Comfortable Pre-Danube River Cruise Vacation Accommodation
Cheap Passau hotels are ideal for pre- and post-Danube River cruise stays. Hotels range from the comfortable Holiday Inn, Passauer Wolf, Residenz, and Wilder Mann to the Rotel Inn and youth hostel.
Passau is by far the most popular port for luxury Danube River cruise departures and arrivals. Danube riverboats often make round trip cruises from Passau on the German-Austrian border. Good transportation links bring Passau within easy access of major German and Austrian cities but few would regret arriving a day early for a cruise and stay over in this interesting Baroque town. Hotels in Passau are relatively cheap and within easy walking distance of the best sights in the old town.
Cheap Pre-Cruise Hotel Deals in Passau
Many experienced cruisers find it wise to arrive a day early in town for cruises to make sure there is no last-minute delay or rush to catch the cruise ship. Although it is of course much easier to catch up with a Danube river cruise boat than with an ocean-going liner, staying in a pleasant hotel in Passau pre or even post-cruise will add to the relaxing European riverboat holiday.
Passau is a provincial city in the far southwestern corner of Germany, right at the border with Austria and near the border with the Czech Republic. Hotels in Passau are not the most opulent or luxurious but are generally family-owned and managed, comfortable, and above all relatively cheap. All hotels listed below, except the youth hostel, are in or on the edge of the old town in Donaustadt – the promontory between the Danube and Inn Rivers.
- It is sensible to use various internet reservation services to compare what prices are available – different booking agents may have better prices for German hotels than others. Once aware of the prices available, check directly with the hotel as well. Direct bookings may give similar or even lower prices but generally better cancellation conditions and often better rooms too. It is very rare for a German hotel to charge a credit card prior to the actual hotel stay.
Check for Cheap Deals at the Holiday Inn Passau, Germany
The Holiday Inn Passau may be a bit bland but it is the most comfortably hotel in Passau. The Holiday Inn is directly across the road from the main train station (Bahnhof) inside the modern Donau Passage shopping center. Transportation, parking, and shopping are therefore no problem.
The rooms in the Holiday Inn are reasonably large and comfortably, if somewhat blandly, furnished. The views are not necessarily inspiring but noise is no problem. The free indoor swimming pool is refreshing after a day of sightseeing.
- Internet specials often see prices dropping to astonishingly low levels on a quiet weekend. We have slept in the Holiday Inn Passau for under €50 all taxes included for two adults and two children.
Holiday Inn, Bahnhofstraße 24, 94032 Passau, tel 0851-59-000, fax 0851-590-0529.
Hotel Passauer Wolf in Passau, Germany
The Hotel Passauer Wolf is also a good choice with a more interesting location. The Passauer Wolf is on the banks of the Danube River with river views costing a bit extra. All the rooms are modern and comfortably furnished to the standards of a traditional luxury hotel.
The hotel restaurant, which is partly in a vaulted, 16th-century cellar, serves both international and regional dishes.
Hotel Passauer Wolf, Rindermarkt 6, 94032 Passau, tel 0851/931-5110, fax 0851/931-5150.
Hotel Residenz in Passau, Germany
The comfortable Hotel Residenz is on the banks of the Danube River right in front of some of Passau’s boat landings. Although located in a 400-year-old building, rooms are modern with all contemporary services.
Hotel Residenz, Fritz-Schäffer-Promenade, 94032 Passau, tel 0851/989-020, fax 0851/989-02-200.
Hotel Wilder Mann – The Choice of VIPs in Passau
The rich and famous generally prefer the Hotel Wilder Mann when visiting Passau. Wilder Mann has the most illustrious history of all Passau hotels with former guests including Empress Sissi of Austria, Michael Gorbachev, and Neil Armstrong.
The Wilder Mann has one of the best locations in the Passauer old town. The hotel shares a large patrician house next to the Rathaus (Town Hall) with the Passau Glass Museum, which has a huge collection of Bohemian glass.
Bed rooms in the Hotel Wilder Mann are opulently furnished with antiques or country house-style furniture. Prices range according to room size and some may find the cheaper rooms a bit cramped. Breakfast is served in a Baroque fifth-floor room with marvelous views.
Hotel Wilder Mann, Rathausplatz, 94032 Passau, tel 0851/35-071, fax 0851/31-712.
Rotell Inn Passau on the Banks of the Danube River
The very cheap Rotell Inn in Passau is one-step up from a hostel but open to travelers of all ages. This thoroughly modern hotel with Avant-garde architecture is only open from late April to early October. The Rotell Inn building resembles a passenger ship and is directly on the banks of the Danube below the Passau Hauptbahnhof.
Rooms in the Rotel Inn are 4 m/13 ft long and exactly 1.5 m/5 ft wide – the cabin of a Danube cruise boat feels spacious in comparison. The width of the bed is also the width of room forcing guest to enter it from the foot end. Furnishings and colors are very modern but very basic with shared toilet and shower facilities on each floor.
Rotell Inn, Hauptbahnhof/Donauufer, 94032 Passau, tel 0851/95-160, fax 0851/951-6100.
Passau Youth Hostel (Deutsche Jugenherberge)
Youth hostels in Germany often have great locations in historical buildings. The Deutsche Jungendherberge (DJH) Passau is a prime example with a fantastic location in part of the Veste Oberhaus that towers over the confluences of the Danube, Inn, and Iltz rivers.
Youth hostels in Bavaria give preference to travelers younger than 27-years old but if space is available, travelers of any age can be accommodated. The Passau youth hostel is closed for most of December.
DJH Passau, Kulturstudienplatz, Veste Oberhaus 125, 94034 Passau, tel 0851/493-780, fax 0851/493-7820.
More luxury Danube riverboat cruises depart from Passau than from any other Danube town. Transportation to Passau is easy and many visitors will enjoy the old town of Passau with its Baroque buildings – including the largest Baroque church in Germany and the largest pipe organ in the world.
