Yachts - Sea Cloud Cruises

Majestic cities and the Danube‘s diverse
landscape – from the wachau right
through to the delta.
Seven countrieS
Baroque townS
The Danube has been an inspiration for countless artists, but the river itself
is also a masterful painter of rural and urban settings. In the Wachau, it has
created a picturesque countryside scene which carries the UNESCO World
Heritage Site seal of approval. The river’s numerous bends wind through
the Burgenland, circling vineyards and apricot farms. An entire kingdom
even carries its poetic name: the Royal and Imperial Danube Monarchy. The
Habsburgs adorned Vienna and Bratislava with magnificent baroque designs,
decorated in gold trim. In Budapest the stream proves its worth as an architect,
sculpting a cityscape protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Beyond Budapest, the river’s banks are lined with tiny villages and vast landscapes
pave the Danube’s way. It courses through the “new European nations”,
past Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, offering a captivating insight into countries
in a state of transition. And whilst these countries are busy setting their course
for a new and modern future, the Danube continues to show you nature at
its most primitive. In the past, its waters managed to break through the hard
rock, creating Europe’s largest gorge – the Kazan, which features the famous
Iron Gate. Equally wild is the river’s delta which opens out onto the Black Sea.
The river meanders and becomes ruler of its own kingdom of endless lakes,
streams and reed islands. Around 1,000 plant species and 4,000 species of
animal have made this 5,000-square-kilometre (2,000-square-mile) habitat
their home. It is also a popular resting place for a countless number of birds and
a magnificent summer haven for pelicans.
Spectacular nature
49