Passau – Budapest by bus and boat – Danube cruises
Passau – Budapest cruise program makes you a possibility to get more knowledge about the river and explore the surrounding areas by boat
Now, see the optional routes, destinations, how to reach eg. Vienna and Bratislava from Budapest, cruising the Danube.
Leaving Budapest, first you could travel to Melk with short breaks. Upon arrival you may visit the famous Benedictine abbey and garden and then travel on to Ybbs. Even you may visit the Ybbs-Persenbeug, get acquainted with the Danube dams. From here let’s travel to Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, and take a walk downtown: to see the cathedral, the town hall, the Mozart house, the main square.
Next you will have the option to travel to Passau. Do a sightseeing by visiting the cathedral, which also houses one of the largest organs in the world, the tomb of our Queen Gizella, and then walk through the charming streets of the old town to the confluence of the Inn, the Ilz and the Danube. Reaching the most picturesque section of the Danube, even the Austrian territory, passing through the Donauschlinge (Danube loop) with the smallest radius in terms of the navigable part, are one of the two exciting parts of your cruise. Moreover, I believe you will love sailing through more wooded mountains for more than 40 km. At last, you will reach Linz.
You will soon reach one of the most beautiful sections of the Upper Danube, the Struden, the once infamous waterway, the narrowing of the Danube surrounded by forests and mountains. Do not miss to see the magnificent church of Maria Taferl and its treasury. In Emmersdorf, get on board and after a short time you will have the chance to reach the most famous section of the Danube, next to the Iron Gate, the Wachau. As the impressive building of the abbey moves away, the castle of Schönbühel, one of the most characteristic complexes along the Danube. How lucky you are if you can admire the top of the mountain, offering a magnificent panoramic view. Moreover, sailing between the vineyards of the famous wine-growing region to Krems is also amazing.
If you have the chance to reach Klosterneuburg, let’s admire the Augustinian monastery imagined as the “Escorial” of the Austrian Habsburgs, then stay in Korneuburg (1943 km). Additionally, sail through the Austrian capital, under its numerous bridges, see the skyscrapers of modern Vienna, and quickly reach Hainburg on the fast-flowing “Vienna Danube,”. It is best if you will dock there, and take a bus or a taxi to the nearby Scloßhof, Austria’s largest and amazingly renovated castle to visit. After a short sightseeing walk there, absolutely you will have the opportunity to relax and enjoy this whole magnificent trip which is a little bit other than a ‘simple’ Budapest River Cruise, however, exploring the centre of the city from board is also unmissable.
Get on board again and start the last 220 km to sail back to Budapest. Below Bratislava you will soon reach the upper reaches of the Bős dam. Along the way, you will get acquainted with the history, planned operation and realized part of the Bős-Nagymaros Dam system. On your way back to Budapest, see the fortress of Komárom (see here), Esztergom, then the Danube canyon Visegrád. Finally, you will arrive in Budapest and at this point you have the final destination of your impressive journey. (More info: https://budapestrivercruise.co.uk/)
