Sailing Through History: My AmaWaterways Gems of Eastern Europe Journey
From hot air balloons over Cappadocia to cruising the Danube through Eastern Europe, here’s how I planned a seamless, enriching, and surprisingly easy adventure with my mom, spanning Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, and Hungary.
This year, we decided to take a different route on AmaWaterways through Eastern European countries. River cruising is really the most comfortable way to experience multiple countries in Europe. While on this trip, I reached my 60th country Serbia. Even though it was six countries, that was the only new one for me, however, it ticked off five new for my mom and hitting a new continent Asia, starting with a pre-cruise in Turkey.
River cruising is also such a great way for birthdays and celebrations, since it’s a boat party that doesn’t require any planning. The team there has you covered with a custom cake and a whole boat of people to sing to you, along with many new friends that you’ve just made. Mom celebrated her 77th birthday, and while I was on top of the crew to find us on the ship for her actual birthday, they were always a few steps ahead.
This summer was one that I’ll be thinking about for a long time. An adventure that began among the surreal rock formations of Cappadocia, zig-zag across the Bosphorus on a yacht in Istanbul, and ended with a peaceful sail along the Danube with AmaWaterways' Gems of Eastern Europe river cruise.
(Feel free to review my River Cruise Guide and ask me which route and cruise line would suit you!)
Stay tuned for the series as I break down the pre-cruise to revisiting one of my favorite underrated cities in Europe:
Why Cappadocia was worth the detour (and how we made it work logistically)
How Istanbul surprised me, again
Highlights from cruising through Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, and Hungary
Tips for accessible excursions and traveling with an older parent
Why River Cruising is perfect for mother daughter trips
If you’ve ever wondered how to cover this much ground without feeling rushed or want to make a big trip feel seamless for a parent or grandparent, this one’s for you.
