I am so darn excited it is hard even to put into words! We are on our way to Germany to experience our first ever Viking River Cruise! EEK! Seriously, I can't tell you just how excited we are. We have been talking about taking a river cruise for years and have heard so many amazing things about cruising with Viking River Cruises.
We will be onboard the Viking Vili for our cruise and experience the Castles & Legends Cruise. It took us a while to decide which Viking Cruise to do because they all look so amazing. We decided to do the Castles & Legends cruise first because it looked amazing and included some amazing countries we have never visited before.
Our first stop in Munich, Germany! We are flying in a few days early and picking up a car and heading out to explore. We don't have a ton of plans for our first few days other than seeing what pops up and looks amazing. I know John wants to visit at least 1 or 2 beer gardens while we are in Germany. I want to visit some of the amazing places in the Black Forest I went on my first trip to Germany almost 20 years ago. I also wouldn't be sad if we ended up having fondue in Switzerland..because hello yummy cheese!
The first part of our cruise includes 2 days in Munich with tours. We will be touring Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Palace along with a Munich city tour before heading to Salzburg, Austria. During our time in Salzburg, we will be taking a Sound of Music tour and Salzburg walking tour.
We board the Viking Vili in Passau, Germany for the cruising portion of our trip. While in Passau we will be exploring the city and taking our time to enjoy the Viking Vili.
Our next stop is Linz, Austria! We are taking a Cesky Krumlov Walking Tour which adds a new country, Czech Republic, to our country list. The tour includes wandering the fairy tale town of Cesky Krumlov and a scenic drive through the Czech countryside. I picture a lot of photos being taken on this tour. Who am I kidding I have a feeling there will be a ton of photos taken every day we are cruising with Viking.
From Linz, we get to enjoy a scenic day of cruising the Wachau Valley. We will cruise 18 miles of this UNESCO World Heritage site along the Danube river. I can't wait to see the vineyards along the way.
On Day 8 we cruise into Melk, Austria, and get to enjoy a Melk Abbey Visit and Wachau Valley Winery Tour and Tasting! The Wachau wine region comprises 3% of Austrian wine production. Wine has been produced in the area since the time of the Celts.
On day 9 we reach Vienna, Austria! Our day starts with a Vienna city tour that visits the remarkable Ringstrasse, the boulevard laid out on the site of the old city walls. We will visit the Hofburg Palace which is home to the Spanish Riding School and home of the Lipizzaner Horses. I am so excited to see the Lipizzaner Horses again. We show them on tour in Spokane a few years ago and they were absolutely gorgeous.
We are really excited to experience a Heurigen Evening while in Vienna. We will be toasting to this year's wine at a local vineyard. We will be celebrating with wine, snacks and traditional music performed live. I can't wait to see what this celebration is like in person.
On Day 10 we reach another new country the Slovak Republic and Bratislava. Our day includes a Bratislava City Tour. The tour explores the capital city, Old Town, and free time in the center of the city.
Our afternoon will be spent cruising the Danube Bend heading towards Budapest, Hungary. We will cruise a 40-mile stretch of the Danube as it curves towards Northern Hungary. I can't wait to look for ancient castles on the hilltops. Plus enjoy some of the amazing food onboard the Viking Vili.
Day 11 and 12 bring us to a city we have dreamed of visiting Budapest, Hungary. This is also a new country for us! We can't wait to explore the city on our included Budapest City Tour and then soak the afternoon away in the Budapest Thermal Baths.
You might notice that we have a ton of tours booked during our cruise with Viking. One of the cool things about cruising with Viking is so many tours and excursions are included in your cruise. You can add on optional additional tours but there are tours included in your fare in almost every city you visit.
Follow along on our journey! We will be sharing updates on the following social channels during our cruise!
Tammilee - Tammilee Tips and Tammilee Tips Life
John - John Tillison
Tammilee - @TammileeTips
John - @ParkRangerJohn
SnapChat
Tammilee - TammileeTips
Tammilee - Tammilee Tips
We will be sailing as guests of Viking River Cruises. All opinions expressed are our own.
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