The Danube cycle path Forum

We would like to provide a platform for you to connect with other Danube cyclists. It does not matter whether you consider to cycle or have already cycled the Danube cycle path.

A forum would be nice. But we are afraid of all the administration behind. Hence we set up this page for you to post anything you like, as long as it is related to cycling the Danube cycle path.

*** To comment or answer, please use the form at the end of this page. ***

Comment by Lana | 2024-06-25

Does anyone have the distance from the start of the Danube Bike way in Donaueschingen to Constanta in Romania as opposed to the official end in Ukraine. We are looking to do this whole thing but for obvious reasons will avoid Ukraine. I see 1,800 miles in several places but that seems to be to Odessa. It looks a bit shorter to end in Constanta.

Reply by Peter

Hi Lana,

I don't know the answer. But you might be able to calculate it by substracting the mileage you prefer to avoid. The guidebook should be able to tell you.

Comment by debra | 2024-04-19

Hi...For logistical reasons, I would like to bike from Budapest to Passau...this seems to be the opposite direction that all others travel. Is there a reason why I only see eastward travel? Also, I would like to rent a one way bike, picking it up in Budapest and dropping it off in Passau....is this done?...My adult daughters might join and they cycle less than I do...in case they get tired, is there a taxi-style barge where they can hop on and meet me uo ahead at the next location? Not an overnight barge ship. Thank you!

Comment by Liana | 2024-02-28

Hello! I want to cycle the Danube from Passau to Vienna but we can only come to Europe in the last days of March/early April. We know this isn't the best season but we are willing to brave the cold weather. Is there any serious problem with cycling the route at this time?

Comment by Peter | 2023-07-24

Hello, just wondering whether a carbon road bike (the endurance kind) would be ok to use on the Danube Cycle Path as far as Budapest? I have frame bags and a seat bag and I found that terrific doing a Pyrenees mountains traverse last year. My wife would ride an appropriate e-bike with panniers.

Thanks in advance for any responses.
Peter, Australia

Comment by Dick Walpole | 2023-06-09

My wife and plan on cycling from Passau to Vienna this September at the rate of about 30 miles per day. We will be taking panniers. I am aware that there is a slight decline in elevation from west to east but perhaps there are hills. However my wife is not a strong rider and she would like to know if renting an e-bike would be advisable. Any comments?

Comment by Kim | 2023-05-31

We would like to bike from Nantes to Regensburg. We did Regensburg to Budapest a few years ago. We used your site for all our lodging. Is there a site like this for the France section?

Comment by Lisa von Drehle | 2023-05-13

We are planning to bike from Passau to Vienna. If the distance is too much for us one day where can I find information about trains or busses that take bikes - or taxis or boats. Thank you.

Comment by Sylvie | 2023-05-09

Hi there, just a tip for reaching the place with the bike : some bus companies (as Flixbus) are carrying bicycles and are very cheap. From Paris, Brussels, through Germany; to Ulm, Vienna and (I hope this year) to Budapest...

Comment by Myron L Bontrager | 2022-10-26

My wife and I are planning to ride the Danube Cycleway next summer. We are hoping to ride the entire length. We have done a number of riding tours longer than this and are excited about this ride. My questions are about the last portion. It looks like most of the eastern portion is on-road. Are the roads busy, dangerous, not bad, etc. Any feedback is welcome. Thanks to all.

Comment by Thomas Nemmer | 2022-08-15

Hello. I am considering a Bike-and-barge tour on the Danube. I would like to know what the average cycling distance is per day.
Thank you

Comment by Liz | 2022-05-25

I am planning on cycling from Regensburg to either Budapest or Belgrade. Any info on taking a bicycle back to London by train would be appreciated…

Comment by Chris Williams | 2021-08-24

I am planning my next bike tour and like the idea of cycling the Danube. I would prefer to take an 8-10 week holiday and am comfortable riding 70-120km daily (I could do more if needed) and would like to bike from the headwaters to as far as I can get within my comfort level.

I am looking for a good resource or network of places to stay such as hostels, budget hotels etc from the headwaters to as far as I can get within my allotted time.

I am also looking for a rough idea for daily budget for each country.

Thank you

Reply by Peter

Hi Chris,

It is hard to provide any estimate for the budget required when not knowing what you are planning to spend your money on.

But at least I can recommend the various pages on our website listing affordable hotels along the cycle path. You may start here: Hotels of the German Danube.

One advise though: Despite not knowing you, I recommend to calculate a shorter daily distance on the leg between the source and Regensburg. You might be able to 'speed up' a bit between Regensburg and Bratislava and beyond. (I personally don't think that more than 80 or 100 km per day makes any sense at all.)

Cheers, Peter

Comment by Melanie | 2021-07-02

Good Day,
We are visiting Regensburg in October 2021. We are trying to see some beautiful maybe historic scenery and would like to do about a 3 hour ride for a moderate skill level. Do you have any recommendations? Can you provide the address for your Zweirad Ehrl bike rental service? Thank you in advance for your help!

Reply by Peter

Hello Melanie,

Zweirad Ehrl is situated on 'Am Protzenweiher 5'. You find a map link on our website.

3 hrs day trip from Regensburg: I recommend to discover the Danube cycle path upstream. The approx. 38 km to Kelheim are rather nice. There are several beer gardens along the way. Kelheim itself is pretty pretty. And if you like, leave the bicycle in Kelheim and take a boat tour through the gorge to Weltenburg Monastery (and back). If two times 38 km is not enough work-out for you, follow the Altmühl River cycle path from Kelheim for as long as you like. If 38 km cycling, beer garden visit and monastery is just right, short the day by taking the train from 'Saal an der Donau' [map] to Regensburg. Of course, you can also take the train leg in the morning and thereby cycle downstream to Regensburg. (This is the route, more or less: <route map>) You could do it without any map, relying on signage, your smartphone and the locals. However, taking the 'Danube Bike Trail 1' booklet with you certainly adds to the enjoyment: https://www.danube-cycle-path.com/germany-maps.html.

Enjoy the trip! And remember that October has shorter days, if you know what that means.

Comment by Victor Sanchez | 2020-03-01

The Danube Cycleway.. Volume 1...Cicerone

Reply by Peter

Well, we recommend the guide book from Esterbauer: 'Danube Bike Trail 3' It comes with maps at a scale of 1:75,000. That is more than enough.

Comment by Victor Sanchez | 2020-02-29

hi.
i planning my trip from Bratislava to Budapest but i'm not finding any details on cycle paths. Google doesn't show bike routes, my guide book shows the north (slovakia) side of the river and maps. me shows the south (hungary) side. Neither shows a lot of detail. What is the recommended route as far as better cycling paths, surfaces, campgrounds and eateries, etc availability?
if you can list a few way marks i can plot the rest. thanks

Reply by Peter

Hi Victor,

What guide book do you use?

Comment by Kim | 2020-02-03

We are a small group planning to cycle the path early this summer but we are unsure whether to go Passau to Vienna or Vienna to Budapest. Can anyone suggest one route over the other and why? Either way we'd like to spend time in both Vienna and Budapest. Thanks for your help!

Comment by Victor Sanchez | 2020-01-14

Looking for recommendations on a quiet low key camping spot in or around Schologen for cycle camping. The only one that shows up is the big RV/Marina one. Anything else in the area? Thanks

Reply by Peter

Hi Victor, there is another camp ground ten minutes downstream (right-hand side): Camp ground at Gasthof zum Heiligen Nikolaus, <map link>.

Comment by roger gayman | 2019-12-11

I'm considering the entire Danube-Cycle Path on a Brompton folding bike. Has anyone done this? I would appreciate your impressions and suggestions.

Comment by ovsa | 2019-10-09

Thanks Peter, thats a big help
I was really hoping to bring my own bike from Canada because , a) it's more economical than renting and b) I like the feel of my own bike . I usually pull a small single wheel trailer with my camping gear. I hope that will work on the Danube trail.
Incidentally I looked up train tickets on the site you mentioned but it doesn't give me the option to buy a ticket for my bike, only shows which trains allow bikes. I might be missing something.
Thanks again

Reply by Peter

If you don't manage to get the ticket online, you simply purchase it from the vending machine at the station. No big deal. It's a separate ticket anyhow.

Briefly about bringing your own bicycle: Traveling with a trailer and equipment for a Europe trip is a good reason to bring your own bike. For a week of cycling only, like Passau to Vienna, a rental bicycle and a pair of panniers (possibly plus a travel bag) should be equally fine. It saves the hassle of getting your bike through the airport (twice).

Comment by ovsa | 2019-10-09

thanks Peter.

Does anyone know if there is a place for bike storage in either Vienna or Budapest where i can store my bike and gear safely while i travel around Europe for a couple of weeks?
I would really like to bring my own bike and gear from Canada, but don't want to haul it around after i finish my trip in Budapest. I'll start in Passau.
Bike rentals seem pretty pricey and i like my own set up for cycle camping.
Thanks

Reply by Peter

Hello ovsa,

There is a bicycle storage at the main station in Vienna: DieRadstation.cc There is space for 250 bicycles. It is currently €7 per month. I never used the bike storage myself. I assume it is mostly commuters that use the 24 h service on a daily basis.

A second storage is available at Kennedybrücke. This one may offer 24 hrs only (€1), the website did not provide any more details.

Comment by ovsa | 2019-10-09

doing some preliminary travel plans.
how much should i expect to pay for train fare from Munich Airport to Passau with my bicycle. thanks

Reply by Peter

Hi ovsa,

At the moment it is €25 for a 'Bayern-Ticket' ticket* plus €5.50 for a bicycle ticket ('Fahrrad-Tageskarte Bayern'). The ticket is valid on all regional trains in Bavaria (Munich Airport to Passau, and return) on the selected day. You can purchase the ticket at vending machines at the station or online in advance. Find detailed schedules (for the next 180 days at least) here: Deutsche Bahn (Don't forget to change the setting: press 'Change' --> then select 'carriage of bicycle') The price of that ticket has not changed in recent years. So it might go up a bit one day - still cheaper than an ordinary ticket (about €36).

* Depending on the day of travel there might be a 'Regio-Ticket Donau-Isar' ticket available instead (€23 then).

Comment by Eva Draghi | 2019-07-22

Good evening, we are three couples (6 people) and we would like to rent 6 bikes to travel the cycle path from Passau to Wien. We ask you the total cost of the rental with return of the bicycles to Wien. Then we will provide the height of the people for the correct size of the bicycle. The period we identified is from 7 August to 15 August (8 days). We hope to use your service. Thanks for the reply.

Reply by Andre

Hi Eva,

On this website you find information how to organise your Danube cycle tour. We do not run any service ourselves. Feel invited going though the 'List of bike rentals between Passau and Vienna'.

Comment by Umesh Ken | 2019-06-01

Hi, I am Umesh from India, works in Dubai, UAE. I m planning a cycling tour from Budapest to Vienna. I will be arriving this weekend (7th June). Can you help me with a few questions?
Can i get a cycle in Budapest for rent, which i can deposit back in Vienna? How much per day it costs?
Hope this time of the year is OK for Cycling? Any rain?
On the way i would like to stay in small cities. Hope i can get hotels even without reservation?
Thanks in advance.
Umesh ken, Sharjah, UAE

Reply by Andre

Hi Umesh, start contacting the bike rentals in Budapest: www.danube-cycle-path.com/slovakia-hungary-bike-rentals.html
The cycling season started more than a month ago.

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