Cycling Along The Danube

I’ve cycled the magnificent Danube Bike Path, known locally as the “Donauradweg”, and I found it to be a great way to explore a fascinating part of Europe. After all, it has been said that it’s “Europe’s best known and most loved bike trip”. I discovered that there were well marked, asphalted cycling paths on both sides of the Danube, or “Donau”, as I rode south for 350 km. from the border town of Passau, Germany, all the way to my destination of Vienna, Austria.

Bicycle Friendly

As I rode along the banks of Europe’s second largest river, through sections of both Germany and Austria, I found that these countries seemed to be very ‘bicycle friendly’. Trains usually had special cars for bicycles, and they were simply wheeled on. There was no need to box the bike here.

Also, bicycles could simply be rented at the stations, if you decided not to bring your own. Furthermore, many restaurants and hotels along the route posted signs to market themselves as welcoming to the cyclist: “Radfahrer willkommen”. I even found a bicycle ferry, exclusively for cyclists, at Mauthausen. What a pleasant way to cross the river! In addition to all this, I also encountered several “bicycle stations” and pubs along this popular route, where drinks, picnic tables and maps/information were available. Just imagine taking a relaxing break on a hot afternoon directly along the bike path and enjoying a cold beer and some stimulating conversation while getting some pertinent information. Then your journey continues. What a ‘civilized’ way to ride!

Cycling Down the River

It’s best to ride downstream, beginning in Passau, Germany and ending in Vienna, Austria, and I’d plan on taking at least five days to do this trip, for I found that there were so many fascinating places to explore as I rode along this magnificent Danube bike path.

At Passau, for example, I visited St. Steven’s Cathedral, which houses one of the world’s largest pipe organs, with 17,774 organ pipes, 233 stops, and 4 carillons. Near Niederganner, an entire herd of deer stood grazing in a field near the bike path while, high above, an ancient castle jutted out from the craggy hillside. In Linz, I visited the three storey Renaissance building in which Mozart stayed as a guest in 1783 and composed the “Linz Symphony” (Mozarthaus). In St. Florian, I walked around the largest abbey in Upper Austria (St. Florian Abbey), where the patron saint of fire and flood (St. Florian) is buried; he was martyred by being tossed into the Enns River with a millstone tied around his neck! Polcharn is referred to as “the Nibelungen city”; the Nibelungen were foreigners who supposedly hid large amounts of gold in this area, which is still undiscovered to this very day – and, sadly, I didn’t find the stash either!

At the Benedictine Monastery of “Stift Melk” (Melk Abbey), special facilities have been constructed for bicycle parking, but expect a tough climb just to reach the ridge where this baroque abbey is situated. At Spitz, I found an enchanting castle that was surrounded by many acres of luscious vineyards, for it’s located right in the heart of Austria’s wine region (the “Wachau” district). At Duernstein, I climbed to the ruins above the town, to get a great view of the Danube and area, and here I saw the castle where Richard the Lionheart once languished in prison; he’d been captured while returning from the Crusades.

In Vienna, my final stop, I visited such landmarks as St. Stephen’s Cathedral, with its 450 foot tower, and I just had to climb the 343 spiral steps to the top for the view of the “Altstadt”/the “Old Town”). I also checked the Imperial Palace (in which the Vienna Boys’ Choir sings, in the HofburgChapel), the Spanish Riding School (where I watched the Lippizanner stallions rehearsing), and the Schonbrunn Palace (formerly the ‘summer home’ of the Hapsburgs, with its 1,441 rooms and magnificent floral gardens). Vienna was, indeed, a fascinating place to end this awesome cycling tour!

Paraphernalia

I met a great variety of bicycles and paraphernalia on the Danube Bike Path, including tandems and recumbents. Several cyclists had carts behind their bikes, carrying a wide variety of items, including camping supplies, luggage, flowers, groceries, a child, and even a small dog in a basket. Rollerblading was also popular on this route, and I passed several moms rollerblading with baby carriages.

72 & Still Riding

One Austrian family that I met along the route and cycled with for some distance included a 72 year old grandmother; she had cycled “most of her life” and still “loved it”; however, the younger family members had decided to limit her to “only 40 km. today” because they “didn’t want her to overdo it”; they then stopped their day’s ride and returned to their planned destination by boat.