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Danube River Cruise - favorite Cafe's/Restaurants?


jp2017tr
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We are heading off to a river cruise and visiting all the common destinations - Regensburg, Passau, Melk Abbey, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest.

 

Since we a traveling in July, I suspect that it will be very crowded. To avoid the herd, do you have any suggestions for cafe's (possibly with outdoor seating)?

 

Any other tips to avoid the crowds.... turn left when they go right ;)

 

thank you!

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Avoiding crowds in peak tourist season? Good luck...it will be challenging.

 

We usually travel off-season but realize that not everyone can do that. If we are going somewhere in high season we will often try to avoid the most popular tourist attractions, and go to sights that are off the radar a little bit. But that will be hard to do, if it's your first visit here, and you don't know whether you'll be back.

 

For instance, in Vienna everybody wants to see Schoenbrunn. But we already did that on a past trip, so last trip we visited some less-crowded places like the museums at the Neue Hofberg. Less crowded, but maybe not what you want to see if it's your first visit. We visited Karlskirche instead of St. Stephens. Very few others there.

 

Cafes - tons in Vienna. One area is the Naschmarkt, near Karlsplatz, full of interesting foods. Schwedenplatz is another area full of outdoor cafes. But they will be everywhere in Vienna, so just stop when you want, when something strikes your fancy.

 

RE: the other places. A few random thoughts for you.

 

Melk Abbey was crowded in April so I suspect it always it. It's worth it. We didn't have much time in the town of Melk proper so not much to say here.

 

Bratislava was a 2-hour visit. The castle is on the edge of town and worth visiting. You can enjoy the views from the terraces without an entry fee. Pretty. It's about 5 minutes walking from the church. The old town is charming and I'd love to see more.

 

Budapest is a huge, sprawling city. There are crowds, yes, but a large area for them to disperse so it didn't feel so crowded to us (caveat, in April, probably different in July). Our trick in these places is to get started early, and arrive at the most popular places right as (or before) they open, get in first, and get out as the bus tours and huge groups roll in. Not perfect or foolproof, but your best shot. Then for the peak tourist hours, hit some of the lesser-known attractions. Find out if anything is open late, and go there during dinner hours, then eat dinner late.

 

We spent a few days in Budapest last year and I've detailed our trip in the blog for the April 2016 river cruise, link below. There is a mix of popular, and off the beaten path places in our travel log. You may get some ideas there. We rarely plan lunch stops, choosing instead to wait until at least 1 or 2 before stopping somewhere casual that looks good. Plenty of that in Budapest too. We are often more organized for dinner.

 

Regensburg is relatively small so once you add a few ship tour groups it will get crowded. We were lucky enough to be there during the immediate aftermath of the June 2013 flood, so the river boats weren't really back running yet. Thurn und Taxis palace is very nice but I suspect it will be quite popular. The sausage kitchen is iconic, but plenty of other options there too.

 

Passau is compact but very conducive to just wandering. If you like to walk, the climb to Vestoberhaus is worth it, and there is an outdoor cafe there which overlooks the Danube and the Old Town. Otherwise, there's an outdoor cafe in Rathausplatz that isn't far from the boat docks. The Innpromenade (on the side of town opposite the Danube side) is gorgeous.

 

Have a great time!

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Hi JP/Chriss

 

At this point we haven't signed up for the Schonbrunn, smaller venues may be the way to go. But we have purchased optional trip to Salzburg. Fortunately we do like to get out early so that may be our routine for the week.

 

Lots of good tips, thank you!

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Hi JP/Chriss

 

At this point we haven't signed up for the Schonbrunn, smaller venues may be the way to go. But we have purchased optional trip to Salzburg. Fortunately we do like to get out early so that may be our routine for the week.

 

Lots of good tips, thank you!

 

In Salzburg, if you have time, the views are spectacular from the fortress, and there a few patio dining options there. In town, we found a very small, family owned restaurant, with a few tables outside, which we really enjoyed. The name was Gasthaus Wilder Mann, and the apple strudel was amazing.

 

Enjoy your trip, we are doing our second Danube cruise next March.

 

Robin

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