Reflections On The Danube

Sailing from Passau to Budapest on Uniworld’s S.S. Maria Theresa is a glamorous, cultural affair.

- Liz Jarvis

We’re sipping chilled Champagne in the drawing room of the magnificent Artstetten Castle near Austria’s Wachau Valley, being entertained with royal anecdotes, politics and history by an actual princess.

Princess Anita von Hohenberg, of the Habsburg dynasty, is the godmother to S.S. Maria Theresa. She is also the great-granddaughter of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination in Sarajevo in June 1914 led to the outbreak of the First World War. As she comments wryly, what happened more than 100 years ago seems particularly relevant right now.

“All it takes is one person to commit one terrible act,” she says. It’s an extraordinary moment, in a week full of them.

The previous day we enjoyed a panoramic tour of Linz in Austria before being treated to an organic lunch and cider tasting at a farm high up in the hills with views of the Alps.

This is my first full Uniworld river cruise, and I’m impressed to discover that all the excursions are included, even the ‘Monarch Collection’ tours, which give behind the scenes, privileged access.

The staff are all friendly, love talking to the guests and are always ready to offer refreshments or advice. By the end of day two it seems the entire ship knows that the Captain is awaiting the birth of his second grandchild; this is intimate cruising, but there’s plenty of space on board should you wish to spend time by yourself, or of course with your family.