Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Passau

Take the train from Munich airport to Passau. From the station it’s a short 5 minute taxi to your riverfront hotel. Enjoy dinner in the heart of the old town tonight.

Day 2 Passau to Schlogen 23km/14mi or 47km/29mi

After receiving your bike and welcome brief, pedal east to Obernzell, famous for pottery, before popping into the Keramic Museum 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.

Hotel Donauschlinge  **** Schlogen, Day 2

The Hotel Donauschlinge and the Gugler Family have cornered the market on this stretch of the River Danube and have become a favourite pit stop on the way between Passau and Vienna for almost every cyclist making the trip. The Schlogen meander bend is a famous landmark on the river and this attractive waterfront hotel is perched right on the corner with river views from most of the rooms, and a great panoramic dining terrace where you can have dinner. The bedrooms are spacious with river views and balconies, so on arrival you can take a dip in the indoor pool and then relax with a view of the river.

Further details on the hotel website.

Day 3 Schlogen to Aschach (Linz) 27km/17mi or 46km/29mi

Spot kingfisher today in the Donauschlinge nature reserve. Picnic tables dot the waterfront below weeping willows 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 arrive at your hotel – an ancient convent - in Linz’s extravagant town square. Dine out in one of the many lively restaurants here for the next two nights.

Hotel Wolfinger  *** Linz, Days 3+4

In the centre of Linz’s spectacular town square the Wolfinger Hotel blends in perfectly. From the outside it looks like a townhouse with its grand façade and historical charm. Inside the design is very curious. The building used to be a convent in the old days, and it has now been tastefully converted into a cozy and quirky city centre hotel. The public rooms include a lounge and reception area where you can access the internet, and a lovely breakfast room overlooking the Hauptplatz outside. Furniture is either antique or reproduction antique with carved chairs and cabinets overhung by chandeliers. The bedrooms are decorated in the same style, although some rooms have been given a more modern feel with smart new wooden flooring and Persian style rugs. All have phones, satellite TV and hairdryers. The hotel is ideally located right in the heart of the city so that everything is within walking distance.

Further details on the hotel website.

Day 4 Free Day in Linz

Linz’s ornate Baroque architecture in the Hauptplatz leads to boutique shops on Landstrasse, and to the old castle Schloss Museum, creaking with ancient armour . Browse the all-glass Lentos Art Gallery – it is filled with bright artwork and lit up in spectacular colours at night. Perhaps catch the train to explore tiny C12 Enns, Austria’s oldest city, or for a chilling history lesson on the holocaust, steel yourself and visit the WW2 Nazi camp at Mauthausen.

Day 5 Linz to Melk 31km/19mi or 49km/31mi

A short train ride to C16 Grein (30 mins, included) has you spinning through orchards as the Danube valley becomes more fertile. Admire the statuette ‘Venus of Willendorf’ – dated to 23,000BC - as you pass through, before lunch in Ybbs, home to a wacky collection of penny-farthing 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.

Hotel Zur Post  **** Melk, Days 5+6

The Ebner’s Hotel in Melk is located just off a tiny cobbled square below the giant and world famous monastery that towers above the town. The hotel is built on a steep hill, though you don’t notice this from the street, so it is taller inside than it appears outside. The public rooms nearest the street are given over to a stube style lounge and bar area, and there is an attractive terrace out the front with views of the monastery at dinner. At the back of the building there is an even larger terraced area for breakfast and dinner, and several dining rooms inside to cater for guests. Upstairs the bedrooms are smart but simply furnished, with many rooms overlooking the dining terrace at the back of the hotel. Rooms all have hairdryers, satellite TV and direct dial phones. The hotel is as central as it is possible to be in Melk, so it is ideal for exploring the town.

Further details on the hotel website.

Day 6 Free Day in Melk

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, to stroll in magnificent rose gardens and enjoy acclaimed cultural exhibitions. After dinner , enjoy wandering Melk’s atmospheric cobbled streets.

Day 7 Melk to Krems 39km/24mi

Today you coast along a necklace of villages afloat on acres of vines, 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. Taste wine along the way, and buy cherries and peaches from people’s gardens! Arrive in Krems for a splash in the pool, and candlelit dinner on the terrace overlooking the valley.

Hotel Steigenberger  **** Krems, Days 7+8

The Steigenberger in Krems is a real treat. Once you have negotiated the short, steep hill up to the front door you really can relax. Apart from the many bedrooms, the hotel has one of the most luxurious spa facilities we have ever seen, with both an outdoor and an indoor pool. The dining room is gorgeous, spilling out onto a panoramic terrace with views of the surrounding vineyards and over the spires of the old city of Krems. Bedrooms are modern and beautifully presented with lots of wood and high quality fabrics so everything feels very luxurious.

Further details on the hotel website.

Day 8 Free Day in Krems

Krems has one of the most beautiful historic centres in Europe. It is packed with interest - from the Wine Museum housed in a restored Dominican monastery to the C13 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!

Day 9 Krems to Tulln 39km/24mi

Freewheel downriver to Tulln - known as the ‘Town of Roses’. Pop into the Roman museum – 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.

Hotel Nibelungenhof  **** Tulln, Day 9

The pretty riverfront town of Tulln is your last stop before you reach Vienna. Originally a Roman settlement, the waterfront has been preserved as a series of attractive parks and gardens, and the two storey hotel is set back 30m from the riverside. Inside it is attractively decorated in a homely style, with the reception and lounge area decorated with a full wall of books either side of a central fireplace, with comfortable sofas to relax on. The bedrooms are all individually decorated – most have wooden floors, repro antiques and a warm and cosy atmosphere. Each comes with satellite TV and hairdryers. The hotel is just a short walk from the centre of Tulln, where there are several grand churches, museums and restaurants to explore.

Further details on the hotel website.

Day 10 Tulln to Vienna 21km/13mi


Coast along the last stretch to relax over lunch in imperial Klosterneuburg. Drop into the Essl Art Gallery, full of contemporary pictures. We recommend you hop on the train for 15 minutes for the last stretch into Vienna, then follow the Donaukanal cycle path to your hotel – right in the heart of the city. Enjoy dinner out in Vienna’s lively centre – breathtakingly floodlit at night!

Hotel Austria  *** Vienna, Day 10

The location of the Hotel Austria could not be more central in Vienna. The Fleischmarkt is within walking distance of all the city centre attractions, and the opportunities for dining out are plentiful in the evenings. The hotel is squirreled away up a small alleyway so looks quite unassuming. It is an enormous traditional building with a grand spiral central staircase. The public rooms on the ground floor are all very high with an atmosphere of faded and comfortable rather than modern grandeur. Ancient maps of the city hang behind reception and reds and crimsons form much of the décor, with antique furnishings dotting the lounge from where you can access the internet. Bedrooms upstairs are off long corridors, and have high windows and dark wooden furnishings and velvet chairs. All come with satellite TV, minibars and tea and coffee making facilities.

Further details on the hotel website.

Day 11 Return home

For extra nights we recommend Passau or Vienna

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