Top 5 Music Themed Excursions for your Danube River Cruise
- Lindsey Markwood
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
The Danube River is my favorite river to cruise on Europe. It is filled with a rich cultural history, beautiful capitals, and quaint towns. It is a great river if you love classical music. For my musical travelers, here are the top 5 excursions that should be included on your upper Danube River cruise.
Vienna: A Private Classical Concert
When you hear Vienna usually three things come to mind, royalty, music, and waltzes. Beethoven lived here for 35 years and wrote nine symphonies, the opera Fidelio, and many other pieces. Johann Strauss II lived his entire life here. My favorite river cruise excursion in Vienna was our private evening concert at the breathtaking Theater Museum, which is part of the historic Lobkowitz Palace. When we walked in the Theater Museum, we were greeted with champagne and felt like royalty. The concert hall, Eroica Hall, set the perfect tone. Beethoven's 3rd symphony, “Eroica” was first performed in the same exact location back in 1804. I loved having that connection to history. When you look up, you see beautiful cherub painting. The Fama-Angel is playing the herald’s trumpet. The concert itself was wonderful. We heard selections from Beethoven, Strauss, and more. There were 8 musicians and 2 opera singers performing only for Emerald and Scenic guests. Words won’t do it justice, but the concert was incredibly moving. One of my favorite pieces was the “The Blue Danube”. If you play it on Spotify, Amazon Music, or other streaming platform, you will instantly recognize it. The Blue Danube is the most recognized waltzes and has a deep history in Vienna.
Most of the river cruise lines offer a private concert for their guests. Even if there is an additional cost, it is worth it in my opinion. It was just that wonderful. I truly wish you could have been there with me. I had front row seats and was just in awe of the talented musicians.
While you are in Vienna, you can also visit the graves of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Strauss at the Vienna Central Cemetery, the Zentralfridhof.
Budapest: Hungarian State Opera House
Budapest is my favorite city in Europe and for good reason. Among other things, it is home to the Hungarian State Opera House which is more beautiful than the one in Vienna. I highly suggest taking a daytime guided tour. They have fantastic English speaking tours, and the very end of the tour you are treated to a mini-opera that is simply outstanding. Because these tickets can sell out months in advance, Markwood Magic can help you secure tour tickets prior to arriving. You can read more about the Hungarian State Opera House here.
If you have an overnight stay in Budapest, you can also get tickets to the opera if there is a production going on. And if you are looking for more musical wonders, you can easily see the Franz Liszt Academy of Music and the Museum of Fine Arts.
Bratislava: Walking the steps of Mozart
Bratislava is a port that often gets overshadowed by the grandeur of Vienna and Budapest. Fun fact: It is actually located between the two cities. If your river cruise line does not make a stop here, you can take the train for a day trip from either Vienna or Budapest. As a bonus, you will get to check off another country off your travel list: Slovakia.
I love being able to walk in literally the same footsteps as before me. When you take a walking tour, you can outside Palffy Palace where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart performed for the local nobility at the young age of six.
Salzburg: The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a classic movie that stands the test of time, and you can actually walk in the same footsteps that the Von Trapp family did. You can take a full day tour here from either Linz, Austria or Passau, Germany. Do note that it is a long ride to get the Austrian countryside, but the views alone make it worthwhile. Often the river cruise lines will stop along the way at Mondsee to break up the drive.
Onboard Immersion: Traditional Hungarian Folk Music
This will vary by cruise line, but I absolutely loved our onboard entertainment with Emerald. During our cruise we had two different musical groups onboard. My favorite was the traditional Hungarian band that came onboard. The trapezoid shaped instrument was fascinating. It is called a cimbalom and like a piano. It was something I had never seen before. Besides the women there were 4 dancers. Two women and two men. The women dancers performed a traditional bottle dance, which is meant to show grace and poise. The men preformed a lad’s dance which is otherwise known as Legényes and highlights strength, agility and rhythm. It was so much fun to watch. Together they spun around and around with Csárdás dancing.
Music Themed River Cruises
In addition to these excursions, did you know that there are music themed river cruises? Here are just a few of the incredible options I can book for you: AmaWaterways offers Melodies of the Danube, Avalon sails the Danube Dreams for Music Lovers, Uniworld hosts Music of the Danube, and Amadeus even features a Jazz Festival River cruise. As a bonus: many of the cruise lines will have local musicians come onboard and it is such a wonderful treat to enjoy!
If you are ready to experience the music, art, and luxury of the Danube River, let's start planning. At Markwood Magic, I match you with the perfect ship and secure all your exclusive tour tickets so you can just show up and enjoy the music!
