Passau Germany Bavaria

5437 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

AmaWaterways (704 Cruises)

Cruise Ama AmaWaterways AmaBella ship

AmaBella

160 Passengers
3500 tons
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AmaLea.

AmaLea

156 Passengers
3500 tons
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Cruise Ama AmaWaterways AmaMagna ship

AmaMagna

196 Passengers
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Cruise Ama AmaWaterways AmaMora ship

AmaMora

156 Passengers
3500 tons
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Cruise Ama AmaWaterways AmaReina ship

AmaReina

162 Passengers
3500 tons
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Cruise Ama AmaWaterways AmaSonata ship

AmaSonata

162 Passengers
3500 tons
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Cruise Ama AmaWaterways AmaVerde ship

AmaVerde

161 Passengers
3500 tons
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Avalon Waterways (488 Cruises)

Cruise AVA Avalon Waterways Expression ship

Avalon Expression®

166 Passengers
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Cruise AVA Avalon Waterways Illumination ship

Avalon Illumination®

166 Passengers
2775 tons
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Avalon ImageryII.

Avalon Imagery II®

128 Passengers
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Cruise AVA Avalon Waterways Impression ship

Avalon ImpressionSM

164 Passengers
2775 tons
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Cruise AVA Avalon Waterways Panorama ship

Avalon PanoramaSM

166 Passengers
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Avalon Passion.

Avalon Passion®

166 Passengers
2775 tons
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Avalon Tranquility II.

Avalon Tranquility II®

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Cruise AVA Avalon Waterways Visionary ship

Avalon Visionary®

128 Passengers
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CroisiEurope (56 Cruises)

Cruise CE Croisieurope MS France ship

MS France

157 Passengers
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Cruise CE Croisieurope MS Modigliani ship

MS Modigliani

159 Passengers
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Emerald Waterways (434 Cruises)

Emerald Astra

Emerald Astra

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Emerald Dawn.

Emerald Dawn

227 Passengers
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Emerald Destiny.

Emerald Destiny

227 Passengers
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Emerald Luna .

Emerald Luna

227 Passengers
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Emerald Sky.

Emerald Sky

227 Passengers
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Emerald Star.

Emerald Star

227 Passengers
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Emerald Sun

Emerald Sun

227 Passengers
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Riviera Travel (22 Cruises)

Scenic Cruises (959 Cruises)

Scenic Amber.

Scenic Amber

169 Passengers
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Scenic Crystal.

Scenic Crystal

169 Passengers
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Scenic Jade.

Scenic Jade

169 Passengers
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Scenic Jasper.

Scenic Jasper

163 Passengers
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Scenic Jewel.

Scenic Jewel

169 Passengers
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Scenic Opal.

Scenic Opal

169 Passengers
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Scenic Pearl.

Scenic Pearl

159 Passengers
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Tauck Cruises (65 Cruises)

 ms Joy

ms Joy

173 Passengers
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ms Savor.

ms Savor

173 Passengers
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Uniworld Boutique River Cruise (609 Cruises)

River Beatrice.

River Beatrice

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S.S Marlene.

S.S Marlene

154 Passengers
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River Beatrice.

S.S. Beatrice

207 Passengers
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S.S. Émilie.

S.S. Émilie

154 Passengers
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maria theresa.

S.S. Maria Theresa

208 Passengers
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Viking River Cruises (2100 Cruises)

Viking Longship Gefjon.

Viking Longship Gefjon

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Viking Longships Aegir.

Viking Longships Aegir

238 Passengers
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Viking Longships Atla.

Viking Longships Atla

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Viking Longships Baldur.

Viking Longships Baldur

240 Passengers
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Viking Longships Bragi.

Viking Longships Bragi

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Viking Longships Egil.

Viking Longships Egil

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Viking Longships Embla.

Viking Longships Embla

243 Passengers
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Viking Longships Gullveig.

Viking Longships Gullveig

243 Passengers
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Viking Longship Ingvi.

Viking Longships Ingvi

190 Passengers
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Viking Longships Jarl.

Viking Longships Jarl

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Viking Longships Lif.

Viking Longships Lif

238 Passengers
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Viking Longships Magni.

Viking Longships Magni

240 Passengers
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Viking Longships Mimir.

Viking Longships Mimir

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Viking Longships Skadi.

Viking Longships Skadi

240 Passengers
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Viking Longships Tor.

Viking Longships Tor

240 Passengers
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Viking Longships Var.

Viking Longships Var

240 Passengers
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Viking Longships Ve.

Viking Longships Ve

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Viking Longships Vidar.

Viking Longships Vidar

238 Passengers
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VIking Longship Vilhjalm.

Viking Longships Vilhjalm

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Viking Longships Vili.

Viking Longships Vili

240 Passengers
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Port of Passau, Germany | Cruise Port Guide

Three rivers, three colours: the blue-grey Danube, the glacier-green Inn and the Ilz, almost black with peat. Passau slipped onto the tongue of land where all three meet, and this confluence made it the gateway for Danube cruises to Vienna and Budapest. Ships line up along the Fritz-Schäffer promenade, a flat ten-minute walk from the old town; in midsummer, six to eight vessels sit side by side there.

An Italian-style old town

A fire ravaged the city in 1662, and the prince-bishops entrusted the rebuilding to Italian masters. The result still surprises: pastel squares, verdigris domes, arcades and vaulted passageways give this Bavarian city the air of Salzburg or Verona. The lanes all run down to the water, some marked with historic flood levels at shoulder height; the Höllgasse, with its colourful paving, lines up artists' studios and galleries right to the river's edge.

The organ of superlatives

St. Stephen's Cathedral, a Baroque nave with three domes, houses the largest cathedral organ in the world: 17,974 pipes and 233 stops, spread across five sections that a single console can make thunder together. The midday concerts, half an hour long in season, fill the nave with a sound that seems to come from everywhere at once; arriving early guarantees a pew, and closing your eyes does the rest. Tickets are sold on site the same day, but the line forms by late morning in high season. Even without music, the stucco and frescoes are worth the visit.

The fortress across the river

On the north bank, the Veste Oberhaus has watched over the confluence for more than eight centuries. You climb up on foot via a steep path or by shuttle from the town hall square, every thirty minutes in season. Up top, the museum traces the power of the prince-bishops, but the real show awaits on the bastion: the point of the three rivers seen from above, with colours that refuse to mix for hundreds of metres and the white ships lined up like toys along the quays.

Glass, cafés and strolling

Between monuments, strolling has its rewards. The glass museum, opposite the town hall, holds tens of thousands of pieces of Bohemian glassware, from Baroque to Art Nouveau: a discreet dazzlement that connoisseurs rank among the richest of its kind. The cafés on Residenzplatz serve strudel and hot chocolate beneath the pastel façades, and the shops on Ludwigstrasse pleasantly fill the last hour before departure. Everything is close together; the cobblestones do the rest.

The point of the three waters

Before returning on board, finish where the geography began: the Ortspitze, a triangular garden set right on the confluence. The benches face the current, cyclists from the great Danube bike trail picnic on the grass by the dozens, saddlebags lined up against the benches, and you understand at a glance why a town settled here two thousand years ago. Along the way, a pretzel or an ice cream — there is no shortage of terraces — pleasantly extends the loop; the whole peninsula can be explored effortlessly in half a day, which matches the four to six hours most itineraries allow.

Heading downstream

At departure, the ship rounds the point and the three colours file past one last time beneath the fortress. Vienna, Melk or Budapest await downstream, but many passengers stay leaning on the railing longer than planned. Confluences have that effect: they hint that every journey is only a tributary of a wider current, and Passau shows it better than any book.

Frequently Asked Questions

Along the Fritz-Schäffer promenade, a flat ten-minute walk from the old town. At the height of summer, six to eight vessels lie there side by side.
Because it sits on the tongue of land where the blue-grey Danube, the glacier-green Inn and the peat-dark Ilz meet. The three colours refuse to mix for hundreds of metres.
St Stephen Cathedral and its organ, a wander through the Italianate lanes, the climb or shuttle to the Veste Oberhaus, then the Ortspitze at the confluence. The peninsula is covered without effort in half a day.
Because fire destroyed the city in 1662 and the prince-bishops entrusted the rebuilding to Italian masters. Pastel squares, verdigris domes, arcades and vaulted passages give it the air of Salzburg or Verona.
It is the largest cathedral organ in the world: 17,974 pipes and 233 stops spread across five sections that a single console can sound together.
Yes, at the midday concerts, half an hour in season. Tickets are sold on site the same day, but the queue forms by late morning in high season: arriving early guarantees a pew.
On foot by a steep path, or by shuttle from the town hall square, every thirty minutes in season. The real show waits on the bastion: the three-river point seen from above.
The triangular garden set exactly on the confluence of the three rivers. Benches face the current, cyclists on the Danube path picnic on the grass, and one glance explains why a city settled here two thousand years ago.
A collection of tens of thousands of pieces of Bohemian glass, from baroque to Art Nouveau, opposite the town hall. Connoisseurs rank it among the richest of its kind.
Yes, everything is within a small compass, but the cobbles do their work: comfortable shoes are advised. The lanes all run down to the water, some marked with historic flood levels at shoulder height.