On arrival make your way to your first hotel in Donaueschingen. After check-in you’re free to relax or explore. The Danube is formed near the town by the joining of two lesser rivers while nearby Fürstenberg castle is also worth seeking out. Be sure to visit the Danube Spring in the town which marks the river’s birth point.

Your first day of cycling takes you through the ‘Baar’, the rolling, rural landscape between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb. There will be more natural wonders in store at Immendingen, where the Danube disappears below the porous chalk rock for much of the year and flows underground towards the Rhine.

Have the camera ready as today’s ride is incredibly scenic. Between Fridingen and Sigmaringen the Danube meanders through a beautiful serene valley. Over the centuries the river has eroded the soft limestone and in places the cliffs are over 100 meters high. Many of the bluffs overlooking the valley are topped with castles – the most impressive of which is at Sigmaringen. You will spend the night in Sigmaringen or the nearby village of Scheer.

Ride alongside the Danube to the village of Zwiefalten, well known for its beautiful abbey, and enjoy more fantastic riverside scenery on the way to Obermarchtal. This small village is dominated by an impressive baroque abbey. From here it is a short ride to the pleasant little town of Ehingen where you will spend the night.

Today you leave the course of the modern Danube and venture north following the route the river once took in ancient times. Visit the monastery at Blaubeuron as well as the limestone spring which gives birth to the Blau River. Follow the young river past castles and ruins back to the modern Danube and the bustling city of Ulm. This attractive provincial city straddles both banks of the Danube, with its larger western portion in Baden-Wuerttemberg and its eastern side in Bavaria. It’s a pleasant place to spend the night with a lovely old town and the tallest church steeple in the world.

Today’s route takes you through dozens of picture-perfect villages as you make your way into Bavaria proper. You can stop to explore any of them of course and we particularly recommend Elchingen, a famous pilgrimage site. Günzburg is also interesting for its intricately decorated Church of our Lady. At the end of a great day in the saddle you’ll arrive in the village of Lauingen where you will spend the night.

Your last day’s ride leads you past a series of secluded villages set on small hills above the river protecting them from the floodplains below. Take a break at any of them of them for a wander round and perhaps some refreshment. Eventually you arrive in Donauwörth, a city at the confluence of the Danube and Wörnitz rivers and with a long and interesting history. The old, ornate houses in the centre are testament to the city’s strategic importance in bygone times. You will stay in the town or in the nearby village of Wörnitzstein.

After breakfast it’s time to check out and head for home or your next adventure.