Skip to contentVIENNA, AUSTRIA
To get the best experience in Vienna, including exceptional Danube River cruise shore excursions, book one of our friendly local Guides4me tour guides, who offer seamless port pickup and timely return to your ship while helping you experience the city like a true insider. Whether you want to explore Vienna’s iconic landmarks or venture off the beaten track to uncover hidden gems and authentic local experiences, our private, personalized tours ensure you feel like a local and make every moment of your visit truly memorable.
Reza
Reza is LGBT friendly and speaks English, Persian and German.
Originally from Iran, Reza holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and has been proudly calling Austria home since 2019. Over the years, he has developed a deep appreciation for Vienna’s imperial history, artistic heritage, and vibrant cultural life, transforming his passion for the city into unforgettable guest experiences. In addition to his warm hospitality background in the restaurant industry, Reza has gained valuable experience leading personalized city tours and private shore excursions for Danube River cruise guests, ensuring smooth port pick-up, timely return to ships, and thoughtfully tailored itineraries that match each traveller’s interests.
Energetic, welcoming, and naturally engaging, Reza enjoys playing table tennis, listening to music, and dancing in his free time, qualities that shine through in his lively and personable guiding style. He loves connecting with travellers from around the world and takes pride in showing not only Vienna’s iconic landmarks but also its hidden courtyards, local neighbourhoods, and authentic cultural gems that truly bring the city to life.
Total cost for the guide services of Reza for one day (8 hours) = a booking fee of 39 Euro via Paypal, debit / credit cards, bank transfer or Crypto Currency plus 120 Euro in cash to Reza after his services. This makes a total of 159 Euro.
This excludes any transport, entrance fees or any food & beverage costs.
“Reza was an excellent guide. He was very knowledgeable and took special care to tailormake your tour to your own requirements. I had a brilliant day with him. If you want a knowledgeable guide with a great friendly personality, then Reza is definately your guide” – Jonathan, USA.
Highlights of Vienna
The capital of Austria has a population of 1.9 million people. Lying on the River Danube. Vienna has a large artistic culture. Famous musicians such as Mozart and Beethoven are from here.
The most popular tourist site is the Schonbrunn Palace. It is a World Heritage site. In addition, another palace to visit is the Hofburg Imperial Palace along with the Sisi Museum, the Imperial Silver Collection and the Belvedere Museum. The Belvedere was built in the early 18th century, the style is Baroque. This is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It also has paintings from Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet. Don’t forget St. Stephen’s Cathedral. An iconic building which has a distinctive tiled roof, and a southern tower offering views over the city.
After all this culture, you can then head to the Giant Ferris Wheel or watch the equestrians at the Spanish Riding school.
You can also use Vienna as a base and visit other beautiful European cities, such as Salzburg, Budapest and Prague.
🚢 Major River Cruise Lines That Stop at Vienna
Vienna, Austria, a major port on the Danube River is a regular stop or embarkation point for many European river cruise lines. Most of these cruises explore the Danube, typically visiting other capitals like Budapest (Hungary) and Bratislava (Slovakia), as well as smaller towns and scenic regions like the Wachau Valley.
The following cruise lines commonly include Vienna as a port-of-call or departure point on Danube itineraries:
Viking River Cruises
AmaWaterways
Avalon Waterways
Amadeus River Cruises
Emerald Waterways
Crystal Cruises
Tauck Cruises
Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Why Travellers Love Guides4me Shore Excursions?
🌍 1. Personalization & Custom Itineraries
Private excursions with Guides4Me are built around what you want to see and do, not a fixed group schedule.
You tell your guide your interests and tempo.
You choose stops and how long to spend at each. Cruise-line tours follow a standard itinerary designed for large groups, with little room for deviation.
Personalized pacing (more time where you want)
Tailored stops (skip what doesn’t interest you)
👥 2. Much Smaller, More Comfortable Groups
Cruise line group tours can be big, often 40+ people, which means:
More waiting for everyone to board transport.
Less opportunity to interact with the guide.
Feeling like “just another number.”
Guides4Me shore excursions are fully private tours where:
✔ You get direct access to your guide
✔ There’s no crowd to manage
✔ The experience feels more relaxed and personal
🗺️ 3. Flexibility You Won’t Get With Group Tours
Private tours with Guides4Me can adapt in real time:
If you find something interesting, you can stay longer.
If the weather changes, the guide can adjust plans.
If you prefer to skip a site, you can.
Group tours run on strict schedules, tight timing, fixed routes, and little flexibility.
🤝 4. Deep Local Insight & Authentic Experiences
Guides4Me uses local, hand-picked guides who know their destinations intimately. That usually means:
More stories, context, and cultural insight
Hidden gems that big group tours skip
Recommendations from people who live there
Cruise line tours often have generalized commentary designed for broad appeal and large crowds.
💰 5. Potential for Better Value
While private tours can sometimes cost more per person than a cruise line group tour, many travellers feel the overall value is higher because:
You aren’t paying for a huge group experience
Your time is used more efficiently
You often avoid rush and long queues
Finally, whatever you choose to do in Vienna, it will be a unique and memorable experience of a lifetime, with a Guides4me guide, who will look after you and by the end of the trip you’ve made a best friend.
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