BIKING TOURS:  DANUBE CYCLE PATH

TOUBIKADACP
CLASSIC - 8 days / 7 nights
LIGHT - 10 days / 9 nights
BIKE & RELAX - 8 days / 7 nights
SPORTIVE - 6 days / 5 nights
(Unescorted Tours)

Departure Dates: DAILY  -April to October

One of the most famous cycle paths in Europe along the beautiful blue Danube river through impressive landscapes with woody slopes, vineyards and fruit-plantations - a legendary country with numerous cultural and architectural treasures from the era of the Romans and the Crusaders. This is the longest river in Europe, your trip begins at Passau, on the German frontier, the meanders of the Danube river will guide you from woods dominated by high wild hills to picturesque, colorful villages at the feet of terraces that support old vineyards. Inns and wine taverns invite you to enjoy the typical Austrian cuisine. The overall is punctuated with surprising baroque churches which are really worth seeing. And, to end with a flourish: Vienna! There are different variations of the program: a CLASSIC one with the traditional itinerary from Passau to Vienna plus a BIKE & RELAX with selected overnight accommodation and relaxing evenings!

TOUR PROFILE: Well equipped bike path along the whole stretch, mostly directly along the Danube. Completely flat, this tour is especially recommended for children and for bike-tour beginners Level 1

ACCOMMODATION CATEGORIES
Category A: ***-**** hotels, very good inns
Category B: cosy inns and B & B’s, at Vienna ***/**** hotel
BIKE & RELAX: : comfort rooms in *** and ****hotels, mostly with and/or sauna or swimming pool.)

Your Journey - CLASSIC - 8 days/7 nights

Day 1     Passau
Arrival at Passau. After checking in at the hotel, you will be given your bike. Dinner and night. Passau is at the confluence of Ilz and Danube rivers. Alexandre Humblot, a humanist, used to say that Passau was among the seven most beautiful cities in Germany. 

Day 2     Passau – Schlögen/surrounding (approx. 44 km/27 miles)
After enjoying Passau, go and discover the marvellous valley of the Danube river. Just a few kilometers on the secondary road. Then, you will appreciate the cycle path which will lead you to an unforgettable route along the river, always very far from cars, as far as the famous Danube loop of Schlögener. Dinner and night at Schlögen or Haibach

Day 3     Schlögen/surrounding - Linz (approx. 53 km/33 miles) 
Once again, you ride on cycle tracks, you continue your ride on old towpaths. You will appreciate the villages of Aschbech and Ottensheim, the old fish markets and their antiques houses. On both sides of the Danube river, you can visit huge strongholds and monasteries. In the distance, you can see Linz, the capital of the Upper Austria.

Day 4      Linz - Grein/surrounding (approx. 65 km/41 miles) 
Change of landscape : the Danube valley gets wider. Then, you see upright cultivated fields. Once again, the valley gets narrower and you arrive at Linz which is situated at the edge of Strudengau, a bottleneck formed by this narrowing that was feared by the bargemen. You will have the opportunity to stroll in this picturesque city. A lovely visit. In particular, go and see the town-hall and the municipal theatre. Dinner and night in Grein or Umgebung. 

Day 5      Grein – Melk/Emmersdorf (approx. 51 km/32 miles) 
Riding along the Danube river, you will go through the Nibelungengau. Passing through the „Strudengau“ you arrive at Ybbs, former trading center on the Danube. The route continues passing Maria Taferl to Melk with its imposing Benedictine monastery which was built on a rock that dominates the edges of the river. Dinner and night in Melk or Emmersdorf. 

Day 6      Melk/Emmersdorf – Krems/Traismauer (approx. 40/59 km - 25/37 miles) 
Today you discover a new aspect of this marvelous route, the vineyards, as you travel through the famous "Wachau", with its romantic villages.  It is necessary to wander from the river to appreciate the local wine. Also cross the villages of Spitz and Weibenkirchen to Krems. Dinner and night in Krems. 

Day 7      Krems/Traismauer - Tulln - Wien (approx. 45/85 km - 28/53 miles) 
Through the city of Tulln and passing the castle „Greifenstein“ you bike on a very easy stage seeing numerous monuments before arriving in Vienna, once the cultural capital of Europe. Dinner and night in Tulln or Vienna. 

Day 8      Vienna - Passau
Individual departure and/or extension.

Your Journey - LIGHT - 10 days/9 nights

Day 1     Passau
Individual arrival – Stroll through the wonderful old city center with countless sights and admire the confluence of the three rivers – Danube, Ilz and Inn

Day 2     Passau – Engelhartszell/St. Ägidi (approx. 25 km/15 miles)
You start your first biking day through the Upper Danube Valley, passing Obernzell to Engelhartszell, You could visit the beautiful monestary Engelszell.

Day 3     Engelhartszell/St. Ägidi – Aschach/Eferding (approx. 43 km/25 miles
Continue via Niederranna to the famous „Schlögener Schlinge“ a total bend in the Danube. A fanstastic view of this „wonder of nature“ you have by taking a short hike up to the „Schlögener Blick“ You take a ferry and bike on a little further till you reach Aschach.

Day 4     Aschach(Eferding – Linz (approx. 30 km/18 miles
Linz, the capital of Upper Austria is your todays destination, a lively city with a wonderful old city center.

Day 5     Linz – St. Florian – Enns/Mauthausen ( approx. 37 – 40 km/22 – 24 miles)
The beautiful monestary of St. Florian is well worth a visit. Today you reach Enns, the oldest city in Austria – the landmark of the town is the 60 m high city tower (16th cent.)

Day 6     Enns/Mauthausen – Grein/Bad Kreuzen (approx, 35 – 38 km/21 – 22 miles)
You take a ferry to the other side of the river, pass a celtic village and reach the baroque village of Grein, dominated by the huge castle “Greinburg”

Day 7     Grein /BadKreuzen . Persenbeug/Marbach (approx. 27- 37 km/16 – 22 miles)
The valley is getting very narrow, the “Strudengau ends in Freyenstein – the “Nibelungengau” starts here. Soon after you reach Persenbeug, which is connected by a power plant to the city of Ybbs on the other side of the river. The pilgremage village of “Maria Taferl” would be interesting to visit (rather steep uphill)

Day 8     Persenbeug/Marbach –Wachau (approx. 35 – 45 km/21 – 26 miles)
The famous “Wachau” awaits you with countless sights, from afar you admire the huge benedictin abbey of Melk And bike on to the beautiful Wachau, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage.

Day 9     Wachau – Vienna (approx. 17 km per bike, 73 km per train/ 10 miles per bike, 43 miles by train)
A marvellous view of the Danube, as she stretches in front of your eyes – the most romantic village of the Wachau “Dürnstein” dominated by the ruins of Dürnstein, where you can still see the jail of King “Richard the Lionhearted”. By train you reach Vienna, the fascinating metropolis on the Danube, city of music. During your Ride on the famous “Giant Ferry Wheel” you can admire a thousand city lights.

Day 10     Vienna
Individual departure or extension.

Your Journey - BIKE & RELAX - 8 days/7 nights

Day 1     Passau 
Discover the city on your own, stroll through the winding little streets of the old city, where you will encounter old heritage on every corner. The confluence of the three rivers, Danube, Inn and Ilz amazes every visitor.

Day 2     Passau - Schlogen/St. Agatha (approx. 44 km/26 miles)
You start your first biking day through the Upper Danube Valley, passing Obernzell and Engelhartszell, You could visit the beautiful monestary Engelszell. Continue via Niederranna to the famous "Schlögener Schlinge“ a total bend in the Danube. Take the ferry across, which docks right at your hotel.

Day 3     Schlogen/St. Agatha - Linz (approx. 53 km/ 31 miles)
Today you cross the fertile plains of the „Eferdinger“ lowlands, through the villages of Aschach, Ottensheim und Wilhering, to the capital of Upper austria – Linz, a city which impresses with a special flair, with the historical old city center and the "Pöstlingberg“, a hill within the city, the top of which can be reached with a rack railway.

Day 4     Linz - Emmersdorf (approx. 45 km/26 miles by bike - 63 km / 37 miles by train)
After breakfast you proceed by train to the baroque village of Grein. Visit the navigation museum in the castle of Grein and/or the oldest theater in Austria. Now you continue by bike, passing Ybbs- Persenbeug, Maria Taferl and Marbach, till you reach Emmersdorf, the gateway to the Wachau. Right accross the river you see the imposing Benedictine Monestary of the city of Melk.

Day 5     Emmersdorf  - Krems (approx. 36 km / 21 miles)
The rolling hills and vinyards of the Wachau lead you passed the romantic wine villages of Spitz, Weissenkirchen and the gorgeous little village of Dürnstein, where you can still see the jail of King "Richard the Lionhearted“ You move on to the city of Krems, where you overnight today. Why not visit one of the many wine taverns tonight (“Heuriger“) and taste the local specialities.

Day 6     Krems - Vienna (approx. 43 km/25 miles by train - 38 km / 22 miles by bike)
In the morning you start with a train ride from Krems to the "city of flowers“ – Tulln. From there you continue by bicycle on the bike path, which runs right along the river. Soon you see the beginning the „Vienna Woods“ and its soft hills. Dont forget to look for the castle of Greifenstein and the pointed towers of the monestary of Klosterneuburg. Soon you reach the capital city Vienna, a metropolis with charme and heart.

Day 7     Vienna (approx. 38 km/ 24 miles)
Discover Vienna with your bicycle ! On excellent bike paths you can explore Vienna`s amusement park – the Prater, with the famous Giant Ferry Wheel or the "Donauinsel“, the leisure park for the Viennese. Another bike path leads right around the heart of the city and you can admire all the famous buildings.

Day 8     Departure 
Individual departure and/or extension. 

Your Journey - SPORTIVE - 6 days/5 nights

Day 1     Passau
Discover the city on your own, stroll through the winding little streets of the old city, where you will encounter old heritage on every corner. The confluence of the three rivers, Danube, Inn and Ilz Amazes every visitor.

Day 2     Passau - Aschach/surroundings (approx. 66 km/41 miles by bike)
You start your first biking day through the Upper Danube Valley, passing Obernzell and Engelhartszell, You could visit the beautiful monestary Engelszell. Continue via Niederranna to the famous „Schlögener Schlinge“ a total bend in the Danube. Take the ferry across and contunie till Aschach.

Day 3     Aschach/surroundings - Grein/surroundings (approx. 86 km/54 miles by bike)
Passing the abbey of Wilhering and the village of Ottensheim, you reach the capital of Upper Austria – Linz, with it´s beautiful old city center . You continue via Enns, Mauthausen and Mitterkirchen through the “Strudengau” and reach the quaint village of Grein, which prouds itself of the oldest theater in Austria.

Day 4     Grein/surroundings – Krems/ (approx. 90 km/60 miles by bike)
The rolling hills and vinyards of the Wachau lead you passed the romantic wine villages of Spitz, Weissenkirchen and the gorgeous little village of Dürnstein, where you can still see the jail of King „Richard the Lionhearted“ You move on to the city of Krems, where you overnight today. Why not visit one of the many wine taverns tonight (“Heuriger“) and taste the local specialities

Day 5     Krems – Vienna (approx. 80 km/53 miles by bike)
In the morning you start with a train ride from Krems to the „city of flowers“ – Tulln. From there you continue by bicycle on the bike path, which runs right along the river. Soon you see the beginning the „Vienna Woods“ and its soft hills. Dont forget to look for the castle of Greifenstein and the pointed towers of the monestary of Klosterneuburg. Soon you reach the capital city Vienna, a metropolis with charme and heart !

Day 6     Vienna
Individuaul departure, train ticket 2nd class. Own bicycle not included (approx. Euro 7,-- per bike), to be paid at the train station.

Included Services CLASSIC/LIGHT/SPORTIV/BIKE & RELAX

Not Included: