Things to do in Passau

Passau sits where three rivers meet, and the town is built on the wedge between them. The Danube comes from the west, the green Inn from the south, the small dark Ilz from the north. The colours stay separate for a while below the point. The local name, Dreifluessestadt, is literal.

Italian architects rebuilt the centre in baroque after the fires of the 1660s, which is why it looks more like Salzburg than Bavaria. St Stephen's cathedral holds one of the largest church organs in the world. There are recitals most days at noon in season.

Passau is also a river-cruise turnaround. Ships change passengers here and at Vilshofen, twenty kilometres downstream. Much of what is sold locally exists for people with one day between boats:

• Cesky Krumlov. Over the Czech border, a UNESCO town on a bend of the Vltava, about two hours out.
• Salzburg and the Chiemsee. South into Austria, or the lake with Ludwig II's island palace on the way.
• Prague. A long day, three hours each way, but a common one from here.
• Munich with a stop at Dachau. Sold as a transfer rather than a tour, and used as one.

These are private cars with an English-speaking driver, priced per vehicle. They run to a ship, not to a morning. That is the practical difference from the rest of Bavaria: the day is built backwards from when you have to be back.

The town itself takes two or three hours on foot. The Veste Oberhaus above it is a twenty-minute climb. A shuttle runs too.

Practical

• Cruise timing. Confirm the pick-up point when booking. Vilshofen and Passau are half an hour apart and ships use both.
• Organ recitals. Weekdays at noon and some evenings, roughly May to October. Small charge, no booking.
• Flooding. The rivers rise, and the lower streets have the marks on the walls to prove it. Spring melt is the usual time.
• Border days. The Czech and Austrian runs cross a frontier with no checks, but carry a passport.
• Season. The town works from April to October with the ships. Winter is very quiet.