Cycling Along the Danube River: From Passau to Vienna

Duration:
8 days, June 1-8, 2025 (waitlist)

Price:
From $1,975

Tour Operator:
Pedalo-Radreisefreunde

REQUEST TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITLIST

Drawing upon W&L’s strengths in educational travel and outdoor education,this specially designed trip offers the opportunity for alumni to combine their love of outdoor physical activity with their pursuit of travel and continuing learning. The trip leader is James Dick, a legendary campus fixture among students.

This program offers individual challenge and group enjoyment with the backdrop of one of Europe’s most scenic bike routes and historic rivers. We designed this trip to be affordable while ensuring comfortable accommodations and local meal choices. Six days of biking will cover almost 300 kilometers with mostly flat terrain suited to a casual cyclist who yearns for a special holiday abroad.

The Danube Cycle Path allows bikers to experience thousands of years of history, castles, and palaces looming over the landscape, quaint villages, and serene monasteries of the past. Our journey will occur at the best time of year for biking in Europe. We begin in Passau, Germany, at the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz rivers, and continue along the Danube until we reach Engelhartszell, site of a Trappist monastery founded in 1293. We continue to the famed Schlogen Bend, where granite forced the Danube to change its direction by 180 degrees. Our next day includes cycling to Linz, the Upper Austrian capital and 2009 European Capital of Culture. Our evening stay allows us to experience its lively Old Town and river views.

We depart Linz to travel to Enns, Austria, on the River Enns. The area’s first settlements between the Enns and the Danube go back 4,000 years. The landmark belfry tower on the Main Square was erected in the 1560s.

The next day, bike along the Strudengau section of the Danube. High above the Danube visit Melk Abbey, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This day ends by cycling through the picturesque Wachau Valley, one of Europe’s most beautiful river valleys with its steep wine terraces, green forests, charming villages, and apricot orchards.

Nearing the end of our trip, we pass through the quaint village of Durnstein and the castle ruin that once imprisoned English King Richard the Lionheart. We leave for the 1,000-year-old town of Krems and the historic Roman town Tulln and conclude by biking to Vienna to explore its wonders. The memories of this W&L experience will last a lifetime.

Space for this special trip is limited to no more than 18 travelers and is expected to fill quickly. Reserve your place now.

Traveling With You

James Dick has served as an educator and mentor for thousands of students at Washington and Lee. He has directed the university’s Outdoor Education Department, which includes the popular Outing Club, for 23 years. James has led backcountry expeditions and adventure programs on four continents. He is also a frequent host of Lifelong Learning tours, including recent trips to the Galapagos Islands, the national parks of the Southwest, and last year’s cycling trip to Northern Italy.