Travel report: Cycle tour on the Danube and Altmühl
From our guests Anette and Dieter
We had made a quick decision to book this trip - in memory of a tour with Radweg-Reisen that took us from Merano to Verona 3 years ago.
This time it was Bavaria that appealed to us - we love this region, the way the people live there, the Bavarian delicacies. We booked at the beginning of October 2018 - we weren't thinking about the weather at the time. And it was going to be beautiful, warm, sunny, pleasant autumn days - the best conditions for a cycling trip.
Day 1: Arrival
We started in Regensburg. We drove there in good time to get some impressions of the city. We parked the car at Dultplatz on Protzenweiher, directly opposite the police station. Here we were under police protection and parking is free. The Münchner Hof hotel was well chosen by the organizers - there was nothing missing and the breakfast buffet in the morning helped us to get off to a good start.
Show more Show lessDay 2: Regensburg - Abensberg, approx. 55 km / Day 3: Abensberg - Neuburg, approx. 65 km
The first stage took us from Regensburg to Abensberg. We took a break in Bad Abbach - and then continued on to Kehlheim. Here we were supposed to take the boat through the Danube Gorge to Weltenburg. However, as the Danube is currently at low water, the boat could not dock in Weltenburg - so we had to take the cycle path. Thank goodness we didn't know what to expect beforehand - the designated cycle path led us past the cemetery into a forest and up an extremely steep hill towards Weltenburg Abbey. This passage demanded a lot of strength from us - our heavy pedelecs, packed to the brim, were almost impossible to move uphill - even the integrated push assist was of little use. When we reached the ridge, we rode the rest of the way to Eining along the main road.
Show more Show lessOn arrival in Abensberg, our first destination, we headed for the beer garden to relax. With a cool, refreshing beer, we were able to take a leisurely look at the Hundertwasser Tower.
On this day, a strong headwind blew in our faces along the entire route - the next day, cycling towards Ingolstadt on the country lanes was much more pleasant in terms of the weather. However, in retrospect, we have to say that the signposting around Ingolstadt and along the Danube was often more than poor. Neuburg - our stage destination - is a nice, cozy little town with a beautiful old town center and market square. A walk there is well worthwhile. You can enjoy a delicious apple strudel at the Gasthaus Zur Blauen Traube at the top of the old town.
Day 4: Neuburg - Eichstätt, approx. 60 km / Day 5: Eichstätt - Kinding-Enkering, approx. 40 km
On the 3rd stage we headed from Neuburg towards Eichstätt, our accommodation was the Hirschenwirt in Wasserzell, 5 km from Eichstätt town center. There we found the perfect bike garage:
Parking spaces with clothes hangers where you can park your bike and leave your cycling clothes. There are also a few power sockets to recharge your batteries. Of course, there are also good air pumps available - which was an advantage for me because my front tire was pretty low on air when I left the next morning.
He lost them again on the ride to Eichstätt. Thank goodness there was a smart specialist bike store in the town (Röll Trisport in Rotkreuzgasse), where a new inner tube was swapped in without much ifs and buts. This put me on the safe side for the rest of the ride.
The stretch from Rennertshofen to Wellheim is also worth mentioning for this day. There, the cycle path leads over a disused railroad line, which is freshly asphalted and wonderful to ride on. By now we were in the Altmühltal valley - and the signposting of the cycle paths was much better and more specific. The accompanying book says that there are hardly any places to stop for refreshments on the route from Eichstätt to Kinding - we saw several that were open - for example, we stopped at Gut Moierhof, a country inn in Walting, which is highly recommended. Here you will find a cozy, nicely designed beer garden.
Day 6: Kinding-Enkering - Riedenburg, approx. 45 km
The stage from Kinding via Beilngries and Dietfurt to Riedenburg is beautiful: you always cycle along the river, through sun-drenched valley meadows, far away from traffic and the paths are flat, asphalted or graveled, whereby the ground here is really firm and therefore easy to cycle on. The small towns of Beilngries and the smaller Dietfurt invite you to linger, the facades of the old houses are beautiful to look at - everything seems so quiet and cozy. There are several places to stop for refreshments here.
Show more Show lessDay 7: Riedenburg - Regensburg, approx. 55 km
Unfortunately, the route from Riedenburg to Regensburg was largely the same as we had experienced at the beginning - hardly any specific directions and fairly poor signposting. Once again we were riding along the Danube. Only shortly before Regensburg did it become more precise, including distance information. This route is also easy to manage from a cycling perspective.
Show more Show lessConclusion:
The individual stages are really easy to complete, there are not too many kilometers, so you can take your time to stop for refreshments or to stop at special places to take a closer look at the surroundings, visit a castle or simply take it all in from a bench.
All in all, we can give the organizer a lot of praise, the individual stages were nice to ride, the hotels were very well chosen - each time we experienced great accommodation in quiet surroundings, a great service. The luggage transportation worked perfectly - even when we arrived at our destination early, our suitcases were already there. The tour operator proved to be very flexible in that we were able to collect our luggage ourselves on the last day - again, we were early and wanted to return home afterwards - and ultimately didn't have to wait for the luggage transport.
We are already looking forward to the catalog for 2019 - and if nothing comes up, we will plan the next tour with Radweg-Reisen.
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