Overview
In the European summer of 2018 we embarked upon our first big cycling adventure down the Danube for three weeks. The kids were 12 and 14 at time and we were joined by our mate Dave who was similarly new to multi-week bike touring. The plan was to fly to Budapest, take trains to our start point in Passau and ride, with a few sections by train, to Budapest. We took a leisurely approach to this trip, in part to accommodate the kids likely distance limits but also to make sure that it felt like a holiday with rest breaks and opportunities to sight see.
Key References and Research
This trip was completed before we discovered Komoot and so we were reliant internet based research and good old guidebooks (see below for the excellent Bikeline guidebooks – 2 and 3 for the sections we completed). We knew the kids could reliably manage around 40km per day and could probably stretch to 50km if needed. What followed was a careful scrutiny of google maps to plot distances between towns to suit those parameters. For this trip we settled upon bricks and mortar accommodation, again mainly because this would suit the kids better and made our overall load lighter.
Passau (Germany) to Linz
Highlights and Experiences
Day 1 – Passau to Exlau
- Very nice accomodation at a decent price in the old town of Passau that provided enough room for the family, as well as a dining area for self catering – https://das-hornsteiner.de/
- Happy ride in the sun out of Passau right beside the Danube, then mishap at 25km when one of the kids cut Chris off causing him to run into the guard rail and bend his front wheel! BY levering it off the fence we managed to get it “straight” enough to wobble to the next town, Obernzell. Miraculously, Bruno Muller ran a bike store in this otherwise tiny town and after proclaiming “Das ist kaput” upon our arrival, he promptly replaced it with a spanking new wheel. Eternal gratitude to Bruno at – Fahrräder & E-Bikes in Alt Ruppin | Radhaus Müller (radhaus-mueller.de)
- Schlongen bend – beautiful, lives up to the hype where the Danube takes 270 degree turn on itself, a nice relaxing and impressive ferry ride around a section with no bike path.
- Overnight in in a nice guesthouse on the river watching the river cruise boats float by in Exlau – Gasthof in der Exlau, Neuhaus – Updated 2024 Prices (booking.com)
Day 2 – Exlau to Linz
- We set off early so we could reach Linz around lunchtime for some planned sightseeing but were held up waiting for a small ferry to cross to the other side of the Danube. These little ferries are excellent, if it is not on your side you press a button on an intercom, and it will wander over to collect you!
- We crossed back again later near Ottensheim using a really interesting cable operated ferry that can also carry cars.
- The riding was mostly along wide open valley plains before we hit the industrial outskirts of Linz and eventually, the beautiful old town centre.
- We quickly dropped our things, collected and crammed into a hire car, and headed to Mauthausen Concentration camp. The boys are particularly interested in the history of the world wars so this felt like an excellent opportunity to introduce the ‘realities’ of those conflicts. A sobering wander around those grounds before returning to Linz to explore the cobbled, tram lined old town. We finished the day in a wonderful beer garden enjoying Aperol and Linzer torte.
Melk to Bratislava
Getting There
We started our day with breakfast at one of Linz’s oldest cafes before catching a train to Melk. While waiting for our train a cargo train trundled through the station – loaded with tanks – something you don’t see on the railways in Australia!
Highlights and Experiences
Day 3 – Melk to Krems
- A quick coffee/hot chocolate stop at a coffee house to admire the stunning Melk Abbey which dominates the township before heading off in light rain.
- This day was chock full of stunning views as we rode through the Wachau region with lovely little villages and deep valley views with wineries clinging to the slopes. Lunch was in a particularly historic town of Durnstein which is famous for imprisonment of Richard the Lionheart on his way back from the crusades.
- Overnight in the walled city of Krems – with the opportunity to watch the Brazil v Belgium World Cup game in an outdoor beer garden and restaurant near the city gates.
Day 4 – Krems to Vienna
- Chris decided to ride the whole distance while Janette, Dave and the boys took the train part way from Krems to Tulln. The train was busy with cyclists and we had another mishap when only Dave and Ben made it off the train at Tulln before the doors closed and Lachi and Janette headed for an unplanned ride to Vienna!
- Mishap sorted, while everyone else sat in a cafe, Janette and Lachi returned to Tulln and the journey continued..
- Loads more stunning views on an increasingly busy cycle path (plenty of road bike cyclists up and down from Vienna) with a little supermarket picnic stop for lunch in Korneuberg. We rolled into Vienna past some beautiful Hapsburg buildings for a well-earned bratwurst and beer hall beverage.
- We decided to stay a couple of nights in Vienna and booked an apartment which, very helpfully, had a washing machine. Clothes refreshed, we headed out to enjoy the coffee houses, including the Central Cafe, and sights of Vienna – check out the Vienna Library if you get a chance, they have the most amazing ‘globe’ room.
Day 5 – Vienna to Hainburg
- We headed out through the Prater Garten for what would be one of the longer distance days, and this ended up being further extended with a rapid route re-plan because the cycle path was closed for maintenance. In the end, we covered 60km of varied surfaces with unplanned river crossings, roman ruins and storm clouds on the horizon.
- Amazing cycling infrastructure around Vienna with cycle paths hanging under roadways and long spiral ramps to ground level.
- Near Schonau an der Donau, Hermi’s Radlertreff is run by the Heeburger family and offers cyclists a welcome place to rest and restock on snacks for the road.
- Hainburg is a delightful town with stone walls, cobbled streets and a really interesting system of flood protection barriers along the Danube. We stayed at the Hotel Zum goldenen Anker and also had a lovely schnitzel dinner in the restaurant.
Day 6 – Hainburg to Bratislava
- Once again our day started in the rain which continued throughout our short jaunt through an old Iron Curtain checkpoint and into Bratislava.
- We took a little detour off the path to explore some military bunkers that are slowly being reclaimed by the forest. The only inhabitants now seemed to be the mosquitos, and they were out in force so we hightailed it back to the path!
- The run into Bratislava is guided by the imposing castle which stands high up on the hill and can be seen for miles. Bratislava is a beautiful town and very easy to navigate on foot.
- Once again, we had planned to stay in Bratislava for a couple of days sightseeing and chose to stay halfway between the old town and the station at the Loft Hotel which is also a brewery. We also watched the Croatia v England world cup match, and quickly realised that we were in an Eastern European capital city……not London.
- Devin castle is a good half day bike ride (or bus) outside Bratislava, and interesting a few fronts – a medieval from the 13th century, but also a guard post between Eastern and Western Europe during the cold war – including graves of lives lost attempting to cross the smaller Morava river into Austria
Komarno (Slovakia) to Budapest
Getting There
After a prolonged and slightly frustrating series of interactions at the station ticket office, we all boarded the train from Bratislava to Komarno in Slovakia where to riding recommenced.
Highlights and Experiences
Day 7 – Komarno to Esztergom
- A hot day that involved some tricky navigation at times. The signage and infrastructure from this point is definitely not to the same standard as the earlier sections of the route. Some of the paths we ended up on were poor quality and involved some technical skill but we did mostly follow alongside the river.
- Managed a nice little picnic beside the Danube after stocking up at the local Co-op and eventually rolled across the bridge from Sturovo (Slovakia) into Esztergom (Hungary) where we checked into the quite unique Kaleidoszkóp Ház hostel – its rooms built were into the city walls themselves.
- Esztergom is a wonderful town, with the impressive and important Basilica of Esztergom, to wander about. Although there are loads of stairs!
Day 8 – Esztergom to Visegrad
- Once again we followed the river on a gentle meander under blue skies and with views to burn.
- Another ferry to cross the river at Szob, and we were introduced to other cyclists, including a couple 70+ Canadians who showed the benefits of staying fit and adventurous into your older years – very inspirational. Continue on the north bank of the river until Nagymaros and then another ferry across to Visegrad just before the Danube Bend.
- The town had put on a medieval festival just for us, well ok maybe not just for us, but great timing all the same. Suitably henna tattooed, we headed to a medieval restaurant for a special dinner after watching the France and Croatia cup final with some locals and drinks.
Day 9 – Visegrad to Szentendre
- After an early morning ferry to cross back to the other side of the river we, the route continues along the river for the most part. The lovely villages and views continued through this section and the little town of Vac offered a pleasing backdrop for lunch (not the prison, which you do pass on the route, but back from there in the town proper!)
- Crossing the river again at Vac, we ride across a island to the town of Tahitótfalu, where we have a road scare, with our youngest son looking the wrong way as he crosses a busy road. – a little scare, but a reminder that always have your concentration on foreign roads!
- We continue down bike paths to Szentendre, which is well worth a visit with its cobbled walkways, hidden bars and excellent wine bars. A stroll along the river in the evening is well worth the effort, even if your legs are tired.
Day 10 – Szentendre to Budapest
- The finale! The ride into Budapest is bittersweet because the views are amazing, but the trip is ending and it has honestly been one of the greatest trips of our lives to date.
- It was clear that we were returning to the western world now, complete with a coffee stop in the outskirts of Budapest at This is Melbourne Too (now Closed)! We cycled along St Margaret’s Island before joining up with the well maintained bicycle paths of Budapest and stopping for finale photos across from Parliament and on the iconic Széchenyi Chain Bridge.
- As we checked into our five-star hotel, complete with bemused concierge, we reflected on the journey as a whole. We had done it, transported four bicycles from Australia to Hungary (and hired another for Dave), caught trains with our bikes – missing only one connection, and managed to ride for 10 days along some of the most picturesque scenery you could imagine. We continued to sightsee for another couple of days before packing up our bikes in an adjacent park under the watchful gaze of tourists wandering by.
Things we learned
- Make it realistic for everyone – We had planned extensively, and we had been conservative in our approach to distances covered per day and with breaks taken off the bikes at regular intervals, but this approach meant that the kids had felt capable and, importantly they had enjoyed themselves
- People want to and will help – Things go wrong despite the best planning. Stay calm, work through your options and don’t be afraid to seek help
- Problem Solve and Empowerment (even with the kids) – The need to problem-solve and work together creates inclusion and gives them both responsibilities and opportunities to lead (if you have ever tried to unload four people, their bicycles and eight panniers during a 4 minute train stopover you will understand the teamwork requirements).
- Slow travel, allows many times to talk – Anyone with young teens knows that communication can be difficult, and it can be easy to disconnect from them. The slow travel nature of cycling, and the lack of external distractions like phones means that there are literally loads of opportunities to chat, and because you are not asking them direct questions, they tend to chat back!
- We packed too many clothes – always pack less than you think and buy additional items if really needed.
