6 BEST THINGS TO DO ON A RIVER DANUBE CRUISE (inc. Durnstein, Krems, Melk & Bratislava)

I recently came back from a River Danube Cruise on a ship called Riverside Mozart. I thought it might be useful to make a video of some of the best things you can do while you're on a river cruise down the Danube, many of which can be done independently and not on a shore excursion, though I did a mixture of both. Every itinerary/ship will visit different places along the Danube, but my video concentrates on Durnstein, Krems and Melk in Austria as well as Bratislava, which is the capital of Slovakia. The 6 best things I recommend doing include: 1. A hike to the ruins of a 12th century hilltop castle in Durnstein. I LOVE Durnstein. Try to find a cruise that visits here. It is a very beautiful town. The British King Richard the Lionheart was held prisoner at this castle for 3 months. 2. A hike through vineyards - The Wachau Valley is one of the most scenic stretches of the Danube and I recommend you do a cruise which sails through it. Krems makes lots of wine and is full of vineyards. I hike up to the vineyards and through them - anyone can do it, they're open to all. This was amazing and has great views of the River Danube. 3. Melk - this is another stunning Austrian town with a magnificent abbey. I highly recommend visiting it. 4. Go cycling - if your river cruise ship doesn't have bikes on board, then rent a bike to cycle along the Danube. It's a fun way to explore. A good stretch would be cycling from Durnstein to Krems, which takes about 40 minutes. 5. Bratislava - the capital of Slovakia is steeped in history and a great place to wander through and visit 6. Go wine tasting - the slopes of the Wachau Valley are terraced with vineyards and it would be a shame not to taste some of the wines which come from these grapes. I organised my own wine-tasting at a wine bar called Weinstein in Krems.