We never thought that we would enjoy a cycle holiday so much. Tired at the end of each trip, but it felt great being outside all day. Cycling along some great landmarks. The Danube cycle trip is very good to start with not to forget the food they have. We had a huge breakfast daily followed by two hot meals for lunch and dinner.
Booking the tour with Radreisen seemed the best choice. They announced the Passau to Vienna as anniversary tour from 300€. Seven days for a 250 km Danube cycle trip. This included a bike which was provided in Passau and a proper travel map with lots of information. All we had to worry about is reaching our destination.
We flew from Dublin to Munich. Got the train all the way to Passau to spend our first night in IBB Hotel.
The next morning we picked up our bikes from a huge garage. We have never seen so many bikes in one place. They all looked the same. Dark green and simple, but they were comfortable.
We continued to a big supermarket, bought snacks and drinks which completely overloaded both side bags of our bikes. Trust us along the trip you get much better. By the end there is barely anything in your bags anymore. Something to drink and a rain jacket, that’s all you really need.
It is always better to arrive a day earlier. You don’t want to get off the plane and start cycling the next day. Don’t forget it will be around 40-50 km daily. You want to be fit for that.
So there was plenty of time to explore Passau. A lovely city in Bavaria close to the border of Austria. From the top you can also see how the river Danube and Inn meet. Unfortunately the city was hit several times by floods. There was a huge one in 2002 followed by another one in 2013 and left some ugly marks around house walls.
From Passau To Linz (52 km)
The next day we started our tour. We jumped on a boat-trip, which reminded us of these granny cruises. All these old ladies drinking alcohol, laughing out loud and just having a good time. We went all the way to a town called Schloegen. From there we had a 52 km cycle ahead all the way to Linz in Austria.
The weather was awful, but the forecast promised sunshine so we tried not to bother too much. We cycled all the way along the Danube river with the option to cross the river several times. It took around 3-4 hours on the bike daily. Plenty of time to stop along the way.
We enjoyed big lunches, chilled out in cafes, explored the little towns or just sat on the river to rest.
On the first day we were really quick and reached our accommodation Hotel Kolping Linz in the early afternoon. We used the time to do some shopping and sightseeing before we hit the pillows.
From Linz To Bad Kreuzen (60 km)
That was it with the big cities. Until Vienna we would only see little villages and lots of landmarks.
Our next destination was Zum Aigner Kreuz Guest House in Bad Kreuzen. One of the longest cycles with 60 km. We passed by Enns which is the oldest city of Austria until we reached Grein. A shuttle bus brought us up to a tiny neighborhood where we spent the night.
From Bad Kreuzen To Poechlarn (46 km)
The next morning we were cruising down the hill back to Grein. A tiny Bicycle Ferry brought us on the other side of the river. That must have been the smallest ferry we have ever seen. It was more like a boat. We had to squeeze on it together with our bikes.
Make sure you be early. The crossing is very slow and people queuing up in the morning as this is the only crossing point.
That day we had a 46 km trip to Hotel Moser in Poechlarn. We visited the Benedictine Monastery in Melk along the way.
From Poechlarn To Krems (49 km)
We left Poechlarn before 8 am and the sun just started to rise. It felt great to be alone on the cycle path because throughout the day it can get packed. Full of biker groups, from couples, to professionals and even families with small kids.
This part of the trip was our favorite one. Cycling through vineyards and little village where some people sold homemade Mirabelle Jam outside their houses.
Our trip ahead was 49 km to Hotel Zum Goldenen Engel in Krems the next destination.
From Krems To Vienna (41 km)
We reached the last day of our trip which brought us straight to Hotel Messe in Vienna. 41 km to Tulln and from there with the train to the city.
We even left the train a few stops before just because we couldn’t get enough of cycling.
That was it, our amazing Danube cycle trip in August 2014. We can't wait for our next one.
