Types of cycling holidays on the Danube cycle path
There are various ways to discover the Danube on a bicycle. The three most well-known types of cycling holidays are 'self-contained', 'self-guided' and 'guided'. A fourth option, so-called 'bike-and-barge tours', became available a few years ago and is an established way of travelling the Danube now.
Self-contained cycling / self-supported cycling
On such a cycle holiday you simply take a bicycle and start cycling the Danube. You may have organised the one or other thing beforehand, like accommodation for example. Or you haven't. You may plan to stay overnight in a tent; or you prefer having a roof over your head instead. It's completely up to you.
On a self-contained cycle tour you enjoy the highest level of freedom - at the cost of organising everything yourself. Speaking about cost: It is usually the cheapest way to travel. On the other hand, you spend time on preparing your cycle tour.
To assist you, we provide information that will help you organising your Danube cycling holidays: Getting the right maps, renting a bicycle locally, booking comfortable hotels on the cycle path and much more. Check out the navigation at the very top of this page. You find information about the specific legs as well more general information in the 'Info Centre' section.
Self-guided cycling holidays
Going on a self-guided cycling holiday is the perfect choice if you fancy the comfort of having accommodation prearranged and luggage forwarded each night. Rental bicycles are available and maps included. Map reading skills are still needed as you cycle on your own. And you can get lost, no worries. You find more information about self-guided cycling holidays on the Danube on our website.
Guided cycling holidays
If you prefer traveling in a group of like-minded cyclists or simply feel more comfortable having a knowledgeable guide around, you will go for a guided cycling holiday. You will find guided holidays at virtually all price levels. Particularly US based tour operators seem to make it pretty luxury. Local tour operators however are more modest in their pricing.
We believe, a guided cycling holiday should come with several guided walks at places of interest along the way. And there are many such places. So a guided cycling holiday can really pay off as you safe time while making the most out of your trip.
Bike-and-barge tours
These tours are basically a mix of self-guided cycling and river cruising. You spend the night on a rebuilt barge while going on a self-guided cycle tour along the Danube at daylight. Breakfast and dinner are served on the barge.
In brief: The big selling point is that you sleep in the same bed every night. You don't check out every morning. Despite the fact that you have up to about 100 to 160(!) other cyclists on your barge, the prices are in the range of some of the guided cycle tours. This will possibly remain for some time as the barges often operate at full capacity. Find an overviews over Danube bike-and-barge tours on our website.