Danube River cruise, Hungary: Paddling the Danube - another way to admire the scenery

Moments after we start canoeing down the River Danube, drum beats pierce the previously tranquil air. Then the sound of cannon fire reverberates. There's no need for alarm, though. Our guide, Zsolt, who's sitting behind me, helping us steer, points his paddle at the source of the commotion: the lower castle of Visegrad. It was built in the Middle Ages as part of a chain of hill fortifications to defend this riverside town, which was briefly – from AD1325 to AD1405 – the seat of Hungarian kings.

Now the castle entertains visitors with quirky events such as the medieval knights tournament, in which characters in period costumes wield swords, shields, archers' bows and, as we've heard, cannons. Imagine Game of Thrones, Hungarian-style but with less bloodshed and more laughs.

Visegrad straddles the Danube Bend, a wide, gorgeous curve of the river about 40 kilometres downstream from Budapest. We call in here on our cruise with Avalon and have a choice of "complimentary" shore excursions. Fellow guests enjoy the medieval-themed fun at the castle while others go wine-tasting in the local vineyards or hiking in the Duna-Ipoly national park.

A group of us opt to canoe, seduced by the opportunity to stretch our muscles, carve our own passage along the Danube and work off the delightful food and drink we've had on board Envision, the newest in Avalon's sleek fleet of river vessels. We pass the ship as we paddle out of Visegrad, which is dominated by a 333 metre-high wooded hill, crowned by a ruined citadel.

Visegrad dwindled in importance after the royal capital returned to Buda (part of present-day Budapest) and was later occupied by Turkish invaders after a siege. Fewer than 2000 people now live in Visegrad, with more than double that number residing in Nagymaros, a town on the other side of the river, which catches the eye with its cute, red-roofed houses.

There's ample opportunity to admire the scenery as we paddle, because the Danube is remarkably calm this fine spring afternoon. Flowing through or along the borders of 10 countries between the Black Forest and the Black Sea, the river is 2850 kilometres long. We plan to cover about 13 kilometres of it in our long, sturdy canoes.

There are five of us per canoe, including Zsolt, who ensures everything goes smoothly and reveals snippets about the local nature and history. We're shown the foundations of an ancient Roman fortress on the riverbank, then told to look up at one of the plentiful willow trees. Sitting on a branch is a solitary heron. Soon after, eight of these graceful birds soar past with one of their flock struggling behind.