7 nights | 29 miles/day
Self guided from EUR € 999
Tap above to jump to different sections of this tour
-
Danube Bike and Boat
7 night self guided bike and boat tour in Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia on MS SE-MANON
On this bike and boat tour, you will cycle by day and enjoy the comforts of your boat accommodations by night. From Passau, the Bavarian "Three River City", cycle along the Danube River into the heart of the once glorious Imperial and Royal Monarchy. Along the way experience three of the most enchanting European capitals, from the lively city of Vienna, to the Slovak coronation city of Bratislava and the "Hungarian Danube Queen", Budapest.
Discover the stunning natural wonders of the Danube National Park and Schlögener Donauschlinge ("Great Loop"). Visit the picturesque Hungarian Danube bend with the Esztergom Basilica perched on the hillside of the shore. The Wachau valley will not disappoint with vineyards, castles, and romantic villages along the path.
Highlights
- Passau, the City of 3 rivers
- Wachau valley and the World Heritage Site Wachau
- Vienna
- Budapest
- Bratislava
- The Schloegen Danube Loop
- The Hungarian Danube Bend
Learn More
Learn more about self-guided tours.
-
Daily program
All distances are approximate. If you do not want to cycle one day, you can skip the bike tour and relax on board while cruising to the next harbor. The bike tours are self-guided, at your own pace, without a tour guide, but with daily briefings on board and detailed bicycle maps and directions. We reserve the right to make changes to the program if necessary due to weather or other circumstances.
Day 1: Passau – Engelhartszell
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 4:00pm, departure around 7:00pm. Enjoy your first dinner on board and an evening sail to Engelhartszell.Day 2: Engelhartszell – Great Loop – Brandstat – Bratislava (29 mi/46 km)
The day starts in Engelhartszell (the only Trappist monastery in Austria), where we head towards the "Great Loop," one of the most beautiful and original sectors of the Danube. Your cycling will encounter small villages and cozy must-see taverns. You'll board again in Brandstatt. Then, you cruise towards Devin.Day 3: Bratislava (34 mi/54 km)
Arrival at Bratislava in the morning. You start cycling from Bratislava via Hainburg to the imposing Imperial Palace of Hof, beautifully terraced gardens and idyllic manor farm, further on to Devin, and then back to Bratislava. Overnight, you'll cruise to Budapest.Day 4: Budapest or roundtrip to Szentendre (0-25 mi/0-40 km)
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 Margaretheninsel which is outstandingly qualified for a small bike tour or the charming town of Szentendre with a Mediterranean atmosphere and lively art life. Continue cruising overnight to Visegrad.Day 5: Danube Bend | Visegrad –Esztergom (16-37 mi/25-60 km)
The Danube bend is definitely one of the most delightful and attractive parts and is called the Hungarian Wachau. Today's bike stage starts in Visegrad with its famous fortress and the ruins of the former palace. You can choose from 2 different routes: the longer one includes a side trip to the island of Szentendre and the baroque village of Vác, which has been influenced by the architects of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresia. The other route leads you directly to the bishop-town of Esztergom, with its gorgeous basilica – Hungary's largest Catholic Church –overlooking the village. Overnight you'll cruise to Vienna.Day 6: Vienna-Nussdorf/Korneuburg (rest day)
You should be sure to see the most famous places of interest like St. Stephens Cathedral and the Hofburg. The gorgeous boulevard "Ringstraβe" with the Burgtheater, the State Opera House or the town hall that take you back to the past. Overnight you cruise to Rossatz or Dürnstein.Day 7: Wachau – Melk – Pöchlarn (26-32 mi/42-52 km)
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 Emmersdorf – located just opposite Melk – you will board again. After the farewell gala dinner, you start cruising back to Passau.Day 8: Departure from 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 one last sight at the Schlögener Schlinge ("Great Loop") before you arrive relaxed at Passau. You'll arrive at approximately 10:00am, disembarking half an hour later. We recommend arranging connecting trips from 12:00pm or later.Surface and terrain
The cycle route is mostly flat, at times on a gentle downhill slope.
Boats
MS SE Manon
How to get there
Tour start and end
Nearest airport: Munich, Germany
Nearest train station: Passau, GermanyTips on getting to and from your tour
-
Dates
May 6, 13, 20, 27; Jun 3, 10; Aug 5, 12, 19, 26; Sep 2, 9, 2022
Prices
Upper deck
Per person, double occupancy € 1299 Single cabin surcharge (1 person/2-bed cabin) € 650 Bike Rentals
Hybrid touring bike, 7-speed with hand brakes € 75 Electrically assisted bikes € 165 Middle deck
Per person, double occupancy € 1199 Single cabin surcharge (1 person/2-bed cabin) € 600 Bike Rentals
Hybrid touring bike, 7-speed with hand brakes € 75 Electrically assisted bikes € 165 Main deck
Per person, double occupancy € 999 Single cabin surcharge (1 person/2-bed cabin) € 500 Bike Rentals
Hybrid touring bike, 7-speed with hand brakes € 75 Electrically assisted bikes € 165 Included services
- 7 nights accommodation in booked cabin style
- Full board: 7x breakfast, 6x lunch snack on board (non-cyclists) or packed lunch for cyclists, 6x afternoon coffee break, 6x 3-course-dinner and 1x farewell-dinner with farewell-drink
- Program as mentioned in the itinerary
- Route book and information pack (1 set per cabin); GPS tracks
- Tour guide on board (does not cycle with you)
- Daily cleaning of cabins
- Change of towels and bed linen if requested
- Welcome by the captain and cocktail
- Daily informational meeting
- Port fees and passenger fees
Please note that special dietary needs can be accommodated upon request. Extra fees may apply. Please inform us when booking your tour.
Bike rentals
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- or pedal-brakes
- Electrically assisted bikes (limited number, upon request)*
- Bike rental includes rental insurance
*More about electrically-assisted bikes >
Equipment available:
- Water repellant saddle bag
- Water repellant handlebar bag (1 per cabin)
- 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:
A limited number of helmets are available for purchase only (€40, reserved in advance, payable upon arrival). We recommend that you bring your own helmet for safety and hygiene purposes or plan to purchase one upon arrival. Helmets are compulsory for children under 18.
-
Route Map
Maps are for information purposes only and reflect typical routes between overnight locations. They may not reflect your actual route.
-
Reviews
-
★★★★★ 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
-
★★★★★ 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
-
