Danube River Cruise Vacation Part 3: Harburg Castle, Rothenburg, Getting to Passau

This post is the third in a series about our Danube River Cruise vacation that happened this June 2024. Click here for the link to Part 1: Planning and Getting to Munich. Click here for the link to Part 2: Our Day in Munich. This third post is about our day trip to Harburg Castle and Rothenburg, and making our way to the ship in Passau.

Our second full day in Munich was the bus tour we had paid for months earlier, Romantic Road, Rothenburg, and Harburg Day Tour. We had been provided an address for the bus station, where we were supposed to meet for the tour first thing in the morning. We spent more time than necessary stressing about where exactly the bus station was and how we would find the right bus was once we got there. We allowed extra time in case it was not clear. As we approached the location, there were big coach busses lined up on the street that could not have been easier to identify.

The tour started with a two hour long drive through the Bavarian countryside on the way to Harburg Castle, with ongoing commentary about the history of Germany, Munich, and the surrounding area. We were on the Autobahn for part of the way. The tour guide explained that while there is no speed limit for cars in most areas, there is for busses and trucks. There was not a ton of traffic and we did not see anyone going 100 miles per hour! We passed the exit for Dachau concentration camp. The tour guide talked about that for a bit, noting that although it is horrific, it needs to be talked about as part of history. We have our dark history in the United States too with slavery and treatment of native Americans.

We had considered doing a day trip to the popular Neuschwanstein Castle, the inspiration for Disney’s Cinderella Castle. The tour we selected instead went to Harburg Castle and also included time in Rothenburg, a picturesque medieval village. Neuschwanstein Castle was built in the 1800’s, while Harburg Castle dates back to around 1100. It is very well preserved and was unaffected by wars, unlike many other castles that have only parts of them left or have been rebuilt. Following is a painting of Harburg Castle in the 17th Century, artist unknown. We enjoyed the tour of Harburg Castle and learned a lot about life there in medieval times.

After touring Harburg Castle, we spent the rest of the afternoon in Rothenburg. Walt Disney visited this fairytale town which became the inspiration for the village in the movie Pinocchio.

We had to try the local sweet specialty in Rothenburg, “Snowballs”, a kind of wadded up ball of shortbread with frosting.

While wandering the narrow streets we found a shop with yarn. Even though the German brands of yarn for sale can be found at home, I bought two skeins as souvenirs.

The next day, Day 5 since had left home, was the day of embarkation for the river cruise. We had purchased train tickets from Munich to Passau ahead of time, although we probably could have bought them at the last minute. The train goes to Osterhofen, where we had to change to a bus for the rest of the way. The amount of time allowed for the transfer was six minutes. That did not seem like enough time, but we figured that the worst case scenario if we missed the transfer was that we could get on the next train which ran every hour. The train was very clean and nice, and left right on time. When we got to Osterhofen, the end of the line, a group of passengers all got off and were all going to Passau. We were directed to walk literally a few steps to a road where the bus came by moments later. Easy peasy and did not even need six minutes.

There are two different places in Passau where our Viking Ship, the Embla, could have been docked. One is right in the heart of Passau within walking distance of the bus/train station. The other location, called Lindau, is a couple of miles away. They don’t tell you the location ahead of time because river conditions are constantly changing, and decisions are made day by day, sometimes hour by hour, as to exactly where the ship will be located. Viking had given us a phone number to call to get the location of the ship in Passau when we arrived. While we were still on the bus, Wayne called the Viking number and was told that the ship was at the Lindau location.

It was around 11:30 am when we arrived in Passau. Lunch was being served on the ship, so it made sense to check in, eat lunch, and then walk around on our own in Passau in the afternoon. There were several taxis waiting outside the bus station available to take us to Lindau, so we picked one and started putting our bags in the trunk. As soon as we told the taxi driver where we were going, she said (in English) “Ummm I was just at Lindau and your ship is not there”. Meanwhile Wayne was on the phone with our brother-in-law Gayle, who was waiting at the airport in Munich with his wife, Wayne’s sister Yvonne, for their ride to the ship provided by Viking. They were told that the ship was in a location about an hour down the river. Okaaayyyy. The taxi driver made a call to confirm her information, and Wayne called the Viking number again. This time Wayne was given an address that was consistent with what Gayle was being told. Viking apologized and told us they would pay for the long taxi ride to get to the ship. That was not normally included for us since we had arrived in Munich early, but I guess they felt bad for giving us the wrong information at first.

We did not think there was anything to do at the location of the ship, so we decided to put our bags in a locker and spend a few hours in Passau. Note to self: make sure you know where you are when you put your bags in a locker. More about Passau later in the next post, but it is a charming medieval town at the confluence of three rivers. We enjoyed meandering about the cobblestone streets of the old town, and found a place to eat lunch. By around 4:00 we thought it was time to go back to the bus station, get our bags, and catch a taxi to the ship in order to have a little time to settle in before dinner. We had a map of old town Passau, but we were confused about where the bus had dropped us off. We walked and walked, first being turned around and having trouble finding where we thought the bus station was, and then after finally finding that location, realizing that was NOT where the bus had dropped us off. We finally figured it out and were very relieved and exhausted when we arrived at the right place and got our bags out of the locker. We found another taxi but this driver did not speak English. We showed him the address provided by Viking and we were on our way.

When we arrived at the Viking ship Embla, the staff were expecting us, and immediately offered us a cash refund (in Euros) for the cost of the taxi. Yvonne and Gayle had just recently arrived at the ship. Marlene and Steve, Wayne’s other sister and brother-in-law, also arrived shortly. We all enjoyed a lovely first dinner together onboard.

After dinner the ship captain explained that the reason for docking in the remote location was related to the recent flooding. Sometimes the water is so high that the long ships cannot fit under bridges. In this case there was a lock that the ship had to go through to get to Passau. The flooding had caused mud and debris to accumulate in the lock, so it was in the process of getting cleaned out. Luckily, the lock was back in order for use that evening and the ship moved up the river to Passau for the night. All the passengers enjoyed kicking off the week by sitting on the open top deck watching as the ship went through the lock and proceeded to sail into Passau.

People have strong opinions about cruising. Some people say they will never go on a cruise. However a river cruise is very different from an ocean cruise, a river cruise long ship is very different from a big ocean cruise ship. River cruise long ships are much smaller and all similar with a capacity for about 190 passengers. The focus is on education rather than entertainment. There is no pool, no casino, no theater. There are no kids, and hardly any people under age 50. Viking River cruises include a free walking tour or overview bus tour at each port, depending on the size of the town. There are a few other options for shore excursions instead of, or in addition to, the free tour. Our travel group of six people only did the free tours, and at some of the ports we had time to explore more on our own.

One of the reasons we liked the Passau to Budapest itinerary is that the ship stayed in Passau overnight at the beginning, and it stayed overnight in Budapest at the end. That allowed time to see those cities without spending extra time there before or after the cruise. Following our first night on board, we were ready for the walking tour of Passau in the morning. More about our cruise experience and some of the ports in the next post.