Along the Danube - Passau to Vienna Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 86

My sister and I bike and barge once a year on smaller barges with only about 12 staterooms. We opted to try a true, large river boat on this trip. Our trip was on the Swiss Crown. It started and ended in Passau Germany, with a destination of Vienna. We were impressed by the beauty of the boat and by our room, which had every amenity we could have asked for. The Danube bike trail was amazing despite epic flooding that had occurred little over a week prior. Our guide Carl was a delight. The meals were exceptional and well executed. The staff worked as a well oiled machine...always on cue. For those that are used to larger ships and river boats, this cruise is for you! It will not disappoint. As for my sister and I, although we loved this experience, we found we missed the intimacy that smaller barges provide. But the Swiss Crown was an elegant and lovely experience we will never forget!

We were paired with a fun couple at mealtime. They ended up cycling with us most days and we shared stories and laughter.

The scenery was out of this world. Path was mostly flat and well marked. Wife was glad she had rented an e-bike. Ship was comfortable and staff was friendly. A few cold rainy days we chose to just stay on boat and watch scenery. Places we stoped at were wonderful to visit. There was slight impression we might run short of time to make it to some of the destinations but it all worked out fine. Only issue- while hand sanitizer was very available at restaurant, many guests seemed to bypass it. We came home with mild case of Covid.

positive note- Professional friendly crew always helpful. The organisation was magnificent and the food was good and plentiful. The bikes were well kept and great to use. The original plans had to be changed due to the bad weather but other options were available. Riding without a guide meant that extra time could be spent taking photos and exploring what we wanted to do. The extra options turned out to be real gems- the castle at Greinberg was fascinating with all the historic ties, the bike tour of Vienna was outstanding (our guide's voice was loud & clear so that the 2 deaf people could hear the local snippets and frank, humorous commentary), Mauthausen memorial was extra kms & uphill but possible to quick visit time wise. The bus to opera & back worked smoothly. The only tour negative was the constant cold rain but proper preparation, clothing & attitude meant riding without crowds was much easier. On the last day one rider with hypothermia was picked up by van. The organisation was excellent and the evening briefings of what to expect the next day were very helpful.

Unfortunately, the most memorable part was the weather--10 degrees, 25kph winds and rain for a goodly portion of the tour. Suggestion? Never believe the long-term weather forecast.

The staff were uniformly friendly and eager to serve, the food was excellent and the quarters very nice. Places we visited were lovely.

A few of the routes were shared with motor vehicles, and this wasn't clear. While it was not an issue for me, my wife was uncomfortable with it. Drivers in Europe are generally much more polite and tolerant than those in the USA. I would not have liked the experience as much in the US.

The buildings in the towns, castles, and fortresses along the way were marvelous.

Almost missing it! You failed to keep in contact with Rad and Reisen - plans were shifting due to flooding and you did not keep us informed! Thanks to our hotel manager, we discovered the changes and got on the tour. Your lack of communication was unacceptable to me.

My most memorable part of the trip was the biking route each day; riding along the Danube, passing through old towns filled with rich history. The scenery was incredible. Austria was so peaceful, lush green surrounding our ride. I appreciated how the guides made sure we were ready and they were always available to assist if needed. It was fun to take the ferries across the river. The guides were very patient and knowledgeable.

Biking in the Wachau Valley was the most memorable part of the trip.

Suggestions - instructions on bike etiquette and traffic rules in Germany and Austria would have been useful.
There were numerous intersections on the five biking days when it was unclear the direction to take. During the briefing for the next day's ride it would have been helpful to have a powerpoint presentation or some other method of detailing the next day's route.
It would also have been helpful to know that ferries were not included in the cost of the trip. It was also a surprise that renting a bike helmet was 45 euros. It was a surprise that helmets were included in the cost of the trip. Finally, I also was a surprise that WIFI cost $15. All of these things should have been communicated to the riders before the trip.

The Danube River and scenery around it was spectacular. Seeing it from the bike paths, or on board the ship was very special. My husband didn’t cycle, but was well taken care of by the wonderful staff aboard the Swiss Crown, and enjoyed the trip as much as we did on the bikes.
Food, accommodations and service was first class.

Tripsite gives you an opportunity to explore a new region by bicycle, meet new people who share the same goals, a chance to be physically active, and have lots of fun.

The scenery along the Danube River was just spectacular. The little villages along the way were so beautiful to photograph. Traveling on the Merlijn is like being in a 5 star hotel. The ship is just beautiful and the food is downright amazing and delicious. The crew members are like your family. Love the Merlijn!

Biking thru the small villages of Austria, enjoying their beautiful, clean lifestyle and the magnificent Danube was memorable. Our guide was quite capable and knowledgeable adding to the experience. Would recommend this trip highly!

The crew and our guide were very friendly and knowledgeable. We had a great time biking through beautiful countryside and learned alot about local culture and history. The food was great.

The crew was absolutly great the bikes were of good quality the food was also. We had a great time. The reason I gave a 4 was the fact that you couldn't drink the tap water and they charged you for bottled water. Water is a basic necessity and should be free.

The route and itinerary were perfect. It was a great balance of visiting small villages and seeing highlights of Vienna and Linz. The crew on PK were very friendly and helpful. The buffet Bfast had plentiful selection and dinner options were delicious. The Chef met my gluten free and lactose free requirements

the Route Maps were Very good but confusing for day 7. daily programs very informative and kept everyone on schedule

PK had a lot of charm and although dated it was clean, functional and great floor plan.
PK did not provide free water and Coffee n Tea. It was very hot during our week so buying water on board got expensive. Or buying on shore very cumbersome and not easy to carry after long day cycling.

Overall excellent trip. Highly recommend it.

The route and itinerary were perfect. It was a great balance of visiting small villages and seeing highlights of Vienna and Linz. The crew on PK were very friendly and helpful. The buffet Bfast had plentiful selection and dinner options were delicious. The Chef met my gluten free and lactose free requirements

the Route Maps were Very good but confusing for day 7. daily programs very informative and kept everyone on schedule

PK had a lot of charm and although dated it was clean, functional and great floor plan.
PK did not provide free water and Coffee n Tea. It was very hot during our week so buying water on board got expensive. Or buying on shore very cumbersome and not easy to carry after long day cycling.

Overall excellent trip. Highly recommend it.

So many memorable moments. Beautiful ship, quite luxurious, wonderful food, spectacular towns and villages along the Danube and Vienna! What a place. I loved the classical concert in L’Orangerie at Schönbrunn Castle and the scenery between Krems and Melk. I had to pinch myself several times as I was cycling through Austria along the Danube. I had done the tulip tour on the Iris the previous week which was great too but harder cycling and not such good weather. I also didn’t use an e-bike in the Netherlands and had some pretty strong winds and long days cycling. So the Swiss Crown tour was a more relaxed week and totally different. The e-bike made it pretty easy too and the self guided tours made it easy to stop at more places along the way.
I know the Swiss Crown tour director, Jurgens, aka Ding Dong!, had to deal with some staffing issues during my week on board but he made everything so easy in spite of working lots of extra hours. There was a much bigger group of German speaking passengers than English speaking and I felt that they got more attention than we did at times and so I’d suggest being a little more outgoing towards the non German passengers. But overall the whole thing lived up to and beyond my expectations. A trip of a lifetime!

Cycling along the River, crossing on the small ferries, stopping for coffee, kuchens or farmhouse meals was such fun.
We thoroughly enjoyed, probably more than the city, the cycling route through the wine valley and small villages. Absolutely breathtaking and the history! Small cobblestone streets that you push your bike through whilst checking out the local offerings. Spectacular.

Fantastic tour, suitable to me and my wife. The boat "Swiss Crown" was luxurious, and we loved the real outside small balcon of the room. All facilities (meals, bar, crew service) were very good. The "social" part, include meeting of varios kind ol people, was very interesting. The tour organizer' (Yorgen) was one of a kind!!! We are planning our next tour in Holland (Tulip Tour).

Using Tripsite to book our bike/barge trip took a lot of stress off of our trip planning especially during the pandemic. Whenever I emailed, I got a quick response and I was able to rebook easily more than once. The boat, Princess Katherina, was well run. We met many new people and even though we were the only USA participants, we were seated with other English speakers who became quick friends and travel mates. I was always pleased with the vegetarian options for dining and all food choices overall were exceptional. The 34 staff onboard contributed to efficiency and support whenever we had questions or needs. The bike routes were well marked and the panniers and front pack for holding the map worked perfectly. I would definitely get an e-bike next time as I struggled a bit with rainy weather but as seventy and seventy-two year olds exploring a new country, the trip was flawless. If you like castles, abbeys, river trails, this trip is perfect! Don't miss the pear cider at the small farmhouse on day two or the Mauthausen Memorial if you go. The Memorial and the Abbey in Melk were highlights of the trip even though they were a bit off the beaten path. Also, having an upper deck cabin was essential for me as I had never slept in a boat before and I preferred to have access to fresh air. Book this trip and have fun!

The route, the people we met

We just returned from this cruise less than a week ago. I cannot express how wonderful it was. The scenery was breathtaking, the staff outstanding. The Swiss Crown was a beautiful boat to call home for a week. The staff on board were delightfully pleasant and accommodating. They made every effort to make it a positive experience for everyone. The dining room was beautiful, and our table had a great location. It wasn't too loud, we could easily hold a conversation with our fellow travelers. We had previously taken this trip on the Charissima and found the dining room was too noisy. The food was tastefully prepared with many regional dishes. At 1600 hr everyday they had a dessert / coffee hour that was very special, the staff were readily available for more coffee.
Though there were only a handful of English speaking travelers, Jergen was an enthusiastic program director. He was very accommodating to locate a bicycle that would fit our very petite daughter, even getting extra bikes just in the event that one didn't fit. He went out of his way to obtain a concert ticket for my husband when he didn't sign up in the required time frame. He did give us good directions and if we had questions he was available to answer them. I enjoyed this trip more because of the staff, boat and riding. Overall better than our previous trip, and I thought that trip was awesome. We constantly talked about the beauty of the river, the birds chirping in the forest, the food and the staff. I would love to travel on this boat again.

The biking! Loved being able to be mainly on a proper bike path and not on roads. Freedom to explore along the way and take your time getting to the next destination by bike.
Last bike day through Wachau valley was very rushed to have to make it to the boat before 3:30pm. So much to see we were scared to miss the boat and skipped a lot of experiences. That section would be better down downstream than upstream!
Better, detailed maps would have been nice.
Wi-fi on the boat was terrible or no-existent!
Food was acceptable but not fantastic.
Thank you for always having vegetarian option!

Most memorable part of trip was seeing the Lippizon horses in Vienna.

I loved the Clam Castle we toured.
Amazing that a count and countess actually live there with their children!
One disappointment was that the cruise director spent most of his time giving cycling directions in German and very little time in English.
I found the route difficult to navigate but fortunately one of our friends was able to figure it out.

Nature, food, organisation
Only BIG problem was engine trouble which delayed arrival in Passau by 5 hours and complicated the next part of our vacation

I and my husband loved the tour. Everything was perfect, the barge, the meals, all the staff was kind and we had now new friends that we knew in this tour.

I loved bike riding along the Danube, through the little towns and country. We had a great guide who biked with us, although lots of people just followed the daily maps. Very well organized! Our boat was a nice size, just over 100 people so it felt cozy. The workers kept the bikes perfectly maintained and organized too. Hope to do another ride next year!

Excellent trip on the Theodor Kondor. Great staff, great food, great scenery. Juergen was the perfect goodie for the Comfort Package.