Danube Cycle Way and beyond

[sedda]

Hello,

Has anyone cycled this recently? I have the Cicerone guide but it seems a little out of date. I have planned three legs: Paris to Donauschingen; Donauschingen to Budapest; catch the train the Prague before cycling on to Berlin (I am not sure of the route for the first and third part so any advice there?). I will be camping along the way but may spend a night or two in a hostel. I am looking for maps, places to stay, must sees, useful tips etc.

Thanks
Sarah

http://sarahsjogle.blogspot.co.uk/

[vernon]

There's the Bikeline books which cover the entire length of the Danube in four volumes. The can be bought from Stanfords and Amazon.

Ulm has got a great cathedral with Europe's tallest spire.

Passau has a cathedral with what was once the world's largest organ. It's well worth paying the four euros for a lunchtime recital.

Tuttlingen has a steam railway museum open only on Sundays.

There Roman ruins to inspect somewhere - I don't have my ride log to hand.

The Bikeline books list a range of tourist attractions so you won't be short of distractions.

Berlin to Prague is also covered by the Bikeline range Europa R1 Radweg and Elbe Radweg 1 will cover the route

Hope that helps.

[Dean]

The route is very rough once you leave Austria, but that's only an issue if you're bothered about speed. You can choose to go via Hungary or Slovenia - I went via Hungary after Bratislava, which was easy but a bit dull. The Slovenian route is supposed to be lovely, and Slovenia's a bit cheaper than Hungary.

It's worth lingering around Wachau in Austria and walking up to Durnstein Castle (where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned on his way back from the Crusades). The views are astonishing.

Passau is a lovely city. It's where the Danube turns blue. The Inn and the Danube meet there, and the silty brown of the Danube, having drained the south German hills, meets the glorious milky blue of the Inn, which drags the sediment straight from the Alps.

You'll also pass Mauthausen concentration camp, which you may or may not want to visit. It's an area rich in history.

[yoyo]

I second everything that has been said about the Austrian section by the other posters so far.

Regarding cycling from Prague to Berlin, the route is quite rough in parts on the Czech side - so speed will be affected. There is also very poor signposting of cycle routes in Czech. Once over the border into Germany you will pick up the Elbe cycle route.

There is a cycling atlas that covers the whole Czech republic which you can buy in Stanfords. Prague is obviously a must see city along with Melnik (30 miles north at the confluence of the Vltava and Elbe. If you go south of Prague along the Vltava to Karlstein, it is rough, poorly signposted but very scenic.

I cycled these routes as days out from Prague. I hired a bike from the city. I returned from Karlstein by train as a break from the rough route. Unfortunately I was unable to understand the ticket instructions for taking a bike on the train. I managed to say I don't understand to the train inspector whereupon he threw his hands up in disgust and walked off!

Your tour sounds great and I hope that you enjoy it.

[sedda]

Thanks very much for the info, sounds like there is lots to see. I will purchase the books and look out for the places you have mentioned. What is the surface like throughout the trip? Speed isn't going to be much of an issue as I am by myself and usually take it quite slow! Is there any particularly busy sections where it is necessary to book accommodation?

Thanks again for all the tips,
Sarah

[vernon]

I've done Donauschingen to Passau on the Danube and had no problems with camp sites. The surfaces are fine on that stretch. All metalled. I cycles along it in August. I wouldn't say it was busy.

[BARRACH]

The Bikeline books for sale on Amazon are £44 possibly because they have been translated into English.
In German they are only 13 euro. That is some price differential considering the actual mapping will be the same in
whatever language. I wondered if anyone had a second hand English version they would be willing to sell.

[Barrenfluffit]

I particularly enjoyed Regensburg. The youth hostel castle's can be fun but tend to be high up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildenstei ... rtingen%29
Ulm is supposed to be nice but I didn't stop.
If you decide to stay in Linz leave the city the way you came in. There is a large industrial area along the eastern flank /bank of the city which is difficult to navigate and there's only one way over the danube to the path. I wasted a lot of time here. In cities in general navigation can soak up lots of time; a more simpler longer route is often the best option. Also watch out for reliance on seasonal ferries many miles upstream by being on the wrong bank.
Leaving vienna your looking for the cyclepath to Hainburg; it turns off the dyke before there's any sign of an obstacle.

[vernon]

The Bikeline books for sale on Amazon are £44 possibly because they have been translated into English.
In German they are only 13 euro. That is some price differential considering the actual mapping will be the same in
whatever language. I wondered if anyone had a second hand English version they would be willing to sell.

The bikeline books cost anywhere between £10 and £14 on Amazon. I don't know where you found the £44 pound copies. There is no premium charged for the translation.

The books are freely available elsewhere.

Try Stanfords at http://www.stanfords.co.uk where they are £14.95

If you want a price differential, try buying the books in Switzerland where there's a 50%+ premium on the Bikeline range.