Cruising the Danube: Bikes, Borders, Beer & Christmas Markets
We’ve been quietly motoring up the Danube, which turns out to be a very civilized way to see a country. You sit in your room, coffee in hand, and Germany just… slides by the window. No effort required. Highly recommend.
Our stop for the day was Passau, a pretty little city where three rivers meet: the Danube, the Inn, and the Ilz. The Inn is bigger, greener, and tinted from Alpine snowmelt running over limestone as it makes its way down. Ironically, it’s also the river they didn’t bother to tame with locks, so it’s not used for navigation. Beautiful, but quiet.
Once ashore, we opted for the bike tour—four of us plus two other women who also thought biking in December sounded like a good idea. We pedaled along the Inn river and eventually found ourselves in a small town where you can literally stand with one foot in Germany and one in Austria. Always fun to casually straddle two countries before lunch.
Our guides this time were two university students—delightful, knowledgeable, and full of stories about landowners, borders, and local history. I won’t lie: there were hills. Real ones. The kind that make you reassess your life choices halfway up and feel extremely justified ordering a beer afterward. David from the boat was once again our sweeper, which meant we were in excellent hands and no one got left behind questioning their cardiovascular fitness.
Lunch was at the town hall, per our guide’s recommendation, and it was fantastic. Inside is a mural depicting the city burning down in 1662—cheery lunch décor. After that fire, Passau was rebuilt in the Baroque style, which explains why everything looks so grand and elegant now. They’re also home to one of the largest pipe organs in Europe, though unfortunately it was under construction when we visited, so no dramatic soundtrack for us.
While studying the mural at lunch, we noticed what looked like a strangely laughing figure amid the flames. Turns out it’s a statue that survived the fire and became a bit of a local legend. They still have it—and yes, we found it.
The Christmas markets were in full swing, with people milling about and lights everywhere. You really can’t judge them in daylight, though. Around 4:00 pm—magic hour—it gets dark, the lights come on, and suddenly everyone emerges like moths to a festive flame. I think people just don’t want to sit at home.
Back on the boat, dinner was served in the main restaurant, where everyone eats at the same time—a logistical miracle, honestly. They also have a smaller space in the back called the Chef’s Table, where you can opt for a special pre-prepared meal. It felt more special mostly because it was different—and I’ll give them this: the dessert was the best I’ve had on board so far. Just pure chocolate happiness.
Overnight, we continued down the Danube and arrived in Regensburg, where we signed up for a walking tour followed by—you guessed it—another Christmas market. Our guide showed up with a very strong Southern accent, which was unexpected but delightful. Dan came to Europe years ago to play baseball, loved it, chased the sun around the world for a while, met a girl, and has now been here for 20 years. As one does.
He showed us why Regensburg is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the largest and best-preserved medieval cities in Germany. We saw remnants of the Roman walls from the fort originally built here, which somehow still exist despite everything else trying very hard to disappear over the centuries.
Regensburg is also home to one of the most beautiful Christmas markets we’ve seen—set at the Thurn und Taxis palace. This family made their fortune by creating Europe’s first postal system, sold it off centuries ago, and apparently invested very wisely because they’re still extremely wealthy. You do have to pay to enter this market, but it’s less crowded and, in my opinion, absolutely worth it. Best variety of food so far. If you’re chasing Christmas markets, this one is the winner.
The city is also known for the oldest stone bridge in Germany. It’s now pedestrian-only, which is good because it was packed. I spent a while trying to figure out how our ship was supposed to pass under it before realizing… we were already docked next to it, and the boat would simply back out and go another way. Problem solved.
As we continue up the river, the Danube is narrowing, and the number of locks is increasing. We have one more day and one final stop ahead: Nuremberg.
Stay tuned.