Centuries of conflict, castles galore, cycling through history a time to explore. The influence of the Hapsburg era - simply breathtaking!
Departure: any day from March to October
Duration: 1 week plus
Four Countries three Capitals Tour
Centuries of conflict, castles galore, cycling through history a time to explore. The influence of the Hapsburg era - simply breathtaking!
Departure: any day from March to October
Duration: 1 week plus
Remember we make cycling tours to suit your abilities ,All Guest Houses Quaint with Home cooked food and all very different from the last one
The fabulous river side tour begins in the city known as »The city of three rivers«, where rivers Danube, Inn and Ilz come together and flow further as mighty Danube, as river Inns' contribution of water doubles the Danube's flow. The city has a lot of culinary specialties, traditional wines and local craft beers. Here you will also find the largest baroque church north of the Alps and the biggest organs in Europe (with nearly 18.000 pipes).
We start our riding on the right banks of Danube and after just a few kilometers we enter Austria. The Danube is the natural Border with Austria and Germany then turns slightly south-east, where it belongs totally to Austria. The scenery is gorgeous. History is etched into the landscape and the remains of the wealth and proofs of strategically important positions lay all around. From Celtics to Romans, , We reach Aschach an der Donau, once important boatbuilding and shipping centre, but now a lovely sleepy town. When opened in 1964, Aschachs hydro-electric dam and power station was the biggest in Europe. We follow the track into woods and are amazed Tonight we sleep in a Castle!. You can walk through the centuries while strolling into rooms that are opened for visitors. The castle is surrounded by an old forest, once an english park.
From Aschach the path leads us by the Danube and theHills retreat in the distance . We pass the third largest city in Austria, Linz. Linz is also the largest port on the middle Danube. Once a Roman settlement, it was briefly a capital of Austria, when Emperor Friedrick III built the castle there. We pass a huge medieval square with baroque buildings and the largest church in Austria. As we continue our journey, we must stop in the picturesque town of Mauthausen and try some of their delicious local food. This town is more known for the concentration camp few kilometers from the centre, where a gruesome crimes against humanity took place in the II WW. We follow the cycling path into the small town of Wallsee. Where there was ance a Roman camp, protecting this lands from Germanic invaders, now a castle stands proudly. People here produce local food and happily share delicacies with visitors.
We ride through orchard covered farmlands and we enter one of the most popluar wine regions – Wachau valley. From afar the Stift Melk Benedictine abbey in all its glory, overlooking the valley from above. Melk was the capital city of the eastern borderland of the Holy Roman Empire for almost 1100 years, until the capital moved to Vienna in 1156. Melk's abbey is surely to visit, but also the city itself has a lot to offer.
We cycle from Aggsbach on the left side of the Danube, where we see an impressive Tausendeimerberg (thousand-bucket hill) and ruines of once mighty castles in Spitz. We also pass Weissenkirchen, the principal wine village of Wachau. It holds a beautiful white church and it is supposed to be the original home of the Famous Riesling grape. Next village we cross is Dürnstein, where King Richard the Lionheart was held prisoned for few months. The huge ransom helped to build new austrian city od Wienner Neustadt and fortified walls in Hainburg.
Vienna
Vienna, Austria’s capital, lies in the country’s east on the Danube River. shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence. In the Museums Quartier district,Taking a bus tour is a perfect idea for getting to know Vienna a bit more. Virtuality bus tour seems like an excellent option for any weather. Since it is a city of multinationality, the choices for food are enormous. I could write forever about this manificent City.
Bratislava is the Capital of Slovakia i along the Danube River by the border with Austria and Hungary. It’s surrounded by vineyards and the Carpathian mountains, The pedestrian-only, 18th-century old town is with its many bars and hand craft shops is a pleasure to wander around , Bratislava Castle overlooks the old town and the Danube.
Most have not even heard of Gyor ,Strange because it once was a very important and strategic City in Hungary , In In 1989 Győr won the European award for the protection of monuments.
No History today, just fantastic Wine and food.
Visegrad meaning (Upper Castle ) Well worth a visit the Views of the Danube here are breathtaking ,Also to see The Lower castle and the Royal Palace built by King Charles I of Hungary after 1325. the second half of the 14th century, this was enlarged into a palace by his son, King Louis I of Hungary
Budapest Capital of Hungary such an interesting History ,Suffering more than most throughout its History of occupations ,We shall organise a tour of the City
Budapest Rest day before transfers