River cruising usually means wiping condensation off your window while castles drift past. Nicko Cruises has a different idea for 2027: get off the ship and walk the scenery instead. The German operator has opened bookings for an eight-day Danube sailing aboard the Bolero that packs five guided hikes into a week on the water.
Departures run from April 26 to May 3 and October 4 to 11, 2027, both starting and ending in Passau, Germany. The route calls at Krems, Esztergom, Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna and Ybbs — a solid line-up of capital cities and small Austrian river towns in one trip. All five hikes are included in the fare, and the two dates give you the same itinerary under either spring blossom or autumn colour.
The routes are rated for reasonably fit walkers: between eight and 15 kilometres each, taking roughly three and a half to five hours. The pick of the bunch is arguably Krems, where a 13-kilometre stretch follows the Wachau World Heritage Trail through terraced vineyards to Dürnstein, the pretty village famous for the castle ruins where Richard the Lionheart was once imprisoned.
In Bratislava, the longest walk (15 kilometres) sets off from the Devín district and climbs Devínska Kobyla, the highest peak in the Devín Carpathians, with views over the Morava-Danube confluence and across the Austrian border. Vienna offers the toughest outing: the scenic Nasenweg trail up Leopoldsberg, then on over Kahlenberg to Hermannskogel — Vienna's highest point at 542 metres, though most people never realise the city has one.
Budapest's hike mixes woodland and city views, starting at the Elisabeth Lookout on Jánosberg and winding ten kilometres through the Buda hills. The final leg, from Ybbs to the Ysper Gorge, is the shortest at about eight kilometres but arguably the most atmospheric: the Ysper River squeezes between granite rocks, dropping past waterfalls and mossy boulders in the southern Waldviertel.
Why it matters: this is a genuine hybrid for travellers who can't decide between an active holiday and a lazy one. You unpack once, sleep on a floating hotel, but spend your days on foot rather than in a coach. It suits couples or friend groups with mixed energy levels too — if someone skips a hike, they can explore the port town instead. Spring sailing means cooler walking weather and blossom on the vines; the October date trades that for harvest-season Austria and autumn foliage. Fair warning: with hikes of up to 15 kilometres and real elevation (the Vienna walk climbs two summits), this isn't a gentle stroll-and-schnitzel cruise — pack proper shoes.
