Two different Danube cruises from Passau

[ural guy]

We recently spent two nights in Passau, and seeing all the different ships tied up, I got curious and did some google work.

 

This may be interesting for someone with extra time before or after a Danube cruise:  There is a two night cruise, Passau to Linz.  You stay in a hotel in Vienna and Linz, then a 2 hour return train ride to Passau (included in 700E price for two people).  You can also do a Passau to Vienna cruise where you either return to Passau that night, or stay in Vienna overnight and train back to Passau, or use the provided bike and peddle back to Passau. 

 

https://www.donauschifffahrt.eu/kurzurlaub-passau-linz-wien/

 

 The second one is a 7 night bike/barge trip, you start in Passau, peddle to Vienna, then back via barge/ship.  Depending on when you sail, it's either on a fancy looking barge (Merlijn, I've seen a video review, very nice), or larger ship like the Swiss Crown or Prinzessin Katharina.  The daily distance peddled are 16-28 miles (longer routes available), E-bikes available.  And you can always skip a day and just relax on board.  Reasonably priced.

 

https://www.tripsite.com/bike-boat/tours/along-the-danube-passau-to-vienna/

 

JAZZ-  If either link not allowed, please just delete them, and not entire post.

 

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

@ural guy thanks for checking.  I think these links are allowed, as they are trip providers rather than travel agents.

[notamermaid]

Thank you for the links, ural guy, very interesting. The first is to the big excursion boat operator Wurm & Noé. I occasionally read about them and they have a wide selection of trip offers. I had forgotten that they do this overnight thing! Love the idea of evening cruise on the "Kristallschiff" - which is embellished with real Swarowski crystals - and hotel stay. I am sure this is a hit locally.

 

Only a few days ago did I read about a cruise/hotel offer on the Fulda river this year. I know that this has been done on the Rhine before as well.

 

Your second link leads to cruises that have passengers sleeping on the ship of course. Tripsite is a big operator in the States it seems, a partner of the companies that operate or own the small river cruise ships and barges. If one wants intimate river cruises without huge luxury I find they are a great way to explore the Danube and other rivers and canals.

 

notamermaid

 

[steamboats]

Bike and boat cruises are becoming more and more popular here in Germany. There are a couple of river cruise operators offering them. 

 

And more and more regular river cruise ships do carry bikes onboard either for guided tours or for individual use. For the later you only have to ask at the reception the day before you want to use them. Usually they are free of charge.

 

steamboats

[ural guy]

I had thought that is was just bike/barge sailings.  The Swiss Crown is 110m, 135 passengers.  This interests me as my wife would probably only want to be on a bike every other, or 2 out of 3 days.  She'd be happy knitting her socks and watching the world go by, and wandering whatever small town they dock in.  Having the larger ship, with more vantage points, would be great.

 

Here is a great video about the Merlijn, one of the bike/barge options.  A British lady doing the video loved the experience and the food.  She hadn't been on a bike in years.  Barge looks sweet.  Not the Danube, but you get the idea.

 

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by ural guy
spelling

[gnome12]

One thing to watch on a bike and barge is that the barges have different levels of amenities.

The listing of boats and barges on the bottom left of this page https://www.tripsite.com/bike-boat/ groups them by class, but even within class it is important to check the amenities of the individual barge. When we did Cochem to Merzig in the first week of October on the Quo Vadis, we saw the Zwaan on a number of occasions doing a similar route; while we had a comfortable indoor dining room, theirs was outside and some of the weather was quite chilly. (I realize that these are in very different classes.)

 

Note that almost all the barges, like the one in the video, are owner operated; tripsite.com is a clearing site for North Americans to book them, although many of them can also be booked directly, as in the video. And even for a particular barge, not all sailings show up on tripsite; some may be marketed elsewhere.

[Canal archive]

Don’t forget hiring a barge to drive yourselves, we met more North Americans on our Canal du Nivernais cruise and most had bikes on board. 

[gnome12]

21 minutes ago, Canal archive said:

Don’t forget hiring a barge to drive yourselves, we met more North Americans on our Canal du Nivernais cruise and most had bikes on board. 

That is a completely different experience. On a bike and barge, the barge moves while you cycle (or choose to stay on board). Taking a bike our from your own barge is usually a there and back excursion. Not wrong at all; just different.

[Canal archive]

Maybe that’s why I mentioned it and I must admit we were surprised how many North Americans we met along with Germans.

Edited January 16, 2023 by Canal archive