The Danube and beyond

A river that linked the multi-ethnic and artistic tapestry of Central Europe, the Danube has never been a mere backdrop. Senior Product Manager Fred Gold tells explains how it takes centre stage in our new history and art cruise.

What was the idea behind this river journey?

For more than 30 years, Martin Randall Travel has taken travellers along the Danube for its celebrated Music Festivals, while dozens of land-based tours have explored the cities and landscapes along its banks. History & Art on the Danube marks a new venture: the first time the river itself – its shared culture, history and artistic legacy – takes centre stage. 

We wanted to expand the narrative we have long told about the Danube. Whereas our Music Festivals traditionally focus on Austria, this cruise deliberately broadens the scope, starting further east in Budapest and tracing a wider, pan-Central European story. The river has long been the connective spine of the region, carrying empires, religious traditions and artistic movements. Our aim was to celebrate the Danube as both setting and symbol of the shared heritage that has shaped the heart of Europe.

We also sought to reimagine what river cruising can be when shaped by MRT’s own standards and sensibilities. While a cruise naturally allows for a larger group than our classic land tours, the hallmarks of MRT remain central: depth of content, meticulous organisation, and personal attention. The ship’s scale enables exceptional opportunities that simply aren’t possible for individuals or even small groups. Private or out-of-hours visits to major sites – including the Kunsthistorisches Museum and Upper Belvedere in Vienna – allow us to enjoy these great collections in calm, privileged settings, transforming major cultural landmarks into intimate encounters.

Why is this an area of special interest?

The stretch of the Danube between Budapest and Passau is one of the most culturally resonant corridors in Europe. It flows through the historic heartland of the Habsburg Empire – a vast, multi-ethnic realm that for centuries bound together Austrians, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, and many others in a dense tapestry of cultural exchange.

The artistic legacy of the Habsburgs remains everywhere. We see it in the imperial splendour and turn-of-the-century radicalism of Vienna, and in the interplay between deep-rooted Magyar traditions and the unmistakably cosmopolitan character of Budapest. Across the region, the landscapes and cities still reflect the ambitions and aesthetics of the dynasty that shaped Central Europe for centuries.

The river also reveals its quieter treasures in smaller towns such as Dürnstein and Melk, where abbeys, medieval streets and vine-covered hillsides speak to a more spiritual and rural heritage. To widen the narrative further, we offer an optional excursion to Český Krumlov, an exquisitely preserved Bohemian town whose history allows us again to look beyond modern borders and recognise Bohemia’s significance within the Habsburg world. Taken together, the cruise represents a chance to see how centuries of creativity, faith and power have left their mark on this beautiful and historically layered region.

Who are the experts and what do they bring individually and collectively to the cruise?

We’re delighted to be joined by three exceptional speakers: Dr Philipp Blom, Veronica Buckley, and Gavin Plumley – each a specialist in the history and culture of Central Europe, and together a wonderfully balanced team.

Dr Philipp Blom is a historian, broadcaster and award-winning writer who brings a breadth of insight into the Habsburg Empire, European political thought, and fin-de-siècle Vienna. Veronica Buckley is a historical biographer with a particular focus on the royal households of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Based in Vienna, Philipp and Veronica are also the co-authors of New Insights, an engaging re-examination of the masterpieces in the Kunsthistorisches Museum – a fitting companion to our private visit there.

They are joined by Gavin Plumley, a cultural historian specialising in the final years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the artistic and social transformations of the period.

Together, the trio bring both depth and dialogue to enrich what we will see ashore. Some talks will take the form of shared plenaries, allowing for lively discussion between the speakers and audience alike. Collectively, they embody what Martin Randall Travel does best: bringing together scholarship, storytelling, and conversation in a way that transforms travel into cultural discovery.

What will we be seeing of particular interest and why?

Throughout the journey, the focus remains firmly on the art and history of the Upper Danube. In Budapest, a private visit to the Matthias Church on Fisherman’s Bastion brings us to the heart of Hungarian identity. In Vienna, exclusive out-of-hours access to the Kunsthistorisches Museum allows for unhurried appreciation of one of the world’s greatest art collections, while an evening visit to the Upper Belvedere provides the perfect setting to appreciate Klimt’s The Kiss – an icon of Vienna’s fin-de-siècle brilliance.

Beyond the cities lies the Wachau Valley, arguably the Danube’s most beautiful stretch. As the ship glides past vineyards, castle ruins, baroque abbeys, and riverside villages, we make time to step ashore and explore these landscapes more fully.

History & Art on the Danube is, above all, a celebration: of a river that has shaped Europe, of the cultures that co-habited and flourished along its course, and of the joy of travelling with insight, companionship and curiosity. It is an invitation to experience Central Europe as a living, interconnected world – its history written in stone, its art glowing in gilded galleries, and its story unfolding with the gentle undulations of the water beneath us.

History & Art on the Danube will be running from 6 to 13 July 2026.