Cycling Cruise on the Danube - Four countries and three capitals
- Passau – Vienna – Bratislava – Budapest – Passau -
Accompanied by a cruise ship you cycle along Europe's second largest river Danube from the charming Bavar-ian “three river city” of Passau straight into the heart of the once glorious Imperial and Royal Monarchy. Enjoy three of the most enchanting European capitals: the lively Vienna, the Slovak coronation city of Bratislava at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains and Budapest, the "Hungarian Danube Queen"! By bicycle you discover the stunning natural spectacle of the Schlögener Donauschlinge ("Great Loop"), the legendary Wachau with romantic towns and mighty castles amidst lovely vineyards, the untouched alluvial forests of the Danube Na-tional Park, as well as the picturesque Hungarian Danube bend where the important cupola of the basilica in Esztergom salutes from the distance. The highlights of the tour: Passau, the City of 3 rivers, the Schloegen Danube Loop, the Hungarian Danube Bend, the World Heritage Site Wachau, the metropoles of Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna.
About the cycling tours
All distances are “approximate distances” of recommended bike tours. When a guest does not want to cycle one day, she/he can skip the bike tour and relax on board while cruising to the next harbour. The bike tours are individual, at your own pace, without a tour guide, but with daily briefings on board and detailed bicycle maps and directions. All cycle tours can be classified as being easy.
Great things about this tour
MS PRINZESSIN KATHARINA
The comfortable MS Prinzessin Katharina provides the right ambience to make you feel at ease. On board the premium ship you can expect classic elegance, a tasteful interior and a friendly crew. Enjoy the special atmos-phere and let yourself be spoilt by the good cuisine. On two passenger decks you will find a panoramic restau-rant, a comfortable salon, two bars and an inviting foyer, a book corner, a small shop and a hairdresser's sa-lon. On the spacious, partly covered sun deck there are enough deck chairs available.
All 71 cabins are outside cabins and comfortably and tastefully furnished featuring en-suite facilities with shower/WC, hair dryer, air-conditioning, TV, on-board-radio, telephone and a small refrigerator.
Upper deck: 29 two-bed cabins, 1 triple cabin und 2 single cabins;
all cabins have approx. 11 m2 with french balcony (= floor-to-ceiling windows which can be opened). 2-bed cab-ins with a sofa bed and a pullman bed (stowed during the day for more comfort). In the triple cabin a 3rd bed is folded down from the wall (max. 80 kg).
Main deck: 38 two-bed cabins, 1 single cabin (all cabins have approx.
11 m2) with two sofa beds standing in a right angle and a picture window (not to open).
Technical Details: Year of construction: 1990. Refurbishment: 2015. Registry: Malta. Length: 110 m. Width: 11.20 m. Draft: 1 m. Passengers: max. 140. Number of crew: 30.
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Itinerary See all daysClose all days
Arrival in the "Three River City". Passau attracts many with the world's greatest church organ at the Stephansdom and its charming Old Town. Embarkation will be around 4:00 pm, departure around 7 pm. Enjoy your first dinner on board and an evening sail to Engelhartszell.
You will start the day in Engelhartszell, where you will find the only Trappist monastery in Austria. From here you head towards "The Great Loop", which is one of the most beautiful places along the Danube. During the bike ride you will experience beautiful scenery, small villages and cozy little restaurants. You will reach Aschach, where you will board the boat again.
Night sailing towards Vienna-Nussdorf
You have this day on your own in Vienna, but you will be offered a guided tour on the boat if you wish. While in Vienna, you should visit the most famous sights, such as St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Hofburg, the beautiful Ringstrasse boulevard and the Opera House.
In the evening, the boat sails on to Budapest.
In the early morning, you enjoy the panoramic view of the Danube's gorgeous landscape on the Sundeck. The gateway to Budapest is overwhelming, as many of the famous tourist features are situated directly next to the river bank. In the afternoon you can explore the numerous attractions of the city. Nearby, you find the Mar-garetheninsel which is outstandingly qualified for a small bike tour or the charming town of Szentendre with Mediterranean atmosphere and lively art life. In the night shipping to Visegrad.
The Danube bend is definitely a delightful part and is called the Hungarian Wachau. Today's bike leg starts at Visegrad with its famous fortress and the ruins of the former palace. You cycle through the picturesque countryside via the Szentendre Peninsula to the baroque village of Vác, which has been influenced by the architects of the Austrian empress Maria Theresia. Via small Hungarian villages you return to Visegrad. In the afternoon shipping to Bratislava.
You arrive in Bratislava in the morning. You can explore Slovakia's small, vibrant capital and the impressive castle, which offers magnificent panoramic views. A mini-train will take you through the old town and there will be an opportunity for a guided bike tour.
In the evening, you continue on to Rossatz or Dürnstein (Waschau).
Your last biking day is a special highlight! Amidst small dreamy villages, apricot trees, vineyards, castles, monasteries and ruins, this gentle hilly landscape enchants everybody. A powerful ruin looms above the small Baroque town of Dürnstein, while the blue tower of the monastery church is a landmark of Wachau. In the small village of Pöchlarn you will board again. After the farewell gala dinner, you start “sailing” back to Passau.
Every journey draws to an end. Once again you enjoy on deck the first sunbeams and the peaceful silence of the Danube Valley. Take a last sight at the Schlögener Schlinge ("Great Loop") before you arrive relaxed at Passau. Arrival: approx. at 11am, disembarkation half an hour later.
If you travel onwards by train, we recommend to not arrange trains earlier than 1.30 pm.
Price includes
- 7 nights in a main deck cabin
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day
- Coffee and cake every afternoon
- Welcome briefing and welcome drink
- 4-course farewell dinner
- Daily live music
- Daily briefing about tomorrows cycling tour
- Information pack with route book (one per cabin)
- GPS-data is available
- 24-hour local and international service hotline for the duration of the tour
- This is a packaged holiday and is therefore covered by The Travel Guarantee Fund - See which benefits this means for you - click here
- Transportation to/from Passau
- Handling fee (EUR 20)
- optional: Bike rental, including bike insurance
Practical info
It is possible to alone on this tour and stay in a double room. This can be selected on the booking form.
All departures require at least 50 guests. Departures are cancelled minimum 21 days before departure (which rarely happens)
On all our cycling holidays it is possible bring your own bike but it also possible to rent a bike for the tour. The bikes you can rent are all perfectly suited for the tour and the local terrain and all bikes are perfectly maintained. If you want to rent a bike on your holiday, then you select this on the booking form where you can also see the price. Remember to write your height in the message field when you book so that we know which size bike you need.
PHOTOS OF THE BIKES ARE BELOW THIS TEXT
On this tour it is possible to rent the following bikes:
- Unisex 7-gear bike – with back pedal breaks
- Unisex ebike – with backpedal breaks
Equipment included in the bike rental:
- Saddle bag (water repellent)
- Handlebar bag (water repellent)
- Service-set with tools and extra bicycle tube
- Combination lock
Roadside assistance
All bikes are equipped with puncture resistant tyres which means that it is virtually impossible to puncture. No rule without exceptions, so should you experience a punctured tyre then you can quickly fix it by using the tools in the service-set. If the damage is greater than a simply puncture then you simply call us and we make sure that your bike is fixed or you will be supplied with a new bike as quickly as possible.
Insurance is included
Insurance against theft and damages are included in the bike rental. Should you have any problems of this nature then all you have to do is to let us know and we will supply a new bike as quickly as possible. Naturally, careless or mischievous behavior is exempt from this.
Unisex 7-gear bike – with back pedal breaks
Unisex ebike – with backpedal breaks
There are different rules for bicycle helmets and other safety regulations in the countries this tour passes through.
In Austria, bicycle helmets are mandatory for children under 12 years old.
In Slovakia, bicycle helmets are mandatory for everyone when cycling outside of densely populated areas.
In addition, reflective vests are mandatory in both Slovakia and Hungary for cyclists cycling in poor visibility and at night.
We ALWAYS recommend that you wear a helmet and bring your own. It is not possible to buy a helmet on board.
Also bring your own reflective hi-visability vest (hi-vis vest) if you want to cycle on days with poor visibility.
The flights to/from Munich are not included in the price. You can easily find a suitable flight via a flight booking engine such as Momondo or Skyscanner.
Notice: we recommend that you book with us and wait for the confirmation before you book your flights.
It works like this:
- You book your chosen holiday with us
- We confirm your holiday (usually within 48 hours)
- You arrange your transportation
Book a quote
If you prefer that we handle your flight, then we would be happy to arrange this for you. You simply book a quote below the map on this page and we will return with a quote as soon as possible (usually within 48 working hours). Please note that we add a handling fee of 45 euro to each flight and this means that the flight will be cheaper if you book it yourself.
EU-citizens (without special situations like dual citizenship, main residence abroad or a limited-validity passport) are re-quired to have a valid passport or ID-card, not expiring within six (6) months of the return of your cruise. We kindly ask non-EU citizens, EU-nationals with multiple citizenship or anybody who has to respect special legal entry requirements for the country to visit, to inform about visa and entry documents at the competent embassy.
The following is included in the price
- 7x breakfast
- 6x packed lunch for cyclists or lunch snack on board (non cyclists)
- 6x afternoon coffee break
- 6x 3-course-dinner
- 1x farewell-dinner with farewell-drink
It can be hard to plan your trip according to the weather, but to give an idea of the local climate, you can see the data below:
The statistics are from yr.no.
We are members of the Travel Guarantee Fund (nr. 2529) and have all available insurances. Read more about that here.
Call our experts on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Phone: +44 20 3936 1208
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Phone: +44 20 3936 1208
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