Upon arrival in Passau make your way to your riverboat where boarding is between 4pm to 5pm. Settle into your cabin and explore the ship before enjoying a welcome cocktail with your fellow passengers and hearing more about the coming week from the captain and crew. If you arrive early, Passau is a charming town with plenty to see and do. It is the point at which the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers all meet so there are plenty of river banks to stroll along but we also recommend making the climb to Veste Oberhaus, a medieval fortress and museum that offers a fantastic, panoramic view of the town and surrounding countryside. At 7pm the crew cast off for a dinner cruise downstream to the village of Engelhartszell where we moor for the night.

Enjoy a pleasant, gentle start to your cycling holiday, pedalling alongside the river downstream through pretty towns and villages. Stop to visit the only Trappist monastery in Austria where you may wish to sample the locally produced and rather good liquors. A little further downstream you reach the famous Schlögener Loop – also known as the Danube Loop – where the mighty river makes an abrupt 180 degree turn. Re-board the boat in the village of Aschach and cruise to the bustling town of Linz. After dinner why not step ashore for a wander around this lovely old town.

The day starts with a short early morning cruise downstream to Mauthausen. Here you can visit the thought provoking Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial before enjoying an easy ride to the Celtic village at Mitterkirchen. This open-air museum showcases how the Celts lived in this region over two thousand years ago. Afterwards, you can choose between an easy ride along the banks of the Danube to the pretty town of Grein or alternatively, you can take on a slightly more challenging route into the Strudengau countryside to Castle Clam which offers fabulous views across the valley. On arrival in Grein you will have plenty of time to explore the picturesque town and castle.

The landscape is ever changing today as the MS Prinzessin Katharina cruises downstream. The picks her way through one of the narrowest points of the Danube, where steep green hillsides drop directly to the river. After Persenbeug the valley widens out considerably and you disembark for a pleasant ride along the river bank to Melk. Here you can marvel at the baroque splendour of the Benedictine abbey set on a rocky outcrop above the town. There is plentty of time to explore the town as the MS Prinzessin Katharina stays moored here until 2200. After a leisurely dinner on board she slips her moorings and cruises downstream to the riverside town of Tulln, famous for its numerous market gardens.

Today is a relatively short cycle ride. Approaching Vienna, the 900-year-old monastery of Klosterneuburg comes into view. The boat moors just north of the city in Nussdorf or sometimes Korneuburg. Take a stroll though the nearby vineyards and enjoy some wonderful views across the city’s skyline. We also recommend sampling the local wine in one of the many local taverns in the suburb of Kahlenbergerdorf.

Today is your free day to explore the elegant city of Vienna. Visit Schönbrunn Palace, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and the Imperial Palace. You may also want to take in the ‘Riesenrad’, the giant ferris wheel, made famous in the 1949 British film, ‘The Third Man’, and no trip to Vienna would be complete without enjoying a coffee and cake in one of the city’s elegant coffee houses. During the night the boat cruises back upstream to Dürnstein or Rossatz in the Wachau Valley.

Your last cycling day is one of the highlights of the trip. See the ruins of Dürnstein castle and the blue tower of the monastery church as you cycle through the Wachau Valley. The scenery is dotted with charming riverside villages, vineyards, castles and apricot orchards. You may also feel inclined to sample some of the superb local wines which are offered at the many taverns along the way. A farewell dinner on board in the evening brings this very pleasant day to a close.

The MS Prinzessin Katharina arrives back in Passau around 10am. It is time to disembark and head for home or your next adventure.