Compare An Imperial Christmas in Vienna by Just Go! Holidays vs Passau to Vienna Cycling by Exodus Travels

Day 1:

Ferry to Calais and overnight stay in Germany.

Day 2:

Cross the border into Austria, reaching our hotel in Vienna Woods in time for dinner.

Day 3: Christmas Eve - Guided walking tour of Vienna’s Old Town & traditional Viennese café

We enjoy a guided walking tour that introduces us to the beautiful Old Town of Vienna. Vienna’s historic centre is rich in grand buildings and monuments and is especially pretty at Christmas when the streets are brightly illuminated. Afterwards, we shelter ourselves from the cold in a traditional Viennese café where we enjoy some festive treats including coffee, liqueur and Sachertorte.

Day 4: Christmas Day - Guided city tour of Vienna & classical concert

After Christmas Day lunch at our hotel, we enjoy a guided city tour of Vienna, where we take in the main sights including the Opera House and the Imperial Palace. Following dinner at the hotel, what better way to round off this special day than with a classical concert in a Viennese palace.

Day 5: Boxing Day - Scenic tour of Vienna Woods & dinner in a traditional wine tavern

We head off on a scenic tour of Vienna Woods, a pretty forested area outside Vienna. Our tour includes an evening meal in a traditional wine tavern (Heurige) that includes wine and live Viennese music.

Day 6: 27th December - Guided tour of Schönbrunn Palace & Klosterneuburg Abbey

Our final excursion starts with a guided tour of the capital’s splendid Schönbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Habsburgs. We then enjoy a guided tour of the 900-year-old Klosterneuburg Abbey, famous for its sacred art treasures.

Day 7:

Travel to our overnight hotel in Germany.

Day 8:

Continue on to Calais for our return ferry home.

Day 1 Arrive in Passau

Arrive at your riverfront hotel and then enjoy dinner in the heart of the old town tonight. You stay at the Hotel Residenz (breakfast included)

Day 2 Passau to Schlogen

After receiving your bike and welcome brief, pedal east to Obernzell, famous for pottery, before popping into the Keramicmuseum in a riverside castle. The scent of wood smoke and grilled trout may tempt you into lunch as you cross into Austria where the valley is steeper and cloaked with oak woods. On reaching the hotel, relax in the pool before dinner on the terrace watching passenger boats sparkling with fairy lights cruise past. Cycling distance either 23km/14.5mi or 47km/29.5mi You stay at the Hotel Donauschlinge (breakfast included)

Day 3 Schlogen to Aschach (Linz)

Spot kingfishers today in the Donauschlinge Nature Reserve. Stop and enjoy the views at the picnic tables that dot the waterfront before you reach Aschach's frescoed waterfront. Catch the Linz ferry, or follow the towpath through reed marshes to Ottensheim beach for a swim. Hop on the train here and in no time you'll arrive at your hotel, an ancient convent, in Linz's extravagant town square. Cycling disctance either 27km/17mi or 46km/29mi You stay at the Hotel Wolfinger (breakfast included)

Day 4 Linz to Ardagger/Grein

The route leads you away from the Danube to 12th Century Enns. Austria's oldest city, before returning to the Danube and an onward ride to the beautiful little village of Ardagger. Cycling disctance either 56km/35mi or 61km/38mi You stay at the Hotel Schiffmeisterhaus (breakfast included)

Day 5 Ardagger/Grein to Melk

Explore the small baroque town of Grein before cycling through the fertile Danube Valley for a lunch stop in Ybbs, home to a quirky collection of penny-farthings bicycles. The hilltop twin towers of Maria Taferl appear and Melk's monastery looms high above as you pedal towards Margaret Ebner's welcoming family hotel in Melk. You stay at the Hotel Zur Post (breakfast included) Cycling distance either 55km/34mi  

Day 6 At Melk

Melk's massive Benedictine monastery was rebuilt in 1683, and the interior abbey is as breathtaking as the countryside views from the rooftop terrace. For a day trip, cycle to Schloss Schallaburg (8km return), one of the finest Renaissance castles north of the Alps, where you can stroll in the magnificent rose gardens and enjoy acclaimed cultural exhibitions. You stay at the Hotel Zur Post (breakfast included)

Day 7 Melk to Krems

Today you coast along the UNESCO Wachau Valley, a necklace of villages and vineyards, anchored by pretty churches along the north bank. Each is charming, especially Durnstein where Richard the Lionheart was held for ransom in the craggy hilltop castle. Admire the statuette, Venus of Willendorf, dating back to 23,000BC, before arriving in Krems for a splash in the pool, and candlelit dinner on the terrace overlooking the valley. You stay at the Steigenberger Hotel & Spa (breakfast included)

Day 8 At Krems

Krems has one of the most beautiful historic centres in Europe and is packed with interest, from the Wine Museum housed in a restored Dominican monastery to the 13th century abbey that exhibits paintings of Martin Johann Schmidt. You can cycle out to Schloss Grafenegg (14km away), a gargoyle-encrusted Gothic castle set in 85 acres of parkland, perfect for picnics, or just relax in the fabulous hotel spa and pool. You stay at the Steigenberger Hotel & Spa (breakfast included)

Day 9 Krems to Tulln

Freewheel down river to Tulln, known as the 'Town of Roses'. Pop into the Roman museum, which is packed with artefacts, and dine out tonight amid the fountains, statues and ornate buildings that crowd the pretty centre before returning to your waterfront hotel. You stay at the Hotel Nibelungenhof (breakfast included)

Day 10 Tulln to Vienna

Coast along the last stretch and relax over lunch in imperial Klosterneuburg. Then cycle along Danube Island before continuing to your hotel, right in the heart of the city. Enjoy dinner out in Vienna's lively centre which is breathtakingly floodlit at night! You stay at the Hotel Austria (breakfast included) Cycling distance either 22km/13.5mi or 41km/26mi  

Day 11 Leave Vienna

The tour ends after breakfast in Vienna.