Things to do in Passau
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Passau
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, warm for boats, beer gardens, cycling and the treetop tower, with the organ season running.
Good value shoulders in April and late October, cooler and quieter with some schedules reduced.
Peak and hot, lovely on the water and in Ilz shade, hardest on cobbles at noon and unbooked restaurants.
Worst weeks for a first trip after Christmas, grey and dark with thin boat and treetop schedules.
Cold and quiet except Advent, when the Christmas market and cathedral concerts make the one recommended winter trip.
What's on
- Passauer Maidult late April to early May
Spring folk festival of beer tents, rides, brass music and a Tracht parade through the pedestrian zone.
- Oide Dult June
A smaller older style fair in June, at a gentler scale than the two main Dults.
- Europäische Wochen Passau early summer
The European Weeks classical and cultural festival, founded in 1952, in the cathedral, churches and halls.
- Eulenspiegel Zeltfestival July, in 2025 from 9 to 27 July
Cabaret, comedy and music in a tent on the Ortspitze between the rivers, in German.
- Passauer Herbstdult early September
The autumn folk festival on the Dult ground, the sibling of Maidult.
- Passauer Christkindlmarkt about 26 November to 22 December
Christmas market on Domplatz before the cathedral, around sixty stands with Advent organ concerts.
Best things to do in Passau
Dom St. Stephan
Passau cathedral crowned by Italian Baroque stucco and home to the largest cathedral organ in the world.
Veste Oberhaus
A prince bishops fortress above the three rivers, with the museum and the definitive view over the Altstadt.
Dreiflüsseeck
A small park at the exact tip where the green Inn, blue Danube and dark Ilz meet and flow on together.
Glasmuseum Passau
The largest collection of European art glass, strongest in Bohemian glass, in a historic house by the town hall.
Museum Moderner Kunst Wörlen
Modern art from the Danube countries in joined burghers houses on the Inn, the counterweight to the Baroque city.
Höllgasse
The artists alley of studios and workshops, its walls marked with the flood levels of centuries.
Dackelmuseum Passau
A joyful museum of more than four thousand dachshund objects, part collection and part shop in the Altstadt.
Altes Rathaus
The old town hall on the Danube square, with a painted facade, a glockenspiel tower and a hall of city legends.
Where to stay in Passau
Altstadt peninsula
first trips, sightseeing and romance
Cathedral, boats and most restaurants within ten minutes on foot, with lit lanes and two river promenades at night.
Neustadt and station quarter
trains, value and easy arrivals
Flat and practical by the station, with modern rooms, easier parking and lower rates a short walk from the Altstadt.
Innstadt and the south bank
quiet, local stays and the postcard view
Residential and calm across the Inn, with the Roman museum and Mariahilf climb, mainly guesthouses and apartments.
Ilzstadt and the fortress side
views and walkers on longer stays
Quieter and greener under the fortress with the city view, mainly guesthouses and apartments, with a daily hill.
Think twice about
- Outer industrial and retail districts including Kohlbruck
Dead at night and car dependent, with nothing nearby. Use them for parking or transit, not as a base.
- Dult and exhibition ground area as a quiet base
Lively for about ten days per festival and deserted between them, and noisy late on Dult nights if you sleep nearby.
- Lowest Danube and Inn ground floors in high water
Historic flood exposure on the lowest riverfront ground floors. In a high water period choose an upper floor and follow city advice.
Best restaurants in Passau
Marcel Von Winckelmann Restaurant
Passau one true fine dining room, a small chef led tasting kitchen at the top of the city price ladder.
Bouillabaisse Fischrestaurant
The city fish house, serving river fish and Mediterranean seafood in the Altstadt, book for dinner.
Weingut Essen.Trinken.Erleben
A winery restaurant and wine bar where modern cooking and the Inn valley wine list lead the evening.
Croatia
A Mediterranean grill at the lowest price band, loved locally for grilled plates, portions and honest prices.
Heilig Geist Stiftschenke
A historic monastery tavern for schnitzel, suckling pig and trout, with wines from the foundation winery.
Das Oberhaus
The fortress restaurant where dinner comes with the best view of the city and the three rivers.
Altes Bräuhaus
A vaulted brewhouse for huge Bavarian portions, schnitzel and local beer in the shadow of the fortress.
Hacklberger Bräustüberl
The taproom of Passau own brewery, with a local beer garden away from the cruise circuit.
Outdoor things to do in Passau
Innpromenade
A flat tree lined walk along the green Inn from the Altstadt to the three rivers point, good at any hour.
Donau Cycle Path
A paved traffic free Danube towpath for a day ride east to the Schlogen loop or west toward Vilshofen.
Donauschifffahrt Wurm & Noé
The local boat operator for the 45 minute three rivers city tour round the confluence from the water.
Kristallschiff - Donauschifffahrt Wurm & Noé
A two hour crystal fitted excursion ship down the Danube toward Austria and back, booked ahead in season.
Wallfahrtskirche Mariahilf
A pilgrimage church reached by over 300 covered steps, with a terrace view back across the Inn to the Altstadt.
Ilzsteg Triftsperre
A wooded Ilz valley walk over a footbridge to the historic timber barrier and its inn and beer garden.
Baumwipfelpfad Bayerischer Wald
A 1300 metre treetop walkway to a 44 metre tower over the Bavarian Forest National Park wilderness.
Schärding
An Austrian Baroque town 15 minutes away, with a pastel merchants row on its square and an Inn promenade.
Best hotels in Passau
Hotel Residenz Passau
Passau top hotel in a 15th century Danube front building facing the fortress, with river view rooms.
Hotel Passauer Wolf
A classic Danube side four star known for its breakfast buffet, light wood rooms and a small wellness area.
Altstadt-Hotel Passau
A well run Altstadt four star on Braugasse with a restaurant, a terrace and river views toward the Inn.
mk hotel passau
A modern station hotel with a sun terrace, the value and convenience base a kilometre from the Altstadt.
Premier Inn Passau Weisser Hase
A reliable budget chain in the historic Weisser Hase house, soundproofed rooms at the Altstadt edge.
Art Hotel & Hostel
An arty hotel and hostel in a historic pedestrian zone house, with a garden, terrace and hostel beds.
Is Passau expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €55 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €110 a person |
| Splurge | €240 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Dom St. Stephan: a few days ahead
- ScharfrichterHaus: weeks ahead
- Kristallschiff - Donauschifffahrt Wurm & Noé: a few days ahead
- Baumwipfelpfad Bayerischer Wald: a few days ahead
- Český Krumlov: weeks ahead
- Donau Golf Club Passau-Raßbach: a few days ahead
- Marcel Von Winckelmann Restaurant: weeks ahead
- Bouillabaisse Fischrestaurant: a few days ahead
- Book the fine dining room first, days to weeks ahead for weekends, and book fish and fortress view dinners in season.
- Book Crystal Ship tickets ahead in high season and arrive 20 to 30 minutes early for the noon organ concert.
- Book Dult, festival and Christmas market rooms early, plus golf tee times and a private Cesky Krumlov day.
Is Passau safe?
- Watch bags in Dult, Christmas market and full boat crowds, and take care on wet cobbles and the Mariahilf stairs.
- Do not swim in the Inn or Danube from promenades, and obey high water barriers without debate.
- On Ilz and forest paths use long trousers, repellent and a tick check afterwards in warm months.
- In June 2013 the Danube reached about 12.5 metres at Passau, so in high water choose an upper floor and follow city advice.
Passau travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- A 90 minute cruise visit omits the city, so break from it for the fortress view or the organ concert.
- Souvenir shops facing the main piers price for ship passengers, so buy from Hollgasse makers and cafe counters instead.
- Do not pay for a guided tour of the confluence itself, walk there free and spend the money on the boat.
Getting around Passau: public transport and more
- Walk the Altstadt, about 1.5 km long, and use the flat Inn promenade when tired or pushing wheels.
- City buses cover the station, Hacklberg, Hals and the Dult ground, and trains link Munich, Vienna and Scharding.
- Park once in a public car park on the Altstadt edge and walk, rather than driving the narrow limited access lanes.
- Confirm your cruise ship pier number, as ships dock in more than one Danube front location.
Who Passau suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Passau your trip
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