Passau to Vienna Cycling

Overview

Cycle through a thousand years of history

The route from Passau, on Germany’s eastern border, to Vienna is one of the most popular cycle paths in Europe, and it’s no wonder! This stretch of the Danube carves its way through a thousand years of history; 60 dramatic castles and palaces lie along the river and the ever-changing landscape is a kaleidoscope of fertile plains, narrow gorges, lowland forests, bird-rich marshland and acres of picturesque vines.

Key Information

Activity: Cycling
Activity Level: Easy
See our Activity Level Guidelines to check if this holiday is right for you.
Trip Code: C10PA
Ways to Travel: Self-Guided Holidays
Countries: Austria, Germany

What's Included

10 Nights, hotel-to-hotel
All breakfasts
Navigation app and luggage transfers between hotels
High-quality bikes

Positive Impact

We donate to our Foundation and rewild 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller. Find out more about how our adventures support nature and people to thrive.

Don't Forget To

Request a single room or e-bike if required, purchase travel insurance and arrange any visas and vaccinations. Please note, you may also need to pay a solo traveller supplement (where only one person is travelling on a departure date)

Highlights

Gentle cycling on dedicated cycle paths alongside the Danube, one of the most beautiful rivers in Europe
Hilltop castles, Baroque palaces, historic abbeys, ornate monasteries
Sunflower fields, vineyards, peach and apricot orchards
Masses of culture: art galleries, Roman remains, 23,000-year-old sculptures
Eclectic mix of hotels from 15th century convents to riverfront mansions

Itinerary

First Destination: Passau
Next Destination: Vienna

Accommodation:Hotel Residenz
Meals included:Breakfast

Distance:23 km / 14.3 miles
Accommodation:Hotel Donauschlinge
Meals included:Breakfast

Distance:27 km / 16.8 miles
Accommodation:Hotel Wolfinger
Meals included:Breakfast

Distance:61 km / 37.9 miles
Accommodation:Landgasthof Winter
Meals included:Breakfast

Distance:55 km / 34.2 miles
Accommodation:Hotel Zur Post
Meals included:Breakfast

Accommodation:Hotel Zur Post
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Distance:39 km / 24.2 miles
Accommodation:Steigenberger Hotel & Spa
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation:Steigenberger Hotel & Spa
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Distance:41 km / 25.5 miles
Accommodation:Hotel Nibelungenhof
Meals included:Breakfast

Distance:22 km / 13.7 miles
Accommodation:Hotel Austria Classic
Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

First Destination: Passau
Next Destination: Vienna

Arrive at your riverfront hotel and then enjoy dinner in the heart of the old town tonight.

Accommodation:Hotel Residenz
Meals included:Breakfast

After receiving your bike and welcome brief, pedal east to Obernzell, famous for pottery, before popping into the Keramicmuseum in a riverside castle. The scent of wood smoke and grilled trout may tempt you into lunch as you cross into Austria where the valley is steeper and cloaked with oak woods. On reaching the hotel, relax in the pool before dinner on the terrace watching passenger boats sparkling with fairy lights cruise past.

Cycling distance either 23km/14.5mi or 47km/29.5mi

Distance:23 km / 14.3 miles
Accommodation:Hotel Donauschlinge
Meals included:Breakfast

Spot kingfishers today in the Donauschlinge Nature Reserve. Stop and enjoy the views at the picnic tables that dot the waterfront before you reach Aschach’s frescoed waterfront. Catch the Linz ferry, or follow the towpath through reed marshes to Ottensheim beach for a swim. Hop on the train here and in no time you’ll arrive at your hotel, an ancient convent, in Linz’s extravagant town square.

Cycling distance 46km/29mi

Distance:27 km / 16.8 miles
Accommodation:Hotel Wolfinger
Meals included:Breakfast

The route leads you away from the Danube to 12th Century Enns. Austria’s oldest city, before returning to the Danube and an onward ride to the beautiful little village of Ardagger.

Cycling disctance either 56km/35mi or 61km/38mi

Distance:61 km / 37.9 miles
Accommodation:Landgasthof Winter
Meals included:Breakfast

Explore the small baroque town of Grein before cycling through the fertile Danube Valley for a lunch stop in Ybbs, home to a quirky collection of penny-farthings bicycles. The hilltop twin towers of Maria Taferl appear and Melk’s monastery looms high above as you pedal towards Margaret Ebner’s welcoming family hotel in Melk.

Cycling distance 55km/34.2mi

Distance:55 km / 34.2 miles
Accommodation:Hotel Zur Post
Meals included:Breakfast

Melk’s massive Benedictine monastery was rebuilt in 1683, and the interior abbey is as breathtaking as the countryside views from the rooftop terrace. For a day trip, cycle to Schloss Schallaburg (8km return), one of the finest Renaissance castles north of the Alps, where you can stroll in the magnificent rose gardens and enjoy acclaimed cultural exhibitions.

Accommodation:Hotel Zur Post
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Today you coast along the UNESCO Wachau Valley, a necklace of villages and vineyards, anchored by pretty churches along the north bank. Each is charming, especially Durnstein where Richard the Lionheart was held for ransom in the craggy hilltop castle. Admire the statuette, Venus of Willendorf, dating back to 23,000BC, before arriving in Krems for a splash in the pool, and candlelit dinner on the terrace overlooking the valley.

Distance:39 km / 24.2 miles
Accommodation:Steigenberger Hotel & Spa
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Krems has one of the most beautiful historic centres in Europe and is packed with interest, from the Wine Museum housed in a restored Dominican monastery to the 13th century abbey that exhibits paintings of Martin Johann Schmidt. You can cycle out to Schloss Grafenegg (14km away), a gargoyle-encrusted Gothic castle set in 85 acres of parkland, perfect for picnics, or just relax in the fabulous hotel spa and pool.

Accommodation:Steigenberger Hotel & Spa
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Freewheel down river to Tulln, known as the ‘Town of Roses’. Pop into the Roman museum, which is packed with artefacts, and dine out tonight amid the fountains, statues and ornate buildings that crowd the pretty centre before returning to your waterfront hotel.

Distance:41 km / 25.5 miles
Accommodation:Hotel Nibelungenhof
Meals included:Breakfast

Coast along the last stretch and relax over lunch in imperial Klosterneuburg. Then cycle along Danube Island before continuing to your hotel, right in the heart of the city. Enjoy dinner out in Vienna’s lively centre which is breathtakingly floodlit at night!

Cycling distance either 22km/13.5mi or 41km/26mi

Distance:22 km / 13.7 miles
Accommodation:Hotel Austria Classic
Meals included:Breakfast

The tour ends after breakfast in Vienna.

Meals included:Breakfast

Dates & Prices

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Accommodation

Hotels

Our hotels are all individually charming with those at Passau, Schlogen and Tulln on the riverbank, and range from a quirky, 15th century convent in Linz, to magnificent 4-star luxury in Krems, with two pools and a world-class spa! We have included two nights in Linz, Melk and Krems to allow time to explore at leisure. It’s easy to add nights before or after the tour to enjoy time in Passau and Vienna.

Room upgrades available on request

Essential Information

Classification: Self-Guided

Much of the cycling is on the old river towpath which is now lovely, flat and surfaced; previously up to 60 horses strained to drag heavy cargo boats upstream against the powerful current! Today, dozens of farms and cafes offer waterfront lunch stops as you cycle between sun-baked villages and wayside stalls piled high with apples, peaches and plums. Most cycling days are completely flexible, as local boat and train services are excellent, cheap and cater brilliantly to cyclists.

Austria

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Austria. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through. Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/austria
Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/austria
United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/austria/entry-requirements
USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Austria.html

Germany

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Germany. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

All breakfasts included

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.