Lower Bavaria tour from Passau to Regensburg: 7 stages, 3 rivers
Text: Gerhard Illing
We actually had an appointment in Schweiklberg, the destination of our first day's stage, at 4 pm. The cellarer of the Benedictine abbey in Vilshofen would have liked to show us his candle workshop. But we had to meekly cancel the appointment because we experienced so much on the way that we couldn't possibly reach our destination in time.
And it turned out that we wouldn't keep to our planned arrival times on any of the days. The tour was so entertaining that we wanted to linger enthusiastically at almost every corner. Passau as a starting point is already a place that is hard to tear yourself away from.
The evening before, we admire the hustle and bustle in the baroque alleyways around the magnificent St Stephen's Cathedral, the old town hall and the Residenzplatz with the Wittelsbach Fountain. The pleasant contrast between the historic buildings and the young population is striking. The large university has a positive effect on the atmosphere of the city. There are numerous pubs and cafés - the culinary variety is remarkable.
The best way to take in the geographical range is to hop on an excursion boat. The different colours of the Danube, Inn and Ilz mix at the corner of the three rivers, with the silhouette of the old town looming imposingly in the background. The youth hostel where we are staying is located on the Veste Oberhaus, one of the largest and mightiest castle complexes in Europe, which has 800 years of eventful history behind it.
The view of the old town is marvellous. But now it's time to get going: we roll steeply down to the banks of the Ilz, cross the Danube and stock up on provisions at the weekly market in the monastery garden. The Lower Bavarian accent that prevails here quickly becomes familiar - we easily strike up a conversation with the greengrocers, the baker and the street musician who provides the soundtrack to the summery scene.
We have to return to the Danube quay for the official start photo. Then, passing the cruise ships moored there, we cycle quickly out of the city on the well-signposted cycle path. We cross the Danube at the bombastic brick building of the Kachlet run-of-river power station and immediately return to the quiet cycle path on the northern bank of the Danube, where we cycle along at a relaxed pace and marvel at oncoming ships.
At Sandbach, the cable ferry is just setting off from the opposite bank. I have repeatedly experienced these pleasant crossings with small ferries on numerous cycle tours. They seem to have fallen out of time - and they really do seem to take the pace out of our hectic lives. It's a shame that we don't need a crossing today.
Nevertheless, we have a long chat with the ferryman after I have taken a few photos. There is a bird sanctuary island near Windorf that is well worth a visit. Windorf Danube Island is the longest river island between Ulm and Budapest. The landing stage for boat trips on the last part of the free-flowing Danube is also located there.
We then cycle on to the Marienbrücke bridge, which takes us to Vilshofen. But before we pedal up to Schweiklberg Abbey, we treat ourselves to a break on the banks of the Danube, right next to the mouth of the Vils. The rooms in the guesthouse Klosterhof Schweiklberg are simple but spacious. The large corridors and high ceilings instil humility - we speak a little more quietly. Through our window we can look far down into the Danube valley. The two towers of the Holy Trinity Church with their onion domes are visible from afar.
Between nature & culture
The next day, the Vils Valley cycle path takes us through idyllic, shady forest for a while, mostly directly alongside the river. We soon climb the Piske observation tower and look down from a height of 13 metres onto a biotope of renaturalised side arms of the Vils. To shorten a section of the route, we carry our loaded bikes on stepping stones over an oxbow lake - only to realise that two more of these wobbly crossings are necessary to get back onto the cycle path. You don't gain any time, but you do experience an adventure close to nature.
In Schönerting, we leave the official route to visit Anita and Maximilian Bauer's alpaca and pony farm. They are happy to show us their cuddly and intelligent animals and tell us about their special features. We could stock up on high-quality wool products in the farm shop, but our saddlebags don't allow it.
After just a few kilometres, we reach Aldersbach Monastery, which has several must-sees: the famous monastery church (one of the most important buildings of the late Baroque period in southern Germany, whose interior was designed by the Asam brothers), the grandiose ceiling fresco in the library hall of the former Cistercian monastery, the Salomon Hall and the Bräuseum beer museum. Afterwards, we make ourselves comfortable in the brewery's beer garden with a hearty snack. The third stage begins with the crossing of a moderate ridge to get from the Vils to the Isar.
The cycle path on the former Bockerl railway line makes the climb pleasant. We take a short photo stop at the old Isar bridge with its rusty steel girders and then follow the southern bank to some renaturalised floodplains. We listen to the humming, croaking and chirping of the lush fauna. A gravel beach tempts us to skip a few flat stones on the swiftly flowing Isar.
The Growing Rock of Usterling is practically on the way, so we don't want to miss this extraordinary geotope. At the outlet of the spring, limestone forms a stone channel. At 40 metres long and five metres high, it is the largest of its kind in Germany. We continue on to Mamming, where we are persuaded to stay by the good-humoured crowd in the beer garden. How good would an afternoon nap be afterwards? Aren't there a couple of quarry ponds on the other side of the Isar?
We have no time pressure and so we look for a shady spot on the banks of one of the Mossandl ponds. It's Sunday and despite the water still being cold, there's a lot of people swimming. This is what early summer feels like. In the late afternoon, we arrive relaxed at our bike-friendly Hotel Adebar in Dingolfing. From the Ade-BAR roof terrace, we have a wonderful view of the listed historic town centre, which we are about to stroll through.
The next day is again so sunny that we are happy about the strikingly shady course of the Isar cycle path - nevertheless, we initially decide in favour of the route variant on the higher dam. Because from here you have a great view of the huge reservoir. Around midday, we reach Niederaichbach with its old farmhouses and the castle towering above them. Directly below the 17th century St Nikolai church, the lively Aichbach babbles through a newly built Kneipp facility. We quickly get rid of our steaming shoes and socks and cool our feet and calves.
Passing the cooling tower of the now shut-down Isar 2 nuclear power plant, which can be seen from afar, we reach the outskirts of Landshut along the green banks of the Isar. We definitely want to take a look at the impressive grey cattle. Four Hungarian grey cattle have been grazing in the so-called Ochsenau since 2019. They are part of a nature conservation project and are supposed to graze the land, with their grazing being scientifically monitored.
The project also has a historical background, as grey cattle used to play an important role as draught animals for trade. Grey cattle are a rare breed and are known for their impressive horns, which can be up to 80 cm long, and their light grey fur. The detour to the Ochsenau is rewarded, as we can actually spot the cattle with their enormous horns and even get relatively close to them.
On the trail of the Asam brothers
Even though our hotel is located in the "new town" of Landshut, it feels like being in a museum-like jewellery box. Together with the "Old Town", which runs parallel to it, it forms the main axis of Landshut's historic city centre, below the mighty Trausnitz Castle.
We won't be able to see all of Landshut's many sights on this tour and are therefore determined to come back again. The large town houses next to quaint shops and cosy cafés in narrow alleyways are enchanting. And a summer evening stroll along the banks of the Isar - when the crescent moon rises behind the Mühleninsel - is hard to beat.
The next morning we find a small bakery and have their speciality, sultana rolls, recommended to us as provisions for the journey. We leave the Isar heading north and come across the Pfettrach in Altdorf. The Altdorf Museum is closed, but the large farmhouse with its flowering cottage garden impresses us from the outside.
We take a break at the Kastanienhof in Pfettrach. The farm with restaurant, hotel and farm shop has a long tradition, which is carried on by the siblings Vera and Martin Kaiser. There are even Peruvian specialities on the menu. A few kilometres later, the first hop gardens appear and it is clear that we have reached the Hallertau.
The landscape is hilly, but the stream valleys are pleasant to cycle through. It is an environment in which you immediately feel at home. Things get interesting at Furth Monastery: we are given a guided tour of the distillery, where herbal distillates are produced according to secret monastery recipes. We are allowed to sniff the herb chamber and are impressed by the variety and intensity of the odours.
Later, Pfeffenhausen awaits with the pilgrimage church "Zu Unserer Lieben Frau". To reach this rococo jewel, you have to climb a few steep steps along a crossroads. Shortly before Rohr in Lower Bavaria, we stop to chat with Marianne and Georg Stöckl on an orchard nature trail. The fruit growers are enthusiastic connoisseurs of many old varieties of fruit.
Finally, we reach Rohr with its Benedictine abbey. It's too late to visit it today - but as we are staying at the Hotel Sixt directly opposite the abbey, we decide to visit it the next morning.
Beer & Hundertwasser
We actually get an expert guided tour with the prior through the splendidly decorated monastery church. And as in Aldersbach, we also come across the name Asam here. Egid Quirin co-designed the church from 1717 to 1723, and his high altar with its sculptural depiction of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary as a "Theatrum sacrum" is now regarded as a baroque masterpiece.
Around midday we reach Abensberg, a brewing centre in the middle of the Hallertau. The Kuchlbauer Tower and the colourfully designed buildings of the Kuchlbauer brewery surrounding it literally draw us in. During a guided tour through the brewery and finally up the tower, we are given surprising information not only about the art of brewing, but also about its connection to the art of the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
The route continues swiftly through the towering poles of the hop gardens. But the region is also famous for its asparagus. In Sandharlanden, we are allowed to watch the farmers prick the asparagus and even try it out - it's not that easy. At Eining, we suddenly come across the Danube again - a sublime moment.
Passing the ferry, we quickly reach Weltenburg Abbey, where we will spend the last night of our tour. The location in a loop directly above the Danube gorge could hardly be more idyllic. We savour an asparagus dish in the monastery tavern and toast our successful trip with Weltenburg monastery beer.
Just in time for sunset, we climb up to the Frauenberg Chapel before stretching out on the gravel on the banks of the Danube for a while to reflect on the impressions of the past few days. The next morning, we take a final look at the monastery church: another baroque masterpiece created by the Asam brothers.
Then a barge takes us adventurously through the spectacular Danube gorge. We stare spellbound at the towering cliffs around us. Back on land, we soon see the Liberation Hall. King Ludwig I had the memorial built to honour the victorious battles against Napoleon in the Wars of Liberation from 1813 to 1815 and as a memorial to the unity of Germany. It towers high above the river, which we now follow to Regensburg.
Kelheim with its lovely old town, Bad Abbach with its spa gardens, Oberndorf with its shady brewery inn and Matting with its yaw rope ferry (we could even take a dip here) are welcome stops. In the late afternoon sun, we finally arrive in Regensburg on the famous Stone Bridge, a worthy end to our journey.
We can hardly believe that the seven stages have flown by so quickly. But we don't miss the chance to take a short walk through the lively and picturesque old town before the train takes us home again. We will also have more time for Regensburg at another time: In July 2006, Regensburg's Old Town and Stadtamhof were declared a World Heritage Site.
The Lower Bavaria tour in 7 stages
1st Passau - Vilshofen on the Danube, 26 km
2. Vilshofen a. d. Donau - Eichendorf, 29 km (tip for overnight stay: Vilstaler Hof in Rottersdorf, a district of Landau a. d. Isar, 40 minutes from Eichendorf)
3. Eichendorf - Dingolfing, 36 km
4. Dingolfing - Landshut, 30 km
5. Landshut - Rohr in Lower Bavaria, 44 km
6th Rohr in Lower Bavaria - Weltenburg, 33 km
7th Weltenburg - Regensburg, 45 km
General information
More information about the Lower Bavaria Tour can be found online at www.bayerisches-thermenland.de and www.niederbayerntour.com and on the social media channels.
The cycle tour planner "Himmlisch radfahren in Niederbayern" can be ordered free of charge at: www.ostbayern-tourismus.de/informieren/broschueren-prospekte
