Danube cruises

The Danube

The River Danube is the longest waterway in Europe (after the River Volga, which has its source in Russia), and the longest river flowing through the European Union countries. The Danube’s source is in the Black Forest in Germany, where two waterways, the Brigach and the Breg, join at Donaueschingen. From this point onward, the waterway is known as the River Danube. The Danube is approximately 2970km long from Donaueschingen, although from its official source it actually measures 3019km. it flows towards the east and passes through several capital cities of central, eastern and southern Europe (Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade). It flows into the Black Sea via the Danube Delta located in Romania and the Ukraine. This delta is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For many centuries, the Danube has been an important water course. Recognised throughout history as one of the boundaries of the Roman Empire, the waterway flows along the borders of ten countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldavia and the Ukraine.

The Tisza

The River Tisza is a river in Central Europe and a tributary of the Danube. The Tisza is considered to be one of the richest in Europe for fish. It was on the banks of the Tisza that Attila the Hun died. The course of the Tisza runs for 1378km, so it is actually longer than the Rhine. However, as the crow flies, the distance from its source is only 467km. It is between 160 and 320 metres in width. The Tisza comes from the forests in the Carpathian Mountains of the Ukraine, at the junction of the White Tisza and the Black Tisza. It follows the border between the Ukraine and the Maramures part of Romania. Until this point, the Tisza is pure and clear and flows rapidly through the narrow valleys before passing through the length of Hungary, where it slows down and becomes muddier. The Tisza then flows through the great plains of the east and rejoins the Danube in Serbia, after Novi Sad.

From the blue Danube to the Black sea

Seven countries crossed and passing through some of Europe’s great capital cities. Pass through the famous Iron Gates and cruise all the way to the Danube Delta. The Iron Gates are often referred to almost as a gorge in the Danube, forming part of the border between Serbia and south-western Romania. Here, the river separates the south of the Carpathians from the north of the Balkans. The length of this narrow pass is 135km. The width of the river varies from as much as 2km to less than 150m in places. Three quarters of the Danube Delta is located in the north of the Romanian province of Dobrogea, with the other part situated in the Ukrainian province of Odessa, in the region of Budjak in southern Bessarabia. It is the second largest of the European deltas after the Volga Delta, with a surface area of 3,446km².

The Sava

The River Sava flows through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. It is a tributary of the right bank of the Danube, into which it flows in Belgrade. (Not to be confused with the Save, which is a tributary of the Garonne in France). The River Sava is approximately 1000km long and its basin measures 95,720km². In Roman times, it was called the Savus. It is often taken to mark the northern border of the Balkans.