Trip Report: Three First-Time Freedom Trekkers, Four Countries & One Fantastic Boat & Bike Tour

I can confidently say that the Danube River 4 Countries Boat & Bike Tour was a brilliant debut for our first Freedom Treks cycling holiday.

In one incredible week, we cycled and cruised through Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, enjoying the spectacular scenery and warm hospitality on board the MS Prinzessin Katharina. The tour featured a perfect balance of cycling and sightseeing, which allowed us to enjoy incredible views and attractions as we travelled. The majority of our cycling is commuting to the office in sunny Hove, so we had high hopes going in, and the trip exceeded every one of them.

It’s easy to see why our Danube tours are such favourites with customers. We woke up to a stunning new location each morning, explored it by bike during the day (the best way to see a place!), and then returned to our comfortable boat for a well-earned rest. With delicious local meals and everything taken care of, Boat & Bike is an unforgettable way to travel.

If, like us, you want to see why our Boat & Bike tours are so popular, don’t hesitate to contact our friendly, knowledgeable team. It's easy to view dates and prices and book online, or for first-hand advice, enquire online or call +44 (0)1273 977943 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm UK time).

After arriving in picturesque Passau and strolling along the glistening waters and down colourful streets of the city, we took a short bus ride from the station to the harbour. It wasn’t long before the MS Prinzessin Katharina came into view - our ‘floating hotel’ for the week - gleaming in the sunshine at its berthing point. It instantly stood out and made us even more excited for the adventure ahead.

When it was time to embark, the staff helpfully carried our luggage to our cabins and we made our way over to meet our fellow passengers and crew. In pure holiday mode, most guests had already settled in and were lounging in the sunshine with a drink in hand before we set sail - clearly doing holiday right!

We’d packed light, expecting there to be limited storage in the cabins, but found our soft bags slotted easily into the storage compartments. Once inside and unpacked, we felt perfectly comfortable in our floating wood-panelled cabin and settled in for the week.

During our stay, the crew cleaned our cabins daily, which meant we enjoyed consistent comfort. The friendly crew even left us little surprises! It was a thoughtful touch that showed just how much care and attention to detail went into making the experience special.

Our daily routine kicked off with a delicious buffet breakfast that offered plenty of options. This was a great way to fuel up for a day of cycling. If you’re not a breakfast person - don’t worry! Feel free to take snacks and sandwiches with you to make up a tasty lunch.

Once we were ready to go with our delicious picnic, it was time to begin the day's cycling. We headed to the dock to find the crew had already unloaded our bikes, so everything was ready for us to start the daily stage.

The tour included three days of cycling - an average of 50km on each of these days - along flat paths and quiet roads. As we were on a self-guided tour, Jess, Lucy and I loved that we could stop for coffee breaks whenever we wanted to without any pressure to finish by a certain time. Our daily highlight was stopping for a picnic packed with goodies from breakfast, such as sandwiches, fruit, cheese, and chocolate flapjacks.

If you ever feel like taking a break from the bike, you're more than welcome to stay aboard and relax - perhaps with a drink in hand as you lounge on the deck with a book, watching the world go by?

After some amazing cycling along the Danube, we returned to the Katharina, changed out of our cycling clothes and enjoyed tea and cake on the sun deck.

We really embraced our relaxation time - and with a great selection of drinks on board, it wasn’t long before we were sharing a bottle of local wine or treating ourselves to an Aperol Spritz - or two!

In the afternoons, we enjoyed the sun and the views from the deck while playing cards or chatting to other passengers. We joined the English-speaking guests in the bar for our daily briefings about the following day’s schedule. There was plenty of time to ask questions, so we left feeling confident - and excited! - for the day ahead.

At around 7pm, we headed to the restaurant for our well-deserved three-course dinner. Each morning, we received the menu in our cabin alongside the daily programme so we could pick our dinner choices at breakfast.

Throughout the week, we tucked into some seriously tasty local dishes. My personal favourites were the duck and the schnitzel; both were a delicious treat after a day on the saddle.

We loved that you had the option to choose portion sizes, so if you filled up on too much cake in the afternoon, your food wouldn’t go to waste.

At our farewell dinner, the entire crew came out to say goodbye - and we finally got to meet the mystery hero behind all those delicious meals: the chef. Unsurprisingly, he got the loudest and longest round of applause as we all enjoyed the food so much.

One of the biggest highlights of the trip was the people we shared it with. The crew were incredibly friendly, super organised and always happy to help - so much so that by the end of the week, we had a few inside jokes going with them. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and everything was done with a smile.

Our fellow passengers were just as lovely - mostly from the UK, US and Germany, with a few others from all over the world. After dinner, if we weren’t resting in our rooms to recharge for the next day, we joined everyone for music and drinks at the bar.

Jess, Lucy and I had a couple of memorable evenings with some truly lovely people - learning new dance moves, sharing travel stories and laughing over a drink or two. It was such a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and we noticed how easily solo travellers were integrated into the mix.

As non-expert cyclists ourselves, we loved the balance of cycling and sightseeing on this holiday. When it was time to stretch our cycling legs, we enjoyed stopping off and leisurely sightseeing around cities we passed through at our own pace.

Our first city day was in Vienna and we started the day with a sunlit breakfast at the iconic Café Sacher, indulging in Vienna’s famous Sacher Torte, apple strudel, and a leisurely coffee.

We made our way to the historic Innere Stadt, where we enjoyed taking photos of major landmarks including the Imperial Palace, Swiss Gate and the Austrian National Library. A short walk led us to Vienna’s impressive Parliament and Justice buildings, nestled beside a picturesque park, which was perfect for pausing and enjoying the sunshine. We admired the Vienna Opera House along the way, and stopped for a delicious lunch of traditional Wiener schnitzel in the sun.

In the afternoon, we visited St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Entry was free, with optional paid access to the tower for panoramic views - the cathedral’s stained-glass windows were beautiful! We then wandered Vienna’s elegant pedestrian streets, stopping to browse shops along Kärntner Strasse and through the charming Ferstel Passage, filled with boutique stores and cafés.

Our return was a relaxing tram ride followed by a quick grocery stop and a ten-minute walk back to the boat. To round off a perfect day, we couldn’t resist schnitzel a second time - this time pork instead of the traditional veal!

Bratislava gave us another relaxed day. It's a smaller city so we had plenty of time to see most of the Old Town despite needing to be back on the boat by 2.30pm.

We wandered through the beautiful old buildings, unique architecture and quaint alleyways. Our path led us to the famous Blue Church, a whimsical Roman Catholic church decorated in blue and gold.

Bratislava Castle was a real highlight for us. After climbing many flights of stairs, we were rewarded with stunning views over the city and the Danube River. We learned about the castle’s rich history - its various renovations, wartime bombing and eventual 1953 restoration to its current form.

As we weren’t rushing, we returned to the Old Town to choose from the many options offering traditional Slovak cuisine and enjoyed a leisurely lunch chatting about our trip highlights so far.

Next up was Budapest - the city that completely stole our hearts! Even with a full day to explore, it still didn’t feel like enough. With Buda on one side and Pest on the other, we were spoiled for choice: castles, bridges, thermal baths, the iconic Parliament Building and of course, more amazing food!

After dinner, we wandered up to Fisherman’s Bastion - a popular historical monument and a real highlight, providing arguably the most magical views in Budapest. It was almost empty when we visited, so we managed to take lots of photos, which we all treasure to this day. After a fun-filled day, we were already planning another visit to Budapest!

As this was our first Freedom Treks tour, here are some top tips we found helpful from our colleagues before setting off on our trip:

• Take cash with you - You’ll need small change for things like river ferry crossings (around €2.50), which are cash-only. Also, don’t forget you’ll be cycling through four countries, so bring Euros and Hungarian Forints for Hungary.
• Read over your route notes - as we recommend to all of our customers, checking your cycling notes the night before will allow you to plan your day - what time to start, where to stop for lunch and what sights to see.
• Ask questions - make use of having a briefing on board and ask for pointers for the day ahead. We found the daily cycling briefings extremely useful; our guide was experienced, helpful and gave us honest advice.
• Test out your bike - the crew will happily make any adjustments to your bike before you set off each day, so make sure you properly try out how it feels!
• Packing essentials - we recommend bringing a lunch container with you to carry snacks and your picnic for the cycle rides. Waterproofs and extra layers are also a great idea.

This was my first Freedom Treks cycling holiday, and what better way to spend it than on a Boat & Bike tour! It exceeded our expectations and we were sad to say goodbye to Ms Prinzessin Katherina at the end of the week.

If having a moving home for the week and visiting four wonderful countries sounds interesting to you, take a look at our Danube River 4 Countries Boat & Bike Tour, or indeed any of our other fantastic Boat & Bike holidays. Enquire online or call our friendly team for personal advice on +44 (0)1273 224066.

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