Cycling The Danube - Vienna To Budapest

8 days - from $996

Hungarian lowlands, charming Vienna and the beautiful city of Budapest
This is a classic one week ride through the beautiful peaceful scenery that links these two historic cities. Vienna requires little introduction, with a wealth of history, famous sites, entertainment and culture. The route passes numerous rural villages and takes in the famous 'Danube Bend', one of the most picturesque sections of this famous river. This section makes more use of the roads, which can be busy, and also moves away from the banks of the river more often, but follows cycle paths and good quality flat tracks for much of the time. There is one hilly day. After a few miles in Slovakia the route continues to Hungary. Riverside woodland gives way to farmland, avenues of walnut trees, wide flat landscapes and the shady hills towards the famous Danube Bend. The end point of the trip is the beautiful city of Budapest with time to soak up the wonderful atmosphere, enjoy the stunning architecture and visit Buda Castle and the Royal Palace.

Itinerary:

Day 1 Start Vienna. Make your own way to the hotel; the remainder of the day is free to explore Vienna. 2 Cycle along the Donauinsel, a long thin island; on to the Roman remains at Petronell-Carnuntum, one of Austria's most important archaeological sites. 3 Today visit the historic Hainburg before taking lunch in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. In the afternoon, cycle across the border into Hungary and on to Halaszi with a chance to visit the attractive but unpronounceable town of Mosonmagyarovar. 4 Continue cycling through rural villages and along a riverside track which leads to the historic city of Gyor. 5 Today take an easy rural ride to picturesque town of Tata, situated on two lakes between the Gerecse and Vertes Mountains. 6 Cycle over the first hills of the trip towards the beginnings of the Danube Bend at Esztergom. This historic town has a magnificent palace and a fine cathedral close to our hotel. 7 Ride round the Danube Bend past Visegrad, once the corner of the Roman Empire; to the artists' town of Szentendere; arrive in wonderful Budapest. 8 End Budapest.

Mode of travel: Average daily distance: 55km (34miles) No. of cycling days: 6 Vehicle support: none whilst cycling, luggage is transferred between hotels for you. Terrain and route: a great introduction to cycling abroad using mostly cycle paths and tracks, some road riding in Hungary. Hills on one day only.
Group size: Self-guided. Route notes and maps are provided.
Accommodation: 7 nights in 3 and 4-star hotels. Along the more rural parts of the trip the accomodation varies from charming inns to family run hotels. In the larger towns, the hotels are standard city tourist-class hotels.
Food: All breakfasts included.
Compulsory Single Supplement: from $245.00
Trip Reference: LSH
Reverse Itinerary: trips that run in reverse are specified with an 'R' in the dates and prices table below.
Notes: Start any Saturday from 14 April to 22 September 2012 Starting 05 May - 23 June and 25 August - 22 September GBP629 Starting 30 June - 18 August GBP649 All other dates GBP569 Prices are land only and do not include travel from London Return flights from London, prices from GBP130 Low cost flights to Vienna and Budapest available with Easyjet Local bike hire: KTM touring bikes GBP60 paid on booking
Trip Reference: LSH