into the eastern part of the Danube, exploring Hungary
We are delighted to offer you a NEW fully guided version of the famous Danube Bike Trail. This tour visits no less than 4 countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, last but not least on this trip! We will see a lot of its capital, but also from the Puszta.
The river cruise ship Primadonna sails mainly at night and lets us explore and cycle to the next destination during the day. The scenery changes every day and cycling is part following the Danube, part to and through the beautiful cities. Castles and beautiful villages and the great cities of Budapest and Bratislava await us.
The ship we are on for our tour is an elegant and luxurious catamaran, all cabins have a river view and the upper and promenade deck offer bigger rooms with a balcony. You can always visit the front of the ship for a panoramic view from the bar area, or you enjoy the large sundeck. Indoor, there is a jacuzzi and sauna, and great dining awaits you! As we will be with our small group, we will be seated together for breakfast and dinner. During the day we will go with our own guide(s) and cycle. We invite you to be part of this new way of cruising and guided cycling!
The tour itself gives us the option to cycle on the most beautiful part of the Danube River, which stretches from the west of Germany and ends in the Puszta! It’s a very popular bike path up until Vienna or Budapest and for most Europeans one you must have been on once, at least! So we are excited about taking you there to show you its beauty. On this particular departure, we will even go beyond that well-known path and go to the more off-the-beaten-path areas in Hungary. Here we will experience the cultural differences in central Europe.
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Day-to-day
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Arrival at Passau, boarding the ship
We are welcome on board at the end of the afternoon. First, we will meet to go there between 3 and 4 pm at a location close to the Railway Station of Passau. From there we will go to the docking spot of the Primadonna, where we will check out our cabins and have our first dinner on board. Our guide(s) will welcome you and explain what’s ahead, talk about safe biking and other info about what’s to be expected in the upcoming days. The ship will start sailing while we are preparing to go to our first dinner and sails through the night
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Wachau: the most beautiful part of the Austrian Danube: Ybbs to Duernstein 54 km/34 ml
Our bikes will be fitted at Ybbs and off we go! Our first ride is a very good one: we cycle along the Danube and we can visit the Abbey of Melk, a Benedict Order still active. We will have a guided tour there, and continue cycling to Duernstein to join the ship again. On our way we will pass through the vineyards of Spitz and Weissenkrichen, and Duernstein, of course!
This trip will remind some of you of the Moselle trips: a river, vineyards, beautiful little villages and the Abby of Melk as an absolute must-see!
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Slovakian Donau Cycle Route from Komarno/Sturovo to Esztergom (Hungary) 56 km/35 ml
Our next stop is a long-way sailing, which mainly takes place during the night.
At around 10 am, we will be able to leave the ship again for our second day of cycling, which takes us from Komarno/Sturovo to Esztergom. A ride along the Danube, mainly by car free to Kelemantia to see the Roman remains and Moca. The cycling ends at the Dome of Esztergom, which is worth a visit for sure. We board the Primadonna, which starts sailing, will pass through Budapest at around 10 pm (worth staying up for!) and continue to Baya, our furthest point of the trip.
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Puszta, the Hungarian Plain 49km/30 ml
Here we are in rural areas; we start cycling from the Barock town of Baja along the Donau Cycle Route and the most famous Pilgrims Route of Hungary to the Capital of the Puszta: Kalocsa. We will have lunch on board and spend the afternoon with a cycle tour into the centre and optional a visit to the Dome and the Bishops Castle.
We sail at 3 pm back to Budapest!
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Budapest - Cycling and sightseeing 22 k/13 ml
Today we can explore Budapest with our bikes. We will cycle along the Danube, and visit the highlights, such as the Parliament building, the famous shoes at the shore to remind us of the Holocaust, the Fisherman’s bastion on top of the hill, and the collection of historic buildings, residents of the president of Hungary.
We board the ship for dinner and sail out of Budapest.
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Samorin to Bratislava 24 km and option for 48 km more, 15 ml or + 30 ml.
According to the plan, we can start cycling at around 10.30 am. Car-free again, at the Slovakian Danube Cycle path, into the centre of Bratislava. We can continue to Schloss Hof, partly cycling on the road (around 5 km), mainly on cycle paths, passing the castle high on a rock in Devin and the most spectacular bridge for cyclists between Slovakia and Austria. Notice the difference in the landscape while you see the Schloss Hof in front of you. Worth the miles; time to get back to the ship, though, which sails at 6.30 pm.
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Grein to Linz 62 km/38 ml
Our last day of cycling will start around 12.30, so we have some time to relax in the morning, while we sail through the Wachau area and recognise the villages we cycled through!
On our bikes, we will pass the castles of Dornach, Clam, Wallsee and Pragstein, and the Pleschinger Lakes, before we arrive at Linz. Optional is a Concert on the Brueknerorgel in Linz.
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Passau, auf wiedersehen!
The last night on board brings us back to Passau, where all the fun started. Passau itself is worth spending another day, between 9.00 and 10.00 we need to disembark. A bus will take us to the train station, where we will arrive between 10 and 11 am. Please know that there can be delays, so don’t book international flights before late afternoon/evening. The next day would be preferable!
Photos
Accommodations
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Our rivercruise ship the PRIMADONNA
The PRIMADONNA is a beautiful fully updated river cruise ship. It can take up to 160 guests and has options on different levels of cabins and comfort. The standard cabins we offer as a price example offer two low beds and a small window. Like on the IRIS more or less. There are upgrades available to more spacious cabins on the Promenade and Upper Deck which offers cabins with a small balcony and wall to ceiling sliding doors.
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Standard cabin
The PRIMADONNA has 4 levels of cabins on offer. You can check the different prices at “what’s included and optional”.
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Superior cabins on Upper and Promenade Deck
Upgrades possible to Upper and Promenade Deck
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INDOOR Jacuzzi
Every cabin gets one free Hydro Jet treatment and also one free Beard Shave per cabin.
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Outdoor Jacuzzi
A nice way to spend some time on the ship at the sundeck
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Days where we will see our ship sailing
our group on its way to the next stop!
Please ask for our info sheet to know all about the details of the ship, the cabin, the services and the inclusions!
On this tour, offered by BikePlanet Tours on the PRIMADONNA, the following is included:
Meeting with the guides and shuttle to the ship
Welcome snack on arrival
Eight days of sailing, seven nights on board: breakfast buffet (American style), lunch/packed lunch and 4-course dinners on PRIMADONNA
Afternoon tea/coffee on board, including Kuchen (cakes!), in case we are there on time (4 pm)
Daily midnight snack at the Panorama bar
A hydro jet massage of 15 minutes for every guest. Schedule on time!
Guided tours in the Monastery of Melk, the Dom in Kalocsa and the Palace of the Bishop in Kalosc
1 Tour guide for 18 guests, cycling with the guests + maps
Panniers, waterbottle and helmets
OTHER CABINS:
The price mentioned on this tour page is a Standard Cabin on the Main Deck. The window can’t open on the lower part of the ship.
Two more spacious cabins with a balcony and floor-to-ceiling doors are the Promenade Deck and the Upper Deck. The Upper Deck is below the Promenade Deck and above the Main Deck.
The pricing in 2024:
Standard cabin Main Deck (mid/front)
(sharing a double cabin) per person € 1730.–
Deluxe cabin Upper Deck
(sharing a double cabin) per person € 2239.–
Deluxe cabin Promenade Deck
(sharing a double cabin) per person € 2335,-
SINGLE-USE PRICES:
Standard cabin Main Deck (mid/front) € 2325,–
Deluxe cabin Upper € 3513,–
Deluxe cabin Promenade Deck € 3681,–
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE REGULAR BIKE RENT IS INCLUDED,
AND THE RENT OF E-BIKES IS 100 EURO EXTRA.
ORDER AHEAD!