Danube

Holiday in the saddle on bicycle path along the DANUBE, from Passau to Vienna

Photo and text by Daniela Zappa and Marco Cerisola, 2008

Translated by Matteo Cerisola and Daniela Zappa, 2014

[ Photos and text in this site are protected by copyright: see conditions on the home page. ]

See the photos in the italian version (Click on the photos, they get bigger)

This bicycle path is really a dream, even more fascinating than what we were told. But no one informed us of some flaws (which we specify below).

Such wonderful bike paths could be possible also in Italy, or even better. It is all political willingness. Many people may take advantage from it and there could be beneficial effects in the employment field (many economic activities would arise: hotels, restaurants, mechanics, recreation areas).

We will remember forever this majestic river, changing km after km, the countless castles, the forests, the meadows, the fields, the gardens, the wildlife, the historic villages.

Hereunder we are giving some brief tips to those families who would like to emulate us.

The best as to us is reaching the path by plane, buying return tickets to Vienna at least 9 months before in order to pay less. We suggest you to go from Vienna to Passau by train,rent the bikes in Passau and give them back in a hotel near Vienna as we did in agreement with the renter. It seemed to us too heavy carrying our bicycles from Italy when we could find more suitable models in Passau with all necessary accessories. We preferred to book well in advance all the hotels and guest houses, even if it is necessary only in Vienna and Linz (though we highly recommend it for the other locations).

Speaking English might not be enough as some people we met could speak only German.

If you like you can send your luggage from one hotel to the next one with fee, but we have always preferred to carry it with us on trailers. We tried to reduce to a minimum size our bags choosing fast drying fabrics, laundering almost every night and drying them with the help of our precious small hair-drier (in our hotel in Linz we had on disposal an automatic washing machine and dryer at the cost of 5 €).

In summer it often rains, mainly evening thunderstorms.

Credit card are important, cash cards are useful to withdraw abroad, cash is necessary: if you choose guesthouses (like we did and which we recommend), they request cash.

(In 2008) it was almost impossible to find internet points, moreover the computers often had particular softwares, different keyboards from ours, indecipherable menus and very slow internet lines.

It is fundamental to buy a good guide (the best, written by the excellent Albert Fiorin, is published by "Ediciclo") and read something on the web to prepare your holiday.

Children are considered with great care although there were some exceptions. In various hotels and trains our children received nice presents (crayons and colouring books). Some restaurants and bars have kids menus, little tables and spaces for them. Shopping carts are available for children of all ages inside supermarkets. Playgrounds are almost everywhere although they seam rare in Vienna (except at the Prater park). We also found playgrounds for teens, some really amazing and almost always free. Changing tables are everywhere, sometimes even with wipes and cleaners. There are special rates for families, even on ferries.

This holiday was such a dream that we began to plan it several months before to prepare it carefully. We foresaw almost everything, but we did not expect to be in Passau (the only German town of our tour) on the evening when Germany played the "European football final match" arbitrated by an Italian ... What if Mr. Rosetti had whistled a penalty against Germany?

CAUTION!

The bike path is almost always safe, but it could sometimes become dangerous for children because it runs along the Danube or a road.

The only baby bed we found was in Linz: the other rooms had normal beds although we had clearly indicated the age of our children.

The signs forbidding smoking in the bedrooms were often not respected and smoking in restaurant in 2008 was allowed.

Our TRAVEL PROGRAM was as follows:

Day 1 Flight by plane Roma - Vienna

Day 2 Vienna historical center and the Kunsthistorisches Museum

Day 3 Vienna - Passau by train

Day 4 Passau - Niederanna = 31.5 km cycling

Day 5 Niederranna - Aschach = 34.9 km cycling

Day 6 Aschach - Linz = 28.4 km cycling

Day 7 Linz - Mauthausen = 32.3 km cycling

Day 8 Mauthausen - Grein = 35.3 km cycling

Day 9 Grein - Ybbs = 20.0 km cycling

Day 10 Ybbs - Aggsbach Markt = 37.6 km cycling

Day 11 Aggsbach Markt – Stein = 24.7 km cycling

Day 12 Stein - Zwentendorf = 33.9 km cycling

Day 13 Zwentendorf - Klosterneuburg = 37.4 km cycling

Day 14 Klosterneuburg - Vienna – Klosterneuburg = 37.0 km cycling

Day 15 Vienna's historic center, castles and gardens of Schoenbrun and Belvedere

Day 16 Flight by plane Vienna - Roma.

It was the vacation of a family with two children (5 and 2 years) and two boys (Marco son and a friend): the average length of the stops (only 30 km) met the needs of children and gave us the possibility to visit the towns, to rest or to have fun at a swimming pool (do not forget the bathing suit!)

Although we opted for a large number of nights we tried to save when possible so that our holidays turned out cheap.

We designed a program that would allow everyone to have fun: a bit of culture (castles and other cultural visits), beautiful views, stops in playgrounds and additional km in the saddle for additional excursions.

The Danube Cycle Route between Passau and Vienna has often been drawn on both sides of the Danube. Where no cycle path is present you travel on secondary roads with hardly any traffic.

The choice of bank and route depends on many factors: everyone has his own tastes and desires; there are accommodations almost everywhere which allows a lot of alternatives. After a long group study, we opted for a winding path to look for what most attracted us which permitted us to see places overlooked by the guides.

Of all the traits of "Donauradweg", the most sublime is the one between Niederanna and Aschach (34 km, first on the left bank, then on the right); unforgettable the long segment between Linz and Traismauer (170 km changing often bank and where we took the ferry 5 times).

Tiring? No, you just need to be a little trained.

Following the course of the river descending towards the sea, you cycle on level land or slightly downhill and mostly before the wind; there are only some short but steep hills for instance when going on bridges to cross the river, where one of us pushed her bike just not to tire herself out.

We could list every place that has fascinated us and every detail chosen, but we would be boring. We simply point out the major points of interest (as to us):

• the region "Wachau", World Heritage Site according to UNESCO, which extends from the famous abbey of Melk to Krems, through vineyards, orchards, hills and castles (the one of Schoenbuhel also appears in the movie of Princess Sissi with Romy Schneider);

• the loop of Schloegen (where the Danube seems to go back; if you can, plan to climb and see the landscape from above!) and the canyon of Strudengau;

• the pendulum ferry between the striking Wilhering monastery and the charming village of Ottensheim;

• the abbeys of St. Florian (9 km from the classic itinerary, with a short climb), Goettweg, Melk and Klosterneuburg (after a short climb, preceded by a well-travelled intersection: CAUTION!);

• the castles of Klam (8 km from the Danube, with a rather hard climb), of Grein, of Schoenbuhel and – in Vienna – Belvedere and Schoenbrun (but the list it would be longer);

• Passau, Aschach, Ottensheim, Enns (6 km from the main track, with a short climb), Grein, Ybbs, Schwallenbach, Spitz, Weissenkirchen, Duernstein and Stein-Krems;

• Vienna (our ultimate prize although we had partially visited it at the beginning of our journey, when we were still fresh! Sleeping in a capital costs more than elsewhere: we opted for a well connected hotel in the suburbs and for a hotel in Klosterneuburg, where we gave the bikes back;

• the exquisite Apfelsaft (apple juice)!

Besides the places and landscapes, what remains in our soul is the serenity of going and a new approach to life: the ciclosofia.

Reviewing the photos and thinking back to that track, we are still ecstatic ... But with a bitterness: why do not we have such tracks as well in Italy? Many could be drawn!

If you are interested in a cycling holiday with your family on a more challenging path, you can see our bike ride along the river Drava. If you are looking for cycle holidays in Italy cycling holiday, you can see our bike travel along the italian river Po.

Daniela Zappa and Marco Cerisola

See the photos in the italian version (Click on the photos, they get bigger). The description are:

1 - Waiting for the ferry to Engelhartszell to change bank.

2 - We recommend the trailer bikes (also known as tag-alongs, add-a-bikes and trail-a-bikes) for children over 3 - 4 years and less than 10.

3 - We rent bikes in Passau (Germany), reached by train: from there we started our bike ride in stages (after a few km you enter in Austria).

4 - At the supermarket, children are not bored. Along the bicycle path you do not lose your way.

5 - There are also playgrounds for teenagers, swimming pools and cyclo-cross tracks.

6 - The separate collection of rubbish is really separate in Austria: even the dark glass and the light glass are disposed into different containers. Why can not we do the same in Italy?

7 - The wheels roll at the same speed of the placid river Danube.

8 - Neuhaus fortress, cycling between the loop of Schloegen and Aschach.

9 - Ottensheim dominated by its imposing castle. How many charming villages!

10 - Immersed in the beautiful countryside, near the delightful village of Enns.

11 - The castle of Schoenbuhel and crossing a hamlet in the Wachau.

12 - Here we are in Vienna: goal achieved! What a pity having to go home ...