Cycling in Passau–Vienna

The Danube path from Passau to Vienna is the most ridden long-distance cycle route in Europe, and the template every other one imitates — for good reason. It follows the river downstream on a flat, fully paved cycleway for around 330 kilometres, which means gentle days, no real climbing, and a route so well-serviced that luggage transfer and comfortable inns are the norm rather than the exception.

That ease is the whole appeal. This is a trip for anyone who can ride a bike: families, casual cyclists, e-bikers, first-time tourers. You roll past baroque abbeys, vineyards and riverside towns, through the Wachau — itself a UNESCO landscape — and finish in Vienna, covering the distance comfortably in about five days.

Ride it between spring and autumn, book ahead in the busy summer months, and take the downstream direction to keep the current, and the prevailing wind, mostly at your back. It is the gentlest way there is to feel like you've genuinely made a journey.

Almost entirely flat and traffic-free, signed end to end, bike-friendly trains for bailing out, luggage transfer standard.

Rent a bike in Passau and ride downstream to Vienna over about five days. Book luggage transfer, and use the bike-friendly trains if you need to bail out.