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15 Days

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Escorted
Self-Guided

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626km
11 Cycling Days

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€3450

 

What makes this trip special?

  • One of the great cycling paths in the world, the Danube Cycle Way is popular for good reason.

  • From Passau in Germany, we ride through four countries (Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary) through some of the great cities of Europe finishing in Budapest, Hungary.

  • A classic European journey of history, food, beautiful countryside, fun and as a rare experience, easy cycling without any major climbing!

  • A selection of fantastic hotels are scattered throughout the tour providing that extra bit of history and comfort on your cycling journey.

Dates

4-18 May 2024

This tour is guaranteed to depart.

Pay a A$500 per person deposit to secure your place on the tour.

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Escorted
Self-Guided

This will be an escorted self-guided experience where your luggage will be transferred each day and it will be up to us as a group to navigate our way along the easy to follow trail (hint: follow the river downstream).

The group will be escorted by Jason Williams from Pedal Pedal and a German-speaking ride leader.

We will have a dedicated 8 seat support vehicle that will tail the group and provide backup to anyone not up for the ride or for non-riding partners.

Itinerary

  • Passau, a German city on the Austrian border, lies at the confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers. Known as the Three Rivers City, it's overlooked by the Veste Oberhaus, a 13th-century hilltop fortress housing a city museum and observation tower. The old town below is known for its baroque architecture, including St. Stephen's Cathedral, featuring distinctive onion-domed towers and an organ with 17,974 pipes.

    Arrive during the course of the day at our starting hotel. The tour officially starts with a group meeting at 6pm followed by an included group dinner.

  • We start out on our tour along the Danube, first passing Obernzell and and on to Engelhartszell (the only Trappist monastery in Austria). We then cycle through the nature reserve Donauleiten, finally reaching the Schlögen Bend. At this point onthe Danube’s journey granite proved to be too much of an opponent and forced the Danube to change directions by 180 degrees.

  • Today we cycle through the green Eferdinger basin via the market towns of Aschach, Ottensheim and Wilhering and all the way to the Upper Austrian capital of Linz. The historical Old Town of Linz has many pubs and eateries for you to discover. Other highlights of the European Capital of Culture 2009 include the magnificent views from Pöstlingberg Mountain and a stroll through the Donaulände Park.

  • Today we take a little detour away from the course of the Danube to St Florian, an Augustinian monastery, and Enns. In Enns visit the town square with its 60 meter town tower, landmark of the oldest town in Austria, or visit the archaeological collection in the municipal museum Lauriacum. Returning to the river, arrive at the beautiful little baroque town of Grein. Grein is home to the oldest municipal theatre in Austria still in use, a maritime museum, and Greinburg castle.

  • This section of the Danube is home to the dangerous currents of the Strudengau, was once feared by sailors. In Maria Taferl, high above the Danube, you will find a magnificent pilgrimage church, which attracts thousands of pilgrims every year. Make a stop in Melk for the beautiful Melk monastery that overlooks the Danube.

  • Cycling through the Wachau region enjoy the charming atmosphere of the region’s orchards and vineyards. Cycle past the 1000-year old town of Krems and finish in Tulln.

  • A relaxed ride brings you to the metropolis of Vienna, Austria’s capital. It’s hard to ignore Vienna’s artistic and intellectual legacy which was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence.

  • Take a full day to enjoy Vienna and rest your cycling legs.

  • The national park Donau-Auen is first up today, where we ride through a diverse landscape of the flora, fauna and landscapes. After Hainburg we reach the border to Slovakia and its capital city Bratislava that is your next overnight stay.

  • Bratislava is surrounded by vineyards and the Little Carpathian mountains, crisscrossed with forested hiking and cycling trails. The pedestrian-only, 18th-century old town is known for its lively bars and cafes. Perched atop a hill, the reconstructed Bratislava Castle overlooks old town and the Danube. Enjoy your day in this unique city.

  • It is only a short distance in Slovak territory before crossing the border into Hungary. The route today is full of charming villages and agriculture. Upon reaching Mosonmagyaróvár take the train to Györ. The district capital offers many sights and a breathtaking historic center.

  • A nice easy day of riding that follows the Danube, brings us to the twin towns of Komárom and Komarno. Once a single city, they were separated following the redrawing of borders after WWI. The Komárom fortress system is the largest fortress system in Central Europe and worth a stop. We overnight in Komárno on the Slovakian side of the river.

  • Today´s route runs along the riverbanks in the flat Danube valley passing villages and wonderful views of vineyards. The highlight of the day is Esztergom, known as the “Hungarian Rome“. The basilica here is the largest church of the country. Take time for a comprehensive visit, before you will board a riverboat, which takes you to your destination Visegrád.

    The Royal Palace and the castle of Visegrád will delight you and the open air museum as well as the baroque old town of Szentendre are worth seeing.

  • The first part of today take you through the “Donauknie”, a very attractive section of the Danube bike trail, a great final ride. There will be an option to boat the final section of the journey into Budapest, or stay on the bike and ride all the way into the city on excellent bike trails. Celebrate the end of the journey with a final night group dinner.

  • In the Hungarian capital city there are many things to discover. Stay on an enjoy the city. The tour ends after breakfast.

Itinerary is subject to change.

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Trail Conditions

From Passau to Vienna the Danube Trail is sealed, well sign-posted and incredibly easy to follow. Minor roads make up only very short sections of this route - the Danube cycle path up to Vienna is a perfect example of a cycle route.

From Vienna to Budapest, while the trail is not quite so well marked and does follow roads from time to time, it is still very much a cycling route designed for cyclists. Busy roads are of a short-term duration. You cycle on unmade paths only for 3 short distances otherwise you will find asphalted roads. On the whole the route is signed very well with a few exceptions in the Slovakian part.

As we are following the Danube downstream there are no major climbs but the route will undulate as it descends. Starting at an altitude of 294m in Passau we finish at 96m elevation in Budapest.

A downloadable navigation app for your mobile is the best way to navigate. We will provide a link to the app before the tour begins. We will also supply detailed route information with step-by-step notes to help with navigation.

Group Size

20-30 people

As an escorted self-guided trip you will be free to travel at your own pace leaving each day at a time that suits you, stopping when you want and controlling how you see the countries we are cycling through. Usually small groups of similarly paced cyclists form and ride together throughout the day so while you are travelling with a large group it never feels like a crowd.

Payment & Pricing

€3450 per person, twin share

A AU$500 deposit is required to confirm places on the trip.

Deposit Refund Policy
The deposit will only refunded under the following conditions:

  • If the tour is sold out, we will only refund your deposit if we can find a replacement person for your place on the tour irrespective of how long in advance you cancel.

  • If the tour is not sold out you can cancel up to 3 months before the start of the tour for a full refund of the deposit.

Final payment will be due 75 days before the start of the tour. We will calculate the AUD price based on the exchange rate at the time of final payment.

Inclusions

Accommodation

The accommodation used on this trip is mainly of a 4 star standard with a few extra special nights included for charm, history, and the chance to stay somewhere unique.

The hotels we intend to use:

The tour accommodation is based on twin sharing. If you are a single traveller you will be matched with another person of your gender to share a twin room.  If you would like a single room throughout the trip there will be a single supplement of €750. Note there is limited number of single rooms available for this tour and a single room may not be available.

MEALS

All breakfasts are included at our accommodation.

Lunches are not included allowing you to choose where to eat as you ride. There are plenty of places to choose from and your route information will have some suggestions.

A welcome dinner on the first night and celebration final night dinner are are included. Other dinners will be free for you to choose your own experience. Of course we will be able to offer advice on where to eat.

Wine tasting in the Wachau Valley is also included.

BIKES

The bikes included in tour price are the premium 27 speed hybrid bikes. Due to the easy nature of this tour the bikes are simple and well suited to the terrain we will encounter. These are the best quality hire bikes available on the Danube.

27 speed Leirad bike with Deore-XT, hydraulic brakes, front suspension

 

8 speed Eurobike Elektrorad ebike with long range battery, front suspension

Waterproof handlebar bags, panniers, pump and repair kit are included with each bike.

Feel free to bring your own pedals, saddle, and water bottle. You must bring your own helmet.

Ebikes will be available at a surcharge price of €300. Ebikes must be reserved well in advance of the tour so please do let us know when you book if you would like to use one.

SUpport

This tour is self-guided trip but still has all the support features of a fully supported bike tour: 

Escorts - Jason and a German-speaking ride leader will escort the group throughout the trip.

Backup Vehicle - we will have a dedicated 8-seat support vehicle at the back of the group to look after anyone who needs a break from the cycling or for non-cycling partners.

Extras

You must have travel insurance as part of the conditions of travel. Your insurance must cover emergency medical and evacuation.

There are 3 ferries used on the trip which you need to pay for yourself. The total cost of these ferries is €10.50.

Ebikes are available at a surcharge price of €300.

Voluntary Single Supplement €750.

You will need to bring your own helmet as they are not supplied locally.

FLIGHTS, STOPOVERS, EXCURSIONS

Our agent partners at HelloWorld Travel in Pakenham are on hand to help with flight bookings, insurance, extra hotel nights, stopovers and anything else that you might need aside from the bike tour. If you would like any help or advice email Lucy at lucy.pakenham@helloworld.com.au.

Questions

If you have any questions about the tour please do let us know.

Phone (Aust): 0437 599 363
Phone (International or WhatsApp): +61 437 599 363

Email: jason@pedalpedal.com.au

Or fill in our enquiries form