There were so many options when I first started planning this trip, I was very keen to “island hop” the Greek isles, and had already researched a lot of islands, ferries and accommodation, but then I saw an advertisement for a Bike/Barge tour on the Danube. A Danube cruise had always appealed but while the big player river cruise lines were way over our budget, this option fell within what seemed acceptable and the idea of cycle sightseeing definitely appealed. We knew we had set dates towards the end of May to start, and my first query to a NZ based provider, was turned down as the suites were all booked – so I did more research and found the Boat and Bike website offering very similar dates at the same price – so got on and booked our 8 day voyage from Passau to Budapest and back again which then dictated the rest of our trip somewhat.

Catching the train from Salzburg to Passau seemed an easy task, one change of train halfway, but due to a train line breakdown we ended up sitting at a deserted train station about half an hour from our destination waiting for a bus to take us onwards… no bus, but an hour later we were told that the line was repaired and we could take the next train that came through. In the meantime we had got talking to an English speaking couple, originally from Goa, India, but now based in Vienna. We found common interests and it was good to chat to them to while away the waiting time. They suggested that we meet up with them and their son at a busy beer garden in Passau for dinner later that evening. The food was typically large portions of meat with plenty of carbohydrates. Good value and a lovely setting. Chris is getting to grips with the German wheat beer, and the wine and conversations were great too.

Our overnight hotel was a 15 minute walk from the train station, thankfully mostly shaded as temperatures here were hitting the high 20’s. The room was pleasant with a view towards the Danube, and we enjoyed a cold drink on their terrace after a much longer day than we had anticipated.

We had plenty of time the next day before boarding our boat, so wandered the streets of old town Passau, seeing where the rivers met and marvelling at the delightful architecture. Such a pretty town. We ended up back at the same beer garden we enjoyed the previous night, for a shared lunch platter.

Then to get the Uber to the boat, a 6 minute drive (but 45 minute walk) hmmm, circle of death on the app waiting to connect us to our ride with multiple attempts…until we actually asked “is there Uber in Passau?” No! Well that was a good half an hour wasted. Ordered a regular taxi at 3x what the Uber could have been, and lost Chris’ AirPods in the process, but got us to our destination and easy check-in to our delightful balcony room on the MS Primadonna. At dinner that night we discovered we were sitting with 4 out of the 7 (native) English speakers on the cruise. ( 4 Canadians, 1 American and 2 Kiwis) Most communications are in German… with a short English addendum to ensure we don’t feel left out… but it’s clear this particular cruise company caters for the German passengers over any others. But the food is great, the rooms are comfortable and we will see some wonderful sights and scenery over the next 8 days on the Danube.

Day one of cycling got off to a slow start as our boat had to wait for access to one of the river dam locks, delaying our arrival to Schlegel by over 3 hours. This meant that we had lunch on the boat and then started cycling by 1 pm, towards Linz. The first part of this journey was easy with a tail wind, pleasant temperatures, blue skies and easy cycling paths. We enjoyed the green surrounds, trees on one side and grasses and flowers on the other. Little towns dotted the riverbank on both sides. We stopped for a good hot coffee at a little beer garden buzzing with Saturday partygoers, later crossing the Danube over one of the dams deciding we were ready for a cold drink, despite the skies getting darker and the temperature dropping. We found a lovely spot to enjoy a cold beer for Chris and a Hugo Spritz for Carolyn, very refreshing. As we started to leave, we felt the first drops of rain – ahead on the path other riders were stopping to put on jackets and ponchos…. which we hadn’t packed today. We decided that as we were already wet, it wasn’t much point sheltering, just keep going to the ship meeting point, despite the thunderstorm around us. Arriving well beyond the due time for the ship, we were disappointed to see that it hadn’t docked yet and many of our ship mates were also sheltering where they could out of the rain and cool wind. Chris got very cold so it was a relief to finally see our boat arrive so we could race on and jump into a lovely hot shower and dress in warmer clothes. If we had started as planned in the morning we would have avoided the rain and possibly had a chance to see some of Linz, but I guess it’s no one’s fault, traveling at the whim of the river and other lock users delay tight schedules. It was a great introduction to this trip and promises more delights as we head further east. Day one cycling distance was approx 56 km, and we averaged 22km/hr, despite stops for photos and drinks.

Day Two saw us leaving on time from Tulln with our packed lunches, (and no rain forecast). This was a pretty garden town we could have spent more time exploring, but we wanted to see other sights on our way, so tootled off fairly promptly. The cycle path along the Danube stop banks was wide and straight, with not a lot of interest until we reached Klosterneuburg, where we climbed (rode) up to the impressive Abbey to enjoy a cold drink, eat our lunch and take in the views towards Vienna. Being a Sunday, we could not access the actual church which was one of the reasons to visit. Rested, we set off on the final stretch down to the boat dock just out of Vienna waiting only about 20 minutes to finally see our ship come in. We unloaded our saddle bags and then hopped back on the bikes into central Vienna for a quick wander. Having visited Vienna over 3 days on a previous trip, we weren’t wanting to do any in-depth exploration, and the town was full of tourists, but mostly shut because of it being a Sunday. Just as we prepared to head back to the ship, thunder rolled again and there was a very heavy downpour for bout 15 minutes – thankfully we had shelter this time and once the rain stopped we headed back to the safety of our ship, passing a couple of groups from our tour that were heading into the city on a guided tour. Day Two: 45km cycling.

The next morning saw us wake in Komárno in Slovakia, another very pretty town. First order of the day was finding a café for a decent coffee, and this one delivered. Generally we’ve found that if it is also a roastery, then the coffee is good too. Then to find the beautiful town square in Komárno, the “courtyard of Europe” before setting off on our day’s cycling to Esztergom in Hungary. Again, the route was mostly on the stop banks of the Danube, with not a lot of interest other than a field of wildflowers, until we reached Esztergom, where we crossed the river and cycled up to the impressive cathedral high on the hill overlooking the Danube. We parked our cycles, and paid a small entry fee to wander up to the top for views over the river and across the town, down into the catacombs and then around the beautifully decorated cathedral itself. Satisfied with avoiding the rain once again, we headed back to the ship, parking our bikes and taking advantage of the riverside bar for a well-deserved cold G&T at half the price of the ship-board bar. We had an early departure, sailing into Hungary and towards Budapest which did not disappoint. Day 3: 58km cycling