Danube Cycle Path from Passau to Bratislava

4
LEFT BANK
GREIN TO EMMERSDORF/DONAU
// WHERE SIDE TRIPS PROMISE VIEWS
Danube Cycle Path in the Nibelungengau-region
© Klaus Engelmayer
Before you set off you should take a stroll through
– maybe even a guided tour of – charming Grein,
walking across the picturesque old main square to the
historic city theater, to the Upper Austrian Navigation
Museum or to Greinburg Castle. A visit to
the nearby »Stillensteinklamm«, a ravine with impressive
rock formations, would be another option.
Soon you will pass the densely wooded slopes of the
Strudengau, a section of the Danube Valley whose
name comes from the swirls in the river (»Struden«),
which used to pose a problem for mariners.
Near St. Nikola the Werfenstein ruins rise
over the Danube. Chains were thrown from here to
Wörth Island to stop ships from going through in
the past. Following romantic Donauleiten and after
passing Sarmingstein and Hirschenau, you
reach Persenbeug, home to what is probably one
of the most famous Austrian Danube power stations.
It is open for guided tours (advance reservations
required). Two more side trips will lure you away
from the Danube. Near Marbach you can, if your
bike and you are ready for some uphill riding, visit
the pilgrimage church Maria Taferl. At this beautiful
Baroque basilica you can enjoy the breathtaking
view of the Danube Valley.
Near Klein-Pöchlarn you can take a trip to nearby
Artstetten. In the castle you can see a documentation
of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s life. The successor
to the throne, who was killed in 1914 in Sarajevo,
and his wife are buried in the crypt that is also
located there. At the final destination of this stage,
Emmersdorf an der Donau, the Danube bridge
allows a visit to the sights in Melk on the other side
of the river. (see Page 67)
We recommend: In Grein you take the ferry (or
shortly before Grein the bridge) to the south bank
and continue there on the Danube cycle path. At
the Danube power plant Ybbs-Persenbeug
you will be able to reach the northern shore again.
The Danube-shore trail takes you from Grein to
Sarmingstein.
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