Danube River Bike Tour Reviews (page 7)
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★★★★★ Wesley November 13, 2019Beautiful cities and hidden gems of Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
I went on this tour as a BikeTours.com staff member. It is a popular option for our members who have already experienced the Passau to Vienna tour. The tour follows EuroVelo 6 along bike paths, quiet roads, and a few sections of gravel and dirt roads. The route starts and ends in two of the great cities of Europe; Vienna and Budapest. But I'll tell you a little secret, the hidden gems of this tour are the picturesque towns and cities that you visit along the way! My favorite cities were Bratislava and Gyor. In Bratislava, it is a must to take the short hike or bike up to Bratislava Castle. A beautiful view of the city and of the Danube river await you at the top. The castle itself is astonishing and it is easy to spend 2 or 3 hours just walking around admiring the garden, the castle, and the views. The old town of Bratislava is another area worth exploring on foot. Make sure you visit St Martin's Cathedral and Michael's Gate. If Wes Anderson was looking for a European city to film his next movie, it would be Gyor. This pastel wonderland of a city is not well known but it may have been my favorite city of the entire tour. Be sure to set aside a few hours to walk around the historic old town where there are many shops, restaurants, and bars to pop into. The dollar greatly outweighs Hungary's currency, the forint, so don't be afraid to take a tour of all the little pubs and restaurants. The local food and beers are great and incredibly inexpensive. The cycling for most of the route is flat and leisurely with a few shorter stretches of more moderate, slightly uphill cycling. Be prepared for a few sections of gravel roads as well as single lane dirt roads which can get a little rough at times. The distances vary from day to day with the longest day being 42 miles and the shortest being 25 miles. On day 6 you cycle to Visegrad from Komárom. If you are interested in getting some extra cycling miles in at this point, my recommendation is to skip the boat ride and cycle the entire route. The cycling is uphill at certain points and it makes for a very long day, about 53 miles, but the last 10-12 miles of the route as you cycle into the town of Nagyarmos are absolutely gorgeous (my favorite section of the entire route)! I highly recommend getting a drink and exploring Nagyarmos before you take the ferry across the river to your final destination, Visegrad. Another recommendation is to add a few extra nights throughout the tour. If you love big cities then think about adding extra nights before and after the tour in Vienna and Budapest. If you are like me and you love smaller cities that are very walkable and have a lot of character, Bratislava and Gyor would be my recommendations for extra nights. It is important to point out that while this route follows the Danube river, most of the time you cycle through the river valley, out of sight of the river. There is a lot of farmland and quaint villages and towns in this part of Europe so for large stretches of the route, this will be your surroundings. If you are interested in cycling along the Danube river, look into our “Danube Bike Path” tours. SHOW MORE
- What was the date of your tour?
- 09/15/2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Hungary
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★★★★★ AJNZ November 2, 2019
Hungary
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
An interesting adventure, not as scenic as the Danube in Austria, but a different slice of old Eastern bloc Europe. Hotels were good and well-located. Trail was difficult to find in several places, (think an extra 20km on dirt roads..) and is definitely not as well-marked as other Velo 6 routes. It is mostly away from the Danube through farms and small villages.
Some towns were definitely low on charm, but Bratislava, Szentendre and Budapest were terrific, extra time there is recommended.
Back-up from bike company was good - a new bike was delivered quickly when mine suffered a serious problem. E-bikes were good quality and easy to use, and baggage was always there at the hotel when we arrived.- What was the date of your tour?
- 22 September
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Hungary
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe November 3, 2019
Thanks kindly for your candid review. While we're sad you wouldn't recommend this tour. We certainly understand it's not everyone's cup of tea (for the exact reasons you have mentioned). We're glad you had an interesting adventure, experienced some terrific towns, and had a good experience with the tour operator. Thanks again for the feedback.
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★★★★★ mb001 October 28, 2019Fun trip with lots of biking.
· Vienna to Budapest 5-nights (Active)
My friend and I did this trip in early Oct. The first hotel in Vienne is Hotel Arcortel and not near any restaurants or pubs but close to the start of the trip. I would suggest booking a few days before in the city center if you plan on seeing Vienna. We stayed next in Hotel Devin in Bratislava. The hotel here and city were great. Everything walking distance. Next was Hotel Barrokk in Gyor. This was a very nice hotel and city that you could walk to a variety of restaurants and shopping. Then day 3 we biked 124km to Esztergom. There is an option to take a train for half of this trip. We did the biking and found it a very long day, but doable. We had electric bikes and it was a good thing! This day of biking was the most difficult not only because of the distance, but the terrain. You are in remote Hungarian countryside with no one around for hours. The bike trail or paths are poorly marked in some areas you find yourself on dirt farm land. Unfortunately we were lost a lot! The hotel in Esztergom was the Hotel Bellevue. This hotel is set on a busy street with no options to walk to any other restaurants or shopping. We were not aware that dinner must be booked ahead of time. After talking our way into a reservation, we found the buffet was average. If possible stay in the city and not this hotel. On the last day we left and needed to catch the ferry across the river. We were lucky as the week we were there was the last week of the season for the ferry. We rode to Budapest and again found some of the trails or paths poorly marked. We ran into a guided tour along the way and the guide told us about an app called mapy.cz and it has the entire map of the bike path we used and saved us several times. It was great to finish in Budapest as it is a very large exciting city with so much to do! The NH Hotel was easy to get to and situated close to many sites.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 10/6-10/10/19
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Hungary, Slovakia
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe October 30, 2019
Thanks so much for this review - so many great details and suggestions! We're glad you had a fun trip and enjoyed many of the cities. We appreciate your details regarding the cycling terrain and navigation. This section of the Danube cycle path is less developed and more rustic than other sections, as you have noted. We hope future clients will be well informed by your review and perhaps even utilize the app you have mentioned. Thanks again.
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★★★★★ JCost October 26, 2019Nice ride, great accommodations
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
The ride was beautiful in places, often stunning. The accommodations were amazing. Each one different, all of them lovely.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Pattio October 22, 2019Danube recycle
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
A delightful way to see the Danube. Many exceptional views of castles and cathedrals along the way.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 4-11
- How many tours have you completed?
- Four
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Karen5 October 21, 2019
Hungary countryside
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
Fortunately I always have fun. If the group had not taken lunch from breakfast buffet we would have been without food until lunch. Route directions could have bern clearer.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/30 - 10/5
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Hungary
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe October 22, 2019
Hi, Karen. Thanks for your review. We're glad to hear you're a person who always has fun! Thanks for letting us know about the need to be cognizant of lunch stops and/or availability of options and the directions. We will pass your feedback onto the tour operator so they can improve these aspects of the tour. Thank you again for this feedback.
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★★★★★ Geezer Biker October 20, 2019A good trip with its ups and downs
· Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option
This self-guided ride from Salzburg to Vienna had a lot of really great moments and some that left me wishing for better. A few of the hotels are barely 3 star and some are solid 3 Star+. Mostly quiet and mostly friendly staffs, mostly spoke good to excellent english which really helped us. The hotel next to the castle in Grein was a high point: Super rooms and excellent dining. Every breakfast was quite good and lots of it.
The two free bottles of wine from the lovely shop in the little town across the river from our hotel in Mitterarnsdorf were delicious. It took us 20 minutes to find the shop, but a couple of locals were kind enough to point us the right way.
Consider taking your own bike or renting from a Salzburg shop (if you are returning to Salzburg). We've been on 5 bike and barge/boat, etc. tours in Europe and these bikes were the heaviest and poorest quality, making the long-ride days grueling, but doable.
Our luggage showed up on time every day. No fuss no worry there.
The maps they provided were marginal at best A couple of times we'd have been quite lost without my wife's adroit use of Google maps on her iPhone. Don't go without Google maps or some other app to clarify the routes. The tour company management should be required to ride the trip based on their own directions and see how they do.
BUT---the countryside and the villages were beautiful and friendly. Much of the ride was on bike trails and back-back roads with no traffic. There were several places where we were direct to ride on somewhat busier roads, but the Austrian drivers were nearly always patient and courteous to us. The final few kilometers from the train station to the hotel in Vienna were partly on busy city streets, which I found quite imtimidating after a long hard riding day.
Bottom line: Do the ride. It's a very good experience. But quiz the tour company about a bike upgrade and definitely take your own backup route finding app (which is probably a necessity regardless of the tour map accuracy).
Happy cycling!- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
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★★★★★ Bike and ski October 17, 2019
Trip review
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
The ride was somewhat boring, lots of farm lands. Not as scenic as I had hoped for
- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 1
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Hungary
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe October 18, 2019
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We're sorry to hear that this tour was not as scenic as you had hoped for. There is a good bit of country and farmland cycling as you have mentioned. We find that many clients enjoy the contrast of the destination cities and the more relaxing and rustic cycling. Thanks again for sharing your feedback!
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★★★★★ Spain October 12, 2019
An Adventure
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
We selected a self guided tour which we have done several times in the past. Unfortunately the gps link did not work for us so we used the cue sheets and map. We got lost several times which was an adventure but difficult on the larger mileage days and in bad weather. There were many more miles on roads than we expected. Often the traffic was heavy and fast and the cycle paths in poor condition.We managed as we are experienced riders but it was not what we expected. We were glad to have the suspension of hybrid bikes. However when by the river on a good cycle path the ride was beautiful. We enjoyed the ferry rides. We were 15 riders and all liked the accommodations!
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 1, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Hungary
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe October 13, 2019
Thanks very much for your review. If you have been on several tours, this one may feel more rustic than others (less developed paths, more adventurous - as you have noted). We're sorry to hear that the GPS link did not work for you. We know that can be frustrating. However, we appreciate that you were able to use the maps and cue sheets. We'll be on the lookout for further reviews denoting frequent heavy traffic. We've not heard that this was occurring outside when in Budapest and upon entering/leaving cities. We're glad to hear there were some enjoyable aspects and everyone liked the accommodations. Thanks again for your feedback on this tour.
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★★★★★ BobW October 12, 2019
Great Tour
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
Yes highly recommend this. Mostly off road on good or at least reasonable paths. Bikes were heavy but sturdy and quite fun to ride. The geometry of the bikes means that you can get a good view of the countryside as you pedal through it. The standard of the hotels was good and we had no language problems. The guides and maps were pretty good but we also used a supplementary map we purchased. It is usually a bit tricky getting out of towns back on to the trail. My favourite place was Gyor which was unexpectedly really nice - great central old town. We added on days at either end so we got to see Vienna and Budapest properly - worth doing. We only had one significant problem which was the bikes were incorrectly sized - not sure whether our fault or theirs - but this was swiftly rectified on Day Two.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 21st Sept 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- first of this type
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Hungary
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★★★★★ Rodhonaker October 11, 2019
Very good bike tour
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
Very relaxed enjoyable ride down the Danube. Lots of places to stop for local food and drink. Flat trail all the way from Vienna to Passau and an opportunity to take bikes on ferry boats to shorten the daily travel. Bike tours provided an excellent biking experience and we will likely book another tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Aug31, 2019 to Sept 12
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Cyllene October 9, 2019
Fabulous trip!
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
We thoroughly enjoyed our experience. There were a couple of directional issues, but we got to our destination each day & enjoyed every mile we pedaled.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 19-26, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ jpatrick October 9, 2019
Danube upscale bike path trip report
· Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
Our group of five guys in their 50's and 60's had a great experience biking down the Danube. We booked separate rooms with the upscale lodging option. All hotels except one were very good to excellent. The route was well identified with maps provided at the briefing, the bicycles were great (21 speed, upright style) and the scenery was superb. All details with Bike Tours were without incident. Daily rides were generally in the 40
miles/day range which was not an issue for our group. The terrain is flat to down hill. although we did have a significant headwind the last couple of days. I would rebook with Bike Tours without hesitation. -
★★★★★ cruzinrx October 4, 2019
Take your time and savor every moment of this scenic ride
· Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
I visited the Wachau wine valley on a day tour last year and just had to come back to see more of this trail and I was not disappointed. Such spectacular scenery with mostly dedicated bike trails and even the special bike ferries! As a solo female traveler, I felt very safe the whole time.Very clean, no graffiti, no weirdos living in the bushes. Although the mileage for this bike tour was considered "average", I really would not have minded even shorter riding days. So many places to stop and see along the way...beautiful churches, architecture, cute towns (Melk, just wow!), abbeys, monasteries, museums, coffee and beer breaks. On the longer riding days (60+km), I had to be careful not to spend too much time in one place so I could make it to my hotel before daylight ran out. Signage for the route was clearly posted however it is easy to get distracted by the scenic views. It is advisable to study the map ahead of time and watch for the bridge if you want to cross the river to see a particular monument. Be aware of adding the extra dinner package. You have to select from a special limited menu and it's the same 3 choices no matter what city/hotel you are in. If I were to choose from the regular menu, I would have picked other foods and it would have been significantly cheaper. Overall, I would do this ride again. My advise for future travelers, is to take your time and savor every moment of this beautiful ride.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 18
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
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★★★★★ Middle Europe October 2, 2019
Mighty Danube
· Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
We enjoyed the experience of cycling from Vienna to Budapest through 3 different countries. The people were lovely as was the ever changing scenery along the mighty Danube. All the hotels chosen were excellent. We appreciated that our luggage was always there when we arrived usually in the late afternoon. Distances were very manageable. Loading the electric bikes on the trains in Slovakia and Hungary was a challenging feat. Locating our hotel in beautiful Budapest was somewhat difficult due very busy traffic and not much cycling infrastructure. The reward of a lovely hotel with thoughtful staff soon eliminated any angst we may have had. Overall this is a trip I would happily endorse.
