Bike Tour Reviews: Danube Delights  Cycling And Cruising In The Footsteps Of Royalty


Danube Delights: Cycling and Cruising in the Footsteps of Royalty

COUNTRY: Austria, Germany

7 nights
4.9/5 (26)
Rider Level: Leisure Electric bike tours Primarily bike paths Bike and boat tours
Rider Level: Leisure Electric bike tours Primarily bike paths Bike and boat tours

4.9/5 (26)
7 nights

Self guided from EUR € 899

Guided:
May 31, Sep 20, 2025

Self-guided:
Apr 26; May 24, 31; Jun 14; Jul 12, 19, 26; Aug 2, 23;
Sep 6, 20, 2025

Description:
It was in Passau - the 'City of Three Rivers' - that Sisi began her journey along the Danube as a young bride to Vienna, where she was eagerly awaited by the Emperor Franz. Follow in the footsteps of this Austrian empress by bicycle and on a nostalgia…

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  • Danube Delights
    (5/5) Penny Miller Miller 2 months ago

    Great time on the Danube

    We had a wonderful time in Austria, and sailing down the Danube on the Swiss Crown. There were some many beautiful sites to see when walking or riding a bike through the different cities. The Swiss Crown is a beautiful ship, with a great staff.

  • (5/5) Euro24 4 months ago

    Wow, let's keep pedalling

    Great trip. These people understand good service...by everyone, in all areas, and it's pitched at just the right level. Combine that with great food at every sitting, with plenty of choice, and that fuels you for a ride that is one that everyone should do at some point. The river and its many villages is beautiful and the cycleways are in perfect condition. Our group ranged from 'haven't ridden in 30 years' (an e-bikes) to 'regular road cyclist' (on regular touring bikes) and the ride was enjoyed by all...we'll be back for more. Highly recommended.

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    2
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • (5/5) Kimberly Sykes 5 months ago

    Well done!

    The Swiss Crown ship was beautiful and clean. Our cabin was roomy and very comfortable. Food was delicious. The crew were exceptional! The cycling was easy and the routes were easy to follow. Would definitely do it again.

    What was the date of your tour?
    May 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    4
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (5/5) Carolyn Clubine October 5, 2023

    All round awesome

    We found every detail thoughtfully handled. Gracious on board staff, excellent information for each day’s ride and great meals and accommodations.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 22-30
    How many tours have you completed?
    6
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (5/5) Daniela Veludo September 7, 2023

    Unforgettable Danube

    Perfect way to see Bavaria and Austria, exercising safely with the bike and enjoying a very comfortable motor boat. Very good organization.

  • (5/5) Debby Schlesinger November 8, 2022

    1st bike/boat tour.....best time ever.

    Touring by bike with support from boat was a wonderful way to see the countryside, experience local culture, and sightsee without having to do HOURS & DAYS of research on routes, sites worth stopping at, and logistics of lodging, and biking. The tour was a great value too. It was a wonderful way to have an active vacation....so much better than a cruise or bus tour. Really appreciated the route reviews, maps, and suggestions for the next day's route each evening. It was apparent that the routes chosen offered scenic value, as well as ease of access, and worthwhile sights to see. The crew were very helpful at getting the bikes set up for rider proportions, comfort and preferences. There were even opportunities to meet with local experts and experience a more "in depth" tour with history and background. The food was absolutely sumptuous!! Meals were expertly prepared, featured local cuisine at dinners, as well as "American" favorites at breakfast in addition to "Continental" breakfast foods. The "Picnic" lunches provided for were a bonus too. Cabin accomodations were comfortable, adequate, and served our needs well; albeit the small space. (We had a "lower deck" cabin... the most economical). That being said, there wasn't much time spent in the cabin other than sleeping, and preparing for the next day's ride. Really enjoyed the spa on the top deck to ease sore muscles & relax. Altogether, a wonderful vacation in a beautiful location.

    • Along the Danube (photo by Debby Schlesinger)
    • In the town of Linz, Austria (photo by Debby Schlesinger)
    • On the Danube locks. (photo by Debby Schlesinger)
  • (5/5) Steven Harrell September 6, 2022

    Great tri[

    Great trip in every way. Weather a bit dicy on day one but we cycled nevertheless. All other days had post card perfect weather. Scenery fantastic, food on board met every expectations, boat staff very accommodating, bikes a bit aged but nothing serious, wifi on board could be improved. Met very nice, friendly, and interesting people - we were 2 of the 6 Americans on board. This was our 6th bike trip with BikeTours (first boat and bike). Original boat was MS Carissiama, but upgraded to Swiss Crown. beautiful "long boat"! Already contemplating the next trip for next year -- maybe Majorca, Spain in the spring...

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 2022
    How many tours have you completed?
    6
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    •  (photo by Steven Harrell)
    •  (photo by Steven Harrell)
    •  (photo by Steven Harrell)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) Debby Schlesinger August 12, 2022

    First and most certainly NOT the LAST Bike and Boat trip.

    Food: Excellent with varied choices each evening. Sack lunch items provided for along the ride.
    Routes: Being my 1st Bike/Boat trip, I signed up for "Easy" rating. Very manageable. Appreciate electric assist. bikes. Route review each evening prior to next day's ride much appreciated. Beautiful routes through scenic areas.
    Accomodations: Small rooms, (as stated), but adequate. Appreciated a variety of areas to relax, besides room. (Top deck, "Open Air" Spa pool on top deck, Lounge).
    Convenience/Service: Excellent. Assistance with bikes: loading/unloading, set up, fine tuning. Tour director (George) ALWAYS available for questions. Servers were excellent, friendly, & considerate. Bikes/equipment available were of excellent quality.

    What was the date of your tour?
    07/09/22
    How many tours have you completed?
    This was my first!
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (4/5) Bryan Lee August 5, 2022

    A great way to cycle tour along the Danube through Austria.

    A great way to cycle tour along the Danube through Austria. Plenty of riding through beautiful, historic, picturesque towns and countryside during the day and to come back on board for the 5 star accommodation at night. Just enough exercise to not feel guilty going back for seconds at their magnificent buffets.

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 25th 2022
    How many tours have you completed?
    2
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 3/5 Local tour company services
    • 3/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) Rena Benor August 5, 2022

    Bike Paradise

    We absolutely loved the boat trip! Service was A++! Every single thing was taken care of! We did not have to do a thing! The bikes were taken off and on to the boat, the food was amazing! Such high quality of food, lovely waiters and waitresses! Our Host, George, was wonderful! Very friendly and helpful! We were prepped the night before on the bike course. The goodbye party was incredible and so fun!

    What was the date of your tour?
    July 2022
    How many tours have you completed?
    1
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens, Families with young kids
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (4/5) NewbieBiker August 4, 2019

    Great vacation!

    Excellent way to see the Austrian countryside. Really enjoyed cycling thru each little town. The cycling was very easy with only a couple of hills during the entire week. There were a couple of times when we were on a very busy road for a short period of time, maybe a Kilometer or less but the drivers there are very accustom to cyclists. Most of the time was either on a designated bike path or country road with very few cars. The food on the boat was very good. The staff was very kind to tell us places to go or their favorite restaurant. Make sure to stop at some of the cafes while cycling and have a Knodel or other local delicacies. Don’t be intimidated by the distances to ride each day. We have never ridden more that 5 miles but found it very easy to bike the distance each day. I do recommend either biking shorts or a memory foam seat cover if you are not used to riding all day. Also recommend not getting a cabin on the bottom deck as the windows don’t open. Our only complaint was that the person giving the daily briefings on the routes was not very friendly and a couple of times the route wasn’t clearly marked. The rest of the staff was excellent.

    What was the date of your tour?
    20 July 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    1
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) Moo6 July 26, 2019

    What was the date of your tour?
    July 13-20.
    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (4/5) Martine September 17, 2018

    Good bike trip

    It was very nice to stay on board ship the whole week instead packing up and moving every few days. Food was delicious on board.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 1, 2018
    How many tours have you completed?
    This was our second
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Much easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    No
    • 3/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 3/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) ohsuzanna June 30, 2018

    What was the date of your tour?
    may 5-12th 2018
    How many tours have you completed?
    1
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) Jennie June 20, 2018

    Danube Impressions

    Great boat and trip. Excellent tour guide. Excellent staff.

    What was the date of your tour?
    May 2018
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) kayak October 31, 2017

    As much as you want it to be

    This was our first experience with any kind of boat "tour" and we took it with some trepidation of it being too cushy and not offering enough activity. It proved to be the best of both.
    It combined the best aspects of a boat tour (small and intimate, exploring new places each day without having to move luggage) without the aspects we associate with a boat cruise/tour (schmaltzy events in the evening, formal dress and food events).
    We found fellow passengers to be fit, open to adventure and informal in the evening while able to share their previous world travels. The staff was gracious, attentive, and invisible when not needed. Dinner courses were presented as if at a high-end restaurant and special food needs tracked by them throughout the week. Alcohol prices were reasonable. The Cruise Director was knowledgeable and well prepared.
    Standard and ebikes were well maintained and staging meetings helpful for passengers to know the next day's' route and highlights.
    And finally, each town we in which we moored, each village and bierhouse we visited, was hospitable and accommodating.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Sept 24-30
    How many tours have you completed?
    0
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) Beto October 23, 2017

    Beautiful country!

    Fantastic way to discover southern Austria. Great balance between cycling and sight seeing. Boat a haven of hospitality after a day's tour.
    Friendly staff, old world charm and in our case, pleasant fellow gueste.
    Highly recomendable

    What was the date of your tour?
    7-10-2017
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) Chippy September 12, 2017

    Awesome Austria

    After planning this trip for over three years, I finally found my way to the Danube and it turned out fantastic. The route was well-planned with sights featured along the way. The boat was very comfortable and the crew did an amazing job cleaning the rooms and taking all the bikes on and off every day. The cruise director did a great job as well providing tips and directions for the bikers. And, the non-bikers who stayed on board were treated well with a hot meal at lunch. On most days, the schedule allowed for the bikers to catch up with the boat by early or mid-afternoon to facilitate sightseeing with the non-bikers. All in all, it was an excellent week.

    What was the date of your tour?
    26 AUG 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    two
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • After crossing the "border" to Slovakia, the Palace of Hof was directly on the bike route with very clear directions. It's a beautiful and well-maintained facility. (photo by Chippy)
    • BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson, founder and president September 13, 2017

      Thanks very much for your feedback. I'm glad you had a great time and that the tour lived up to three years of planning and expectations! After three decades of bike touring, I still consider the Danube one of my favorite cycling regions.

    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (5/5) Booboo August 8, 2017

    New friends, new places

    Nice boat, although older. Very good meals. Great, helpful staff. Bikes we're good, all worked very well. Tour I'm Bratislava, Slovakia. We didn't research our day in Vienna very well, but we saw lots of stuff anyway. We will probably stay in touch with our dining table mates and do another trip

    What was the date of your tour?
    July 10 or so
    How many tours have you completed?
    12 or more
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection