In June, 2017, I took a bike-boat cruise down the Danube leaving from and returning to Passau, Germany (Disclosure: I paid my own way). While it isn't my preferred way to tour on a bicycle, it was an interesting experience that had both upsides and downsides. I thought about writing a detailed journal of the trip, instead of an article, but by the end, I realized it needed to be reviewed, not reported.

Friends of my wife and mine are bike tourists who suggested this trip. It piqued my wife's interest and she suggested we sign up for it. I readily agreed, as my wife is not a bike tourist and this would be a chance to ride together. But, I knew it wouldn't be enough to satisfy me. Instead, I decided to ride my bike from Amsterdam to Passau, in southeastern Germany, before the boat trip (journal here).

While the bike riding is tame compared to a long distance tour across half a continent, I found the boat-bike tour to a have more upsides than downsides.

The Trip

Riding a bicycle along the Danube is popular. There are many companies offering all kinds of trips that include various amounts of biking, food, excursions, and other features.

We chose one that was only for bike riders, offered biking every day, started and ended in Passau, stopped in Brataslava, Budapest, and Vienna, and was willing to supply vegetarian and gluten-free food. The MS Normandie met all of these requirements.



We got a double room in the lower deck for about €1,900. That included a rented bicycle for my wife. I rode mine there and we got a discount as a result. Note that electric bikes were also available for rent and about 25% of the passengers used them. There were 98 passengers on our trip, all bike riders.


Upsides


Accommodations

On tour, I rarely spend more than two nights in the same place. Every day I ride is a day I have to find a place to sleep. On the boat-bike tour, we had the same room for the entire week. It was small but adequate with two single beds and a full bathroom with a small but serviceable shower. New towels were delivered daily. Not having to pack-up my gear every day before riding was a nice benefit, as well.

Food

The boat-bike tour fee includes all meals. Since there was biking every day, we ate a buffet breakfast and had a sitdown dinner on the boat. We used food from the buffet and provided treats to make a sack lunch.

Breakfast was a nice European spread of fruit, cheeses, meats, rolls, etc. While it made a good breakfast, I found it hard to create a lunch I wanted to eat. Dinners were much more involved affairs. We had table service, a choice of entrees (the vegetarians got special meals if neither choice was appropriate), and a fresh-made dessert. The dinners were filling, well made and varied. Frankly, they were much better than I would normally get when I am on tour!

Beverages

The boat had a full bar, including a good sized wine list, a number of beers, mixed drinks and aperitifs. The bar was open in the evening "until the last customer went to bed." The bar didn't accept money. Instead, you had to present a room-specific card to get service. The bar bill was settled on the last day of the cruise.

Well researched bike routes

There was a cruise director who also was a bicycle rider. Every day we were briefed on the next route we would ride. The director had ridden these routes several times and provided valuable information of what to look for, stops that might be of interest, direction to ride and ferries to take across the river. Each rider got a packet that included a detailed booklet of the Danube bike path, as well.

I liked not having to do any of my own research before riding in a place I'd never been. The only shortcoming for me was the lack of detail about where local stores were. The director assumed riders would be satisfied with their packed lunches. But, I preferred to buy additional things to eat along the way.

Time spent riding along the Danube

Since we were on a boat, we always started our rides next to the Danube. The paths were mostly paved, well-signed, and, for the most part, easy to follow. There was the occasional intersection where paths diverged, but these were usually covered in the pre-ride briefing.

Most of the time, we rode next to the river with views of greenish-brown water and tree covered hills.



We went by cute little villages,



and through large cities.



We also saw wildflowers,



historic markers,




and even a pretty sunset or two.



While there was a lot of similarity (see downsides, below), there was also a fair amount of variety.

Visiting Famous Cities

The cruise started in Passau,



a busy tourist town in a wonderful location, where the Ilz, Inn and Danube rivers meet. The boat stopped in Brataslava (where the Euro isn't used), Budapest, and Vienna. We had free time to spend in each city. We did a van and walking tour of Brataslava and bike tours of Budapest and Vienna. All three tours were led by knowledgeable local guides.

Bike Security

The rented bikes came with bike locks, though we never used them. When not being ridden, the bikes were stored on the boat. The crew transports all bicycles onto and off the boat, which saved wear and tear on my body.

The tour information made it clear that in some moorings, the boat might be "rafted" together along side other boats that would prevent bikes from being placed on board. In such circumstances, bikes would have to be left overnight on whatever pier it was on. This concerned me as I had my own bike and a flimsy cable lock. In the end, this wasn't necessary and my bike spent every night on board. For the most part, this wouldn't have been a big problem, as we moored in out of the way places. However, if this was required in one of the big cities, theft might be a problem unless a serious lock or two was used.

Reasonable cost

This one-week, all inclusive bike tour cost me €839. That includes docking and registration fees, as well as, a €50 discount for bringing my own bicycle. This was for 7 nights lodging, full meals, transportation, bike riding directions and a well-informed guide. Also included was a guided bus and foot tour of Brataslava. While this might seem expensive by bike touring standards, it seems reasonable given the cost of hotel rooms and restaurant meals in Europe. This is especially true of the 3 nights we spent in major capitals!

Easy ride that can be done with non-touring partner

While we rode every day, it wasn't required and some people spent a rest day on the boat. We rode between 15 and 30 miles a day on virtually flat routes, though there was some uphill on the city bike rides.

My wife is not a bike tourist. She likes to ride bikes and did a bit of training around San Francisco to gain confidence for the longer rides. While she was tired after the day's ride (so was I), she had no trouble handling the daily riding.

We greatly enjoyed riding together and found the boat-bike tour a great way for her to take part in a European bike tour. There was enough bike riding to experience the thrill of traveling by bicycle without the need to do long mileage, camp, or worry about food and shelter.

Easy way to meet other bike riders from other countries

Very few of the 98 passengers on the trip were Americans. Most were European. The people sharing our dining table were from Sweden and we met others from Germany, Australia, and The Netherlands. The mix of nationalities and languages made for some interesting interactions. There were several people we couldn't communicate with as we didn't speak a common language.

Cruising down the river, going through locks

Cruising down the Danube River is a very pleasant thing to do. The scenery, like time, simply glides by. Unless I specifically plan to take a ferry, I never experience boat travel on a bike tour. The cruising down (and up) the river added an extra dimension to the trip.

There are close to two dozen locks on the Danube River from Passau to Budapest. While locks look interesting from land, they are all the more fascinating from a boat. I was amazed at the skill of the Captain to maneuver this long boat close to the lock wall, often within a foot of the cement. Seeing my view change as the water rose or fell never really got old.

Great service

The crew for this boat-bike tour was small: kitchen and wait staff, 3 barmen, a cruise director, a purser, a Captain, navigator, and several seaman. On a multi-day cruise, these people all become familiar sights. Every one I interacted with spoke some English, were very courteous, always had a smile, offered kind greetings, and attempted to satisfy whatever request I made.

All four of the people in our party felt completely pampered by the great service on the cruise. Given that most of these servers are doing this week-in and week-out, their friendliness and accommodation were impressive. In fact, this high level of service is one thing I remember most about the whole experience.

Downsides


While I enjoyed the boat-bike tour, it wasn't without its downsides. I would gladly do another such cruise, if it meant my wife and I could combine bike riding and sightseeing, things we both enjoy. But, there are some things I wouldn't look forward to.

Not very exciting biking

While we rode very day, much of the scenery was similar. Here are the views on Day 1:



Here are the views on Day 4:



While there were interesting things to look at every day, such as, cliffs, castles, pretty areas along the shore, the river views never changed much.

Smoking

Since most of the passengers were European, there was a fair number of smokers. The only place they could smoke on the boat was the open upper deck. It wasn't always possible to sit out in the upper deck and be away from cigarette smoke.

Inconsistent WiFi Signal

While the boat claimed to provide WiFi, it was usually a weak signal. In Slovakia, no WiFi was provided at all. While not a major problem, it made keeping in touch with the outside world and doing internet searches on the local areas difficult.

Provided lunches not very good

While the cruise provided lunch, it was whatever we could scavenge from the breakfast buffet. Bananas, apples and oranges were always available, which I liked, but I prefer not to only eat fruit when I ride. We were also given cookie-like wafers to take. I found them distasteful and didn't carry them. Otherwise, the only other option was a cheese sandwich. This is the kind of food I ride with when I have no other options. To me, it was the only food provided on the boat that was unsatisfying.

Not much time spent in any one place

It isn't possible to explore, let along experience, a major city in a half-day. While I can now say I've been to Brataslava and Budapest, I can't say that I've seem much of them. While I've been to Vienna a few times, were this my first time, I would have only a general idea of its architecture. We didn't have time to see museums and other cultural highlights.

Alot of time spent on the boat

The vast majority of time is spend on the boat cruising along the river. While floating down a major European River, through several countries, is pleasant, it is not all that exciting. A good amount of time is spent eating, in pre-ride meetings, and sitting around. I got the sense that one of the appeals of river cruising is the slow pace it affords.

I spent some time on the top deck reading, iPadding, talking with other passengers and just looking around. Our group also played some card games. The rest of the time I was in my cabin, either sleeping or resting. To the extent that someone likes this kind of slow pace, this may not be a downside. But, for me, it was.

I realize that on a self-supported bike tour, I will spent a good amount of time eating and in my hotel room. But, walking around a town is very different than spending time on a boat's top deck. To me, there was a difference between hanging out on a boat, which could get boring, with spending the evening in a town, which always offers things to discover.

Tips

Like all cruises, there is a serious emphasis on leaving tips for the servers and crew. On the boat-bike tour, there was an additional tip request for the cruise director. There is even a suggested amount per day per person to tip.

As an American, tipping is a way of life to me. I don't particularly like having to decide how much to add to my bill for the service. In reality, it is simply an added amount I have to pay for my meal, taxi ride, or baggage storage. I'd much prefer not to do this and like the fact that Europeans don't generally tip. In fact, since there is a suggested tip amount, I'd prefer a checkbox on the registration form to simply add it to my bill so I could pay it on my credit card, instead of having to come up with cash at the end of a cruise.

Alas, it isn't to be. The inevitable envelopes make their appearance and the final introduction of the entire crew all point to the importance of tips.

My wife handles the tips in our family. I don't know how much she put in each envelope. As a result, I can't truly report what the trip cost me as the final tips are part of my total.

My Recommendation


If you are looking for the experience of a self-supported bike tour, don't do a boat-bike tour. But, if combining a comfortable cruise with daily biking is something your non-touring spouse would enjoy, then you will find a boat-bike tour like the one I took to be an enjoyable way to travel with your partner.

I was able to combine both of these in a single trip. I spent close to a month riding from Amsterdam to Passau before the start of the boat-bike trip. By the time I arrived in Passau to meet my wife and friends, I was exhilarated by the self-supported, solo bike tour. Moving from that to a boat-bike tour was an easy way to transition from being by myself riding a bike all day to being with my wife and just traveling. We have found that this transition is neither seamless nor easy. But, it was much smoother this time.

So, not only did I get to experience bike riding with my wife, I was able to see some famous places I hadn't seen before. I enjoyed cruising down the river and was fascinated by traversing the river's locks.

All in all, I am glad that I took this boat-bike tour. As I realized from the start, it wasn't enough to satisfy my bike touring desires, but it was a great way to travel down the Danube with my wife and bicycle!
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Copyright © 2007 by Ray Swartz