Danube Cycle Path Passau – Budapest Bike Tour Reviews page 2
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★★★★★ Theresa H
A treat for the eyes
I did the last tour of 2025, in October. I went with my sister (we are in our 50s) and my daughter (in her 30s) and we used ebikes. The autumn colours along the way were magnificent. We did get a lot of rain on the first day, and a small amount on the second but otherwise we got lucky with the weather. I wanted to do this type of tour in which you are not riding with other people because I prefer to take my time and not have to worry about holding other people up. There was another group of women we saw sometimes along the way, and got chatting to them sometimes, mostly at breakfast but once along the way. That was nice, and my daughter exchanged socials so she may have made friends.
The path from Passau to Vienna is fantastic, and I reckon I could do that again, maybe on my own and maybe even on a regular bike. After Vienna it's a bit rougher, particularly in Slovakia. We were worried about the bikes over one particularly bumpy patch, but we figured they wouldn't be sending the bikes there if they didn't think they were up to the task. And they were, so all was well.
The hotels we stayed at were very good, for the most part. We chose category A due to the higher number of spa hotels. They didn't all have a spa, and they didn't all have lifts either, so bear that in mind when packing. Yes, they transport your bags (chef's kiss on that) but you have to get them to your room. Some of the rooms in Austria were more suited to couples than to mother and daughter due to having bathrooms with glass doors, but we just had to make sure we were in a spot out of eyeline when the other was using the facilities.
I absolutely loved this trip and sometimes get a bit sad that it's over. -
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★★★★★ Donna
Fantastic experience!
Our self-guided bike tour from Passau to Budapest was fantastic! Bike Tours transported our luggage (LOVED that) and provided excellent ebikes and mostly excellent hotels. The bike paths were mostly easy to follow but even with the Pedalo App and map books provided with the bikes, I would have gotten hopelessly lost if we didn't have internet and maps to use too. Especially after Vienna when some paths got so rough I thought they couldn't possibly be part of the EV6/R1... BUT THEY WERE!!! But, most of the paths were great. I absolutely, thoroughly recommend a Danube bike tour. The best part (and I think this is true to most people judging by how many cyclists and guided bike tours were going on there) was Wachau around Durnstein.
We went in Autumn and I think that was brilliant because it wasn't so busy and watching the trees turn golden as we progressed was a beautiful surprise.
Some cycling days were 60km which I believe was too long because we had no time to explore the towns at the end of the day. We just wanted to use the pool and sauna when available. I was SO glad when the hotel had those facilities. Best thing ever at the end of a long day of riding. Especially when it was wet and cold, which, unfortunately we had for the first few days. I definitely recommend paying extra to get more accommodation with saunas. All the hotel staff were used to cyclists and some had excellent storage. Others, didn't, but the staff were always helpful. Pack as lightly as you can, because even though the luggage is transferred for us, some hotels were walk-ups! Not good. Even worse there was a train journey in a town that only had stairs between platforms! With bikes! Awful. IF you can avoid the train, that's probably best.- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Staff member
Donna,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed your self-guided tour from Passau to Budapes, especially the e-bikes, luggage transfers, and those beautiful stretches along the Danube. Wachau around Dürnstein is a favorite for many of our travelers, so we're glad it stood out for you as well.
You’re absolutely right about autumn being a wonderful time to ride, and also about those longer cycling days. This is great feedback and something we’ll keep in mind for future route planning. We’re also happy to hear that the hotel saunas were a welcome reward after the colder, wetter days!
Thank you again for taking the time to write such a thoughtful review. We hope to welcome you back on another cycling adventure soon!
Bozena
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★★★★★ Mark K
Danube May 26
Personally I rarely do reviews. This one is one where I couldn’t wait for an opportunity to thank this group for providing myself and my wingman with the best ride of my life. I’ve done a lot of touring. Distance wise this is shorter than most I have done however the tour itinerary provided me with more great memories and fun riding days than any other. To sum it up my expectations were completely exceeded at every level.
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★★★★★ Melissa R
Wonderful trip and excellent service/support
The bikes were great, accommodations just right.some of the lengths were too short followed by very long consecutive days. More even mileage would be good.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 12
- 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
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★★★★★ Melissa R
Wonderful trip and excellent service/support
The bikes were great, accommodations just right.some of the lengths were too short followed by very long consecutive days. More even mileage would be good.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 12
- 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
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★★★★★ Carla
Different thrill every day
Such a wonderful way to understand the magnitude of the Danube. Loved every minute,
- What was the date of your tour?
- May16
- 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Nancy
Pedal, Explore, Eat, Repeat
Riding bicycles through the countryside, towns and cities of four countries allowed us to experience and explore at our own pace and pleasure. The route was well-planned with a navigation app allowing us to avoid most of the major roads and traffic while traveling through villages, farm fields and along the Danube. Our luggage arrived at each hotel as planned; the hotels were really nice and had great breakfasts; and our lodging was always located close to scenic areas (like the Danube) or city sites. The bicycles we rented from biketours.com were in excellent condition allowing us a trouble-free ride, and came with a panniers for things we needed to keep with us. Biketours uses local partners to implement rides and we did have one blip in the itinerary where we were supposed to take a boat on the Danube from Szentendre to Budapest and the boat service had been suspended. The local operator was responsive and apologetic and helped us formulate an alternative plan. I would use biketours.com again. I would add that there are sections where you ride in city traffic or on minor roads with no bike lane. I didn't enjoy that, but it was unavoidable to get to our hotels which were located to provide us with easier access to the sites.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2026
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Tracy S
Really beautiful scenery and a great bike to take me down the paths
I really enjoyed the trip. The scenery was gorgeous. The navigation app worked well, and pointed out the details we needed to cross the road when needed, and circle around to cross bridges. Our luggage transfers were seamless. I was happy with my pedal assist ebike, which worked without a hitch and made the riding just the right level of athletic challenge (but not too much). We got a great overview of the ride from Vienna to Budapest from a meeting with the tour operator, so we knew what to expect, and weren't confused on our rail and boat transfers towards the end.
I liked staying in the smaller towns, where I could see how people live, and experience local hospitality.
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★★★★★ Tony B
A great intro to bike touring
This was a fairly gentle tour along the river, passing through and staying in some lovely picturesque cities and towns. The scenery was sometimes pretty but lengthy sections could be monotonous. This isn't anyone's fault - it's the official Euro Velo route.
On two days, train tickets were provided, presumably to limit the distance ridden, but, on both occasions, we elected to ride, making the longest days a touch over 80km and there was ample range in the ebikes for that. The bikes were great and appeared almost brand new. I would, however, recommend a pair (or two) of bike shorts or your own saddle.
The (optional) phone app from the local tour operator (Pedalo) was generally good for navigation, though a distance countdown for the day's ride would be a great addition.
However, we only stumbled over information about the day 1 briefing and bike handover in the app at the last second. More proactive communication (a welcome email a couple of days out?) would have been helpful. Pedalo support was good when we needed to contact them, though.- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2026
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first
- 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
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★★★★★ Angela Hampton
Tales From the Danube Cycle Path
This was the trip of our dreams and was so great, I had to write a book about it!
We had amazing sights along flat paths, delicious wine in wine country and met interesting people. Navigating from the app was a bit challenging and there may have been a corn field we found ourselves in in Hungary where the paths weren't as easy to follow. However, it all added to the adventure. BikeTours was easy to work with and I highly recommend them.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5+
- 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
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