We Took a Lower Danube River Cruise on Europe’s Best Cruise Ship
We began our Danube River cruise on Riverside Mozart in Budapest on a beautiful spring day. (Photo by Colleen McDaniel)
Riverside Luxury Cruises joined the luxury river cruise scene a couple years ago knowing precisely what it wanted to offer travelers. That is: a refined, high-end, all-inclusive vacation option that matches what the line’s parent company, Seaside Collection, offers in its luxury boutique hotels portfolio.
While it has taken time for Riverside to build up awareness within the highly competitive river cruising market, more and more cruisers are finding out just how fabulous the Riverside experience can be.
The line offers cruises on the Rhine River aboard Riverside Debussy and on the Rhone River in France on Riverside Ravel.
Riverside’s third vessel is its flagship Riverside Mozart. This ship sails luxury all-inclusive voyages on both the Upper and Lower Danube River. I took a cruise on Riverside Mozart — which is the best river ship in Europe in my opinion — on a traditional Upper Danube voyage in 2023.
This spring, I was back onboard Riverside Mozart for my first Lower Danube River cruise.
Colleen joined me this time, and we spent our week traveling in style to see fascinating parts of the world. (It was our first time visiting Serbia and Romania.)
Our Lower Danube Itinerary
We spent a morning in Hungary sightseeing before boarding the cruise ship. This is a stop to check out St. Matthias Church in the Buda Castle District of the city. (Photo by John Roberts)
Our cruise started in Budapest, the stunning capital of Hungary, and we spent one night in the city to relax a little and recover from our long flight over to Europe from the U.S. This allowed us to enjoy the sunset, scenery and a great meal at the utterly fantastic Corvin Gastropub on the Buda side of the river.
The next morning, we took a hike to the top of Buda Castle Hill to absorb the views over the Danube and have a look around at Fisherman’s Bastion and St. Matthias Church. These are two of the most-visited sites in Budapest, and it was nice to pop by these spots before the crowds got too large.
We made our way to Riverside Mozart around noon, and the crew had our room ready. I was happy to see a few familiar faces among the crew. It felt like coming home.
Colleen and I got checked in, were shown our suite and then decided to grab bikes to go for a ride because we had several hours before we would start cruising at 6 p.m. One of our favorite rides in Europe is in Budapest, where we take the well-marked city paths to Margaret Island in the middle of the Danube River.
This is a large island park and forested area, filled with walking and biking paths. It was bustling with residents enjoying a weekend festival, and we biked around the entire island, taking a break to enjoy some time in the shade, before heading back to Riverside Mozart.
An early evening sailaway from our dock position near the Elizabeth Bridge took us past the iconic Parliament Building and around Margaret Island before we turned around to head south to reach the Lower Danube.
This was all new territory for us, and was exciting to finally see.
Before the end of the voyage, we would visit two new countries while learning all kinds of details on the history and culture of the region. Plus, we would have a few more chances to do some biking.
Here are the ports we visited:
Day 2: Mohacs, Hungary
Day 3: Novi Sad, Serbia
Day 4: Belgrade, Serbia
Day 5: Donji Milanovac, Serbia
Day 6: Turnu Severin, Romania
Day 7: Belgrade to disembark
About Riverside Mozart
The luxurious and spacious Riverside Mozart makes a great home base for your Danube River journeys. (Photo by John Roberts)
I mentioned at the start of this post that Riverside Mozart is the best river ship in Europe. I say this because it’s so different from any other ship — as well as wonderfully luxurious.
Avid river cruisers will remember this vessel from its days in the Crystal Cruises’ fleet when it was called Crystal Mozart. So, it’s been a legend on the Danube for years.
Mozart carries up to 154 cruisers and is a double-wide river ship. This means it’s twice as wide as the standard ships you’ll see on the rivers in Europe. Cruisers love to have all this extra space.
It’s never crowded in any public areas, and the Mozart features a wide range of amenities that you don’t have on typical ships.
The Vista Deck on Riverside Mozart is a serene space with a garden and plenty of lounge chairs. (Photo by John Roberts)
There are three bars and five restaurants. The top sun deck is called the Vista Deck, and it’s a beautiful space filled with loungers, day beds, tables and chairs and a stunning garden (planter boxes filled with flowers, plants and herbs).
The Vista Bar is up here, and this is where people hang out to enjoy the scenic cruising or elaborate barbecue lunches or dinners prepared on the two Big Green Egg grills. (Our complete look at the food options is in a section below.)
This was our Penthouse Suite cabin on Riverside Mozart. I have a full cabin tour video posted at the bottom of this article. (Photo by John Roberts)
The suites are spacious, with luxurious designs, in-room dining and 24-hour butler service. An elevator is available, operating for Decks 1 through 3 but not all the up to the Vista Deck.
There also is a large spa facility with a pool and hot tub, as well as a salon for hair and nail treatments. Of course, you can book a range of massages, too. The ship also has a large fitness center. I cover more about these amenities in a section below.
What Cruisers Are Saying About Riverside
The Lower Danube is filled with plenty of scenic cruising opportunities. Here, cruisers gather for our afternoon sailing through the Iron Gates Natural Park area. (Photo by John Roberts)
On my two sailings on Riverside Mozart and during my one time on Riverside Ravel, we’ve met people who have traveled and cruised a lot but were trying Riverside Luxury Cruises for the first time. This includes people who have sailed with lines such as Avalon Waterways, AmaWaterways, Viking, Scenic and Uniworld.
Every person I spoke with during these voyages had fallen in love with the pampering by the Riverside team. You get highly personal touches from shore excursion managers, hotel managers, stateroom attendants, maitre d’s, wait staff and bartenders.
Cruisers really like the food, of course, which is what stands out for Riverside. I met a family on this most recent Lower Danube trip who said they think that Riverside will now be their go-to line after being longtime Scenic and Uniworld cruisers.
We Indulged in the Spa and Fitness Options
Riverside Mozart features a spacious spa facility. This is located on the back of the ship on Deck 2. It offers a lounging area and a large pool. The pool has a swim-against current that can be switched on for cruisers looking to do a lap workout. Otherwise, it’s just a nice pool for a refreshing dip. Next to the pool is a giant hot tub with jets, so you can turn on the bubbles and get a rejuvenating soak. There are two massage rooms, and Colleen and I each had a relaxing Swedish massage.
The therapists offer a full range of massages, including sports massage, foot reflexology or treatments with aromatic oils. The nearby salon is the spot to get hair or nail treatments.
The spa also has separate men’s and women’s locker rooms, and these have a shower, sauna and steam room in each of them.
One deck below is the fitness center. One side is a large workout room with strength and flexibility equipment. We used the back and chest cable machines, dumbbells, kettlebells, foam rollers, mats and more to get great workouts every day.
The other side features the cardio equipment, such as bikes, rowing machine and treadmills. There is a station in between both areas where travelers can grab walking poles for use ashore, cold waters from the fridge and gym towels.
All this is on top of the fleet of nice bikes — standard and e-bikes — available for use in every port. As you can see, this ship has a wealth of wellness amenities.
13 Ways to Enjoy Food on Riverside Mozart
The food on Riverside Mozart is incredible, and a barbecue lunch on the Vista Deck is just one of the many ways that you can enjoy a good meal. (Photo by John Roberts)
Riverside Mozart has five restaurants. But you can find extra snacks, treats and little meals that satisfy cravings all over the ship — all day long.
Let’s look at all the options.
Waterside is the main restaurant. This is where you can get breakfast and lunch served buffet style at a venue called The Marketplace within the main restaurant. During breakfast, there are fresh fruits, breads, healthy juice shots, smoothies, muesli, yogurt, cereal, pastries and eggs made to order with sides like sausages, bacon, beans and potatoes.
Lunch also is a buffet set-up in The Marketplace, and you will always find a carving station with items like lamb, beef or fish specialties, as well as a pasta station for the pasta of the day.
Dinner features a menu with a diverse choice of international selections. We had appetizers like crispy suckling Hungarian pork and seared scallops and main courses like monkfish saltimbocca, Danube pike perch and grilled black Angus beef medallions.
Vintage Room is a multicourse wine-pairing experience available for up to 12 cruisers (at a cost of $320 per person).
The venue Blue is a casual eatery at the aft of Deck 3 that is open for lunch occasionally. The menu features fresh salads, burgers, sandwiches, soup of the day and a special dish such as lasagna Bolognese, as well as flatbreads and duo of sausages.
Atelier is the bistro-style casual eatery located mid-ship on Deck 3, and its open almost all day with a spread of lighter bites and small plates available to grab. Find meats, cheeses, flatbreads, fruits and sweets here.
There is a small bar here for drink service. This bar space is where you’ll find the gelato case filled with fresh gelatos and sorbets. You can also ask for a milkshake or bubble waffle with your favorite gelato or other toppings.
During several evenings of your cruise, Atelier hosts an Austro-Hungarian meal (reservations required). This is a deep menu of small plates great for sharing. Colleen and I had a little of everything, enjoying traditional dishes like Hungarian soup, Viennese-style beef tartar, crispy blood sausage croquettes, quail eggs and caviar, goulash and grilled trout.
Bring a good appetite for this meal. It’s a real treat!
Cruisers will love the meals available on the Vista Deck outside. These are offered when the weather is ideal, and we enjoyed a couple barbecue lunches during our trip. The chefs use the Green Eggs grills to create a delicious spread that is a feast for all senses, with the smells of grilled meats wafting in the air.
We had shrimp, steaks, chicken and fish perfectly prepped on the grills, accompanied by salads and veggies. You also can order from the Riverside Bites menu all afternoon to have a meal on the Vista Deck. The menu features sandwiches, salads, burgers, flatbread and duo of sausages.
But wait, there’s more!
Riverside offers included in-room dining. You can order from a menu and enjoy a meal in your suite for any meal of the day. You also have little snack surprises available around the ship, such as the fresh-baked cookies at the coffee station in the lobby. The chocolate chip cookies were especially delicious.
You also will find a bowl of fresh fruit (apples, pears and bananas) in this space located adjacent to guest services.
The Cove bar also has bowls of mixed nuts each evening around cocktail hour. Plus, this is where you can get a bowl of fresh popcorn from the self-serve popcorn machine cart.
Great for Multi-Gen, Internationally Diverse Vacations
Riverside Luxury Cruises draws a diverse mix of travelers from all over the world who are eager to experience the food and modern comforts available on the voyages. (Photo by John Roberts)
Along with my two trips on Mozart, I also cruised on Riverside Ravel in France. I’ve really enjoyed the international mix of travelers that come together for these voyages. You don’t have the typical homogenous mix of cruisers that you might see on the other lines — meaning mostly passengers from the U.S. and Canada.
On Riverside Luxury Cruises, we’ve met travelers from Germany, Canada, China, Spain, Mexico, Israel, Argentina, the U.K. and several other countries. This makes it feel like more of an authentic travel adventure because I like to engage with people from all over the globe and learn as much as I can about their homes, languages, customs and experiences.
To me, it shows how small the world really is and that we have more in common than we might think.
Riverside also is somewhat unique in how it treats young cruisers and multigenerational travel. On our most recent trip, we were somewhat surprised to see two youngsters onboard with their parents, grandparents and nannies.
Yes, the siblings — a tiny baby and 2-year-old boy — traveled in style on a river cruise!
Imagine that. I didn’t get to do my first river cruise until I was 47. Lol.
“Riverside offers an ideal experience for affluent, savvy, multi-gen travelers,” said Jennifer Halboth, CEO of Riverside Collection Americas. “There is no easier way to see Europe while catering to different ages, interests and travel experience.
“Driving through Europe or taking trains with the family in tow will simply steal time away from your precious vacation. Instead, book a Riverside cruise, unpack once ... and let the crew cater to your family while you discover multiple cities and countries together in an easy yet luxurious trip.”
This always has been the draw of river cruising. You unpack once, and this would be especially beneficial if you have kids along for the trip.
While many river lines have a minimum age limit, if they allow kids at all, Riverside makes family river cruising easy.
“This is by design. We don’t have a minimum age limit because we want to say yes to every family that wants to experience Europe in the uniquely Riverside way,” Halboth said.
Each ship has options for connecting suites, ideal for a family of four. Larger suites can accommodate a cot or a crib (upon request), and a third person staying in the same room travels for a 40 percent discount, with no charge for children younger than 2.
Plus, there are plenty of things to do once the journey gets underway.
Every port includes excursions that range from classic walking tours of cities and towns to immersive activities, such as visiting the chocolate museum in Cologne or attending cooking classes.
There are choices that appeal to active travelers, too, like biking, hiking and kayaking tours. Plus, every Riverside ship offers a fleet of bikes (regular and e-bikes), so families can venture out on their own.
Many of the included amenities on Riverside’s fleet appeal to kids and adults alike.
There is a shallow indoor pool on each ship. Bubble waffles are made fresh and served all day in the Atelier bistro eatery with a wide variety of toppings to choose from: chocolate, strawberries, sprinkles, whipped cream and more.
Each ship also features an ice cream counter in the Atelier space, served in cones or cups.
Riverside also offers 24-hour room service. Imagine the older kids getting cozy in their robes and slippers (included in every suite category) with dinner and a movie in the suite while the parents enjoy a romantic dinner in the restaurant.
Fresh-made popcorn is available at the bar every night before happy hour — a draw for travelers of all ages, from kids to grandparents.
The most popular itineraries for multi-generational groups are Christmas Market sailings in November and December. Whether visiting markets along the Danube River (in places like Vienna and Budapest) or along the Rhine and Main Rivers through Germany (where the Christmas Markets tradition began), there is something for everyone in the family to like. Parents and grandparents can sip glühwein, and the kids have a hot cocoa, while everyone shops for handmade gifts and eats delectable sweets.
Will You Enjoy a Lower Danube Cruise?
Colleen and I loved being able to use the bikes onboard Riverside Mozart to go for rides in the ports we visited. Here, we cycled around Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by John Roberts)
I think Riverside Mozart offers something for every type of cruiser. You have the food, active options and luxurious spaces for wellness and relaxation — all done with the flourish of modern luxury and excellent service.
Take this to a destination like the Lower Danube, and you have a delightful new travel experience.
The region is much more remote with fewer main tourist attractions than the Upper Danube. We picked a couple of the bike tours, riding through the countryside to visit a restored mill site in Mohacs, Hungary.
We also did a marvelous bike tour around Novi Sad, Serbia. In Belgrade, we grabbed the bikes and did a little independent adventuring around the city. The itinerary stopped in Serbia’s capital once on the way down to Romania and past the Iron Gates and then again on the way back up for our disembarkation day. So, we got a second chance to see Belgrade at the end of our cruise and stayed an extra night in the city.
This allowed us to also walk around the city center, explore Belgrade Fortress and have a dinner right next to the epic Church of St. Sava.
At Novi Sad, we also picked an afternoon tour to visit Fruska Gora National Park and stop at a vineyard for a wine tasting and traditional Serbian meal. At tiny Donji Milanovac, Serbia, we went on a tour to the Golubac Fortress.
Our time in Romania was brief, with a morning in Turnu Severin. The small town serves as the turnaround point for the cruise, with the main attraction of the day a scenic stretch of sailing through the Iron Gates Natural Park region of the Lower Danube River.
The Iron Gates area is a natural border between Romania and Serbia, and the region is filled with natural beauty as the river carves past the Carpathian and Balkan mountain ranges. You sail through both the widest and narrowest parts of the river in this area, and one standout highlight is cruising past the large rock sculpture of Decebalus that hangs on an outcropping on the Romanian side of the waterway.
It’s the tallest rock carving in Europe at 180 feet tall and 82 feet wide and was finished in 2004 to honor Decebalus, the last king of Dacia, who fought the Romans to preserve Romania’s independence.
A Lower Danube river cruise on Riverside Mozart is ideal for travelers looking for new destinations to check off their lists. You can do it at a relaxing pace in style and comfort with incredible food.