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Austria, Slovakia and Hungary

Vienna to Budapest

Self-Guided Family Bike Tour

Grade

1
2
3
4
5

Duration

8 days

Prices from

$1,280 P.P.
Child Discount Applies
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Following the Danube, your trip starts in the world’s city of charm, Vienna. One of Europe’s most classic and picturesque cities, it’s the perfect spot to spend a few hours exploring and discovering the capital’s sights.
In the morning your trip really begins and you’ll find yourself cycling along mostly flat pastures, down cycle paths and country roads, towards Bratislava, where you will be able to get some shopping done in the scenic old part of town.
Souvenirs packed up and transferred with your luggage, your journey continues through the infinite widths of the Hungarian lowlands. Meandering your way through typical Hungarian villages and rolling hills you’ll soon find yourself heading towards the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
The crowning conclusion of your journey, known as the ‘Pearl of the Danube’ and the ‘Paris of the East’. With 2000 years of history, you can explore the city at your leisure, Budapest has something for everyone – a dramatic history, amazing architecture, friendly locals, delicious food, healing thermal waters and a cracking night life.
An absolute gem of a cycling journey, this route is perfect for those looking for a gentle trip along the Danube, along mostly flat terrain with the occasional cheeky climb.
Contact us with your preferred dates and let Skedaddle show you the best way to enjoy a cycling journey. 
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Highlights

  • Spending your first evening in the iconic city of Vienna
  • The amazing views as you approach the Danube Bend
  • Exploring Bratislava
  • The imposing cathedral of Esztergom in Hungary
  • The sense of accomplishment as you finish the journey from Vienna to Budapest
  • Taking a thermal bath in beautiful Budapest

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Itinerary

Day 1
Arrive into Vienna
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After you have made your way to your hotel in Vienna, you will be able to make yourself at home and unpack. Flight times permitting, there may be time for you to see the sights of Vienna, one of Europe’s most classic and picturesque capitals, at your leisure. Full of romance and history, it’s a wonderful city to explore!

You’ll be met by one of our local representatives, who will provide your hire bikes (if hiring), as well as your route notes and maps for your upcoming trip.

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Day 2
Vienna to Hainburg (or surrounding area)
31 Miles / 50 Kms Approx.
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  • Meals: Breakfast
  • Ascent: 80 Metres Approx.

Leaving the bustling city of Vienna behind, today’s ride will take you through the national park of Donau-Auen. A nature reserve covering 93 square kilometres in Vienna and Lower Austria, the Donau-Auen is one of the largest remaining floodplains of the Danube. Along the way you’ll really get to enjoy the region’s diverse flora, fauna and landscapes.

On the way to Hainburg, your home for the evening, you’ll pass Orth castle (built in the year 1140 by the Lengenbach family) and the lovely village of Eckertsau.

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Day 3
Hainburg (or surrounding area) to Bratislava
22 Miles / 35 Kms Approx.
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  • Meals: Breakfast
  • Ascent: 100 Metres Approx.

In the morning if you fancy, you can pay a visit to Carnuntum (an open air museum) using the Roman bike trail. The archaeological park here is regarded as one of the most significant archaeological sites in Austria, a great place for the kid’s if you‘re travelling with your family.

Moving on from here, you’ll head east and will shortly reach the Slovakian border. You’ll make your way across and on to the capital city; Bratislava where you’ll be staying tonight. The shorter distance today means you should arrive with plenty of time to explore the old town of this charming city.

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Day 4
Bratislava to Mosonmagyaróvár
28 Miles / 45 Kms Approx.
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  • Meals: Breakfast
  • Ascent: 35 Metres Approx.

You’ll start today’s ride meandering through the last of the Slovak section of your holiday, before crossing the Hungarian border in Rajká.

Almost immediately you’ll discover picturesque villages and scenic countryside, the entire route immersing you in nature. The route will guide you through the so-called Szigetköz, an island plain in Western Hungary, characterized by numberless tributaries of the Danube.

Your destination for today is Mosonmagyaróvár, literally meaning ‘ancient Hungarian castle’ and known as the City of 17 bridges.

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Day 5
Mosonmagyaróvár to Györ
25 Miles / 40 Kms Approx.
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  • Meals: Breakfast
  • Ascent: 65 Metres Approx.

Today you’ll make your way towards Hédervár, the perfect rural stop off for a leisurely lunch.

You’ll be making your way today to Györ, the district capital. Györ is a hidden gem and is a charming little town, so take some time to relax and explore all of the winding alleys in the lovely historic centre.

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Day 6
Györ to Komárom (by train) - Komárom to Esztergom (by bike)
34 Miles / 55 Kms (Plus Train Ride)
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  • Meals: Breakfast
  • Ascent: 30 Metres Approx.

After breakfast you will start with a short train journey to Komárom.

From here you’ll jump on your bikes and follow a route that runs close to the riverbanks in the flat Danube valley. During the course of the day, you’ll pass through different villages, admiring vineyard after vineyard in the background. Those looking for a challenge today can choose a route over Tata but there are some climbs which require a basic level of fitness.

Those interested in history should take some time to visit the Roman castle Kelemantia, before riding onto Esztergom, known as the ‘Hungarian Rome’ and home to the the largest church in the country.

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Day 7
Esztergom to Szentendre (by bike) - River Boat Cruise into Budapest
34 Miles / 55 Kms (Plus Boat Ride)
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  • Meals: Breakfast
  • Ascent: 80 Metres Approx.

The first part of today’s ride will guide you through the Donauknie, a beautiful section of the Danube bike trail, leading you towards the Royal Palace and the castle of Visegrad, along with the open-air museum and baroque town of Szentendre.

From here you’ll board a river boat, which will bring you into Budapest in style. On arrival you’ll make your way to your hotel, and spend the late afternoon exploring this wonderful city.

(Note: Full boat timetable not yet available for 2023 – will be replaced with train tickets if boat not running on chosen dates)

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Day 8
Departure from Budapest
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  • Meals: Breakfast

Time to say goodbye to this wonderful city and depart for your journey home.

Please let us know if you’d like us to book you any extra nights, we’d be delighted to help!

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The Cycling

Terrain

You will begin your trip with the longest day of riding at 65kms/ 40 miles. For the first half of the trip you will for the most part stick to flat, well maintained cycle paths. After a couple of days, you will notice a few more gentle climbs and descents along country lanes and secondary roads. When travelling in and out of cities you will be required to cycle through some traffic, but the majority of the routes are traffic free. Some short sections of the route are on slightly rougher terrain, including gravel, rather than asphalt. For this tour we recommend a hybrid bike, road bikes are not suitable for this route.

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Family Cycling Grade

1
2
3
4
5
Grade 2 - 3: Gentle/ Moderate

Aspects of both our grade 2 and 3 trips

Suitable for those looking for some cycle friendly routes

Some modest climbs

Possibly sections of varying terrain (eg. forest tracks, gravel paths etc).

Our grading guidelines have been carefully created based on our many years of cycling experience, as well as customer feedback from our trips. Of course, if you're still struggling to figure out where you fit on the scale, do feel free to give us a quick call and we'll be more than happy to help!

For more information about our grading system click here.

Is this suitable for you?

Trips that are graded as a 2-3, will have aspects of both our grade 2 and 3 holidays. These tours are still suitable for those perhaps who have recently got into cycling, and offer an array of accessible, cycle friendly routes, cycle paths and quiet roads, however there will be some days / sections where you may have to tackle some ups and downs, the occasional steeper climb and perhaps some varying terrain (forest tracks, gravel paths etc). Suitable for those with a decent level of physical fitness, looking for some leisurely rides with occasional (achievable!) challenges along the way.  

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Dates & Prices

The season prices below are per person, and are applicable for all start dates between and inclusive of the stated dates.

2023 01 Apr – 07 Oct

S1 – $1280 – Saturdays 01 – 13 Apr and 30 Sep – 07 Oct.

S2 – $1410 – Friday, Saturday and Sundays 14 Apr – 31 May and 01 – 29 Sep

S3 – $1540 – Daily 01 Jun – 31 Aug

The following children’s discounts are available off the land-only price:

0 – 5 – Free

6 – 11 – 50%

12 – 14 – 25%

15 – 17 – 10%.

Available if sharing a room with 2 fully-paying passengers / dependent on availability.

Choose your date
Start Date
End Date
Duration
Price p.p.
Start Date
Return Date
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Duration
8 days
Price
$1,280.00
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Whats Included Tick

A) Accommodation (shared twin / double en suite rooms) in good quality 4* hotels

B) Meals as per the itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)

C) Local representative (with welcome meeting)

D) Detailed tour documents (1 pack per room)

E) Luggage transfers

F) Train ticket from Györ to Komárom (including bike)

G) Boat ticket from Szentendre to Budapest (including bike)

(Note: Full boat timetable not yet available for 2023 – will be replaced with train tickets if boat not running on chosen dates)

H) GPX files on request

What's not Included Cross

A) Bike rental (available if required)

B) Flights and charges for travelling with your bike (if applicable)

C) Personal clothing and equipment

D) Meals not stated in the itinerary

F) Travel insurance

G) Bar bills, telephone calls, souvenirs, etc.

H) Entrance fees to museums and other attractions

I) Tourist taxes (to be paid directly to the hotel where applicable)

J) Travel arrangements to first night’s hotel

K) Travel arrangements to departure airport

L) Tourist tax (to be paid locally where applicable)

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The Essentials

Travel Options

We ask that you make your own way to your hotel in Vienna on arrival and onwards from Budapest at the end of the trip. The most convenient airports are Vienna (VIE) on arrival and returning from Budapest (BUD).

Most flights from North America require overnight travel, and a stop over in an intermediary airport.

Please note that flying from North America may involve multiple travel days.

Alternatively you can book a return flight to Vienna airport. To get back to Vienna from Budapest you can either take the train, or we can provide a transfer; please request this at time of booking and we can look into this for you. The transfer is generally available every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in season 1 and 2, and daily in season 3, departure at approx. 15.00, duration: approx. 3.5 hours.

Please check with Skedaddle before booking any flights so that we can ensure they fit in with the trip schedule.

Accommodation

Accommodation for this trip will be in shared twin or double en suite rooms in good quality 4 star hotels.

Please note that a twin bedded room may be a typical Austrian Twin, which comprises two mattresses and two sets of bedding in the same large bed frame; it may not be possible to separate the mattresses.

Subject to availability, there are triple and adjoining rooms available for you and your family. Please contact us with your preferred rooming arrangements and we can check availability for you.

Bike Hire

If you don’t own a suitable bike or would prefer to avoid bringing your own we have a choice of bikes available to rent. Our standard bikes are hybrids (red in the photo above) with semi slick tyres and a relaxed riding position. These bikes typically have a unisex / step-through frame, although bikes with a high cross bar are often available on request (height dependent). You also have the choice of premium hybrid bikes (black in the photo above) which are lighter than our standard bikes and offer a more dynamic riding position.

We also have e-bikes available. (We only have a small number however and so these are always on request). Please note, e-bikes will often have pedal brakes as well as hand brakes.

Bikes come equipped with a back pannier and handlebar bag, a tool kit, a puncture repair kit, a cycle computer, a pump and a combination lock. We recommend bringing along your own helmets, but please let us know if you’d prefer to rent one.

It is possible to bring along your own saddle and / or pedals, but we ask that you bring along your own tools as you will need to fit them yourselves. If you bring your own saddle, we also recommend you bring an adapter, due to differing saddle diameters.

(Please note: water bottles and water bottle cages are not provided.)

For your family we have a selection of child trailers (Baby – 5 years approx), baby and child seats (6 months – 3 years), tag alongs (4 – 9 years) and children’s bikes (8 – 11 years approx).

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News, Reviews & Stories

Confessions of a first-timer

Find out how Jess got on sampling her first ever cycling holiday in the heart of Europe...

Laughter along the Danube

Check out these great photos from our tour along the Danube, cycling Vienna to Budapest...

A Journey through 3 countries

A family decided to challenge each other and cycle the 200 miles from Vienna to Budapest...

Reviews

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