Danube with MS Theodor Korner, Austria

This is the popular Danube cruise with cycling and sailing from Passau to Vienna through wonderful landscapes along the Danube River. Here you will find peaceful, car-free bike paths along the river bank, pleasant villages, castles and fortresses, and the capital Vienna as the last, beautiful stop before returning to Passau by boat.

In total, approx. 550 km of river sailing combined with daily cycling stages in the beautiful Austrian countryside with mountain panoramas, a river that winds its way through flowering tranquillity, vineyards and villages, and everywhere you'll be met with hospitality by the local population. 

A "leisurely" active vacation where you have the whole day at your disposal out on the bike paths, and with enjoyable experiences such as small bike ferries crossing the river in several places. Cosy resting areas inviting you to take a break and enjoy a glass of foaming beer, or a glass of local wine in the villages with old winding streets like in the little "gem" Dürnstein in the Wachau area, where you'll also find wonderful green vineyards.

Right here in this area you'll get the most beautiful impressions of Austria, and the vacation destination that it is, with its many splendid and scenic landscapes known by many from the movie "The Sound of Music", as most of the filming took place exactly here.

And last but not least, you will experience two capitals, both Bratislava and one of Europe's most beautiful capitals, Vienna, the city of waltz with the impressive imperial buildings, which exudes glory of a bygone age. 

This tour is perfect for groups of friends with different levels of fitness and requirements for activities. If on some days you do not fancy going cycling, you can stay on board, relax and simply enjoy the sailing from the sun deck. Every day a new berth and a new place to explore, – a perfect combination of relaxation and activities to the extent that you wish...!

We also offer a bike holiday along the Danube from hotel to hotel with luggage transport – Read more here.

MS Theodor Körner is a spacious and nostalgic ship, which was completely renovated in 2014. The ship has a nice Art Deco style atmosphere. The staff is always well-prepared and provides an extremely professional service.  

The ship has three different decks and a panoramic bar with dance floor, a covered terrace, a small library, a sauna and of course a lovely dining restaurant as well as the large sun deck with sun loungers and table arrangements. 

60 comfortable cabins of approx. 8-16 sqm each. The cabins we book are mostly 10-11 sqm and with 2 single beds, air conditioning, heating, toilet, shower, hairdryer, LCD TV and panoramic windows.

Promenade deck: All cabins have windows that can be opened. The cabins on the promenade deck are the most popular and the ones to be sold out first, so they need to be booked well in advance.  
Upper deck: All cabins have windows that can be opened.
Main deck: A limited number of cabins. The windows cannot be opened.  

Junior Suite: There are very few of these cabins on the upper and promenade decks. The cabins are 13-16 sqm and have a double bed. These cabins generally cost 1000-1200 DKK/person more than the other cabins.   

The tour is with full board: buffet breakfast, small lunch on board or packed lunch for the bike ride, and in the evening, a 3-course dinner where most days you can choose between two main courses. It's almost a culinary journey where the dishes reflect the diverse regions that you come through.  

There is live music every evening, and on the final evening there is a gala dinner with a 4-course festive menu and entertainment by the ship's crew. 

When the ship is in port, the air conditioning will usually be disconnected. 

The ship caters to an international crowd, and you will meet many different nationalities on board.
There is Wi-Fi on board (connection is not guaranteed). 

Sun deck // Restaurant

Junior suite // Standard cabin

Day 1. Arrival in Passau
The city of 3 rivers: the Danube, Inn and Ilz. Possible sightseeing on your own in Passau with a magnificent old town and the Baroque Cathedral with one of the world's largest pipe organs. Check-in on the boat from 16.00h. Welcome drink and dinner with live music on board. The tour starts with an evening sail through the romantic Danube Valley to Mauthausen.

Day 2. Mauthausen – Grein – Devín, approx. 35 km of cycling
From Mauthausen you'll cycle along the Danube river, passing through green meadows, past campsites and typical Austrian flowered houses. The Celtic village of Mitterkirchen will throw you back in time.
If you want a longer cycle route, you can cycle by the Clam Castle in the back country of Strudengau. The whole of the day's route goes through a varied landscape, past corn fields and forests. The stage finishes in the small enchanting town of Grein, with the Greinburg Castle and Austria's oldest theatre, where the boat awaits you at the quayside. 

Day 3. Devín – Bratislava, approx. 43 km of cycling
After a calm night sail, you arrive in Devín in the morning, where the mighty castle ruin towers over the village and river. There are various route suggestions for this day. From Devín you can cycle along the former Iron Curtain that divided Eastern and Western Europe during the Cold War. After crossing the border, you soon reach the impressive Baroque Palace, Schloss Hof, with its artistic gardens.  
The route continues through 'Austria's vegetable garden' to the coronation city and Hungary's former capital, Bratislava, located at the foot of the Carpathian mountain range. Explore Bratislava's sights and narrow alleyways.

Day 4.  Free day in Vienna
You can spend this day in several ways depending on your wishes and interests. A very interesting guided bike tour around Vienna is offered with an English- or German-speaking guide. You can also choose to do a city tour on your own in Vienna. Or you can bike to the Viennese car-free vacation paradise, Donauinsel, which is an artificial island in the middle of the river with crisscrossing bike paths, swimming possibilities and cosy rest areas everywhere. In the evening you can visit one of the many small "heurigen" restaurants in Vienna/Nussdorf, or you can take the offer of concert tickets incl. bus transport to the popular Wiener concert evening. During the night the boat sails to Krems. 

Day 5. Wachau/Krems – Melk, approx. 37 km of cycling   
Today is a very special cycling day through some of Austria's most beautiful scenery. This hilly landscape between charming villages, apricot orchards, vineyards, castles, monasteries and ruins, will enchant anyone. You will cycle in "the seventh heaven". Towering over the baroque village of Dürstein, with the winding streets and topped cobblestones, are the ruins of the castle where Richard the Lionheart (King Richard I of England) was held captive. The blue spiral of the monastery church is a landmark of the Wachau Valley. The small town of Weissenkirchen is surrounded by vineyards, and there is ample opportunity for wine tasting at the many wine taverns along the bike path. Make sure not to miss tasting the local Marillen liqueur (apricot) 

Day 6. Melk - Grein,approx. 50 km of cycling
After the lovely buffet breakfast, you have plenty of time to explore Melk's Baroque Benedictine Abbey. Today's cycling route is very diverse. Starting in the wide valleys of the Nibelungengau region, you'll follow the Danube into Strudengau – a narrow and notorious place among skippers. Today's final destination is the town of Grein with Austria's oldest theatre (possible to visit).

Day 7. Obermühl – Engelhartszell, 25 km of cycling
You will come through beautiful nature and small villages with cosy restaurants and "beer gardens" that invites you to stop for a well-deserved refreshment. A visit to the Engelszell Abbey ('Stift Engelszell' in German), known for its monastery liqueur, is an obvious recommended stop on the route. It's also today that you have the opportunity to ride up the slopes and get the nice view of where the Danube turns a full 180 degrees.  
This last evening we'll celebrate with a gala dinner and entertainment on board.

Day 8. Passau, checkout
During breakfast, you can enjoy the last beautiful sailing through the Danube Valley, before arriving in Passau at approx. 10.00h followed by your individual return journey home. It's recommended that any train tickets you wish to book is with departure no earlier than 12.00h, as delays may occur.

Various excursions are offered throughout the week: City tour in Linz with the yellow "City Express", guided tours in Vienna by either bike or bus, as well as the popular concert evening in Vienna where for example you can hear music by Strauss in the old empire palace, Wiener Hofburg.

The excursions are booked and paid on board the boat. 

Instead of renting a bike, you can also buy a hiking package that includes an experienced local guide and transfers. Small groups of minimum 8 and maximum 16 participants. 

Every day a bus will bring you comfortably to the starting point for the hike and back again to the ship at the end of the day. 

All the hikes are about 13 km long and will climb between 300 and 500 altitude meters each day. The hikes are about 4 hours each day.  

The hiking itinerary can be purchased for the following departures: 12th of May, 30th of August, 18th of September, 2018. 

This tour is a category 3. Anyone with a good basic level of fitness can participate. Contact us for for information about degrees of difficulty, equipment and our various types of hiking trails.

Day 1. Passau
Before boarding at 16.00h, you can enjoy a walk in the historic town of Passau. You can admire the world's largest church organ and enjoy a cold beer in a typical Bavarian beer garden. The ship sails at around 18.30h, heading for the romantic Danube Valley.

Day 2. Bad Kreuzen – Grein, approx. 13 km (+ 530m / -725m)
The day offers a beautiful and varied hiking trail in the idyllic back country of Strudengau. Among other places, the route takes you past the Wolfsschlucht Gorge, the Martinstein rock formation and the green Stillenstein Gorge, before you again board the ship in Grein, a medieval town with impressive castles. 

Day 3. Devín – Bratislava, approx. 12 km (+ 613m / -529m)
Today the tour goes from Devín to Slovakia's capital, Bratislava. Experience Devín with one of Slovakia's oldest castles from where there is a beautiful view of the Danube-Auen National Park. From Devín we'll continue to the mountain area of Devinska Kobyla, which is the highest point in Bratislava, before finally reaching our last stop of the day, the lively city of Bratislava. 

Day 4. Vienna, rest day
Today you can explore Vienna on your own and enjoy the city's delicious cakes and baked goods. You also have the option of ending the evening with a beautiful concert in one of Vienna's historic palaces. 

Day 5. Weißenkirchen – Bacharnsdorf, approx. 13 km (+ 741m / -739m)
After breakfast, there's a bus ride to Weißenkirchen where you cross the Danube by ferry to St. Lorenzen. From here you start the hike to Hirschwand and the Seekopf mountain area. The day ends in the small town of Melk where you can visit the famous monastery, Melk Abbey, which is a UNESCO's world heritage site.

Day 6. Krummnußbaum – Maria Taferl – Granz, approx. 13 km (+ 509m / -515m)
This day offers hiking around the Strudengau and Nibelungengau regions, which are both located by the Danube Valley. The highlight of this hike is the Maria Taferl Church, which attracts many pilgrims. From here there is a beautiful view of the Danube Valley. The hike continues through the Steinbach gorge, along the Tümlingbach and back to the river. The hike ends in Granz, where a taxi will bring you back to Grein.

Day 7. Inzell – Freizell, approx. 12 km (+ 525m / -545m)
The day starts with a short ferry ride to Kobling, from where a taxi will drive you to the Bavarian town of Inzell. The hike goes via the Steiner Felsen lookout point to the famous Schlögener Blick, where you can enjoy a fantastic view of the Schlögener Schlinge, where the Danube river loops and cuts through the landscape. Upon arriving in Schlögen, the hike continues through the ruins of Haichenbach Castle until reaching the village of Freizell. From here a taxi will bring you back to the boat in Engelhartszell, where you can see Austria's only Trappist Monastery with its famous "healing" herb schnapps, liqueurs and beer.

Day 8. Passau
On this final day you can enjoy your last bit of sun and silence in the Danube Valley from the sun deck, before arriving in Passau for disembarkation. 

Departure every Saturday from 28th of April to 22nd of September 2018 (last departure), except for the following dates: 2nd and 9th of June and 4th and 11th of August (On these dates the boat sails a longer 15-day tour on the Danube from Passau to Romania and back). 

The tour's total cycling distance is approx. 220 km in really easy and flat terrain along the river. The daily stages vary from approx. 35 to 60 km, plus you'll even have a free day in Vienna.
Good, detailed cycling maps are provided (1 set per cabin), so it's easy to find your way. In addition, every evening the following day's stage is reviewed in English and German by the boat's tour guide.  

The bike paths are paved and totally without any car traffic on almost the whole route, so you can really enjoy the view, nature and clean air while riding your bike and relishing the absence of car noise. 
This is definitely a recommended bike cruise to anyone with different levels of fitness and requirements for more or less relaxation and activity during the vacation.

 * We note that the map is indicative and therefore does not contain precise route information.

You can rent a unisex bike with 7 gears (foot brake) or 21 gears (hand brakes).
When booking the tour, please indicate your height (and any desired bike type). 

You can also rent an electric bicycle (without foot brake) if you need a little extra help with the pedalling. 

If you choose to bring your own bikes, an on-board handling fee of 15 € per bike will be charged (to be paid from home in advance). 

The bike rental includes: bike bag, 1 bicycle patch kit, 1 bicycle repair tool kit and 1 lock. 

We recommend bringing your own bike helmet. Helmets and bicycle clothing can be bought on board.   

In Austria it is mandatory for children up to 12 years to wear bike helmets. For adults it's voluntary.

You must arrange your own transport to Passau in Southern Germany where the tour starts and ends.

BY PLANE
Munich is the nearest airport. Transport onwards from Munich to Passau by bus and train, approx. 2 hours travel time.
Alternatively, you can fly to Vienna. From Vienna to Passau it's approx. 3 hours travel time.
A summary of flight options can be found here: Momondo  

BY TRAIN
Check departures and prices on Deutsche Bahn’ website (German rail service). Please note that the cheapest ticket prices are continuously adjusted according to the demand.
Please contact Deutsche Bahn’s sales office for further assistance.

BY CAR
You can find driving directions on Google Maps.

Before departure we'll provide contact information for the parking garage in Passau, from where bus and luggage transfer to the boat is included in the parking fee. 
Outdoor parking costs 66 EUR/week and indoor parking costs 77 EUR/week. Parking must be booked in advance but is to be paid locally. 

Your travel information will contain more detailed information about arrival and departure, as well as booking of parking.