What's Life Like on Board a Danube Boat & Bike Tour?

The MV Vivienne is an exquisite, premium class ship with a luxurious style and comfortable, spacious interiors. I had an absolute blast with my colleagues Saul, Nick and Louie as we cruised through fascinating locations including Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. Of course, we spent most of our time cycling by the river banks and wandering about the cities, but there were a good few hours of downtime each day, usually in the morning and evening when we could simply enjoy being on board our floating hotel!

For the purposes of this blog, I'm going to skip out the cycling bits, but if you want to find out what our whole trip was like, be sure to read Nick's trip report. He'll tell you all about the steep green banks by riverside paths, the cathedral domes and spires and the mountains of food that we enjoyed on our leisurely journey.

Fancy experiencing life floating on the Danube for yourself? Don't hesitate to enquire about our Danube River - Passau to Budapest Boat & Bike Tour, or indeed any of our other fantastic Danube Boat & Bike holidays. It's easy to view dates and prices and book online, or for personal advice from our team, enquire online or call +44 (0)1273 224066.

In spite of the fabulous luxury of the Vivienne, there's no point lying about in your cabin when there are large stretches of Danube to explore! So we made sure we were up and at it early every morning.

I wouldn't describe myself as an early bird, but bleary-eyed as I was, my spirits were more than perked up by the plentiful breakfast buffet we had in the restaurant.

I love those buffets with enough variety that you can get creative with your food combinations. An assortment of cheese, meats, pastries, fresh fruit, yoghurt, tea and coffee awaits you every morning, and if that's not enough, there is a range of hot food options that changes each day, from bratwurst to waffles to pancakes and much more.

After you've stocked up on calories, the bikes are offloaded by the boat crew and lined up on the shore. Every bike is handily labelled with your name and room number so do double-check this if you find that your feet don't reach the pedals! You are then briefed on what time to return to the boat and where it will be docked. From there, it's up to you to make your way downriver under your own steam.

The Passau to Budapest Boat & Bike Tour can be a great holiday even if you only want to do the boat part. If you’ve come as a non-cyclist, you can enjoy a light lunch on board, relax on the sun deck, read a book or play a board game while the rest of the group is pedalling away along the banks. The crew will do a fantastic job of looking after you as well!

Exploring done for the day, the cyclists return to the boat, and as soon as the last of the group are on board, it’s time to cruise off to the next destination. These are the moments on board when you can truly enjoy some well-deserved relaxation time. After your morning's cycle ride, there's nothing quite like reclining on the sundeck under the rays and watching the green landscapes and historic cities of the Danube gently pass you by.

Worked up an appetite from your morning cycle? The crew of the Vivienne takes care of that. Fresh cakes, fruit, tea and coffee are served, and we even came back one afternoon and there was a sundae station waiting for us! Pre-dinner, everyone gathers and the cruise director goes through the itinerary for the next day, including the cycle route and points of interest along the way.

One of the invaluable things that the staff offer is local knowledge and expertise. Leslie was the cruise director on our boat and was nothing short of fantastic, very informative and assisted in any way he could. He was born in and spent the majority of his upbringing in Vienna and now lives in Budapest so had plenty of local knowledge to share. He usually cycled all the routes behind everyone to ensure we were all on track.

Your cultural education continues into evening meal times, as the kitchen often serves cuisine particular to the country you are cruising through at the time. We had Spätzle in Germany, Schnitzel in Austria, and a local stew in Hungary. Dinners on the Vivienne were fantastic and the menu was always varied to keep things exciting.

Have a special diet or dietary requirement? No worries, Freedom Treks can pass on the information to the boat in advance. I’m vegetarian and the Head Chef even asked me each day if I was happy with what was on the menu for the evening and that it could be amended if I wished.

After meal times it was easy to wind down. The lounge has a totally relaxed atmosphere and we spent our evenings playing board games and having drinks from the bar. It's a great time to socialise with other members of the tour. We struck up some great friendships and got to know people from so many different countries and backgrounds.

You return to your cabins and often rise the next morning in an exciting new location. Cruising into Budapest in the morning was a particular highlight.

Oh, and if you enjoy a party, you'll enjoy the last night on board. We spent a funny and lively last night enjoying a 70s/80s themed disco with outfits for the guests to borrow and dress up in.

With all the cycling, socialising and exploring we were doing, we needed a comfortable place to relax and sleep at the end of each day. Well, we call our boats floating hotels for a reason and, though compact, my main deck cabin was of an extremely high standard, complete with a private bathroom, large TV and adjustable air conditioning.

The rooms were cleaned twice a day, and a freshly made bed was always a welcome sight at the end of a long day in the saddle. Our cabin had a small, non-opening upper window from which I could peer out at pleasant views of the river as we bobbed along. I also got the opportunity to take a look around the suites, each of which had a french balcony and a spacious living area. If you can make sure you book early (these cabins go quickly), I'd say staying in one of these is absolutely worth it!

This was my first experience of spending a week on board a Boat & Bike tour. It exceeded my expectations and having a moving home base for a week was a real luxury.

If life floating down the Danube has piqued your interest, take a look at our Danube River - Passau to Budapest Boat & Bike Tour, or indeed any of our other fantastic Danube Boat & Bike holidays. View dates and prices and book online, or for personal advice from our team, enquire online or call +44 (0)1273 224066.