Premium Bavarian Danube tour in Germany

Check in: 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM, Merlijn will set sail for Roth where there is an overnight stay. We’ll present you with a welcome drink and introduce the crew. We will also provide information on the tour, the ship, and hold a safety briefing. After departing from Nürnberg, your bike and barge cruise will really begin, so settle in the lounge or on the outside terrace with a drink, and let the Main-Danube canal amaze you! A meal will be served during the cruise, and in the evening there will be time for an after-dinner stroll ashore.

After breakfast and a bike introduction, your cycle tour to the ‘Rothsee’ will start, where bathing and sailing enthusiasts and surfers relax all year round. The bike rides will mostly be on gravel cycle paths, as you will see many others along the Main – Danube canal. After your first coffee stop at a traditional German bakery, you will continue your tour towards Berching. If the cycling ability of the group permits, you will pass by the picturesque Bavarian towns of Allersberg and Freystadt.

The last stretch of today’s tour will lead you along the abandoned old Ludwig-Donau-Main Canal, which at one time linked the Rhine with the Danube at Kelheim. The canal was named after King Ludwig I of Bavaria, and built between 1836 and 1846. Construction of the roughly parallel but much larger Rhine–Main–Danube Canal that we know today was started in 1921, but wasn’t completed until 1992. You’ll board the Merlijn in the city of Berching, where we will have an overnight stay.

Today’s bike tour will lead you to the village of Plankstetten, where the iconic Benedictine monastery on the edge of the forest, founded in 1129, dominates the surroundings. You then continue along the Main-Donau canal to Beilngries, in the heart of the ‘Altmühltal’. After a short break, you carry on through the Altmühl valley to today’s destination, which is Riedenburg. In this stunning medieval town, you might want to visit the St. John Baptist Church or the Church of Our Lady, which may look like a proper Baroque church today, but is a medieval one at heart, dating back to the 12th century. Oooh, and think of all the goodies you can pick up at the Farmer’s Market!

While you enjoy your breakfast, the Merlijn will continue its journey. As we draw closer to Essing, its technically unique wooden bridge will come into view. Measuring 193 metres in length, this work of art is the longest wooden bridge in Europe. This is the starting point for today’s bike tour. At first, you will mainly follow the towpath along the canal. The last section before the Kelheim lock is dammed and looks like a lake. You cross the lock by bridge and visit the city of Kelheim.

You will then carry on to Regensburg, where the Altmühl bike route connects with the Danube bike route, which leads you to Regensburg. You will ride through ‘the Winzer vineyards’ and also visit Bad Abbach, popular for its sulphur and mud baths. The destination today is Regensburg, a fascinatingly well-preserved mediaeval town. Highlights include the cathedral dating back to the 8th century, the collegiate church and the stone imperial bridge. At the end of the day we’ll offer you a guided city tour by a local guide. At night you can enjoy some local Bavarian cuisine, because you will be dining ashore.

This morning, you leave the bustling German town by bike to cycle along the popular classic ‘Donau Radweg’ to Bach, where you can join the Merlijn for an afternoon cruise or cycle on to Straubing. After the first stretch, you can make an interesting pit stop at the ‘Walhalla’ near Donaustauf, which King Ludwig I had built as a temple to honour notable Germans, entrance and audio tour included. You continue along the beautiful Danube to castle Wörth, where you will have a view of the Gäuboden Plain of Bavaria, also called ‘the granary of Bavaria’. Follow the Donau Radweg on to Bach, where the Merlijn awaits you. If you haven't clocked up enough miles yet, you can cycle on to the ducal city of Straubing. Straubing has Celtic and Roman roots, and is known for its unmistakeable green spired tower in the city centre, its picturesque town square, the baroque town houses, and the Graubünden Museum, which is worth a visit.

After a delicious breakfast on board, you’ll cycle from Straubing to Deggendorf, admiring the famous ‘blue’ Danube from your bike, as you follow its banks turn by turn. The first stop is Bogen, located at the foot of the steep Bogen mountain. Next up is Pfelling, a small village, but one with nautical significance, as it registers the water level in this shallow section of the Danube. We then head for Metten, where you can enjoy its beautiful abbey and Prälaten garden. From here you can extend the tour by 10 km by cycling on to the stunning castle ‘Egg’ or continue directly to Deggendorf, also known as the gateway to the Bavarian Forest. Upon arrival you might think you’ve cycled a loop; that’s because the centre of the town is very much like Straubing! The old town of Deggendorf, which is characterised by Gothic and Baroque styles, is definitely worth a visit.

The last stage of your bicycle tour on the Danube cycle path first leads you via Niederalteich, home to one of the oldest Benedictine monasteries in Bavaria, to Sandbach, where the Merlijn awaits you for an afternoon cruise. You can also extend your bike tour to the vicinity of Passau. Whichever option you choose, you can spend the last part of your bike and barge cruise the same way you started it: cruising along with a drink on the terrace. Together we will navigate the last lock and cruise into the three-river city of Passau, where the Inn, Ilz and Danube meet and merge. In the evening, a captain’s dinner will be served on board.

After breakfast, it will be time to say goodbye and continue your European trip or leave for the airport. If you choose to continue your holiday, Passau is a good place to spend a few more days. Explore the three rivers by boat and enjoy the evening with a walk through the old town or a visit to Veste Oberhaus opposite. From 1867, the castle served as a penal institution, but today, it is home to the town museum, which has numerous permanent and special exhibitions. From the terrace, you have a wonderful view of the old town of Passau and the confluence of the three rivers.