Graeme Aston, August 2025
I recently completed a cycling trip along the Danube from Regensberg to Budapest. I thought it might be useful to provide details of the trip in case anyone wants to try this.
There were 4 of us on the trip and in the time available we chose this section of the Danube passing through Southern Germany into Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. One of the group could only ride as far as Vienna, leaving 3 of us to complete the whole route.
The Danube’s actual source is further west in Germany and continues beyond Budapest through Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine before flowing into the Black Sea. The section we chose was about 800 kms in length.
Preparations
I’d done a lot of preparation with the Sunday rides and several Box Hill circuits. However, this was my first bikepacking trip and a particular challenge for me was working out the best way of carrying the luggage. A special mention for Antony Vigneron, who kitted me out with a rack and panniers. I still managed to pack far more than he advised!
Routing
As we were following the river downhill, it tended to skirt higher ground and so there was only a modest amount of elevation. Most of the way, we were using the extremely good paved Danube Cycle Path (EuroVelo 6). However, some sections were gravel tracks and I was glad that I’d changed from road bike to hybrid tyres.
Day 1 – Starting at the medieval city of Regensberg known for its historic centre, Stone Bridge and cathedral, the first stage was 54 kms through to Straubing.
The next day was 99 kms to the very pleasant city of Passau, the “Three Rivers City” at the confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers, an enjoyable place to take a break.
From Passau, the Danube cycle path to Vienna is regarded as the most popular section. Riding along this section into Austria was a great way to spend my birthday and the coffee stop included complimentary schnapps! Taking in the river’s lazy rhythms and superb castles, we made our way to the historic old town of Linz (99 kms).
From Linz, the river meanders past meadows and forests, into one of the most scenic sections of the route. We passed little towns and castles before arriving at the town of Melk (109 kms) with the superb Abbey overlooking the valley.
We then rode through vineyards stretching up the sides of the valley and wine producing villages and on to Vienna (126 kms). We had a day’s rest in Vienna mainly sight-seeing but also do to do some much-needed washing! Actually, most spare time seemed to be spent washing kit, booking accommodation and eating vast amounts!
We then continued through the national park of Donau-Auen which is one of the largest floodplains of the Danube. We cycled from Austria into Slovakia and reached the capital city, Bratislava (83kms), where we explored the medieval town and castle.
Between Bratislava and Budapest, the cycle path unfortunately uses some road sections. However, the next stop at Gyor (89 kms) proved to be a charming little town and we took time to explore the historic centre.
From Gyor we took a short train journey to Komarom before riding along a gravel track and then by road to Esztergom (82kms), which has the largest church in Hungary.
The final stage was along a great bike trail leading to the town of Szentendre (65 kms). From there we boarded a river boat bringing us to Budapest in comfort!
Logistics
Some logistics for the train enthusiasts: getting to the start involved a train to Harwich, night ferry to Hoek, metro to Rotterdam; train to Eindhoven, another to Venlo and then high-speed train to Munich. Finally, a train to Regensberg. Amazingly, they all ran to time!
Flight home from Budapest with the bike in a box. This was provided by a bike shop in Budapest and needs to arranged well in advance. We were lucky to have a contact in Budapest, who could liaise on our behalf. Invaluable, as my knowledge of Hungarian in a bike shop does not currently go beyond “hello”!
Vital Statistics
Dates: 4 – 13 August 2025
Total distance ridden – 806 km
Total elevation – 1,630m
Coffee consumed – enough for us to seriously challenge the Strava leaderboards!
