Danube Cycle Path (Germany): which way and when to ride
The best month for Danube Cycle Path (Germany) is September: 75% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.1 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4% | 23% | 69 | 3 °C | 0% | 94% | 8.7 † |
| February | 13% | 21% | 51 | 5 °C | 0% | 84% | 10.1 † |
| March | 38% | 24% | 57 | 9 °C | 0% | 55% | 11.7 |
| April | 62% | 26% | 56 | 15 °C | 0% | 23% | 13.6 |
| May | 63% | 35% | 101 | 18 °C | 0% | 5% | 15.2 |
| June | 63% | 31% | 94 | 23 °C | 6% | 0% | 16.1 |
| July | 60% | 31% | 96 | 24 °C | 11% | 0% | 15.7 |
| August | 60% | 30% | 99 | 24 °C | 10% | 0% | 14.3 |
| September | 75% | 24% | 71 | 19 °C | 0% | 1% | 12.5 |
| October | 65% | 20% | 60 | 14 °C | 0% | 21% | 10.7 † |
| November | 23% | 20% | 62 | 7 °C | 0% | 73% | 9.1 † |
| December | 4% | 25% | 72 | 4 °C | 0% | 94% | 8.3 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind Donaueschingen → Passau, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Donaueschingen → Passau | Headwind > 15 km/h, Passau → Donaueschingen | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +4.7 | 2% | 18% | Donaueschingen → Passau |
| February | +2.9 | 4% | 15% | Donaueschingen → Passau |
| March | +2.2 | 5% | 15% | Donaueschingen → Passau |
| April | +0.4 | 4% | 8% | either |
| May | +0.9 | 4% | 7% | either |
| June | +1.3 | 2% | 5% | either |
| July | +3.1 | 1% | 7% | Donaueschingen → Passau |
| August | +2.3 | 1% | 4% | Donaueschingen → Passau |
| September | +1.1 | 2% | 6% | either |
| October | +1.8 | 2% | 8% | either |
| November | +2.9 | 1% | 11% | Donaueschingen → Passau |
| December | +4.4 | 2% | 14% | Donaueschingen → Passau |
Stages
The route is split into 5 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Donaueschingen → Passau in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Donaueschingen → Riedlingen | 116 | September | +0.9 |
| 2. Riedlingen → Lauingen | 114 | September | +1.1 |
| 3. Lauingen → Ingolstadt | 108 | September | +1.4 |
| 4. Ingolstadt → Straubing | 132 | September | +1.1 |
| 5. Straubing → Passau | 96 | September | +1.1 |
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.
OpenStreetMap · Waymarked Trails · Start / Finish: www.deutsche-donau.de