Dry Danube forces cruise passengers on to coaches

Tourists planning a romantic winter cruise along Europe’s rivers are facing stranded ships and long coach journeys after the dry summer left water levels at record lows. Holidaymakers expecting to travel between Budapest and Vienna on the serene waters of the Danube have been told they will be bussed between the cities instead because the water is too low for the cruise ships to navigate. Instead of settling into a cabin for a week, they will be forced to move between stranded cruise ships that have been turned into floating hotels.