| Outline-The source of the Danube is a spring in the gardens of Furstenberg Palace at Donaueschingen in Southern Germany. In June 2005 we cycled the first 470 km over 8 days to arrive in Regensburg. Then in June 2007 we cycled the next 460km over 9 days to arrive in Vienna. Our final stage to Budapest was completed in July 2009, accompanied by our two grandchildren Kane and Lewis.
Travel-On the first two trips, we travelled by car, using the overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam. This leaves an early start the next day and the distance of up to 500 miles down to Southern Germany was no problem through the Autobahn system.We left the car at the starting place and returned by train. For the final trip, we flew to Vienna, via Zurich and returned from Budapest, again via Zurich. Swiss air re-allocated our seats on the return leg meaning that we were spread about all over the plane. They were most unhelpful in sorting it out and will not be used in the future.
Itinerary 1st trip - Donaueschingen to Regensburg- Daily distances cycled were between 27 and 38 miles. We stayed in small Hotels and mostly ate out, which is very good value in Germany. Overnight stays at Fridingen, Sigmaringen, Riedlingen, Ehingen, Ulm, Dillingen, Ingolstadt and Regensburg.
The towns and villages visited were all extremely attractive, with plenty of time to look around, take a pub lunch or a picnic and explore the many attractions. There was plenty of opportunity to pick up provisions along the route.
Ulm is a particularly interesting City, more like a small town but with the biggest cathedral spire in Europe.The intermediate town of Regensburg is a gem. Very interesting to just browse around and take a snack at the oldest sausage shop in the world.
Itinerarary 2nd trip - Regensburg to Vienna - Daily distances cycled were similar, between 27 and 41 miles. Overnight stays were at Regensburg, Straubing, Deggendorf, Passau, Brandstadt, Linz, Grien, Spitz, Traismauer and finishing at Vienna.
Passau is worth extra time, where the river Inn meets the Danube and many of the river cruises start.
This second stage is more busy with cyclists but still relatively quiet.
A slight detour up hill brought us to the small town of Melk, dominated by the Abbey. This is a huge place in absolutely pristine condition and is a must visit experience.
The last cycling day travels through a virtual island in the middle of the river until reaching the centre of Vienna. There are various fairgrounds, parks and seasonal attractions on the island.
Itinerarary 3rd trip - Vienna to Budapest - Daily distances cycled remained between 27 and 41 miles, mostly flat. Overnight stays were at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, Halaszi, Gyor, Tata, Esztergom and finishing at Budapest.
The third stage of our trip was relatively quiet, meeting few cyclists and with lots of open fields. A lot of the time we were well away from the Danube using country lanes.
The first day was in Austria and it rained hard most of the time but interesting scenery along the Danube with some good woodland.
Bad Deutsch-Altenburg is a spa with sulphur baths going back to Roman times. Further on Hainburg is a walled medieval City with 3 gates and 15 towers dating back to the 13th century.
Gyor we found not very interesting but Tata was a nice town with a huge lake and an atmospheric and tranquil English garden.
After the first day, the weather was very hot and sunny with little shade. The last cycling day from Esztergom was extremely hot with blue sky, so following a visit to the Cathedral, we decided to take the train into Budapest. On arrival it was 41 degrees C..
Arrangements
The cycling tours were arranged as packages by Russell Hafter Holidays
The basic tours that we chose included cycle hire, accommodation, baggage transfer and all maps and instructions. We sorted flights, ferries, parking etc.
Map: Donaueschingan to Budapest
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