The river is shimmering in the afternoon heat, the steely cliffs of the Carpathian Mountains rising above us on one side and the Balkan Mountains closing in on the other.
High above an eagle seems to be following our passage through the famed Iron Gates, a reference with a double meaning: while it describes the two giant hydroelectric dams that provide power, drinking water, prevent floods and irrigate the land, Iron Gates is also the name given to the stunning gorge that forms part of the boundary between Serbia and Romania, which are framing opposite sides of the Danube.
An ancient monastery seems to cling precariously to the side of the cliff and the camera phones are out in force as we pass what we are told is the tallest carved face in Europe: at 55 metres high and 25 metres wide, the face of Decebalus – an ancient king who fought three wars, with varying success, against the Romans – is an impressive sight.
As we reach Kazan Gorge, the river shrinks to 150 metres in depth, one of the Danube’s narrowest points.
Cruise without the crowds
I am sailing on AmaWaterways’ flagship vessel, AmaMagna, on its Gems of Southeast Europe itinerary, a route that starts near Bucharest in Romania before travelling through Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia and ending in Hungary.
I flew into Bucharest (three hours from Heathrow with British Airways) and was met by an AmaWaterways rep who guided us to a waiting bus.
The airport is five kilometres from the city centre and our journey took us around the edges of the city, a mix of stark Communist-era buildings, low-rise flats, traditional farmhouse buildings and a sprinkling of Christian Orthodox churches.
“Life in Romania in the 1980s was very much like life in North Korea today,” says our bus guide, cheerily.
We board the ship in Giurgiu, a small river port town about 90 minutes from Bucharest for a cruise that will take us past numerous small villages and sprawling timeless countryside splashed with fields of sunflowers and lavender, and of fruit-heavy orchards, but also to rural wineries, ancient fortresses, forts and castles.
This is not the iconic Danube of Prague, Vienna and Bratislava, but of the less populated and travelled ‘Lower’ section.
However, the Iron Gates signal the most scenic stretch of not just this cruise but anywhere on the Danube – which makes it all the more surprising that we see so few other vessels bar the occasional recreational sailboat. It is early July, but this is a cruise without the crowds.
Aside from Bucharest, the cruise visits two other capital cities: Belgrade and Budapest.
In Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, I join a walking tour up to the impressive Kalamegam Park and fortress, for great views of the city and the confluence of the Danube and Savu rivers, before walking through the heart of Belgrade to Republic Square and then on to the Bohemian district of Skadarlija. With its cobblestone streets, leaning houses (some dating back to 1717), canal-side coffee shops and traditional Serb restaurants,
It feels a little like Montmartre in Paris.
In the afternoon, I cycle along the banks of the river, past floating restaurants that at night transform into nightclubs and buildings damaged by NATO bombs in 1999.
In Serbia’s attractive second city, Novi Sad, I explore markets laden with fruit and veg that seems larger and more colourful than those at home and sip coffee in the old quarter, Stari Grad, site of the imposing Gothic Revival Name of Mary Church and the neo-Renaissance City Hall.
War-torn past
In Bulgaria, I jog around Rousse, an attractive town with striking 19th century Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo architecture and a beautiful central park.
Also in Bulgaria, I sign up for an excursion that visits a family winery in a village in the heart of the Danubian Plain, Near Vidin, which sits in a fertile hinterland and has been a wine-growing area for centuries.
Here I am offered a wine glass and endless refills that by our very generous hosts, try the local fruit brandy, and buy two Bulgarian best-sellers: local rose oil and a face mask made from yoghurt, lime juice, honey and banana.
Vidin has not fared well since it stopped being a socialist satellite state of the Soviet Union in 1989 and there seems to be empty buildings everywhere.
“This is a good time to buy a flat here,” our informative guide tells us. “They are very cheap as there is no demand. All our nurses went to the UK, and we have just one factory left in town. It’s a sewing company and London’s Met Police have an order for shirts as they are so cheap to produce here,” he says.
In Serbia, there’s a visit to the Golubac Fortress, one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses in Europe. Built in the 14th century, it sits on a cliff with 10 towers guarding the Danube. A museum includes a collection of military armour, weapons and other regalia.
That tour, almost inevitably, ends with more limitless wine tasting and bread and cheese served with a local delicacy, Ajvar, a condiment or relish made from roasted red peppers and eggplant, garlic, oil, vinegar, and spices. Ajvar originated in Serbia and is popular throughout the Balkans.
In southern Hungary we stop in Mohacs, a small town with a big history – the scene of a decisive nation defining battle in 1526 that saw the Turks of the Ottoman Empire, led by Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, effectively destroy the Hungarian monarchy – and several parks and gardens.
AmaWaterways also offers a walking tour of Pecs, the country’s second-biggest city.
But most moving of all for me is our afternoon in Vukovar, a town deep in interior Croatia, at the river mouth of the Danube and Vuka rivers. Nestling in the country’s breadbasket, it’s a world away from the Croatia of the Adriatic.
In the 1990s, Vukovar was the scene of one of the most notorious incidents of the war between those countries that formed after the break-up of Yugoslavia.
Our tour guide Ivor doesn’t skimp on details of how the Serb onslaught affected his own family, who hid in a local church before escaping just ahead of advancing paramilitaries, narrowly avoiding an uncertain fate.
His father’s best friend, who was best man at his dad’s wedding, is a Serb who turned on him as the Serb army got closer to the town.
“We were a multicultural town – Croats, Serbs, other nationalities, all living together, with many mixed marriages. We thought we would be safe. We were wrong,” says Ivor. “We were very lucky to escape as many didn’t”.
The family fled to Germany for four years but are now back in Vukovar.
Vukovar, which dates to Roman times, was almost totally destroyed but has today been rebuilt. A water tower, peppered by over 640 bullets, dominates the middle of the town – it somehow survived the bombardment and today stands as a poignant symbol of resistance.
Eltz Palace, a museum housed in a grand rebuilt manor house, tells a story of the war through a multimedia show called ‘Homeland,’ which shows the town before and after it was devasted.
Walking back to AmaMagna, along the main street, a sense of sadness comes over me: this feels like a town that has its soul and identity. The buildings are back but the scars and mistrust run deep and the town is “still striding away from the dark,” Ivor tells us.
And 30 years after the war ended, Vukovar is today the only town in Croatia where Croat and Serb schoolkids are segregated by attending separate schools.
Life on the river
On two of the seven days of the cruise I stay on the ship, to explore the facilities and just watch the river glide by, letting a sense of timelessness wash over me as we pass numerous small river-side communities, occasionally waving back to enthusiastic schoolkids. – you don’t get to do that when you are in the middle of the Med on an ocean cruise.
I also sign up for a couple of exercise classes on the sundeck, led by Damain, a one-man fitness instructor – called a ‘wellness host’ – who guides us through everything from a circuit session to yoga to a one-mile walk around the deck’s walking track.
Each morning, I see the same faces putting some credit onto their calorie banks before the day kicks off. This is a five-star cruise and all meals are exceptional (see below).
I also try my hand at pickleball, on the sundeck court, and enjoy a pedicure in the ship’s spa (at a very reasonable 35 euros).
There are daily talks and history briefings on the next town or city down the river, given by the ebullient Cruise Manager, Talida.
Elsewhere on the ship, the AmaMagna staff are always busy, as if charged with keeping permanently on the move, bringing guests water, cleaning the decks, even bringing glasses of sparkling wine to those of us who have opened their laptops to catch up on work emails. Even Jozsef, the ship’s talented resident pianist and enthusiastic part-time DJ, takes his hand to moving the sun chairs on the top deck.
Book it…
The seven-night Gems of Southeast Europe cruise from Giurgiu to Budapest on board AmaMagna costs from £3,962pp (brochure fare) or £3,624pp (with offer savings) based on two sharing a category E stateroom on the May 25, 2025, departure.
Prices include flights from London or Manchester, overseas transfers, all meals, drinks with lunch and dinner, daily Sip and Sail cocktails and a choice of excursions.
