The European River Cruise foodies will rave about...
- Daily Travel Dose
- Sep 7
- 3 min read
While Riverside Luxury Cruises has only been sailing for about 2 years on the rivers of Europe, it has definitely made a grand entrance in the luxury and culinary space. If you are a gourmand, like me, you may want to pay attention!
We opted for a 4-night/5-day cruise itinerary aptly called "Legends of the Danube" which departed from beautiful Budapest, sailed to Bratislava, on to Tuln and the Wachau Valley (picture perfect!) and ended in historic Vienna.
For our pre-cruise stay, we checked into the luxurious Matild Palace hotel, located right by the Elizabeth Bridge and the majestic Danube River. The tone had been set for a truly fantastic experience. We indulged in some bubbles on the rooftop of the Matild Palace hotel and the next morning started with a delectable Hungrian breakfast. We were ready to start Riverside cruising!
A complimentary pick up at our hotel whisked us away to the shores of the Danube where we were met by the cruise manager and our luggage was promptly rolled away by another staff member who escorted us to Riverside's Mozart ship. Twice the width of a standard river cruise ship, it is a sight to see! The doors slid open, we were provided with a cool scented towel and a flute of Taittinger champagne and the check-in process had started! A short wait in a nice coffee nook near the reception area and off we went to our Riverside suite. Our room attendant and personal butler were immediately on hand to explain all the features of the state room and then discreetly left so we could have some time to relax and take it all in.
Excited to explore this floating luxurious boutique hotel, we made our way to lunch at the more casual Blue Bar & Grill. We were seated near the bar area, which displayed all the lovely desserts that were waiting for us after our lunch...I had some expectations about the food, but this all looked incredibly promising. As Budapest treated us with hot summer weather, we drank freshly crafted and cooled lemonades (one with lavender and the other with fresh basil). Service was impeccable, the bread rolls European and the plates were presented beautifully. It was a great start to our culinary cruising adventure!
I won't go over everything we ate in detail on our cruise (as that would take a small novel), but having a BBQ dinner on the Vista Deck the first evening while we did a 2-hour evening sailing in Budapest to see the city with all the lights was simply magical. The other moment that really hit home was the sunset sailing in the Wachau Valley and being able to eat al fresco when the sun was drenching the castles and cute little towns in a golden glow. All of our artfully plated courses came with local wines suggested by the on-board sommeliers, who were more than eager to share some of their expertise with us. And I didn't even mention the exclusive Vintage Room, where you can have a intimate Michelin-quality dining experience (at an additional cost). What a sumptuous treat all of the food was!
Enjoy some of the photos below, which I think will tell the story better than I can :):
While the Mozart also has e-bikes on board, an elaborate gym, as well as an indoor swimming pool, I would be lying if I reported any first-hand experience as we did not partake in any of those "active" amenities. However, we did do quite a bit of walking around in Budapest and Bratislava as we just walked off the cruise ship and straight into the center of it all....which is really the point of river cruising!
To summarize our Riverside cruise, it is a perfect opportunity to travel seamlessly, surrounded by true hospitality professionals who will provide you with the best service, the most delicious plates of food, and a strong cocktail, if you so desire! I can't wait to go again in 2026!
Travelers from around the world: If you are interested in setting up a call to ask your Riverside Luxury Cruise questions, feel free to set up an appointment by emailing me at info@dailytraveldose.com. I will be happy to speak with you about your next European river cruise vacation and how we can make it happen!
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