2026 On the Danube: Munich to Istanbul


Off again on another adventure!

I have wanted since 2022 to take another river cruise, and the Danube seems perfect for that trip. My friend Carole and I are going to be exploring eastern Europe via the Danube River.

My expectation for this blog is to try to keep it simple. With lots of activities offered on river cruises, I'm not expecting to have as much time for writing as I may have had on other adventures, but I still should be able to upload enough pictures for any followers to get an idea.


The map is a rough representation of the trip, but it is not precise. Ignore the construction zones, of course, but it is a driving map, not a river map. Also, the section from Bucharest to Istanbul will be a flight, not a road trip.

Broken down into sections:

Munich, Germany for several nights, including side day trips to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial and to Salzburg, Austria (Doe, a Deer....).


A one-week "Romantic Danube" Viking river cruise on the Viking Var from Regensberg (near Munich) to Budapest, Hungary with stops in Vienna, Passau, and Krems.


Budapest for two nights between cruises including a visit to the famous baths and other sight-seeing.


Another one-week "Gems of Southeast Europe" cruise on the lower Danube, this time with AMAWaterways from Budapest to Giurgiu, Romania (essentially Bucharest). The ship is the AMAMagna. Stops will be in Mohacs, Hungary; Vukovar, Croatia; Belgrade and Golubac, Serbia; Vidin, Bulgaria; and Rousse, Romania.


A post-cruise flight from Bucharest to Istanbul, with three nights in Istanbul. This will, hopefully, include a trip to the "Asian side" of the city to notch my sixth continent, even if that might include an asterisk.

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We'll be meeting up in Munich with my old friends Maureen and Jeff, and then will be traveling with them on the Viking cruise only. They will be returning to Florida from Budapest.

If you're interested in following along with me on this trip, just bookmark this page in your browser, and then check the links below every few days. Each location page should link to the next page. (I'm not planning on sending out multiple emails to remind people that I have published, as I don't want to be a pest to those not interested/not following.) Please feel free to share the trip links with anyone interested.

BTW, click on any photo to see a larger version  

If it works, comments from readers on this blog site are allowed, and I will answer any questions as best I can, or, if you want to contact me privately, my email is still jaylyons@aol.com. If you'd prefer to text me, I think that my iMessages text app will work for iPhone users, but probably not Android folks. I'm also on WhatsApp (JayLyons) and Signal under my phone number. And I always appreciate any comments you might have.

In order to make following along on this blog more "user-friendly," below are direct links to the pages I expect to have in this blog. You can pick up where you last left off, but you might have  to REFRESH this page to see what’s been most recently posted:

May 4-8 in Munich

May 8-15 Viking Var Cruise

May 15-17 in Budapest

May 17-24 AMAMagna Cruise

May 24-27 in Istanbul

Later: Trip Wrap-up and A Look Back


Jay Lyons, Tucson, AZ

www.JayLyons.com

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