Danube Family Tour

Arrival in Linz.

Start your morning, if you'd like, with a visit to the Linz Zoo. You continue past two medieval castles to the Enns River and head a few miles upstream to Enns, the oldest city in Austria. Enns is postcard-perfect with its medieval tower and fortifications and its Renaissance and Baroque façades.In Enns, you can also try an alpine slide or open air “adventure” swimming park.
Overnight in Enns.

In Wallsee, you can visit the 14th-century Wallsee Castle, still in the possession of the Habsburgs. Past the tiny village of Ardagger, you ride under the mighty Fortress Clam. You explore the fertile farmland of the Danube Valley, with rural towns and picturesque farms. A Danube highlight soon comes into view: the baroque village of Grein with its imposing castle. With only 2,800 residents, Grein is one of Austria’s smallest towns. Due to its strategic location above rapids on the Danube, the city became quite rich during the 16th and 17th centuries, and the wealth still shows off in elaborate houses built around the town square.
Overnight in Grein.

After Grein, the Danube starts getting narrower. The valley is tighter and craggy where ruins of ancient castles seem to appear at every bend in the river.

You can stop at the Persenbeug Castle, which still watches over the Danube from a stark rock outcropping. It dates from the 9th century, although its current form is “only” 400 years old. You cross the river to Ybbs, with its recently restored old town with winding lanes, quiet courtyards and patrician homes from the 15th and 16th centuries. Much of the historic town wall is still intact.

In Ybbs, you enjoy lunch and board the riverboat and follow the Danube around a tight curve and travel a short distance to another tour highlight: the Melk Abbey.

Melk marks the official start of the Wachau, Austria's most famous wine-growing region. Vineyards stretch up the sides of the valley, and wine villages lie along the river as well as in the neighboring hills.The Benedictine Abbey, a magnificent baroque structure built between 1702 and 1736, surrounds seven courtyards and stretches 1,065 from end to end. Take a tour of the abbey and the adjacent English landscape garden.
Overnight in Melk.

Ride your bikes to Spitz, in the heart of the Wachau, where you can make a short hike to the ruins of the Hinterhaus castle and look across to the Tausendeimerberg -the Mountain of a Thousand Buckets - where vineyards are carved into hillside terraces. Board the riverboat in Spitz for the short but scenic ride to Krems. The 1000-year-old town is surrounded by vineyards and filled with historic buildings - including churches, monasteries and fortifications. It's also a lively town with cafés, shops and bistros.
Overnight in Krems.

Leave your bikes in Krems and take the train from Krems to Vienna (included). To celebrate your arrival, perhaps you can visit the famous Prater Park and ride with the “Riesenrad,” until recently the tallest Ferris wheel in the world.
Overnight in Vienna.

Rest day

Departure or extension in Vienna