Experienced cruisers insist on the need to arrive in town at least the day prior to embarkation. Although Danube river cruises are far easier to catch up with than say a missed ocean voyage, few would regret arriving in Passau a day early to explore the lovely old town at leisure.
Hotels in Passau, Germany are not particularly luxurious but are generally family owned and managed, comfortable, and inexpensively priced. 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.
Using an internet reservation service makes price comparisons easier but reservations directly with the hotel may result in a better room especially if preferences or special needs are spelled out in an email.
Holiday Inn Passau
The Holiday Inn is the most comfortably hotel in Passau. It is located directly across the road from the main station (Bahnhof) inside a modern shopping center. Transportation and parking are therefore no problem.
Rooms are reasonably large and comfortably, if somewhat blandly, furnished. An indoor swimming pool and fitness room are available to guests.
Although the hotel is very much devoid of character or soul, it does offer comfortable accommodation and a very convenient location.
Internet specials often see prices dropping to astonishingly low levels on a quiet weekend.
Holiday Inn, Bahnhofstraße 24, 94032 Passau, tel 0851-59-000, fax 0851-590-0529.
Hotel Passauer Wolf
The Hotel Passauer Wolf is on the banks of the Danube River. The modern rooms are comfortably furnished to the standards of a traditional luxury hotel – rooms with Danube River views are slightly more expensive.
River views can also be enjoyed from the hotel restaurant, which is partly in a vaulted, 16th-century cellar. Both international and regional dishes are served.
Hotel Passauer Wolf, Rindermarkt 6, 94032 Passau, tel 0851/931-5110, fax 0851/931-5150.
Hotel Residenz
Directly on the banks of the Danube in front of boat landings is the comfortable Hotel Residenz. 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 Hotel Wilder Mann has the most illustrious history of all Passau hotels and is generally the hotel of choice for famous visitors. Former guests include Empress Sissi of Austria, Michael Gorbachev, and Neil Armstrong.
The Wilder Mann is located in a large patrician house next to the Rathaus and apart from the hotel also houses the Passau Glass Museum. Rooms are opulently furnished with antiques or country house-style furniture although some cheaper rooms are 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
An interesting option, open only from late April to early October, is the very modern, Avant-garde architecture Rotell Inn. The building resembles a passenger ship and is directly on the banks of the Danube below the Hauptbahnhof.
The very cheap Rotell Inn is one-step up from a hostel and open to travelers of all ages. Rooms 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 bed is entered for the foot end, as the width of the bed is also the width of room. Furnishings and colors are very modern but very basic with toilet and shower facilities on each floor.
Rotell Inn, Hauptbahnhof/Donauufer, 94032 Passau, tel 0851/95-160, fax 0851/951-6100.
Passau Youth Hostel
The Deutsche Jungendherberge (DJH) Passau has a fantastic location in part of the Veste Oberhaus. The views from the fortress over Passau and the confluence of the three rivers are fantastic.
In line with the official policy of youth hostels in Bavaria, preference is given to travelers younger than 27-years old but if space is available, travelers of any age can be accommodated. The youth hostel is closed for most of December.
DJH Passau, Kulturstudienplatz, Veste Oberhaus 125, 94034 Passau, tel 0851/493-780, fax 0851/493-7820.
Passau is the most important departure port of Danube riverboat cruises but the old town itself is also worth exploring. Transportation to Passau is easy as the town is on the high-speed rail link and autobahn from Frankfurt to Vienna.
