Cycle along the Danube river - Passau to Vienna

Cycle along the Danube river - Passau to Vienna - 8 days*

Cycling along the Danube River from Passau to Vienna is truly a classic — one of Europe’s most popular cycling holidays! Starting in the German town of Passau, you cross into Austria and follow the scenic Danube River all the way to Vienna. Along the route, you’ll experience beautiful river landscapes, picturesque villages, vineyards, and many historic sites dating back to Roman times.

The Danube route is perfect for beginners or families, as the terrain is mostly flat or gently downhill while following the river downstream. The paths are well-marked, and you cycle almost entirely on car-free routes.

Food lovers will also be delighted by local specialties such as delicious Riesling wines from the Wachau Valley, traditional Knödel dumplings, and the famous Sachertorte. What more could you ask for on a cycling holiday?

*The trip lasts 8 days / 7 nights but can be customized to 10 days / 9 nights. The route remains the same (starting in Passau and ending in Vienna), with daily cycling distances adjusted accordingly. Contact us for prices.

Highlights

  • Relaxed & easy cycling on dedicated cycling paths along Danube
  • Pleasant stops for wine tasting at the vineyards in Wachau
  • Charming cities, beautiful churches, and fantastic landscape every day
  • Explore the wonderful cities - Passau and Vienna

Quick facts

Travel duration: 8 days/ 7 nights
Travel period: 1/5 - 10/10, with arrival day on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays
Grade:
Easy. Average 25-50 km/ 150-400 m per day. Day by day trip grading, see "program" on each trip.
2
Accommodations:
Trip type: Self guided cycling holidays
Price example: From €640
Meals: Breakfast, dinners as an extra option

Prices per person in EUR

The trip can be done during the period May 1 – October 10.

Arrival day is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

8 days/ 7 nights, hotels 3* From €640 Book your trip

Period Double Room - shared bed Twin Room - separate beds SGL - Single Room
2026-05-01 2026-06-07 €940 €940 €1,070
2026-06-12 2026-06-21 €890 €890 €1,120
2026-06-26 2026-07-26 €840 €840 €1,070
2026-07-31 2026-09-12 €890 €890 €1,120
2026-09-13 2026-09-27 €840 €840 €1,070
2026-10-02 2026-10-10 €640 €640 €870
Book your trip

8 days/ 7 nights, hotels 4* From €780 Book your trip

Period Double Room - shared bed Twin Room - separate beds SGL - Single Room
2026-05-01 2026-06-07 €1,080 €1,080 €1,210
2026-06-12 2026-06-21 €1,000 €1,000 €1,240
2026-06-26 2026-07-26 €980 €980 €1,210
2026-07-31 2026-09-12 €1,000 €1,000 €1,240
2026-09-13 2026-09-27 €980 €980 €1,210
2026-10-02 2026-10-10 €780 €780 €1,010
Book your trip

Prices are per person and include:
Accommodation for 7 nights with breakfast
Luggage transport between hotels
Detailed cycling maps
Detailed English roadbooks, including:

  • Destination information
  • Practical information
  • Daily cycling descriptions
    Mobile app with digital maps
    24-hour emergency hotline

Not included
Flights to/from the destination
Airport transfers
Boat trip Enns–Mauthausen (optional, not required for cycling, approx. €2 per person)
Boat trip Melk–Spitz–Krems
Train ride on the final section to Vienna (approx. €10 per person, payable locally)
Local city tax payable on site (approx. €2–3 per person per night)

Single room prices
Prices for single rooms apply when travelling together with others.
If you are travelling alone, an extra fee may apply due to higher luggage transport costs.
Contact us for details.

Optional extras
Bicycle rental: 80 Euro — 7-speed with coaster brake or 21-speed without coaster brake, including map holder, bottle holder, and pannier bag
E-bike: 180 Euro — includes map holder, bottle holder, and pannier bag
Children’s bike: 60 Euro

4 three-course dinners (excluding drinks):

110 Euro per person at 3-star hotels
140 Euro per person at 4-star hotels

Private transfers or train tickets — see the “Getting there” tab

Extra nights
In Vienna (4-star hotel)
70 Euro per person in double room (July–Aug)
80 Euro per person in double room (other months) — when travelling on 3★ package
90 Euro per person in double room (July–Aug)
100 Euro per person in double room (other months) — when travelling on 4★ package

In Passau
4-star hotel: 90 Euro per person in double room
3-star hotel: 70 Euro per person in double room

Child discounts
Children 0–6 years: free of charge
Children 7–11 years: 50% discount
Children 12–15 years: 25% discount

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival in Passau

You arrive in the beautiful old town of Passau, where the three rivers Danube, Inn, and Ilz meet. Take some time to stroll through the charming streets and visit, for example, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, home to the world’s oldest church organ.

Day 2 From Passau to the Danube Loop - 40 km (60 km)

Today you cycle through Obernzell and Engelhartzell, passing castles and charming small villages. Toward the end of the day, you’ll take a boat across the river to your hotel for the night.
40 km (60 km)

Day 3 From the Danube Loop to Linz - approx. 30 km (56 km)

The day begins with the most famous section of the Danube, the “Schlögener Donauschlinge”, where the hard granite forces the river into a sharp 180-degree bend. Continuing toward Aschach, the valley widens as you cycle to the Eferding basin. You can take a break at the Wilhering Monastery before reaching the cultural city of Linz.
30 km (56 km)

 

Day 4 From Linz to Wallsee/Au - approx. 45 km

Today you will follow the bikepath of Danube through the Machland-region to Mauthausen, and past Wallsee castle. Later you go to today’s goal, which is Wallsee/Au.

45 km

Day 5 From Wallsee/Au to Pöchlarn/Maria Taferl - 50 km (67 km)

Today you cycle through the Strudengau valley with the romantic Hößgang to Ybbs, and continue to today’s destination, Pöchlarn – Austria’s second largest pilgrimage site.

50 km (67 km)

Day 6 From Maria Taferl to Krems/Traismauer - 54 km (67 km)

Today’s cycling tour takes you through the beautiful and picturesque Wachau region, where you’ll ride past vineyards and orchards and experience the romantic village of Dürnstein with its castle ruins. You can shorten the ride by taking a boat from Spitz or Dürnstein to Krems.

54 km (67 km)

Day 7 From Krems to Vienna - 70 km (80 km)

The final cycling day of the journey takes you toward Vienna. Today’s stage can be shortened by bringing your bike on the train from Tulln to Vienna. Once you arrive, enjoy a pastry at one of the city’s many cafés and take your time exploring its famous sights. In the evening, you might visit a Heurigen , a wine restaurant?

70 km (80 km)

Day 8 Departure day

You can either finish the journey after breakfast, or you can book a bus transfer back to Passau (prices under the tab “Prices & What’s included”).

Accommodations

Accommodation 4-star hotels (one night 3-star)

NightPlaceAccommodation
Night 1PassauHotel ****
Night 2The Danube LoopHotel ****
Night 3LinzHotel ****
Night 4Wallsee / AuHotel ***
Night 5Marbach / Maria TaferlHotel ****
Night 6Krems / TraismauerHotel ****
Night 7ViennaHotel ****

Accommodation 3-star hotels (one night 4-star)

NightPlaceAccommodation
Night 1PassauHotel ***
Night 2The Danube LoopHotel ***
Night 3LinzHotel ***
Night 4Wallsee / AuHotel ***
Night 5Marbach / Maria TaferlHotel ***
Night 6Krems / TraismauerHotel ***
Night 7ViennaHotel ****

Route map

Getting to the destination

Plane

The nearest airport to fly to is Vienna (VIE).

You can also fly to Munich (MUC) and Salzburg (SZG).

 

Train

Train from Vienna to Passau, approx. 2 h 25 min.
Train from Munich to Passau, approx. 2 h 15 min.
Train from Salzburg to Passau, approx. 1 h 55 min.

Bus

Bus from Vienna to Passau, approx. 3 h 45 min.

Bus from Salzburg to Passau, approx. 3 h 45 min.

 

Taxi

Taxi from Vienna to Passau, approx. 2 h 45 min.
Taxi from Munich to Passau, approx. 1 h 40 min.
Taxi from Salzburg to Passau, approx. 1 h 30 min.

Transfer

We don’t offer any private airport transfer for this trip, but we recommend you to take the train from the aiport.

However, you can book a return transfer from Vienna to Passau after you have finished your trip – Transfer from Vienna back to Passau: contact us for prices.

Our travelers’ reviews

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Reviews

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1 - 5
Review for cycle-along-the-danube-river-passau-to-vienna
5/5
Experience-rich cycling along the Danube
Posted by on
Lovely and varied scenery with cycling close to the Danube. Good and well-maintained cycle paths. Good and very functional bikes. Many nice accommodations with smooth luggage transport. We missed an updated map with a clear and streamlined route description — currently it’s time-consuming to navigate through all the anecdotes and excursion tips. We would have appreciated map references to the suggested sightseeing spots. The recommended GPS support was of no help. A trip we highly recommend.
Review for cycle-along-the-danube-river-passau-to-vienna
5/5
Rewarding cycling in beautiful nature
Posted by on
Good arrangements, good hotels, good restaurants and good service. Beautiful nature and good cycle paths. Fantastic to follow the changing landscapes from more of a valley when we started in Passau, then the Austrian landscape emerged with mountain peaks and their castles. Gradually the valley widened and closer to Vienna it turned into more flatland. A trip that can really be recommended.
Review for cycle-along-the-danube-river-passau-to-vienna
5/5
Pleasant cycling along the Danube
Posted by on
An easy and varied week of cycling. Everything worked very well. Comfortable bikes, nice hotels, and smooth luggage transfers. The route book/map description was a bit complicated, but still easy to get around. Easy to find the way, except for a little confusion when we entered Vienna, which was solved with GPS. It was fantastic to follow the varied nature along the Danube. Highly recommended.
Review for cycle-along-the-danube-river-passau-to-vienna
5/5
Very good
Posted by on
We chose 3* hotels—much better standard than expected. Good e-bikes, everything practical worked well. The only downside was the route instructions—they were confusing and it was difficult to know where to cross the Danube. We found the cycling easy, with beautiful views and very little interference from other traffic.
Review for cycle-along-the-danube-river-passau-to-vienna
4/5
Biking along Danube
Posted by on
A nice and good value trip. The length of the daily stages varied somewhat.
Review for cycle-along-the-danube-river-passau-to-vienna
4/5
Lovely bike ride
Posted by on
A wonderful week, highly recommended if you want enjoyable experiences and not overly strenuous cycling. Good bikes, luggage transport worked well, accommodations met expectations, and nice to have bike paths without busy roads. The app with the routes was good but lacked details about sights along the way. The guidebook was detailed but a bit confusing, making it hard to get an overview.

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