Where is Passau?
The quaint and picturesque city of Passau is located in southeast Germany in Lower Bavaria on the Austrian border. Passau’s Altstadt (Old Town) is positioned at the confluence of three rivers, and is thus also known as Dreiflüssestadt, which translates to ‘City of Three Rivers’. The main river flowing through the city is the Danube, where it is joined by the smaller Inn and Ilz rivers.
A Little Bit of History
Passau has a rich history dating back to the second century BC, when the Romans drove tribes from northern Italy into the area of Passau. During the Renaissance era, Passau was renowned for the manufacturing of swords and other bladed weapons. All blades were stamped with a hallmark called ‘the Passau wolf’. Superstitious warriors believed that any blade stamped with the Passau wolf meant that the owner was invulnerable. As a result, the whole practice of placing magical charms on swords to protect the wearers came to be known as “Passau art”.
With Passau’s location on the three rivers, floods are very common, with one of the most severe floods occurring as recently as 2013. Historical flood levels can be seen by markings on the Old City Hall (Picture on right).
Today, twenty five percent of Passau’s 50,000-person population are students that attend the University of Passau. With all of its history, unique shops and dining, Passau is a very popular tourist stop, especially with river cruise ships.
How to Get There
Getting to Passau by air is a little cumbersome. Most options include flying to nearby cities in Germany, Austria or the Czech Republic and then taking a train, bus or rented vehicle to get to the city. The High-Speed Inter-City-Express (ICE) trains offer a very efficient and fast way to travel between cities and connect to Passau from several nearby airports, including Munich and Frankfurt. Another option for train service are the regional trains, which can be cheaper than the ICE trains. In fact, there is a direct regional train between Munich and Passau. There are several good sites for train schedule/price information, here is an example.
Another common way for tourists to arrive in Passau is by ship. River boats are ubiquitous on the Danube and make for an excellent way to see Passau, as well as other small towns along the river. We visited Passau as part of a Viking River Cruise. Our ship docked near the old city, making it very convenient to walk to most of the sights in the Altstadt.
If you would rather do a little less walking, car rentals, taxis and private cars are all readily available.
Places to Stay
For many visitors, Passau can make for a wonderful day trip. Here are some travel times to/from other nearby cities.
- Regensburg: 1.5 hours
- Salzburg: 2 hours
- Munich: 2 hours
- Vienna: 3 hours
- Prague: 3 hours
If you are considering a longer stay, there are quite a number of historic hotels located in the Altstadt, as well as more modern choices in some of the other areas of the city. We did not stay in a hotel during our visit, since we were on a river cruise. But there are a lot of choices available and don’t forget to consider Airbnb or other vacation rentals. You can see a sample of hotels in Passau here.
Places to Eat
Many types of cuisine await you in Passau and in the summer there are several outdoor dining opportunities. Here are a few recommendations that you might enjoy, but there are many more excellent restaurants.
- Das Oberhaus– The most incredible part of this restaurant is the panoramic view of Passau from its terrace high above the city. You can have lunch or just relax and have a beer. They serve typical Bavarian food that is all quite delicious. There are several ways to get to the restaurant. You can walk up from the town below, but it is quite a climb. You could also choose to use a taxi, or use the option we chose, a shuttle service that runs from the Visitor Center in town.
- Bouillabaisse Fischrestaurant – This seafood restaurant is one of Passau’s best dining experiences. With an excellent selection of fish and other seafood items in a small, cozy setting, this restaurant will be a hit for seafood lovers.
- Stiftskeller – You will love the food and service, but the real gem is the restaurant itself. On a nice day you can sit in their outdoor Wachauer Weingarterl and enjoy delicious food along with wine from their own vineyards in the Wachau Valley. If you instead choose to dine indoors, you can have dinner in the 100-year-old monastery cellar.
- LÖWEN. BRAUHAUS. PASSAU – Located in the heart of the old town of Passau, the brewery in Passau’s Old Town Hall has a unique view of the city’s 13th century fortress, the Veste Oberhaus.
- Café Simon – Don’t miss this stop for the best gingerbread cookies, known as ‘Lebkuchen’ in Germany. This bakery has been operated by the same family for four generations. Their simple, all-natural recipe results in the most delicious cookies. They also serve all kinds of other confections, so you will be sure to find a wonderful treat at this shop!
TIP: Don’t be afraid of a language barrier. The people of Passau are very friendly and welcoming. Menus often have English descriptions and many, if not most, servers speak some English.
Things to Do
- Innpromenade River Walk – With the Danube on one side and the Inn River on the other, the Innpromenade walk follows along the Inn to a small park at the point where the three rivers converge. On the Inn River is the Schaiblingsturm Tower which is a remnant of Passau’s early city wall fortifications. Along with the lovely scenery, there are many souvenir shops and places to stop for a snack along the walk.
- St Stephens Cathedral – There have been churches on the site of St. Stephens Cathedral since the year 730. The existing baroque-style cathedral was built in 1688, after the previous church on that site burned down in 1662. The cathedral is located on the highest point in the Altstadt, so you cannot miss it. The church is beautiful, but the main attraction is its pipe organ, one of the largest in the world. The organ currently has 17,774 pipes and 233 registers, all of which can be played with the five-manual general console in the gallery. We were lucky enough to attend a concert there on our visit and it was magnificent! Concerts are typically offered multiple times per week. There is a fee to attend the concert, but it is only a few Euros and well worth it.
- Veste Oberhaus (Fortress) – Founded in 1219 and serving as the stronghold of the Bishop of Passau, the fortress overlooks the rivers and the town of Passau. It served various military purposes all the way until 1918. In 1932 the city of Passau gained possession of the property. The Oberhausmuseum (museum) is also located here, along with Das Oberhaus restaurant (mentioned earlier). We didn’t get a chance to visit the museum on this trip, but did make it up to the fortress and stopped there for lunch. To reach the fortress, look for stairs that start just across the Danube River near the bridge. But, be ready to climb 200+ steps to arrive at the fortress on top. Once there, you will with the best views and photo opportunities in Passau. If you want to see the sights with a little less work, take the shuttle up and walk down the steps!
- Climb the Heavenly Ladder – If you are looking for even more exercise, climb the 321 covered steps of the Heavenly Ladder to the top of Mariahilf Hill. Looking up toward the hill from town, you can’t miss the steps, so you will have no trouble finding them. Traditionally, pilgrims made their way up these stairs stopping to pray on their way to the monastery and Baroque-style church at the top of the hill. This is another spot for some excellent photos of the city.
Explore Artists Alley – Just a block off the Danube, this narrow, cobble-stoned street is called Höllgasse, also known as the “Street of Hell”. The name is thought to refer to all of the flooding from the three rivers. The street is also known as Artist Alley because it is full of artisan shops and makes for an interesting stroll.
The New Bishops Residence – Not to be confused with the “Old” Residence (Alte Bischofliche Residenz) which is within the Veste Oberhaus fortress, the “New” Residence, built in the 1700s, is located in the town near the Cathedral. This charming square where the Residence is located affords some wonderful photo opportunities.
- Romer Museum – The Romer (Roman) Museum is across the Inn River. Dating back to the middle ages, it was built on the foundation of the Roman fort Boiotro. The exhibits are all based on archaeological finds from this region of Bavaria.
- Explore the town and shops – Passau is a wonderful place to just stroll up and down the streets browsing in the small shops or stopping at the many cafes for a snack or drink. Take your time and talk to the shop owners who are very proud of their local food and artisan crafts.
We hope you enjoyed our short review of this charming Bavarian city. If you are in Lower Bavaria, be sure to put Passau on your must-see list. You will not be disappointed.
As always a great article filled with informative facts and need to knows to make your getaway fabulous!
Well done !! I enjoyed reading it …I have been down to Passau lots of times but always stayed in a Cistercian Abbey on the outskirts ….In the former Sommer Residenz of the Bishop in the 18th century ….Next time ( after COVID) when I ám down there , I will definitely pay a visit to the places your mentioned …And thank you for the warning about the climb !!
Thank you for reading our blog. Happy that you liked it.
Thanks for this informative article about one of my favorite towns in Germany. The walk up to Veste Oberhaus was great and the view was very memorable!
Thank you for the comment. It was one or favorites town also.
Loved this article. I just returned from a Viking River cruise and Passau was one of my favorite stops.
Thank you for the comment. We loved it there too.