The Danube (ancient Danuvius, ancient Greek Ἴστρος Istros) is the longest river of the European Union and Europe's second-longest[3] (after the Volga). It originates in the Black Forest in Germany as two smaller rivers—the Brigach and the Breg—which join at Donaueschingen, and it is from here that it is known as the Danube, flowing generally eastwards for a distance of some 2850 km (1771 miles), passing through several Central and Eastern European capitals, before emptying into the Black Sea via the Danube Delta in Romania.
The Danube. A river of great beauty and importance. The river connects central and southeastern Europe, as well as, the Balkans and the Black Sea. In fact, eight countries share its water, including Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia. Many ideas and influences from different cultures have spread up and down this river. The Danube, through its rich history, remains truly captivating. Several large cities are found on the banks of the river, including Vienna, the capital of Austria, Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, Budapest, the capital of Hungary, and Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia.
No place has changed more in the last century than the heart of Europe: The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria. The Soviet tanks rolling through Prague in 1968, Slovakia's Independence in 1993, Hungary's Independence in 1989 and The Czech Republic . Passing through this history is the Danube.
The Danube flows through the following major cities:
- Ulm - Germany
- Ingolstadt - Germany
- Regensburg - Germany, capital of Upper Palatinate
- Passau - Germany
- Linz - Austria, capital of Upper Austria
- Krems - Austria
- Vienna - capital of Austria, where the Danube floodplain is called the Lobau
- Bratislava - capital of Slovakia
- Komárno - Slovakia
- Komárom - Hungary
- Esztergom - Hungary
- Visegrád - Hungary
- Budapest - capital of Hungary
- Baja - Hungary
- Vukovar - Croatia
- Bačka Palanka - city in Serbian province of Vojvodina
- Novi Sad - capital of the Serbian province of Vojvodina
- Belgrade - the capital of Serbia
- Smederevo - Serbia
- Drobeta-Turnu Severin - Romania
- Vidin - Bulgaria
- Lom - Bulgaria
- Oryahovo - Bulgaria
- Nikopol - Bulgaria
- Svishtov - Bulgaria
-
Rousse - Bulgaria
The Grand Danube Cruises:
12 days Prague to Budapest
15 days Vienna to Budapest
16 days Vienna to Bucharest
23 days from Prague To Istanbul
30 days Paris to Istanbul
28 days Basel to Bucharest
28 days Amsterdam to Bucharest
The River Elbe (Czech: Labe (help·info); German: Elbe; Low German: de Ilv) is one of the major waterways of Central Europe. It originates in the North West Czech Republic before traversing much of Germany and finally flowing into the North Sea. Its total length has been given as 1,091 kilometers or 678 miles.
The Elbe rises at an elevation of about 1400 m (4593 ft) in the Krkonoše (german known as Riesengebirge) on the north west borders of the Czech Republic. Of the numerous small streams whose waters compose the infant river, the most important is the Bílé Labe, or White Elbe. After plunging down the 60 m of the Labský vodopád, the latter stream unites with the steeply torrential Malé Labe, and thereafter the united stream of the Elbe pursues a southerly course, emerging from the mountain glens at and continuing on to Pardubice, where it turns sharply to the west. At Kolín some 43 km (27 miles) further on, it bends gradually towards the north-west.
Elbe Cruise Tour
7 night cruise, two nights Berlin & two nights Prague
Danube & Elbe Reviews
Amadeus Danube
Deilmann Danube
Deilmann Elbe River
