Travel diary

From Ulm to Passau, the Danube runs through Bavaria, Germany’s largest State, where people greet you with a “Grüss Gott” (“God greet you”), pronounced with a well-rolled ‘R’. EuroVelo 6 continues its route towards Ingolstadt through a landscape of lakes and remarkably well-preserved old towns. Günzburg and Dillingen are particularly noteworthy for their Baroque and Renaissance treasures. Further along the route, the ramparts of the small Mediaeval town of Vohburg protect 1200 years of history! The monastery at Weltenburg (the oldest in Bavaria) watches over the entrance to the sumptuous Danube Gorge, which the cycle tourist can follow by boat as far as Kehlheim. This short, water-borne detour is highly recommended, as the route between Weltenburg and Kelheim does not follow a dedicated cycleway. Regensburg marks the most northerly point reached by the Danube. The old town, with its Gothic cathedral and the oldest stone bridge across the Danube, bears witness to the long history of this Mediaeval city. From Regensburg to Passau, the hard rocks of Bohemia block the river’s passage, forcing it to head southeast between the Bavarian mountains and the Gäuboden plateau. The German section of the river ends at Passau, a city of three rivers on the Austrian border.