A practical guide to exploring Europe's mighty Danube River
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Snaking almost 1,800 miles from its source in Germany's Black Forest to the Black Sea in Romania, the Danube is best explored slowly. Cruises, the most popular option, provide up-close encounters with the river, allowing you to see plenty in just a week or two. They don't have to be obvious, with some cracking off-beat options taking you east and into the wilds of the Lower Danube. For an adventure at your own pace, consider hiking on a network of well-developed, marked trails or cycling the long-distance Danube Cycle Path, which largely shadows the river from source to sea and takes around a month to complete. What are the benefits of cruising?
Even if you've never cruised, the Danube is great for dipping your toes into the water, as the pace is gentle, the cost fairly modest and the start and end points easily accessible. It also allows you to follow the river's course as opposed to roads or rail lines, getting a feel for its scenic diversity. Options range from week-long cruises along the 'Classic Danube', ticking off UNESCO World Heritage Wachau, Vienna and Budapest, to two-week escapades along the lesser-explored Lower Danube and into the wild heart of the Danube Delta. How easy is it to tackle the Danube Cycle Path?
You can cycle the length of the river on the Danube Cycle Path; it would take between a month and six weeks. Cicerone's The Danube Cycleway Volume 1: From the Black Forest to Budapest and Volume 2: From Budapest to the Black Sea are invaluable guides, with 1:150,000 maps for each stage, GPX files to download and information on planning.
Difficulty-wise, it's a tale of two paths. The first stage is mostly flat, off-road and well signposted. Bike hire is readily available; expect to pay around £12.50/£25 per day for a road/e-bike respectively. The second stage is more challenging because of sparse tourist infrastructure and unsurfaced sections. Can families cycle it?
With virtually no gradients, the Danube Cycle Path is a terrific choice for a family adventure, especially the first stage, in the Upper Danube. From mid-April to early October, Hooked on Cycling offers an eight-night, self-guided tour from Passau to Vienna geared to families. From £563 per person, including accommodation on a B&B basis and luggage transfers but not international travel. How easy is it to cross country borders by foot or bike?
The Danube snakes through 10 countries. Some are members of the European Union (EU) and part of the Schengen area, meaning you can freely travel between them. To cross into non-EU countries (going, say, from Croatia to Serbia), you'll need to go to a designated border crossing point, typically near a settlement, and present your passport. What are the language barriers?
Details on trails and routes in English are more readily available in Germany, Austria and Hungary. The further east you go, the scanter the information and fewer the people who speak English. Discovering these less-developed stretches of the river feels adventurous, and tours are available for direction and support. Is it safe to travel along the river?
Official advice warns against travel to Ukraine and a section of Moldova along the Ukranian border, due to military conflict and political unrest. Most Danube tours exclude these countries; the majority of the delta fans across Romania. For more information, visit the FCDO website. Riviera Travel's Grand Cruise through the Heart of Europe to the Black Sea is a 29-day boat trip through seven countries along the length of the Danube (excluding Moldova and Ukraine). From £10,349 per person, including flights and transfers, full-board dining and a drinks package.
Getting there & around:
Major gateways to the Danube include Zurich, Munich (for Passau), Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest and Constanta. Direct flights operate from UK hubs with airlines including British Airways, EasyJet, Ryanair and Wizzair.
When to go: April to October are prime months for exploring the Danube. In spring and autumn, temperatures hover between 10-20C; go prepared for the odd shower. Summers can be hot, with highs of around 30C. In winter, expect cooler weather, with temperatures between 0-8C, but fewer crowds.
More info:
danube-cycle-path.com
The Danube: A Journey Upriver from the Black Sea to the Black Forest, £12.99
The Danube by Nick Thorpe, £12.99 Published in the April 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
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This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Some cheer, some clap, some clasp each other's shoulders in quiet ecstasy. One lets his walking stick fall to the ground, one kicks her walking boots off, another stretches his sore back and sighs. But most sit on the cobbled square and lean back, resting on backpacks stuffed like pillows. In front of them, the cathedral's western towers reach heavenwards, and seem even taller from this low angle. With no farther left to walk, the pilgrims lie and stare. 'Lying in the Praza do Obradoiro at the end of the Camino de Santiago is a tradition,' says guide Maria Guerra Gomez of 1 2 Tours, her halo of black curls bouncing with her nods as we watch pilgrims take in their first sight of the square's imposing cathedral. We're exploring Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Spain's northwestern Galicia region and one of the major centres of Christianity alongside Rome and Jerusalem. 'I did it, too — and thought the facade would topple over.' I see what Maria means. Made of light granite and dotted with the carved shapes of scallop shells — an ancient symbol of the Camino de Santiago (Way of St James) pilgrimage — the cathedral looks like a giant, ornate sandcastle that could be blown away by a strong gust of wind from the Atlantic. Yet, a church has stood on this site since the ninth century, when — according to tradition — the remains of Santiago El Mayor (St James the Great) were discovered here. So the legend goes: the saint was one of the Twelve Apostles and part of Jesus' three-man inner circle. Following his martyrdom in Jerusalem in the first century, he was buried in the Iberian Peninsula, where he'd introduced the Gospel. The location was lost to time, until mysterious lights led a local hermit deep into a forest to the sepulchre. A shrine was built to mark the site, and the cult of Santiago was born. The faithful from across Europe began trekking to see the holy relics — and never stopped, forever changing the fortunes of the area. In response to their influx, the shrine grew into a cathedral, and a city developed around it. The network of trails leading to Santiago de Compostela became the Camino de Santiago, one of the biggest pilgrimages in the world by any measure. In 2024, a record half a million travellers 'completed' it, walking or cycling 100 or 200 miles to the city, respectively. The appeal of the Camino now goes far beyond its religious foundations, with a new generation of pilgrims coming for quiet contemplation and the chance to immerse themselves in nature. In the square, I meet a Polish graduate who likens the path to a Catholic prayer, and a Dutch writer who trekked it to set resolutions for personal growth. I hear stories of a French girl who came on foot from her front door, and a Swiss man who kept walking long past the finish line. 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This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Some cheer, some clap, some clasp each other's shoulders in quiet ecstasy. One lets his walking stick fall to the ground, one kicks her walking boots off, another stretches his sore back and sighs. But most sit on the cobbled square and lean back, resting on backpacks stuffed like pillows. In front of them, the cathedral's western towers reach heavenwards, and seem even taller from this low angle. With no farther left to walk, the pilgrims lie and stare. 'Lying in the Praza do Obradoiro at the end of the Camino de Santiago is a tradition,' says guide Maria Guerra Gomez of 1 2 Tours, her halo of black curls bouncing with her nods as we watch pilgrims take in their first sight of the square's imposing cathedral. We're exploring Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Spain's northwestern Galicia region and one of the major centres of Christianity alongside Rome and Jerusalem. 'I did it, too — and thought the facade would topple over.' I see what Maria means. Made of light granite and dotted with the carved shapes of scallop shells — an ancient symbol of the Camino de Santiago (Way of St James) pilgrimage — the cathedral looks like a giant, ornate sandcastle that could be blown away by a strong gust of wind from the Atlantic. Yet, a church has stood on this site since the ninth century, when — according to tradition — the remains of Santiago El Mayor (St James the Great) were discovered here. The appeal of the Camino now goes far beyond its religious foundations, with a new generation of pilgrims coming for quiet contemplation and the chance to immerse themselves in nature. Photograph by Alamy, Hemis So the legend goes: the saint was one of the Twelve Apostles and part of Jesus' three-man inner circle. Following his martyrdom in Jerusalem in the first century, he was buried in the Iberian Peninsula, where he'd introduced the Gospel. The location was lost to time, until mysterious lights led a local hermit deep into a forest to the sepulchre. A shrine was built to mark the site, and the cult of Santiago was born. The faithful from across Europe began trekking to see the holy relics — and never stopped, forever changing the fortunes of the area. In response to their influx, the shrine grew into a cathedral, and a city developed around it. The network of trails leading to Santiago de Compostela became the Camino de Santiago, one of the biggest pilgrimages in the world by any measure. In 2024, a record half a million travellers 'completed' it, walking or cycling 100 or 200 miles to the city, respectively. The appeal of the Camino now goes far beyond its religious foundations, with a new generation of pilgrims coming for quiet contemplation and the chance to immerse themselves in nature. In the square, I meet a Polish graduate who likens the path to a Catholic prayer, and a Dutch writer who trekked it to set resolutions for personal growth. I hear stories of a French girl who came on foot from her front door, and a Swiss man who kept walking long past the finish line. 'I did it to prove I could do it,' says Maria. Born in Spain's Canary Islands to a Galician mother, she first saw Santiago de Compostela at the end of her pilgrimage, and she's now lived in the city for more than 20 years. 'It welcomed me with open arms, and it expressed to me the entire Camino. I felt like I was back in medieval times, and maybe the pilgrims of old felt the same things I was feeling.' In 2024, a record half a million travellers 'completed' the pilgrimage through the Camino de Santiago, walking or cycling 100 or 200 miles to the city, respectively. Photograph by AWL Images, Hemis Santiago himself used to be a fisherman. According to the Bible, Jesus nicknamed him 'Son of Thunder' due to his temper. Photograph by 4Corners Images Some of the traditions set by those early pilgrims are still observed today. Maria leads me inside the cathedral, down the simple, Romanesque nave to the gold-plated, baroque Main Chapel. We join a queue for the customary circuit of the altar: down into a crypt to see the relics, a silver casket in Santiago's ancient tomb, then up via a passageway to hug his statue, which dominates the structure. A man before me places his hands and forehead on the bust, closes his eyes and pauses, a moment so intimate I shift my gaze. Walk around the Old Town, and you'll find this deep sense of spirituality is built into the city itself. We pass the monastic complex of San Martín Pinario, which offers guest rooms reminiscent of monk's quarters, empty but for wrought-iron beds and writing desks. Then there's the monastery of San Paio, where cloistered Benedictine nuns sell tarta de Santiago, almond pies bearing the Santiago Cross, another symbol of the pilgrimage. Visitors ring a bell, and receive their order through a revolving window. We reach Mercado de Abastos, the city's food market and second main attraction. It's made up of eight granite halls, each with an entrance reminiscent of a Romanesque chapel, with long aisles like naves. On display are crates of cachelos (Galician potatoes) and grelos (turnip greens), Iberian hams and chorizos. 'The architect wanted to create a cathedral of products,' says Maria, handing me a slice of mild tetilla cheese to sample, which is made from cow's milk. Within Santiago de Compostea's Old Town, there's the monastery of San Paio, where Benedictine nuns sell tarta de Santiago, almond pies bearing the Santiago Cross. Visitors ring a bell, and receive their order through a revolving window. Photograph by AWL Images, Hemis Producers have been coming here to sell their wares since the 19th century. 'Some 80% of Galicians still live in the countryside, and our coast is so rich in seafood,' says Maria, as we pass thick piles of ice topped with velvet crabs, octopus and percebes (goose barnacles). Scallops, the shells of which we saw earlier, carved into the stone of Santiago Cathedral, are on offer as well, of course. 'The cult of food, too, forms a strong part of our culture.' Santiago himself used to be a fisherman. According to the Bible, Jesus nicknamed him 'Son of Thunder' due to his temper. The moniker seems fitting given that in Galicia, his supposed place of rest, it rains for around 150 days a year on average. The resulting landscape is so green, it could pass for Wales; Santiago de Compostela is actually one of the cities with the highest square footage of park space per inhabitant in the whole of Spain. After leaving Maria, I head to Parque de San Domingos de Bonaval, the former estate of a Dominican convent that sits on a hill on the outskirts of the Old Town. I stroll to the oak grove at its top; looking down, I take in the view of the city's rooftops and cathedral towers, which gradually fades into a haze in the far distance. All this was built for the pilgrims, who arrived step after step, century after century; the cult of Santiago is shrouded in lore, but this much can't be denied, a fact as miraculous as anything here. So, I take my cue and sit on the grass, lie back and stare. 1 2 Tours offers private, customisable tours of the city. Stay at Hospedería San Martín Pinario, a guesthouse in the namesake monastic complex. Doubles from €149 (£125). From Santiago de Compostela airport, it's a 20-minute taxi ride to the city; booking transfers in advance is recommended, especially in high season (July to September). This story was created with the support of the Spanish Tourist Office. Published in the June 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
