Danube Bike and Boat: Passau-Budapest-Passau – MS SE-Manon

Boats

4.65

SE-Manon

Premier Class Boat

75 cabins, 3 decks, 2 tours

The SE-Manon was built in 1999 and updated in 2019. The ship is 360 feet long (110m) and can accommodate up to 150 passengers with 30 crew in attendance. On board, you will find a relaxed…

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Bikes

Touring Bicycle

Velo de Ville bikes (unisex frames) or similar

• Aluminum frame
• Upright handlebar
• Selle Royal saddle
• Shimano gearing
• 7 speeds
• Flat pedal
• Shimano coaster brakes (backpedal & hand) or freewheel hub brakes (handbrakes only) (please specify at booking)
• Rear rack
• Mudguards
• Schwalbe anti-puncture tires

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Electric Bicycle

Velo de Ville bikes (unisex frames) or similar

• Upright handlebar
• Selle Royal saddle
• Flat pedal
• 8 speeds
• Bosch mid-drive motors
• 500 Wh Bosch detachable rechargeable batteries
• The battery can last on average 70-100 km (depending on speed, elevation, etc)
• Shimano coaster (back pedal) or freewheel hub brakes (please specify)
• Rear rack
• Mudguards
• Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires

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Accessories

• Pannier bag
• Pump & repair kit available

Touring bicycle rental is included in tour pricing. Helmets are not included with the bike rentals. We recommend you bring your own helmet to ensure your safety while cycling.

Other bikes (e.g. bikes with back pedal brakes, children’s bikes, “slip streamers”, tandems, etc.) and rear child seats may be possible upon request and are in very limited numbers.

*NOTE: E-bikes feature a small electrical engine and battery that assist and ease your pedaling but you still have to pedal yourself. While riding an e-bike can greatly contribute to the enjoyment of your trip, it is not intended for untrained cyclists as it is not easy to handle such a bike. The engine and battery make the bike much heavier than a regular bike and it also accelerates faster. Handling it well requires good basic cycling skills and confidence.

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Bikes available on this tour (not included in tour price, must be reserved at time of booking):

• Unisex 7-speed bike with step-through frame, either hand-brake OR hand-brake and pedal-brake (subject to availability)
• Electrically assisted bikes (limited number, upon request)*
• Bike rental includes rental insurance

*More about electrically-assisted bikes >

Please note, you may bring your own bike with a surcharge of €29 (on request, limited available space)

Equipment available:

• Water repellant saddle bag
• Water repellant handlebar bag
• Repair kit with spare tube
• Pump
• Lock
• Lighting system
• Mudguard

Pedals:
The bikes will have flat pedals. If you want to bring your own pedals, please bring your own shoes and also the necessary equipment to change the pedals.

Helmets:
We recommend that you bring your own helmet for safety and hygiene purposes or plan to purchase one upon arrival. Helmets are not available for purchase on board. Helmets are compulsory for children under 13 years old and for all cyclist in Slovakia outside towns.

It is also recommended that you bring a high-visibility vest. High-visibility vests are compulsory in Slovakia and Hungary in poor visibility and at night.

• ★★★★★ William Wilson October 12, 2023

  Adventure

  Overall, it was a great experience. Unfortunately, there was one large group of passengers that took over the lounge and dining room each night. Their behavior was loud and obnoxious. It would have been nice if someone if someone in authority could have spoken to them about the disruptions they created for others.
  Our waiter, Emrah, was amazing. He was most attentive.
  I was disappointed with the cost of the drink package. It was more expensive than I expected.
  The entire crew worked very hard to ensure we all had a wonderful experience.

  What was the date of your tour?

  10/1-10/8

  How many tours have you completed?

  One

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Cynthia John October 5, 2023

  Fascinating trip through beautiful countryside

  This was an amazing trip! From Passau to Bratislava, Budapest to Vienna and back to Passau. We had fantastic weather. The only challenging aspect was lack of clarity on the bike routes. The tour directors were challenged in explaining the routes; and the booklets were confusing because they did not shoe the entire routes.
  The meals were great; our room service were very responsive, and the bar servers were great.
  I do wish we had had more time at each of the ports.

  What was the date of your tour?

  September 8, 2023

  How many tours have you completed?

  2

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
  • 4/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Joyce Winough September 27, 2023

  Best Holiday

  this tour really was fun, exciting and restful all together. I really enjoyed being on the boat as it made it's way down and up the Danau.

• ★★★★★ Elizabeth Gray September 19, 2023

  Beautiful trip on the Danube

  This scenic trip is beyond description!!! Boating on this beautiful river, in and out of small towns, bustling cities and incredible mountain and grapevine views was fabulous!
  The boat was nice, clean ( very cold pool) and plenty of service, however; instructions were poor at best.
  There were a couple that provided directions on the routes and many other events upon the boat, SE Mannon, however one spoke no English and the other struggled with describing in English the sometimes complicated routes. 85% of the travelers were non English speakers and were well informed by the German speaking gentleman. Many English speakers became lost in Bratislava and some in Vienna. The routes were beautiful and not too challenging to ride if you paid close attention during the briefings and asked a lot of clarifying questions. When you are t quite sure, ask again until you do. We found not understanding the German and Austrian speakers frustrated them a great deal but don’t get offended. You need the correctly translated information. As simple as “up stream or down stream” can be miscommunicated.
  We had one bike that needed to be changed out, however, the people checking the bike said it was ok and we suffered 2 days with a bike that was not shifting properly. Day 3, new bike, no more problems.
  Do not waste your money on ANy of the drink packages! It is only honored after 4 pm, even soda or coffee is charged outside the 4 pm- 11 pm hours. Dinner drinks are included in restaurant. Breakfast includes coffee but not soda as many drink in AM. Bring snacks back on board if you want anything to eat outside breakfast or dinner.
  Now for the food: we had “guess that dish” every night Everything was covered in some kind of gravy. Pork for dinner the first 3 nights! Desserts were the most disappointing. Very bland puddings, and some had breakfast cereals mixed in. After day 2, we started eating dinner out when possible. One night we had spaghetti which wasn’t too bad however we couldn’t get any Parmesan cheese or extra bread to fill up. Breakfasts offered many options, however, the omelettes were not always cooked through. Stick with the waffles, they were good. Plenty of meats and bread to make sandwiches for your lunch ride. We generally stopped at a pub or beer garden for goulash or French fries and beer! Lots of little places to choose from although good places could be recommended in the route book! No one on board would suggest any restaurants in the towns. That was disappointing. We found a great restaurant on top of a hotel in Vienna with a fabulous view of the city and river.
  In our info from Biketours. Com, we were told not to book travel from the boat before 12. The boat wanted us out of our cabins by 8:30. We waited up on top of the boat until our taxi arrived at 11:00. We were the last party to leave. None of the Americans got off the boat until 10-10:30. Lack of communication again.
  It was nice unpacking only once for our bike tour, however we will probably stick with the bike/hotel version in the future! Croatia here we come in 2024!!! Still had a blast with our party of 6! Thanks Biketours!  SHOW MORE 

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• ★★★★★ Francis Farrell September 4, 2023

  A Family Danube Adventure

  As Grandpa, I organized this adventure for my daughter, son and his family. This seemed an ideal year to do it since my grandson, 16, wouldn't be bored and my granddaughter, 12 and the youngest passenger, would be able to manage the biking and appreciate the countries and cultures she'd experience.
  The ship, cabins and, except for the grand kids, the meals were good.

  On the downside, there were very few English speakers including the tour director. He spoke only German but his wife would do a reasonably good job of translating. Many of the crew and other passengers were capable in English. Also, the cruise line offered a "Drink Plan" with unlimited alcohol for 15 Euros/day for all seven days. This would have been 630 Euros for us, all but me non-drinkers - ridiculous!

  I'm sure we will take another "boat & bike" trip but I doubt with CD Cruise Lines.

  What was the date of your tour?

  August 11-18

  How many tours have you completed?

  16

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  No

  • 3/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 3/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ skinut 7 June 17, 2019

  good trip with a few qualifiers

  The accommodation and food were good. The bikes were excellent.
  The joining instructions were poor. We followed the bus directions after leaving the train and ended up with a 2 km trek with luggage to the boat-the bus took us to summer dock not winter.
  There needs to be clearer advisories re trips in late May and possibly early June, that due to high water in the Danube, there is a greater likelihood of delays and alterations to plans. We were 4 hours late docking at Passau at the end and missed our flight from Vienna. We had arranged a transfer for 12noon as directed(not the scheduled time of 10am) but could not make our flight with a 2pm arrival.
  Also our scheduled stop in Devin was not possible due to high water.

  What was the date of your tour?

  May 20 2019

  How many tours have you completed?

  2 including this one

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Normbc June 4, 2019

  Enjoyed the biking and scenery, but time of year with high water slowed boat down

  This was my first experience on a bike and barge cruise. It was great to have to unpack only the once and have the same place to sleep each day. The rooms were very good, the staff excellent and the meals exceptional. The first couple of days we had rain (time of year) but we were still able to get out and bike (if you don't mind doing so with rain gear on). The timing between stops by the boat were really off because of high water. At one place we were not even able to dock to get off the boat to leave on bikes so that day we had to start where we should have ended and biked an extra 10 km to complete the circuit. Only 2 of us actually the did the entire cirucit due to the rain and wind conditions and distance. The rest of the trip the weather improved and we had some sunny beautiful days biking. We lost our free time to explore Vienna though because of the slow progress of the boat coming up-river where we arrived at 5:30 pm rather than 10 am as scheduled.

  How many tours have you completed?

  May 19 - 26

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
  • 3/5 Guides (if applicable)