the quaint Austrian wine village of Weissenkirchen and the colossal abbey in Melk.
The river path mostly threaded the narrow stretch of level ground between the Danube and the steeply terraced vineyards and forested hills above. Castle ruins and old churches floated past at pedaling speed, with none of the tedium of seeing a place twice. Unlike round-trip bike rides back home, rides from river-cruise boats offer the advantage of travelling one-way if you start and finish at berthing spots.
The next bike ride was quite different: a dizzying weave through the streets and alleys of Linz, Austria. That ride was only 16km, so we tacked on a few extra kilometres on our own – out and back on the river. No guide, but no worries, because the paths hugging the Danube made it impossible to get lost and we knew we could pedal as far as we wished as long as we returned in time for the evening sailing.
All that outdoor exertion meant no weight gain – no adding a pound a day, as I did on my first ocean cruise. It helped that the regionally inspired buffet options weren’t all high-calorie as they seem to be on most ocean cruise ships. And there were options. A veggie sandwich instead of a Reuben? No problem. A gluten-free menu? Please take one.
If the outdoor excursions weren’t vigorous enough to offset the buffet desserts, we burned extra calories during sunset walks on the top-deck walking track while the ship sailed. We never even bothered with the TechnoGym cardio machines in the ship mini-gym; who needs a treadmill or stationary bike when you can walk or bike on the Danube shoreline?
Our final outing from the ship was another castle hike, like in Budapest, but this time beneath umbrellas in a light rain to the castle and cathedral that tower above the Bavarian town of Passau. Carolyn and Tom didn’t let the rain keep them on board. “We chose this cruise because we wanted to see the Danube, but the active excursions were such a bonus that we’re going to look for that when we decide on future cruises too,” said Carolyn. Months later, she emailed me to say they already had plans to cruise the Rhine, Main and Mosel Rivers next – with plenty of hiking and biking included.
IF YOU GO:
Active Cruises: AmaWaterways pioneered active river cruises when 25 bikes were added to each ship back in 2006 and then expanded their hiking and biking excursions, now offered daily on most itineraries. On 68 AmaWaterways departures in 2019, Backroads guides will take serious cyclists out for daily rides of up to 70km on titanium bikes. Other river-cruise lines are also hopping aboard. Scenic Luxury Cruises has partnered with Trek Travel to offer Rhine and Danube itineraries. Emerald Waterways has teamed up with Vermont Bicycle Tours to offer cruises with daily rides of two to four hours on several European rivers – plus active itineraries for hikers, canoeists and onboard yoga enthusiasts. Cycling-focused cruises are also offered on the Rhine, Rhone and Danube by Uniworld.
When to Go: Outdoor activities make active cruises ideal in the summer – and even more so in the late-spring and early-fall when the crowds are smaller, prices are lower, and temperatures are cooler. If you travel between November and April, you can find bargains on active river cruises in Europe that operate year-round or head to warmer climes for active cruises on the Mekong in Southeast Asia or the Amazon in South America.
Getting There: Most river cruise lines give travellers an option to add airfare for a good price, and if you do, they provide free ground transportation to and from the arrival and departure cities. If you take a Danube or Rhine cruise – the world’s most popular rivers – you’ll fly into or out of Budapest and Munich (Danube) or Amsterdam and Basel (Rhine).
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