The Church of Franz Assisi in Vienna, Austria.Along the Danube – Passau to Vienna: Such a Perfect Trip!

November 10, 2025     Tripsite Staff

Along the Danube – Passau to Vienna: Such a Perfect Trip!

How it all began

I emailed Tripsite with questions about a trip and they responded right away, helping us choose a trip that fit our priorities. What started as 4 friends soon grew to 6, and as word spread in our community, our group expanded to 17—six couples and five singles…all friends from eastern Canada.

We call ourselves “Shift Happens”, a group of 17 (16 bikers and 1 non-biker) from the provinces of PEI & NS in Canada. Our group’s bike abilities ranged from beginner to competitive and our ages ranged from 64 to 81.

Arrival

My husband and I arrived in Passau by train the day prior to our cruise and took a stroll to view the docking area where we would board the Swiss Crown the following morning.

My husband, Andrew, and a fellow traveler exploring the beautiful town of Passau.
A picture from land showing the different colors where the Danube and Inn rivers meet. There are actually 3 rivers coming together in Passau of differing colors for different reasons.

Day 1 (September 20) on the Swiss Crown

We were greeted by crew members who took our luggage and showed us around the boat. Shortly after boarding, the boat sailed down the Danube River to Engelhartszel.

A picture of the Swiss Crown taken from the bike path.
The dining room.
Every morning our bikes were neatly lined up and tagged with our names.

Day 2 (1st day of biking, September 21)

The agenda for the first bike was 48 k from Engelhartzell to Brandstatt. Many members of our group were a little anxious to bike that distance but were all very pleased with the day and had no worries about the remaining week.

Some of our group getting off the ferry.
We crossed to the other side of the Danube on the Engelhartszell Ferry.
Poor Andrew missed the ferry...
My husband on the trail wearing his Canadian bike jersey.
A few of us did a side tour and short hike for an amazing, although foggy, view of the Danube Bend from the Schlogener Blink viewpoint.
Our bike paths were all flat, paved, and easy to follow.
Me with my Canadian jersey.

Day 3 (2nd day of biking, September 22)

We biked 28 km from Bradstatt to Linz then explored the city. Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, is a very walkable and modern city.

We found Linz unique with all the train tracks on the streets – a novelty for us as we live in a province with no trains and very few buses.
The New Cathedral in Linz. The largest church in Austria has room for 20,000 people.

Day 4 (3rd day of biking, September 23)

We sailed from Linz to Tulln overnight then biked 33 k to Vienna with a stop at Klosterneuburg Abbey. A couple of us also biked from the ship to Vienna and return (16 k).

Day 5 (September 24)

A rest day from biking while docked near Vienna. We took a tram downtown where Andrew and I explored the city centre, visited the Albertina Museum and the Spanish Riding School—both excellent choices—then ended the day with a classical concert at Schönbrunn Palace. Vienna’s stunning architecture, grand palaces, cathedrals, museums, gardens, and walkable streets made it a perfect city to explore regardless of the rainy day.

St. Peter’s Church has such a presence.
The Trinity Column in the Main Square of many Austrian cities is also known as a Plague Column and is a gesture of public faith and gratitude for deliverance from plague, fire or war during the 17th & 18th centuries.
The Lipizzaner horses at the Spanish Riding School are all stallions of mixed Spanish and Arabia breeds and are fairly small at 15.2 hh. Only the males are trained in the school's 460-year history. Other than this horse, we were not allowed to take photographs of horses during our tour of the stables.
Inside the Spanish Riding School arena where horses are trained and performances held.
Josefplatz public square at the Hofburg Palace mere steps away from where we toured the Spanish Riding School. Two things that amazed me about Vienna were how many famous landmarks are within a short walk in the area around the center square and, secondly, the grandeur and ornate details on all of the buildings.
I was able to take one picture when we arrived at the classical concert at Schönbrunn Palace. The ceiling lights changed with the music and performance making the concert both visually and acoustically captivating.

Day 6 (4th day of biking, September 25)

We were a tough bunch and chose to bike 39 k in the Wachau Valley from Krems to Melk in light rain. The views through the wineries were breathtaking and the rain was insignificant due to the amazing bike ride.

We went through Durnstein and heard the story about the kidnapping and ransom paid for King Richard the Lionheart.
Imagine the scenery on a clear day… Still breathtaking.
Unique building design on this winery we passed by in Wachau Valley.
A fun evening on the boat where we got to select from a number of groovy outfits for a 70’s dance.

Day 7 (5th day of biking, September 26)

We sailed to Grein overnight. Last day of biking was 37 km from Grein to Mauthausen. Rather than the planned trail along the river, five of us opted for an alternate hillier route through the countryside heading towards Clam Castle.

We stopped for a little break to admire the scenery around the Celtic Village in Mitterkirchen.
We walked around the town of Mauthausen along the Danube before boarding our ship. The decorative buildings are such a treat.
The final stretch on our final day of biking. We felt as if we had accomplished so much when we totaled just over 200 km of biking along with the many incredible sights we got to see along the way.

Day 8 (September 27)

We sailed through the night back to Passau, the start and end of our “bike and barge”.

The food and service on the Swiss Crown has been so spectacular that I could not resist sharing a copy of the menu from our last evening.

The end of our journey…. We will not be able to top this trip!

Carol VanWiechen and her husband, Andrew, live on the east coast of Canada on beautiful Prince Edward Island. They have been married for 36 years and have 3 children who have all "left the nest". They have 2 grandchildren with a 3rd grandchild on the way. Carol is retired but her husband, Andrew, still works part-time farming.

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