Central European tour

[robing]

In 2 weeks time I embark on a central European tour. I have 4 weeks. I want to try and take in as many countries as possible.
I'm getting dropped off in Macon, France by the bike bus. I have a rough route plan of going through Switzerland to Liechtenstein, briefly dipping my toe in to Austria, then heading back through Germany to Luxembourg and Belgium. And either return home from Dunkirk to Dover with DFDS or alternatively go up to Hook of Holland and return to Harwich, or even possibly pick up the bike bus again in Calais, though that's a bit pricey. Mileage looks to be just below 1000, so should be doable within 4 weeks.

I have travelled a fair bit in those countries but not with a bike - that will all be new to me. So I am looking for any recommendations for routes, general advice for cycling in those countries, accommodation etc. I will be camping but will probably want some bnb/hotels. Thanks! I'll be using my new Wahoo Bolt for navigation and have unlocked all the Komoot regions, as well as RWGPS.

[foxyrider]

I'm sure you'll get all sorts of weird and wonderful advice on routes and so on from all the armchair tourists here so I will stick to more practical things.

Mapping - I would suggest picking up the cheap, big scale Michelin sheets (Orange covers) for where you are travelling. Number one they are cheap enough to dump if you want but most importantly they give you the bigger picture - it's easy to get tunnel vision when you can only see little windows, particularly in the Alps it's easy to find yourself planning a route which takes you away rather than too where you want to go - or even end up on a long dead end! So use the Wahoo for the finer detail but have the paper for forward planning.

Accomodation - well its not cheap in CH, a bit cheaper in Austria but more reasonable for the rest. I always try to get to my planned accomodation / camp site by five - if you have to look for alternatives you have time in daylight but it also gives you plenty of down time to eat, relax, explore. Most campsites will try to fit in a cycle tourist but I have seen people turned away in both CH and D at different times.
Personally I like to have bricks and mortar sorted at least a day in advance and have a target campsite to aim for - nothing worse than riding all day then having to to locate somewhere to sleep which could add mileage and certainly encroach on your downtime.

Distance - certainly your expected mileage isn't too ambitious, some tours i've done that in a fortnight. Try to keep daily mileages reasonable - think of 100km as the upper end, you don't want it to be a daily slog. Allow time for sightseeing, even stopping for a photo will add several minutes, a mechanical could be much more. You'll get fitter and get a better feel as you go on.
Related to this is departure time in the morning, it's easy to find time slipping away over a relaxed breakfast! Suddenly you've lost an hour or more and not even set off. I always try to get away by 9 which then gives me a good eight hours of ride time if I want.
Factor in some off bike days - maybe at a town city that you want to explore. Besides giving your body a physical break from riding, you get a mental break too. I like to get at least one day in seven, sometimes it's more.
And don't be afraid to use the trains/buses to catch up / get ahead / avoid the rain or simply to transit a boring bit!

Which route? - you might have specific ideas but I find following the rivers let's you cover a lot of ground easily. Not only that but they are rife with cycle paths, accommodation and eateries - oh and of course towns and their attractions. And not just the big well known rivers either, some of the less known ones are excellent. You can often link several together to give a good route without having to invoke the low gears too often.

Bike - factor in some bike maintenance. Whilst I would hope your bike will start off in A1 condition it's worth checking stuff out as you go. Tyre pressure, brake wear, tyre wear - all fixable but worth looking after. I'd potentially be looking at swapping the tyres mid trip - the rear will take a pounding and a puncture when all loaded up is particularly annoying! Spare brake pads are cheap and light, wet mountain descents can kill them quicker than you'd think. Attend to any issues straight away a rattling bolt in the morning could be lost by lunch.

Food - from experience I always carry something that will suffice for an evening meal. I've fallen victim to hotel restaurants not being open, stopping in tiny villages with no food outlets etc etc. Make good use of b+b breakfasts, you are best avoiding big meals during the day, you can get light lunches at many bakeries. Then use the evening meal to stock up on the calories when your body isn't trying to power you and digest at the same time - avoids stomach issues along the road! (make sure you have some toilet paper in case you do get caught short!)
I like to try the local dishes, where you are headed there are some great foods without worrying about stuff being too spicy or otherwise weird! I do like a beer in the evening but during the day 'Radler' is better or for volume Lipton's Peach Tea is widely available and very good on a warm day.

Clothing - personal hygiene is important - especially the undercarriage so avoid wearing shorts that are wet or sweaty from the day before. I use a three pair rotation which allows for a quick rinse before you wear again (the off bike days are useful for doing the laundry and getting stuff dry.
I always take three changes of bike gear and maybe two of off bike including footwear - you want to give your feet a rest as well as the rest of you. Zip off trousers are useful, a lightweight fleece, loose t shirts (not cotton). A rain coat is essential on or off the bike and I take Gore spats to help keep the wet off my shoes - nothing worse (except socks) to put on wet next day! Especially in the alps it can get cold at night and even during the day - I had 30c and snow on the same day on one summer trip.

Other stuff - if you are planning museum / attraction visits it's worthwhile checking when they are open - many - even in the cities, close on Mondays and only open @ 10am although they are often open later than in the UK.
And then of course there's shops - you won't find much beyond a petrol station or railway station kiosk open on a Sunday and particularly in Germany, some towns will close at lunchtime on Saturday too although the local Lidl/Aldi etc will be open later.
Be sensible with bike and gear security - you are unlikely to have any issues but be aware in high tourist areas and avoid taking the bike into big cities - well think what you'd do at home and do the same. No one is too likely to want to nick a bag filled with dirty washing and cycle tourists are not known for being well off! Try not to flash expensive cameras etc too much. Keep all your valuables, phone, camera, wallet, passport, with you any time you leave the bike - that's what bar bags are for!

Phew, I think that's everything - hope it's of some help!

[robing]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed reply. A lot of the general stuff I do anyway. I've done a lot of touring already, just not in those countries. Just looking for a bit more country specific advice on routes etc.

[yutkoxpo]

I'm sure you'll get all sorts of weird and wonderful advice on routes and so on from all the armchair tourists here so I will stick to more practical things......

I just wanted to highlight this as absolutely fantastic advice!

As for your request?

Sorry, OP, it's too vague. Several countries, no information about your personal preferences. Cycling in all those countries is very pleasant. I'm sure you'll have a great time! Not everything has to be planned out. Campsites are all open this time of the year. Throw OSMAND onto your phone, it'll show you campsites, hotels & other Points of Interest as well as cycling routes. Or stop at tourist info places!

[robing]

I'm sure you'll get all sorts of weird and wonderful advice on routes and so on from all the armchair tourists here so I will stick to more practical things......

I just wanted to highlight this as absolutely fantastic advice!

As for your request?

Sorry, OP, it's too vague. Several countries, no information about your personal preferences. Cycling in all those countries is very pleasant. I'm sure you'll have a great time! Not everything has to be planned out. Campsites are all open this time of the year. Throw OSMAND onto your phone, it'll show you campsites, hotels & other Points of Interest as well as cycling routes. Or stop at tourist info places!

I use the Archies app for campsites which is excellent. I see a lot of sites are Camping Card or Camping Cheque. Does anyone have any experience of this? I appreciate it's a fairly broad remit. It's also fairly easy to plot a route but what I'm after as some tips on areas worth visiting/exploring. I'm into nature, scenery, not so much big cities. I've always quite fancied visiting the Ardennes but would be a bit off my route if heading up to the Hook of Holland. My planned route is: Macon, Geneva, Zurich, Liechtenstein, Lake Constance, then through the Black Forest to Strasbourg, Saarbrucken, Luxembourg, Aachen, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Hook of Holland.

[foxyrider]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed reply. A lot of the general stuff I do anyway. I've done a lot of touring already, just not in those countries. Just looking for a bit more country specific advice on routes etc.

Geneva to Zurich you could make very hilly or somewhat less athletic depending on your pick. Following the Rhone to source and then heading North will require strong legs taking you over the Furka before heading north via Schwyz to Zurich.
However if you go more northerly from the outset and head over Bulle (stop at Gruyere for lunch) then Spiez (campsite at top of Jaun Pass can get cold at night, it's over 1400m, lots of camping at Interlaken) the ride up to Luzern (campsite out by the Lido) and Zurich is relatively flat with no major climbing.

Zurich to Lichtenstein is fairly straightforward, flat if you want or go more northerly via Wattwil for a hillier route.

Lichtenstein to Bodensee - The swiss side is generally quieter than the Austrian. As for the lake itself, there are cycle tracks around most of the lake and you can use most of the ferries to cross the lake. There is a popular camp site at Arbon i've used, a good one at Birnau and another at Friedrichshafen.

Bodensee to Stuttgart - the route of least resistance is up to the source of the Danube at Donaueschingen (nice campsite just out of town and a fine brewery) then pick up the Neckar route which will take you via Tubingen to Stuttgart. Alternatively head up to Freudenstadt then Calw to come into Stuttgart from the west. This latter will give you a good taste of the forest element but there is much less cycle track and it can be quite busy. The campsite in Stuttgart is out near the Mercedes factory next to the fair grounds. There is a nice but busy site at Tubingen, the site at Freudenstadt is several km out of town, all are quite acceptable. Alternatively there are some budget hotels quite close to Stuttgart centre.

Stuttgart to Saarbrucken - there is a fairly quiet route out through Pforzheim to Karlsruhe pretty much following the railway line. I used a city centre hotel which was quite cheap and accommodating. My personal knowledge runs out here but the terrain when we drove it 30 tears ago was rolling and more of the same across to Luxembourg (we camped at Remich on the Mosel which forms the D/L border)

Lux to Aachen - the greater Eifel area is quite bumpy, not neccesarily steep but constant up and down. You could follow the Our up into Belgium before heading up to Monschau and Aachen. Not camped there, only stayed in chain hotels.
Alternatively follow the Mosel north and either cut through central Eifel or follow all the way to the Rhein then head west from Bonn. Both are quite pleasant and there are plenty of accomodation options along the rivers.

Aachen to Maastricht - well its only 30km of lightly rolling countryside.

Maastricht to Rotterdam - you could do worse than follow the Meuse up into and through Holland and pretty much all the way to Rotterdam. There are signed cycle routes along all of this. Alternatively you can take a more direct approach however away from the rivers and coast lland really is pancake flat after you leave the Maastricht area. Driven that way several times, it really is boring and not much better across northern Belgium.
There is camping close-ish to both ferry ports.

From my experience in riding in all these countries there is nothing to worry about - I find drivers for the most part courteous to cyclists. There are some roads in each of these countries where bikes are not allowed, there has always been a bike friendly alternative.
As regards camping - well the thing i've fallen foul of a time or two is having a steep climb to reach them - worth checking this so you don't get a late surprise! Not all camp grounds are obvious, i've stopped at Kanu clubs and certainly other sports clubs sometimes offer camping.
If you decide to use public transport always mention your bike - in some areas you need a separate ticket, others not, some buses will carry bikes FOC (i've done this in the Black Forest!) even trams will sometimes allow carriage outside of peak times (done this after a major tyre issue in Stuttgart!)

Avoid the Weiss Wurst in Switzerland - really bland and made from stuff you don't want to know! Across most of your route the constant fall back lunch is Gulaschsuppe - generally cheap and filling although quite how it arrives can vary quite a bit from more piquant to bland. Oh and if you order Frikadel (German burger) in Holland it is more like a sausage!

My language skills are fairly basic but i've not had any particular issues, just ask if they speak English, usually the answer is 'a little' which is always much more than my German etc. Always carry enough cash for your overnight needs, the use of credit/debit cards can be quite patchy. You can withdraw up to €200 a day from most ATM's in the countries you are visiting.

[robing]

Wow - that is a fantastic and detailed reply Foxyrider! EXACTLY what I am looking for! I might print this off and take it with me!
(My French and German are pretty good).

[foxyrider]

Wow - that is a fantastic and detailed reply Foxyrider! EXACTLY what I am looking for! I might print this off and take it with me!
(My French and German are pretty good).

Just another thing regards campsites - they often close for lunch so arriving between 12 and 3 is best avoided (they are usually only shut for an hour but sometimes it's longer which can be frustrating if you've just missed them!)

Glad to be of help

[Cyril Haearn]

Wow - that is a fantastic and detailed reply Foxyrider! EXACTLY what I am looking for! I might print this off and take it with me!
(My French and German are pretty good).

I work in an international firm in Germany, on the phone I ask people if they want to speak English or German, they love being offered a choice
The Rhein Gorge is +1
The €uro too, no need to change money at borders or worry about running out or having lots of *useless* cash left over

We love Europe!
I do, at least

[m-gineering]

I've always quite fancied visiting the Ardennes but would be a bit off my route if heading up to the Hook of Holland. My planned route is: Macon, Geneva, Zurich, Liechtenstein, Lake Constance, then through the Black Forest to Strasbourg, Saarbrucken, Luxembourg, Aachen, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Hook of Holland.

Not saying it can't be done but avoiding the Ardennes when cycling Luxembourg, Aachen, Maastricht will take some planning

[robing]

I've always quite fancied visiting the Ardennes but would be a bit off my route if heading up to the Hook of Holland. My planned route is: Macon, Geneva, Zurich, Liechtenstein, Lake Constance, then through the Black Forest to Strasbourg, Saarbrucken, Luxembourg, Aachen, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Hook of Holland.

Not saying it can't be done but avoiding the Ardennes when cycling Luxembourg, Aachen, Maastricht will take some planning

I didn't realise the Ardennes extended that far north, I thought they were more along the French/Belgian border . In that case I should get to explore them!

[ChrisF]

Always carry enough cash for your overnight needs, the use of credit/debit cards can be quite patchy.

In Germany most restuarants will not accept a card. Twice now I have stayed in hotels, and paid for the room by card, but had to use cash in the restuarant (part of the same hotel!)

[foxyrider]

I've always quite fancied visiting the Ardennes but would be a bit off my route if heading up to the Hook of Holland. My planned route is: Macon, Geneva, Zurich, Liechtenstein, Lake Constance, then through the Black Forest to Strasbourg, Saarbrucken, Luxembourg, Aachen, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Hook of Holland.

Not saying it can't be done but avoiding the Ardennes when cycling Luxembourg, Aachen, Maastricht will take some planning

I didn't realise the Ardennes extended that far north, I thought they were more along the French/Belgian border . In that case I should get to explore them!

As I mentioned before, you donKt have to do the Ardennes, you can river hop up to Aachen or alternatively take a longer but mostly flat route via the Mosel and Rhein, then a rolling ride across via Dueren to Aachen from Bonn or Koln.