When
Best times to enjoy cycling along the Danube are from May through September. Note that it can get hot in the summer months. Fly from London (or elsewhere) to Vienna and fly back from Budapest. Then get on yer bike! Luggage is transported for you.
Stay
Bed and breakfast accommodation is provided in simple inns and hotels along the route. In the larger towns such as Vienna and Linz the hotels are standard city tourist-class hotels. Due to the ad hoc nature of the bookings for these trips, the exact list of hotels used may vary slightly from departure to departure, but the standards do not vary.
Price
Vienna to Budapest 8 days.
All dates from London, £598 in 2007, including international return flights.
Land-only £439. (Return flights from London to Vienna from £159 per person.)
Single supplement £115.
Bike hire for one week £40.
All breakfast is included at your hotels. Entrance fees are not included and are usually around €4 to €8 each. Lunches and dinners are not included – allow about €20 €25 per day; costs will depend on the standard of restaurant you choose. You may need extra to buy wine each evening.
Itinerary
- Day 1
- Fly in from London and make your own way to the hotel, where your hire bike will be available. Time in Vienna is left free to explore at leisure.
- Day 2
- Follow the Donauinsel, a long, thin island at the start of this 55km section. Much of the track is gravel/grit but is comfortable to ride on. Finish the day at one of Austria’s most important archaeological sites – the Roman remains at Petronell-Carnuntum.
- Day 3
- Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, not bad for a day’s ride! It is also worth making a short detour into the old city of Bratislava. The route moves away from the water to follow quiet roads through villages and woods on the way to Mosanmagyarovar, a good introduction to the complexities of the Hungarian language. Approx 65km.
- Day 4
- Quiet roads through rural villages, then from Dunaszeg an excellent riverside gravel track leads to the historic city of Gyor. Cycling approx 50km.
- Day 5
- 50 kms to Tata and the first hills on the described route. The ascent is not difficult, and affords better views across the countryside. There are longer routes via Komarom or Pannonhalma.
- Day 6
- The beginnings of the famous Danube Bend with a longer variant heading north to rejoin the river or a more direct route passing over the hills (2 notable climbs and long descents). Approx 54km to Esztergom.
- Day 7
- Cycling around the Danube Bend pass Visegrad, once the corner of the Roman empire, and Szentendre. Arriving in Budapest, you are greeted by the impressive parliament building. Try to arrive in time to return your bike and have a few hours to explore a little of Budapest.
- Day 8
- Make your own way to the airport for the morning flight to London.
