A river cruise on a Danube Longship that is full of heart offers an unforgettable experience. By James Ruddy, Contributor. Published 22nd Apr 2026, 16:51 BST. Updated 27th Apr 2026, 14:59 BST.
With the feel of a smart boutique hotel on the water, the Atla (named after the Norse Goddess of Water) oozes easy charm, slick Scandinavian design and high quality food and drink to match. In that easily recognisable Alabama drawl, an elderly man in jeans and tee-shirt smiled and stood to one side to let me pass as I strode for the first time along the top-floor cabin corridor of the Viking Longship Atla and said: “After you, sir.” It was a tiny but signature example of the kind of old-style gentility and friendliness that shone, like a vein of deep mine gold, through the next week as the ship took me on a voyage of discovery along Europe’s second-longest river.
In fact, that man from America’s Deep South was typical of so many others among the 190 passengers – many from the USA – and crew members, who all combined in the days ahead to make me feel their favourite song might have been that 1979 Sister Sledge disco anthem “We are Family.” With the feel of a smart boutique hotel on the water, the Atla oozes easy charm, slick Scandinavian design and high quality food and drink to match, with a strategy that appeals to well-educated, ‘grown up,’ ‘culturally curious’ adults looking to dig deep into destinations and experiences.
It’s a Viking strategy that was started 9 years ago by its founder Norwegian billionaire, Torstein Hagen who now oversees over 100 vessels, including cruise and expedition ships, with the emphasis on the ‘thinking person’ rather than the drinking person – a far cry from the huge floating skyscrapers, packed with theme parks and casinos of so many other operators. And, it soon became clear, that the Atla guests also wanted to buddy up with their many like-minded travellers as I found myself – along with my partner and photographer Sue Mountjoy – sharing life stories, world travel moments and, of course, fun and laughter with couples and solo guests from as far apart as New York, Georgia and Canada’s Winnipeg.
Despite what the headlines might be claiming, the UK-USA special relationship was alive and well as the conversations flowed as easily as the cocktails – followed by the occasional lively dance session – in the Atla restaurant, lounge and sundeck throughout the trip. Even ashore, as we passed as gently as a slinky cat through four countries – starting from Germany’s pretty Bavarian ‘City of Three Rivers’ Passau and ending in Hungary’s bustling capital, Budapest – those shipboard friendships continued as we bumped into Atla friends, sharing jokes and, as the spring rain sometimes poured, those distinctive red Viking umbrellas, amid the cafes and cobbles of some of Europe’s lesser known as well as iconic places.
It was no surprise that Viking prides itself on the quality of its daily programme of included and optional shore trips, as well as some exclusive insights and enlisting the best guides. The latter were very informative and some were utterly rib-tickling. Quirky Sandra, who showed us around Austria’s Lintz old town, between cuddling several passing pet dogs, revealed that her boyfriend of 12 years had given her ‘a new shower head for Christmas.’ And further upriver, outside quaint Krems, on a tour of Gottweig Abbey, our guide Klaudia revealed that the oldest monk, hard of hearing and aged 86, recently took his driving test. “The other monks were praying that he would fail,” she said. “He passed.”
The jokes were even fired at the famous river itself – the so-called Blue Danube (made famous by the iconic waltz of that name by Johan Strauss). With the waterway looking decidedly grey, the Atla ops manager Niki, quipped: “I certainly don’t know what Strauss was drinking that day!” Next day, though, came the glories of the ‘City of Waltzes’ Vienna, with hot chocolate and cake after a cathedral tour, followed by a stunning Mozart and Strauss concert and, back on board our floating hotel, that quintessential Viennese tradition of bowls of hot and hearty goulash coupled with schnapps to send us off to a restful snooze in our balconied stateroom.
Each day on the Danube began with a new experience, and next up was one of Europe’s most intimate of capitals Bratislava, where an easily walkable tour was followed by lunch on the nearby Atla and a brief dive into Slovakian beer culture. Sue and I strolled to the 100 piv microbar, complete with friendly locals and even friendlier pub dogs, Dusty and Max, who insisted on kissing my ear as well as indulging in regular puppy-strength finger nibbling. Great fun. Finally came Hungary’s hectic and beautifully restored capital Budapest. Last time I was there was 22 years ago at a working conference up the hill, across the mighty Danube, in swish Buda, which has left a ‘downtime’ event burned forever into my memory.
This was one of those brutal ancient Turkish-style hammam ordeals, in which a local ‘Olympic’ weightlifter ‘sandpapered’ me on a marble slab before battering and bending my cracking body into totally unreasonable angles – something it is still recovering from today! Of course there are now more than 25 Turkish Baths and hammams around the city and many appear to offer gentle spa-style chill-outs, but I wasn’t going to risk a repeat with the offer of a thermal baths visit on the schedule. Instead, Sue and I experienced the quaint M1, Europe’s oldest underground railway, completed in 1896, and a fabulous museum piece of wrought iron pillars, wooden ticket booths, yellow and white wall tiles and rumbling lemon carriages that took us to stations where we popped up regularly, to visit the Underground Museum, the Opera House and the Museum of Fine Arts before ending with nibbles and a pilsner in a City Park café.
After that, it was back to the Atla for our final evening of farewell toasts with the crew and captain and yet another sumptuous meal, including classics and the daily regional dishes that were magicked up by the chef before an onboard concert by stylish stars of the Hungarian Opera. Yet again, there was that feeling of ‘family togetherness’, as we shared memories and contact details with countless of our fellow guests – indeed one Long Island couple have invited us to stay with them where I will be learning how to deep-sea fish for Marlin on their boat (first time for everything!). That genuine feeling also shone from the crew themselves, from Malin, the waiter from Bosnia, who shared with me memories of his home town area which I visited as a journalist during the 1990s civil war – and the Atla skipper, Stefan, who always honks on the ship’s horn as he passes his home near the river in Slovakia and is delighted when his wife and two daughters run out to wave to him. That was family, pure and simple, just like our voyage felt, as we stepped down the gangplank for the last time, hugged our new friends, and headed for the flight back to London. As Sister Sledge might well have sung if she had been floating along with us for the week: “We were family.”
Factfile
This Danube Waltz trip is an eight-day itinerary that has stops in Passau, Linz, Krems, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. Six guided tours are included, as well as return flights from selected UK airports, 7 nights on board in a standard stateroom, in-destination transfers, all on board meals including wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner (plus no corkage fee), included excursions, wi-fi and gratuities. Prices start from £1,895 per person (standard stateroom) for a 24 November – 1 December 2027 sailing, based on current availability. More on the Silver Spirits beverage package can be found on the Viking website. To make a booking please call 0800 319 66 60 or visit www.viking.com. For cut-price airport parking and hotels, try Holiday Extras: go to www.holidayextras.com or call 0800 316 5678.
