The River Danube traces a route of some 1800 miles through the heart of Europe via the countries of Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. On the banks of this beautiful and winding river is the popular Danube Cycle Path. It’s a great destination for people who are new to cycling abroad or to cycling holidays. Here are 14 reasons to choose the Danube as your first cycling holiday.

Lovely flat cycling.

1. The Danube Cycle Path is mostly flat because it follows the contours of the valleys alongside the river. This makes it very easy to ride and the miles pass by quickly, sometimes without much pedalling effort.

2. The route is waymarked so navigation is straightforward. Macs Adventure cyclists are given guide notes and map details as well which means it is difficult to lose your way on the Danube Cycle path.

Take it easy with plenty of stops and sightseeing each day.

3. The route is great for families and beginner cyclists because it’s mostly traffic-free and easy-going. You can often ride in small groups and chat as you pedal. 4 Well organised baggage transfer will let you stay in handpicked hotels and accommodation along the route of the Danube. You’ll enjoy easy days of cycling and lovely leisurely evenings in a new place each evening.

Boat and bike options.

5. The Macs Adventure Bike and Boat Danube River cruises are another excellent way to discover the Danube and are particularly suited to families, groups of mixed abilities or those who don't want to pack up their luggage every night to move to another accommodation. When you tire of cycling you can board the boat and travel by water instead of by bike.

6. There are different tours to choose from to suit your aspirations and cycling confidence levels. The holidays are graded easy to easy-moderate. A self-guided hotel to hotel option might suit independent travellers best, and those who would prefer the support of a guide and network of companions may prefer bike & boat tours.

7. Many people ride the cycle path every year so you will meet lots of people and hopefully enjoy chatting to them and exchanging experiences and ideas of places to visit along the route.

Visit towns and cities of interest, such as Regensberg in Germany

8. There is easy access to many sections of the Danube Cycle Path so you can choose to start in a number of different places. For example, you can cycle from Passau to Vienna; Passau to Budapest; Vienna to Budapest; on the Bavarian section of the Danube or on Romania’s Danube delta.

9. If you enjoy the Danube Cycle Path on a holiday, you can return to do another section on a different occasion.

A gorge on the Danube.

10. The full Cycle Path heads through beautiful countryside and via ten different countries. His means there is a lot to see and do wherever you choose to ride each day. Our tours take in sections over 5 countries (Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania).

Pretty Passau in Austria.

11. The cycle route passes through fascinating and historic European towns and cities, such as Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, Passau and Regensberg so you can enjoy sightseeing as well as cycling.

12. This year is a great time to ride the Danube Cycle Path, especially through Vienna because of various musical anniversaries and anniversaries. The Austrian city celebrates 175 years of the Vienna Philharmonic with a special exhibition in the House of Music from March to September and 150 years of the Blue Danube Waltz with a Strauss Museum exhibition until December.

The wildlife of Romania's Danube Delta.

13. You’ll see beautiful wildlife as you cycle. The Danube is home to an array of wildlife and of special significance is the wildlife-rich UNESCO Danube Delta. Cycle and sail the lagoons, lakes and reed islands of the Danube Delta through Romania, which is one of Europe’s last untouched corners of wilderness and third only in the world to the Great Barrier Reef and Galapagos Archipelago in terms of biodiversity.

Enjoy classic foods and drinks

14. Try a variety of classic foods, wines and dishes from the different countries that you cycle through, such as Weisswurst (German sausages), Sarmale (cabbage rolls) and smoked sausages of Romania and Austria’s famous Rindsuppe (beef soup) and Gulasch (goulash), as well as wines from Wachau Valley in Austria (many visitors are pleasantly surprised by the quality and variety of local produce) and the beers of Bavaria.

See the full range of Macs Adventure Danube Cycle holidays on our website, and do contact the team on hello@macsadventure.com if you need any advice or inspiration