#cruiseship #cruising #amawaterways
We were invited by AmaWaterways to spend 7 nights cruising the Lower Danube. Starting in Bucharest and wrapping up in Budapest, the trip—The Gems of Southeast Europe—promised seven stops in FIVE countries, and plenty of eye-popping Eastern European scenery and five star hospitality.
Now, you might be thinking, Why bother with the Lower Danube? No Vienna, no Bratislava, no Passau—what’s the appeal? Fair question. But trust us, this stretch of Europe’s most iconic river has its own unique magic, and we’re here to show you exactly why it deserves a spot on your travel list. And why you should explore it aboard the largest river ship in Europe, the absolutely stunning AmaMagna.
Ready to see what all the fuss is about? Let’s dive in!
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00:00 Intro
01:36 Bucharest, Romania
07:58 Vidin, Bulgaria
12:50 The Iron Gates
15:54 Golubac Fortress. Serbia
20:44 Belgrade, Serbia
32:57 Novi Sad, Serbia
36:27 Ilok, Croatia
39:36 Mohács, Hungary
VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE:
We were invited on board as guests of AmaWaterways (Ama). We paid for our own transport to and from the ship and received no fees or remuneration for producing media during and after this voyage from either of the aforementioned companies. Any resulting videos have been produced without influence or expectation from Ama and we had complete editorial and artistic freedom. Ama have had no prior preview of this content and are watching for the first time along with you. All our videos contain our personal and unbiased opinion. Please ask us if you want to know more or visit www.asa.org.uk for more information on blogger/vlogger disclosure requirements. Thank you and we hope you enjoy the content as much as we did creating it. Rich and Helen x
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22 Comments
We hope you enjoyed this video. If you did, please hit that ‘like’ button and leave us a comment (we’d love it if you subscribed too)! We are not travel agents, but you can find this and thousands of other stunning voyages by visiting the Panache Cruises website, the brilliant company we are proud ambassadors for. Use this link here – https://bit.ly/2PdAPxy and they’ll know we’ve sent you! Thank you so much! R&H ❤Oh, and currently we have a little extra something EXCLUSIVELY just for Visit With Us customers of Panache. Just quote 'Visit With Us WINE' when you book and we'll send you a case of Virgin Wines as a little thank you. 🍷
I really love how organized and informative your vlogs are. Plus videos are available in 4K quality! Kudos!🤩
Always such beautiful videos!😍 informative, often humourous, and always a good watch ☺️
What a phenomenal video! We really enjoyed your trip report and plan to call your travel agents to see about booking ourselves.
Firstly, hope you are both OK in what, no doubt, is still a difficult time for you ❤. Loved this “signature” video. Really immersive and, as always, superbly edited. The Vienna/Budapest/Passau stretch of the Danube is generally the default “must see”, but you’ve certainly convinced me that this section is well worth a look. I think I’ve put on two pounds in weight just looking at the pictures of those cakes and desserts 😂
Great video, love the more in depth look☺ Helen totally smashed the pickle ball!
Looks like an awesome cruise. On a cruise like this, how much local currency do you take? We really enjoy your videos. Thanks!
Lovely video! The quality of the footage, editing, narration, all are perfect. ❤
Fabulous video. Always a totally honest review. We always know that if you say something is good then it definitely is 😊
I suppose you could call this the hidden gem, road-less-traveled route of the Danube. I particularly love Belgrade. What a beautiful mix-match of salvaged stonework, incorporated into the contemporary time period in which it was rebuilt.
I love your videos. You do an amazing job of capturing the ship and all the stops.
Is there an elevator on this ship? 😢
That's a really nice part of the Danube. The castles on the steep Danube river banks rival the German castles on the Rhine. Just a bit of trivia on Vlad (the impaler) Dracula was the Prince of Wallachia. He was a hero for stopping the Ottoman invasion of Western Europe. He caused terror among the Ottoman troops when they saw their comrade's impaled on posts. If Helen isn't a fan of snakes it might not be a good idea to visit country Australia. Thank you for a fantastic video.
Hi Rich and Helen, this was a beautiful video and seemed very relaxed as well. We have not done the lower Danube and it does look like an area that we would enjoy. Loved your quick comment about Ringo Star and the two fingered salute of Jesus in the Monastery.
Another great video. After 50 “big ship” cruises I must say the Ama Waterways ships look very inviting!
Hi Rich and Helen – just want to say how beautifully creative this video is! I first started watching your videos during Covid and became instantly transfixed. I work with charities in London and it can be quite saddening at times so sometimes you need a total fantasy escape and you guys provide it to perfection. At first, I thought that Rich was way too condescending to the beautiful Helen but now I like you! I have watched all of your posts but for some reason, this one is a marvel! The photography, editing, graphics, sound & music is absolutely first class!!! It looks stunning – the colours – the sound – the visuals – the detail! Thank you both so much for your intimate adventures. Wishing you both an absolutely incredible 2025!!!
You can go to Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) Castle in Transylvania. Lovely place…
One of our favorite riverboat cruises ever was from Istanbul to Prague – so, lower and upper Danube. Different company so a somewhat different itinerary, but it's remained a standout cruise in my memory. Many of our guides had lived during the communist occupancy and had fabulous histories to relate; the countryside is absolutely stunning; and, for me, the cadence of the peoples' speech reminded me so much of my Russian grandparents. It's a trip absolutely worth taking!
Ama is not talked about often on YouTube it's very nice to see you future ama I would like to know more about them This is the most informative information I've seen on them other than knowing they do river cruises I've never seen any of their ships , That I can remember which isn't good so this is very nice.
You did amazing video and I definitely well remember this video and look for more about them.
Giurgiu, not Gurgiu. Try pronouncing Giorgio, then swap the o for u, and you have Giurgiu😂 In fact, it was a Genovese fortress at its beginning. Also, Romania was not founded by Vlad the Impaler. 😮The city of Bucharest was first mentioned in documents during his reign, it was one of his residences.
My wife and I loved this video, we hope to go on the same cruise as well in the near future.
Whenever I watch your gorgeous and robust new videos of these beautiful ships and stunning destinations, I always chuckle to myself that I’d love to see your take on a Margaritaville disaster. 😂😂 Thank you for another wonderful video!