Thinking of Bucharest-Budapest Cruise

Any recommendations on cruise line? We are thinking of sailing Viking Sept 2019.

Did anyone do this cruise in the fall of 2017?

Many thanks for your feedback.

Yes, we sailed the last week of September of 17, Budapest to Bucharest, with Vantage. It was warm when we started and then snow flurries when we were in the Transylvanian mountains 3 weeks later.

We had a very good time, especially enjoyable if you like history. We extended our time on both ends. Not hard to do on your own and you can double your stay over what the cruise lines charge for extensions.

I did this itinerary on Uniworld last fall. Very interesting itinerary, but not for everyone. As previous poster stated, it helps to be a history lover, and you will be exposed to cultures much different than those in Western Europe.

Roz

I did this with Viking in the summer. We extended the trip by going to Brasov and the surrounding region independently. Very pretty and so cheap to do.

We extended the trip by going to Brasov and the surrounding region independently.

Ditto, took the train up from Bucharest and spent 4 nights. One day had a driver take us around to the Saxon towns.

One of the things I really enjoy is when your preconceptions of a place are completely wrong, and a place is nicer than you think it will be. Sure it had the old communist apartment blocks, but the old square and surrounding tourist area was as nice as I've seen. Several fountains, people about, the view to Mount Tampa, good inexpensive food. We had a great time and would like to return.

The same driver took us to the airport hotel in Bucharest the night before our flight, stopping to see Peles Castle and a few other spots enroute. This made it super easy.

We did the Budapest to Bucharest with Avalon and loved it. Took a food tour during the stay in Budapest and it was excellent. This was booked through Avalon. When we arrived in Bucharest, took a private walking tour of the city with a great guide who had lived through the period of time when the communists ruled that area. Great historical perspective. Just be aware that the ports on this journey are not the picturesque little bergs like you find on the Rhine and Danube - but well worth your time if you want to see another part of the world. Highly recommend it and also recommend Avalon.

Cole

We did this cruise with Viking in the fall of 2013. Highly recommend it. As others have said, it's especially good if you are interested in the history of this region of the world. The cruising day through the Iron Gate on the Danube was wonderful. We have been to Budapest before this and were very happy to return. Love that city. We also did the Prague extension and it was so worth it! What a great city!

Just be aware that the ports on this journey are not the picturesque little bergs like you find on the Rhine and Danube - but well worth your time if you want to see another part of the world.

This - exactly.

Ms. Sailaway, since you mentioned the Iron Gates. My Uber driver to the airport 2 wks. ago fled Romania and swam across the Danube at that point in the river. He was arrested on the other side and sentenced to 9 months in a Yugoslavian prison. He escaped from there after a few weeks and made his way to Greece, where he applied for asylum at the American Embassy. Eventually he was allowed to enter the US and is now a citizen. What a story, and one I could really appreciate having visited that part of the world.

Roz

We cruised this itinerary with GCT. Down to the Black Sea and Constanta, after a full day there bused to Bucharest for an overnight. I don't know which other cruise lines go to the Black Sea and which ones disembark further up river.

Due to the issues with Ukraine, many lines have dropped Black Sea ports.

Roz

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Constanta isn't close to Ukraine. It's hard to imagine transiting any distance in the Black Sea on a river boat.

I confused Costanza with Varna, please excuse my ignorance.

I was referring to cruises in general, not just river cruises. There used to be ocean cruise lines that did Black Sea cruises.

Roz

If you sail west from Bucharest by the time you get to Budapest you won’t want to get off! We cruised from Amsterdam to Bucharest on the Viking Embla in 2015 and loved every day. I believe the only way we could have improved our trip would to have begun in Bucharest. The more rustic countries of Eastern Europe would be better enjoyed before the polished reconstructions of Austria, Germany and the Netherlands but the people you will meet in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary are the highlite of travel through this region. Arriving Budapest is better than leaving Budapest; it is a magnificent city.

We loved our Viking trip, the ships, the included tours, the food, the other passengers and especially the Embla crew mean that we would travel again with them without question, but I think you will find Avalon, AMA, Scenic, etc clients that think just as highly of their line. River cruising is just that good!

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Constanta isn't close to Ukraine. It's hard to imagine transiting any distance in the Black Sea on a river boat.

I can not only imagine it, I have done it. In 2013 (before the Crimea status change) I was on a Viking river boat from Kiev to Odessa that went to Yalta and Sevastopol. We traveled by river boat a greater distance on the Black Sea than you are discussing.

Interesting, which ship? A typical Rhein/Danube dimension one? Or one similar to this one that Viking uses in Ukraine - https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/ships/ukraine/viking-sineus.html

Interesting, which ship? A typical Rhein/Danube dimension one? Or one similar to this one that Viking uses in Ukraine - https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/ships/ukraine/viking-sineus.html

I incorrectly stated the year of my cruise- it was 2011. I am glad that we got to Yalta and Sevestopol as they were two of the highlights.

How do you deal with all the different currencies in Eastern Europe? Does the line offer currency exchange?

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I only exchanged dollars for Romanian currency because we were there for two nights in Bucharest. It wasn't worth exchanging money in the other countries. There wasn't much of interest to buy, and we weren't there that long. I sailed Uniworld, and tours and tips were included.

Roz

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How do you deal with all the different currencies in Eastern Europe? Does the line offer currency exchange?

Thanks[emoji106]

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How do you deal with all the different currencies in Eastern Europe? Does the line offer currency exchange?

 

 

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Anything major can usually be purchased with a credit card but we find it useful to give ourselves a local “per diem” amount which we expect to spend on daily stuff such as lunch or a snack. We see if we can get this in the local currency to take with us. It helps that my wife is a banker. Shops are more likely to accept currency from neighbouring countries than distant countries and some shy away from US$ because it is the most counterfeited currency on earth.

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Remember that the crew will be sailing through those countries all season. I often use left over local currency as an extra thank you to a deserving crew member.

This - exactly.

 

Ms. Sailaway, since you mentioned the Iron Gates. My Uber driver to the airport 2 wks. ago fled Romania and swam across the Danube at that point in the river. He was arrested on the other side and sentenced to 9 months in a Yugoslavian prison. He escaped from there after a few weeks and made his way to Greece, where he applied for asylum at the American Embassy. Eventually he was allowed to enter the US and is now a citizen. What a story, and one I could really appreciate having visited that part of the world.

 

Roz

So interesting! Our program director told us as we sailed along that section of the Danube that Nadia Comaneci defected from Bulgaria by boat, going across the Danube into Hungary on the other shore. We have sailed along the western part of the Danube with its many picturesque villages so we found the less populated, more wooded parts of the eastern Danube not as scenic. But once we heard this story, we were able to imagine Nadia and others braving the crossing to freedom. We were told that the wooded banks, 25 miles wide, were to discourage defectors and make them easier to spot if they did make the attempt.

So interesting! Our program director told us as we sailed along that section of the Danube that Nadia Comaneci defected from Bulgaria by boat, going across the Danube into Hungary on the other shore. We have sailed along the western part of the Danube with its many picturesque villages so we found the less populated, more wooded parts of the eastern Danube not as scenic. But once we heard this story, we were able to imagine Nadia and others braving the crossing to freedom. We were told that the wooded banks, 25 miles wide, were to discourage defectors and make them easier to spot if they did make the attempt.

Hmmm. Interesting story that doesn't quite ring true.

Nadia wasn't Bulgarian, she is Romanian. Hungary and Bulgaria do not share a border; Romania and Serbia (then Yugoslavia) separate them.

According to wikipedia:

On the night of November 27, 1989, and a few weeks before the Romanian Revolution, which she had no idea was about to happen, Comaneci defected with a group of other Romanians... [T]heir dangerous overland journey (mostly on foot and at night) took her through Hungary, Austria, and finally to the United States.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadia_Com*******neci