Bicycling the Danube: Vienna to Budapest

Bicycling the Danube with ExperiencePlus!
  • Length 8 days
  • From USD$3850
  • Style/Level Classic 1.0
  • Countries Austria
    Hungary
    Slovakia
  • Begin/End Vienna / Budapests
See related tours

Selected by National Geographic Traveler magazine as one of “50 Tours of a Lifetime”.

Join us on a bicycle tour that follows the Danube River, from Vienna, and then on to Budapest. Enjoy long, leisurely rides along the longest river in Europe and through farm villages, picture-perfect you’ll have time to enjoy natural and man-made sights. Visit historic Abbeys and cathedrals in Esztergom, walk through the steep, terraced vineyards of the Wachau, and experience “Hungarian Tuscany”. Relish the modern culinary kitchen of three countries.

Extend this tour – check out the 14-day option: Bicycling the Danube from Germany to Budapest tour.

Highlights

  • Bicycling along Europe’s largest river, Vienna, Bratislava, Dinner cruise on the Danube in Budapest, Budapest, The “Hungarian Tuscany”

Includes

  • Use of a quality 27-30 speed bicycle

  • 8 days, 7 nights accommodation

  • 4 dinners (including a dinner cruise on the Danube) with either wine or beer, all breakfasts

  • All Classic tour inclusions

Keep in mind

We work hard to maintain consistency across all of our tours, but some trips have unique differences. Here are some things to keep in mind about this tour.

Well-maintained bike paths in Austria and Slovakia. In Hungary, bike paths are more rare and secondary roads can often be bumpy. We use charming and modern hotels but A/C or fans may not always be available. Long stretches on bike paths limits van support on a few days.


Date Price Private room fee Note

Download Itinerary

We’ll send you a link to a full day by day tour itinerary that can be downloaded and printed so you can review all the details online and offline. This packet also includes details about what to expect on tour and arrival and departure details.
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  • Total distance 361-373 km (223-230 miles)
  • Average daily distance 60-62 km (37-38 miles)
  • Tour style Classic
  • Tour level 1.0

Highlights: Vienna

Meet us today in Vienna, the largest city in Austria and one of Europe’s leading musical centers. It was first a Roman and Celtic settlement, but as the Austro-Hungarian Empire rose to prominence, magnificent Medieval and Baroque architecture became especially prevalent. Test ride today.

Meals : Dinner
Lodging : Hotel 25Hours at MuseumsQuartier

Highlights: Imperial Vienna; Hofburg palace; Viennese pastries

We offer an optional ride today for those who want to stretch their legs, though we’ll start the morning with a guided walk of Vienna. Be sure to take time to explore Vienna, one of the great imperial cities of Europe. Take in a concert at a local church, or concert hall.

Meals : Breakfast
Lodging : Hotel 25Hours at MuseumsQuartier

Highlights: Crossing the former “Iron Curtain”

An easy ride today takes you to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Czechoslovakia was formed from parts of the historic Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918 and came under Soviet domination in 1948. It wasn’t until 1989, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, that the country was freed from Soviet control. Bratislava became capital of Slovakia when it separated from the Czech Republic during the “velvet divorce” in 1993. You’ll bicycle through the former “Iron Curtain”, which would have been prohibited just a few decades ago.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner

Highlights: Bicycling along the Danube to Hungary

While Györ was a border town early in its history under the Romans, it was an imperial city under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was directly in the path of barbarian invasions through the centuries, and much of the present day city was built by Italian architects after the retreat of the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century. Leaving Slovakia road conditions become noticeably worse, but you are rewarded with pristine, simple villages that will make you feel as though you have traveled back in time.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Klastrom

Highlights: Babolna and the “Hungarian Tuscany”

Leaving Gyöor you’ll pass through important industrial areas before reaching the Pannonian Basin and Babolna, where Hungary’s finest riding horses are bred. The landscape changes here and you’ll soon be riding the rolling hills of Transdanubia, also known as the “Hungarian Tuscany”. Your destination is the small city of Tata which features a beautiful “old lake” and castle from the 15th century.

Meals : Breakfast
Lodging : Kristaly Imperial Hotel

Highlights: Transdanubian hills, Esztergom

You’ll ride just south of the Danube today through the Transdanubian hills. A beautiful landscape that leads you to Esztergom which was the capital of Hungary from the 11th to the mid-13th century, was occupied by the Ottoman Turks for 150 years, and enjoyed a rebirth of baroque architecture after 1700.

Meals : Breakfast
Lodging : Bazilika Panzio Hotel

Highlights: Bicycling along the Danube into Budapest

We ride into Budapest today and our hotel is at the foot of the Buda Castle Hill, so you’ll be close to most of the sights.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Park Plaza Budapest

Highlights: Budapest

Our tour ends this morning in Budapest. We highly recommend that you take a few days to enjoy all that the city has to offer. Whatever you decide, have a wonderful journey.

Meals : Breakfast

Visit our Tour Level page to learn more about terrain levels and how we determine day and tour levels.



Pre-trip planning checklist



  • We had a fantastic, once in a lifetime, experience. Our tour leaders were the best. They were very professional and had great positive attitudes, even with a novice cyclist like me. The whole trip was very organized and we never encountered any problems. Our trip down the Danube was first class and we had a blast!!

    Howard B., Austin, TX