Blue Danube tour of Germany & Austria

Day 1: Passau – Overnight dock

Afternoon check in and afterwards Merlijn will set sail to cruise down streams. In the evening we’ll dock for an overnight stay. We’ll present you with a welcome drink and introduce the crew. We will also provide information on the tour and the ship, and offer you a safety briefing. After departing from Passau, the Merlijn will sail the amazing Blue Danube, which forms the border between Germany and Austria on this stretch. Dinner will be served during the cruise, and, in the evening, there will be time for a late night stroll in the nature.

Day 2: Overnight dock – Linz. Bike tour: 30-35 km or extend to 55 -60km

After breakfast, there will be a bike fitting and introduction, then your first cycling tour will start. A most interesting tour along the ‘Schlögener-schlinge’ awaits you, where the Danube makes several bends that have been sculpted through the mountains over millions of years. Early birds can hike up to the ‘Schlogener-Blick’ viewpoint before breakfast, from where you can see the sharpest bend which locals have named ‘The natural wonder of upper Austria’.

The Danube cycle path will lead you further along the Danube to Aschach and Brandstatt, typical Austrian towns where you might want to stop for a short visit – if only to try the Austrian ‘Kaiserschmarrn’ dessert, which is a sweet that goes exceptionally well with coffee, and takes its name from the Austrian emperor (Kaiser) Franz Joseph I, who was very fond of this kind of fluffy shredded pancake. After your visit, the Merlijn awaits you. If you still have a few more miles left in you on your first day, you can cycle on to Linz where we’ll stay overnight.

“It all begins in Linz” the Austrian saying goes, which is spot on, as Linz is a city on the move, with its finger firmly on the pulse of the nation’s tech industry. Around the main square are many historically relevant and architecturally interesting houses, such as the old Town Hall. West of the main square, there is the old quarter with many other historic buildings, such as Renaissance houses, or older houses with a baroque facade. At night, we’ll offer you an after-dinner stroll through the city.

Day 3: Linz – Mauthausen - Grein. Bike tour: 5 km optional + 35-40 km or extend to 45-50 km

During breakfast, the captain will navigate Merlijn towards Mauthausen, where your bike tour begins. Mauthausen is notorious for its WWII Nazi concentration camp situated just a few kilometres from the city, which can be visited. It’s an additional 5 km ride there and back. Today you can choose from 2 different cycle routes: the shorter tour that goes along the Danube, or a longer route that leads you a bit more through the back country. Either route leads to the destination of Grein, a picturesque town situated in a small bay at the entrance to ‘Strudengau’, a narrow 25km valley along the Danube. Dinner will be served on board.

Day 4: Grein – Overnight dock. Hike tour: 10-15 km

Today we will give the bikes a day's rest and keep them parked on board. After breakfast you will be offered a tour of ‘Schloss Greinburg’, one of the only still private owned castles, with its stone theatre and shipping museum. Afterwards the day is is all about choice and multi adventure. We will offer a hike route because Austria is also a hike paradise! Depending on the ability of the group, our guide will put together a hiking trail. You will walk through beautiful nature, a gorge and there is a water mill.

You can also take a day off from activities and visit Grein’s shops, city theatre or museums. Or just relax onboard and enjoy the beautiful scenery from behind your book.

Afternoon Merlijn departs for a stunning afternoon cruise, along the meandering Danube through the Struden bends. We’ll pass a lock called Persenbeug, which helps us down many metres like a stair step in the river. Persenbeug is an old shipping town strategically situated next to the river, with a castle atop of it. It is also home to a hydro-electric power plant. This plant is the oldest power station in Austria, and almost supplied the entire nation when it was built in 1950. The day ends with an overnight stay in a small Austrian town. Enjoy this peaceful area and the calm Danube with a drink in the spacious lounge, or on the comfy terrace.

Day 5: Overnight dock – Durnstein/Rossatz. Bike tour: 45-50 km

The next two days are jam-packed with highlights! Today’s tour will start after another delicious breakfast on board, and begins along the peacefully flowing Danube. After cycling for approximately an hour, you’ll arrive at ‘Stift Melk’, set high above the Danube. Here, you will enjoy an included guided tour to learn more about this blockbuster abbey fortress. After the tour, you’ll walk a few metres to the stunning city of Melk, which, together with the fortress, are undoubtedly the high point of any visit to the region, as well as a popular stop-off.

You follow the Danube further downstream, where the calm river transforms into a narrow and wild fast-flowing swathe of water, and arrive at the ‘Wachau’. This area (German pronunciation: va-xau) is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the River Danube. Overloaded with castles and ruins, as well as urban architecture and vineyards, it is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, appealing to ‘connoisseurs and epicureans’ due to its high quality wines. The Wachau was inscribed as ‘Wachau Cultural Landscape’ in the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in December 2000, in recognition of its architectural and agricultural history.

The day ends in Durnstein/Rossatz, where we will stay overnight. After dinner, we will organize a wine-tasting session at a local winery.

Day 6: Durnstein/Rossatz - Tulln. Bike tour: 50-55 km

There’s a long ride planned for today. During breakfast, the Merlijn will take you on a short cruise to another pearl of the Wachau Valley: Dürnstein. Take the small roofed stairs at the water's edge and you'll arrive in the heart of the town. Dürnstein is not only known for its beautiful buildings, but also for the castle above the town where Richard I of England, yes, the Lionheart, was once imprisoned.

After visiting this beautiful historic town, the rest of the tour will lead you mostly along the peacefully flowing Danube, which you can admire perfectly from the saddle of your bike. Just before arriving at the Merlijn in Tulln, you can visit the ‘Garten Tulln’, an attraction for gardening enthusiasts. The city is often referred to as ‘city of flowers” because of this botanical garden and the abundance of parks. It’s also the hometown of the influential painter Egon Schiele.

Day 7: Tulln – Korneuburg/Vienna. Bike tour: 25-30 km or extend to 40-45 km

This morning, you’ll leave Tulln behind you to cycle your last stretch along the popular classic ‘Donau Radweg’. It will lead you through mostly rural areas: a dream for every cyclist. After a picknick lunch, there are two options: board the Merlijn, or extend your bike tour to Vienna. When boarding the Merlijn, you will cruise into the bustling city of Vienna on your last afternoon. If you take the extended route, you’ll cycle on to Vienna where Merlijn awaits you at the edge of the city centre. In the evening, Captains dinner is served.

Day 8: Vienna/Korneuburg

Later this morning, it is time to say goodbye and continue your European trip or leave for the airport. If you choose to continue your holiday, Vienna is the most obvious option to spend a few days. Baroque streetscapes and imperial palaces set the stage for Vienna's artistic and musical masterpieces alongside its coffee house culture and vibrant epicurean and creative scene. Don’t forget to eat a traditional ‘Sacher-Torte’ before you leave.

A day trip to the Slovakian city of Bratislava is within close range, and is certain to make your cultural heart beat faster.

Would you like to stay on board and travel longer on the Merlijn? This is an excellent trip to combine with the successive Bamberg - Passau Bike & Barge cruise> This combination means your tour will run from Bamberg to Vienna.