Things to do along the Danube


Our Hungary Vacations
Bird watching tours in Hungary
Visit Bukk N.P. with a birding specialist
Prague to Budapest cycling vacation
A wonderfully contrasting ride through the heart of Europe
Northern Hungary luxury villas
Eco-friendly luxury amidst scenic beauty.
Bird watching short break to Hungary
Visit Bukk National Park with a birding specialist
Danube cycling vacation, self guided
Discove the compelling history of the Danube
Budapest to Venice tour
Experience the best of Hungary, Italy and the Balkans
Balkan group tour
A 2 week adventure through Eastern Europe's hidden gems!
South Eastern Europe motorcycle tours
Enjoy South Eastern Europe with friendly guides + good bikes
Eastern Europe small group tour
Explore the best of Eastern Europe's least visited regions
Highlights of Central Europe tour
Experience the incredible highlights of Central Europe
Balkan adventure vacation, 15 days
From Hungary through to Croatia
Eastern Europe tour by rail
Cities, scenery & coasts: Travel from Berlin to the Balkans!
Eastern europe by train, the Iron Curtain tour
Whizz around Europe's lesser-visited cities by rail!
Vienna to Budapest cycle ride, self guided
Enjoy rides along the Danube from Austria to Hungary
Budapest to Bucharest tour
Explore Eastern Europe's Hungary and Romania
Highlights of Eastern Europe vacation
discover Krakow, Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna and Prague
Vienna to Budapest tour
Travel five countries for memories to last a lifetime
Hungarian Danube
Small group tours of the Danube range from two to 16 people – a counterbalance to the mass tourism that sometimes collides with Budapest and Danube Bend in high season. You’ll stay in small B&Bs that really benefit from your presence – and get a side of honest Hungarian hospitality to go with it. That’s usually palinka toasts, filling breakfasts, and – if you’re up for a chat – stories about anything from vineyard recommendations to stories about the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.
The Danube is 2,850km long from source to delta, but the best river vacations don’t have an internal flight in sight. That’s down to the railways and cycle paths that put planes to shame. The journey is half the pleasure, breezing past sunflower fields and detouring to vineyard hills, all using existing infrastructure that’s used by everyday Hungarians. Without realising it, you’re investing in public transport that benefits all and produces minimal carbon. What’s not to like?
Our top Hungary Vacation
Bird watching tours in Hungary
Visit Bukk N.P. with a birding specialist
This tour can be tailor made for any date throughout the year except November
Onwards & outwards
Traveling with a local guide along the Danube dispels myths around places like Vukovar in Croatia, which was only seen by the outside world in war reports during the break up of former Yugoslavia. It’ll also show you the perks of slow travel, taking the time to take in the shared and conflicting histories of Central and Eastern European countries, and engaging with the rural landscapes and vineyards around you. The guiding hand of a specialist tour operator will make sure this is hassle-free, supplying you with a guide or annotated maps and walking tours.
Keep reading to find out which of the countries beyond Hungary you might see on a vacation down the Danube.
Austria
As the Danube meanders so can you, following its tributaries through paths of wheat, corn and sunflowers. The Wachau region is patched by vineyards that supply the Heuriger wine taverns that sidle up to the Danube Cycle Path. Donau-Auen National Park is another good excuse for a picnic; it protects the biodiverse Danube floodplains.
Croatia
The ruined water tower in Vukovar doubles as a shell-shattered memorial to the biggest battle in Europe since World War II. It was under siege for almost three months in 1991, during the Croatia War of Independence. Osijek is a short skip down the Drava tributary. Its medieval citadel tells of older wars; some trips offer you the chance to stay in a citadel-side guesthouse that puts your money directly into the restoration of the crumbling monument. Peace and quiet comes courtesy of Ilok, where family-run vineyards come with wine cellars half a century old. Traminac is best tasted with seafood paprika stew or spicy kulen sausages.
Romania
Tulcea reveals another side of the Romanian Danube: the provincial working city side. It’s been a vital harbour for a few thousand years, showing glimpses of the Byzantine, Genoese, Ottoman and Romanian rulers that have dealt out mosques and monuments beside the river.
Serbia
Some trips take you from Belgrade to Novi Sad by train. This riverside city has an altogether different vibe, clasped between vineyards and farms. Everything from the food to the architecture tells stories of its centuries-long tug of war between Serbian, Ottoman, Austrian and Hungarian troops. Get your river views courtesy of Petrovardin Fortress.