Bikepacking The Danube

Zach and Kaitlan, two Aussies from Queensland set off on the trip of a lifetime. They have no plans but to see the world, starting in Europe. They are seeking adventure, culture and to try new things. So when they found out how big bikepacking is in Europe they had to get on a bike and give it a go. And what better place for their first ride than along the Danube river - watch their video below and read on for their detailed account of how their adventure unfolded.

Bikepacking Through Europe

While travelling Europe we are seeking out things that we wouldn't normally do back home due to time constraints, accessibility or simply because life gets in the way. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when we decided that we should ride through three countries, visiting three capital cities and pedal over 300km while exploring all the places along the way. Everyone rides a bike everywhere in Europe, it's made for it! There are plenty of cycle paths to explore and lots of people out riding whether it is commuting to work, out exercising or bikepacking from country to country. So we thought it was the perfect opportunity to give it a go. For our ride we decided to hit the EuroVelo 6 starting in Vienna, Austria and finishing in Budapest, Hungary.

Finding Your Ride

With bike riding being so popular in Europe there are lots of local companies that hire out bikes and many facilitate one-way journeys. This was perfect for us as we were able to pick up our bikes in Vienna and drop them off in Budapest. The company we chose also offered a shuttle service for our luggage to be dropped off at the other end. Allowing us to only carry what we needed on the bike and leave our big backpacks behind. For our bikes, Zach rode a KTM touring bike, while Kaitlan rode the KTM touring e-bike to help give her a little boost as she hadn't ridden as much in the past.

Our bikes loaded up (left), and hitting the road on day 1 (right). (Images courtesy of Zach & Kaitlan Bostock)

About

The EuroVelo rides are a network consisting of 17 long-distance cycle routes. These routes connect the entire European continent. Each route can cross several countries and must be at least 1,000 km in length and signposted in each direction. The EuroVelo 6 is one of the more popular EuroVelo rides in Europe. It goes from the Atlantic Sea in France to the Black Sea in Romania. It is 4,700 km long, passes through 10 countries, six European rivers and sees 11 UNESCO sites. However people jump on and off the route depending on where they would like to head. Two shorter popular routes are from Passau, Germany to Vienna, Austria or Vienna, Austria to Budapest, Hungary. We decided to do the latter. To help guide us on the trail we picked up the trail guidebook from the bike shop, which had the maps and also some info about the trail. However we soon realised it was all in German (thanks Google Translate for the help) and also it was out of date, more on that later.

Location: EuroVelo 6 following the Danube River from Vienna to Budapest.

Distance: 375 km

Time: 7 days. You can do this in a shorter time or take longer depending on how much time you want to stop and explore the cities.

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate. You are on a cycle path for 80% of the ride. And as you are following the river it is mostly flat.

Come & Ride Vienna To Budapest With Us

Day 1: Vienna to Petronell-Carnuntum (64 km)

Day 1 saw us setting off a little later than expected. We got into town mid-morning and packed our bikes making sure that the weight was evenly distributed between the panniers. Grabbed a bite to eat and off we went. We rode through the outer streets of Vienna to get to the Danube river where we found the start of our ride on the EuroVelo6 cycle path. The track is smooth and very scenic, riding along the river and past open fields. There are plenty of signs along the path to make sure you are headed in the right direction.

Once we hit Stopfenreuth (a town towards the end of our ride on day 1) we met another couple from Germany who were riding all the way to NZ! As all the campsites were closed along the first leg, we decided to pull in at a hotel in Petronell-Carnuntum which is only a few kilometres from Deutsch-Altenburg, where we left the cycle path. A great stop for the first night with a restaurant onsite. They also had bike storage, so it was perfect for the night. With so many cyclists on the trail every year, most hotels along the trail are prepared to take in cyclists and have places to store bikes on-site. We ended day 1 with 64 km under our belts. This was a huge achievement for us, especially Kaitlan as she had never ridden a bike further than 30 km in one go before!

Day 2: Petronell-Carnuntum to Bratislava (28 km)

As it's been a long time since we last rode our push bikes, getting up for day 2 was a little tough as we were really feeling it. We set off mid-morning and made our way back onto the EuroVelo 6. We rode along the river for the first half of our ride through some small towns and stopped for lunch alongside the Danube. After lunch we kept going and a few open fields later we crossed over the border into Slovakia and made our way to the capital, Bratislava, what a great city! Originally, we had planned to push on for another 10 km but we decided that we would stop here for the night and make sure we explored the town properly. Because of the late decision and desire to stay in the city, we booked an Airbnb online for the night.

Riding past farmland on day 2 (left), and Bratislava Castle (right). (Images courtesy of Zach & Kaitlan Bostock)

Day 3: Bratislava to Lipót (60 km)

Day 3 we took off from Bratislava and quickly crossed over the border into Hungary. We had the wind on our side. At this point we started to veer away from the river and headed for a major town called Mosonmagyaróvár. This seemed like a good spot to pull up, but we were still feeling good so we pushed on. We found a campsite called Lipóti Termál Camping about 20 km further along in the town of Lipót, where we set up for the night.

The campsite had a few thermal pools on site which was a great way to end the day after a solid day of riding. Hungary is actually known for their thermal pools and spas. After a quick dip we made dinner and settled in for the night. We wanted to do the ride being as self-sufficient as possible, so we carried a hiking stove, pot, bowls and eating utensils so we could make meals along the way. We found that most campsites had kitchen facilities, meaning we didn't actually end up needing our stove. But the pot, bowls and utensils came in handy.

Navigating and interpreting Slovak signs (left), riding through the town of Mosonmagyaróvár (middle), and hiding in the tent from the mosquitos (right). (Images courtesy of Zach & Kaitlan Bostock)

Day 4: Lipót to Gyor (26 km)

Our longer day yesterday meant that we had a cruisy short day today allowing us to explore the next major town of Gyor. We stayed in a great little campsite called CityCamping on the outskirts of town. Here we met a French lady who was riding the whole trail all the way to the Black Sea. We saw her each night for the rest of the trip at each campsite and we could compare stories. After setting up camp and lightening our loads, we rode into town to find some food and stumbled across a family festival with live music. It was a great little town.

Exploring Gyor (left and middle), and one of many ice-creams on the ride (right). (Images courtesy of Zach & Kaitlan Bostock)

Day 5: Gyor to Komárno (62km)

Day 5 was a Sunday and unlike Australia, lots of major stores are closed. Meaning that finding food was a little tricky. Coming out of Gyor we had to do a bit more navigation than usual, turning down multiple streets before winding through a hilly road and then onto a dirt road. At this point we were following the guidebook and cross referencing it with Google maps and our GPS location. Having studied the book the night before we could see there was a section of the track that involved riding on a busy road and cars would be passing at 100km/h. With our bike hire we were given hi-vis vests to wear on the roads in Slovakia and Hungary, so we popped them on to make sure that we were visible. All the drivers in these towns are used to bike riders and give you plenty of room when passing.

We continued on after the road section, still following the book and EuroVelo 6 signs and arrived at another dirt track, this time much worse, with ruts, sand, mud puddles, sticks and some overgrown sections. We took it very steady and slow through this section, even pushing the bikes through some parts. We finally made our way into Komárno and our next campsite the Thermal Hotel and Camping in the early evening. Talking to our French friend and another rider we met, we quickly discovered that there was a new smooth bike path that was commissioned a year earlier that bypassed the roads and dirt tracks we found ourselves on. Somehow, we managed to follow the old signs and it took us much longer. We were pretty tired at this point and found that English was less common in the smaller towns so asking for a camp site was interesting. Again thank goodness for Google Translate.

Day 6: Komárno to Dömös (72 km)

After day 5 we needed a big day riding to finish the route in 7 days to ensure we got our bikes back to Budapest in time. It was a public holiday today so not much was open, however we found some food stalls along the trail where we could stop for lunch and try the Hungarian Langos. Today featured a lot of riding on roads so on with our hi-vis vests again and off we set.

Riding to Dömös is actually an alternative route along the path. The Main EuroVelo 6 normally involves crossing the Danube via a ferry, but the ferry was not running today, so we continued down the same side of the river. On the way we found a grocery store that was open and picked up a few items for dinner and then pulled into Danu Camping Dömös for the night.

Camp set-up on day 5 (left), ready in hi-vis (middle), and a nice view of the Danube (right). (Images courtesy of Zach & Kaitlan Bostock)

Day 7: Dömös to Budapest (55 km)

Day 7, it was hard to believe we had come this far, especially considering this was our first ride like this. We woke up feeling good about finishing the ride and getting into Budapest. The ride was fairly cruisy with a good cycle path for the most part. We stopped and had lunch along the river in a little town called Szentendre. As we were riding past on the trail it looked too good not to stop and have something to eat and soak up the views one last time.

As we approached Budapest a storm started to brew, with wind picking up making the experience feel a bit more tense and like we were in a race. There were lots of riders trying to get home. We thankfully outrode the rain and got back to the bike shop just before it closed at 6pm. And that was it, we had finished the ride! We emptied our panniers back into our luggage that had been dropped off to the shop and said goodbye to the bikes that had carried us for 7 days and off we went.

The Euro Vello 6 signs we were following (left), outriding a storm as we entered Budapest (middle), and entering Budapest beside the Danube (right). (Images courtesy of Zach & Kaitlan Bostock)

What We Took

• 2x Panniers each
• Mountain Designs Geo 3-Person Tent
• Cooking Stove & lightweight pot
• Extra pair of clothes
• Toiletries & towel
• Shoes & sandals
• 2x Mountain Designs Flip 1000 Drink Bottle
• 2x Mountain Designs Travelite Sleeping Bags
• 2x Mountain Designs Airlite 5.5 Insulated Sleeping Mat

Notable Gear

Camping along this trip was lots of fun. We got to meet lots of other people and many of them were riding the same trail as us. While the English barrier was a little difficult at times, the people we met along the way were so lovely. We took the Geo 3-Person Tent and strapped it to the back of Kaitlan's bike. It fit perfectly, was quick to set up and kept us dry. Some of its great features include:

• Quick Set Up: There are only three poles making it super quick to set up. The fly is also a quick to throw on and you can clip it into the four corners and peg out the sides. Great for the rain to run off, away from the tent entrance and also very secure in the wind.
• Rain & Windproof: We had a little bit of rain at night on our trips and lots of wind however once you were in the tent you wouldn't even know. There was no buckling of poles in the wind and we were kept dry inside the tent.
• Lightweight: As the poles are made from aluminium, it is lightweight, perfect for bike packing and not having too much weight on the bike.
• Lots of Space: There is lots of space inside the tent and it's easy to get in and out with big teardrop doors. There is also large vestibule spaces which were perfect for keeping our panniers in overnight.

The Geo tent that served us so well on our trip. (Image courtesy of Zach & Kaitlan Bostock)

Tips & Tricks

We made a couple of mistakes along the way but all in all it makes the trip more memorable and we know what to do next time. Here are a couple of tips and tricks for you so you don't do the same:

1. Keep your itinerary flexible. This way if you like somewhere and want to see more of it you can stay there longer. We did this in Bratislava. Although this might not be practical in peak season when it is busy. Also, if you want to stay somewhere longer or don't want to ride big days you can always catch a ferry or jump on a train.
2. Safety gear like hi-vis vests and helmets are imperative. You'll soon notice that in Europe helmets aren't compulsory everywhere. Each country has their own laws when it comes to this. When riding far it's best to wear a helmet for safety. However make sure to know the rules before you set off. In countries such as Slovakia and Hungary you have to have a hi-vis vest when you are on the side of a road. Make sure to carry one with you and check the rules for each country.
3. Mosquitos can be terrible. One campsite we found ourselves covered in them while setting up the tent and we weren't easily able to get repellent. Make sure to carry some with you.
4. If you are anything like us, then riding through farms and fields brings out the hayfever. We didn't expect this and due to bad timing with public holidays and weekends we weren't able to get any allergy tablets for a few days. We learnt it's best to be prepared with some tablets.
5. Charging an E-bike. When camping and riding an e-bike make sure that you have access to power to keep your bike charged. While they can go a fair distance before needing to be charged it's best to keep it topped up so that you are not halfway up a hill and it cuts out on you. All the campsites we stayed at had power available, if not at the site then there's usually always a plug in the kitchen areas.
6. Public Holidays. This is probably our biggest rookie mistake and it's not the first time we got caught off guard. Public holidays, there can be a lot of them in Europe. This one was on the Saturday and then the public holiday on the Monday. As shops are generally closed on Sundays this meant that for three days not all shops were accessible. This makes it difficult to find food, hayfever tablets, insect repellent, sunscreen (we didn't have any of that too) and any other essentials you may need. Make sure to look them up before you ride so that you can be prepared and plan ahead for anything extra that you might have to carry.

Final km reading on Kaitlan's bike (left), and are we up for this again - you bet (right). (Images courtesy of Zach & Kaitlan Bostock)

Last Word On Backpacking The Danube

What a great experience it was riding the EuroVelo 6. With the things that we have learnt and experience we had we would 100% do another backpacking trip. It was a great adventure, we met some inspirational people and got to experience cultures in ways that we wouldn't have if we were just in the main cities. If you're thinking about doing it then go start packing now. What are you waiting for?

Video & Photo Credits

All video and imagery supplied by Zach & Kaitlan Bostock

• Instagram @justzachandkaitlan
• YouTube @justzachandkaitlan