The Danube Cycleway Volume 2. Mike Wells

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      A fully equipped cycle

Getting there and back

      You may have reached Budapest by cycling the Danube Cycleway from Vienna or even from the river’s source in the German Black Forest. If you did you will have reached Szechenyi chain bridge in central Budapest, the start point for Stage 1 of this guide. If you are starting from Budapest, you can reach the city by rail, air, road or river. For a list of useful transportation websites, see Appendix E.

      By rail

      International rail services allow passengers to reach Budapest from all over Europe, often with a change in Vienna. However the frequent high-speed ÖBB (Austrian Railways) Railjet service from Munich and Vienna to Budapest has no cycle provision, so having arrived in Vienna it is necessary to take a series of local trains either via Bratislava to Budapest Keleti or via Bruck an de Leitha and Győr to Budapest Deli. The routes from these stations to the chain bridge are shown on the Budapest city map in Stage 1.

      If travelling by rail from the UK, you can take your cycle on Eurostar from London St Pancras (not Ebbsfleet nor Ashford) to Paris Gare du Nord or Brussels Midi. Cycles booked in advance travel in dedicated cycle spaces in the baggage compartment of the same train as you. Bookings, which cost £30 single, can be made through Eurostar baggage (0344 822 5822). Cycles must be checked-in at St Pancras Eurostar luggage office (beside the bus drop-off point) at least 40mins before departure. Numbers are limited and if no spaces are available your cycle can be sent as registered baggage (£25). In this case it will travel on the next available train and is guaranteed to arrive within 24hrs. In practice, 80 per cent of the time it will travel on the same train as you. Currently there is no requirement to box your cycle, though this may change. For latest information, go to www.eurostar.com.

      When you reach the continent, you and your bicycle are faced with a problem. Many of the most convenient long-distance services across Europe are operated by high speed trains that have either limited provision for cycles (French TGV) or no space at all (Thalys service from Paris and Brussels to Köln, and German ICE services). Trains from Paris to Strasbourg depart from Gare de l’Est, a short ride from Gare du Nord. Services on this route are operated by TGV or ICE high speed trains, but there are some trains with reserveable space for cycles. To find out which departures these are, look on the SNCF (French Railways) website www.voyages-sncf.com. This is in French, but less complete information is available in English at www.bikes.sncf.com. You can book French trains through this same French website or via Rail Europe www.raileurope.co.uk. From Brussels, conventional EuroCity services with cycle space run three times daily to Strasbourg via Luxembourg. In Strasbourg a local service connects across the Rhine with DB (German Railways) for connections across Germany to Munich and on through Austria to Vienna.

      An alternative is to use Stena Line ferries to reach Hoek van Holland from Harwich or P&O to Rotterdam from Hull, then Dutch NS trains to Rotterdam. Here you can continue to Utrecht and catch the overnight train to Vienna, which has reclining seats, couchettes and sleeping cars together with cycle provision. On Hoek van Holland ferries, through tickets allow you to travel from London (or any station in East Anglia) to any station in the Netherlands. Booking for German trains is on www.bahn.com. Up to date information on travelling by train with a bicycle can be found on a website dedicated to worldwide rail travel ‘The man in seat 61’ www.seat61.com.

      By air

      Budapest airport receives direct flights from all over Europe. Airlines have different requirements regarding how cycles are presented and some, but not all, make a charge that you should pay when booking as it is usually greater at the airport. All require tyres partially deflated, handlebars turned and pedals removed (loosen pedals beforehand to make them easier to remove at the airport). Most will accept your cycle in a transparent polythene bike-bag or wrap, but some insist on the use of a cardboard bike-box. These can be obtained from cycle shops, usually for free. They can also be obtained from luggage shops at some airports, including London Heathrow, but you should ascertain their availability before leaving home.

      All flights to Budapest arrive at terminal 2, which is 6km from the now closed terminal 1, on the opposite side of the airport. This makes life difficult for cyclists as the railway connection to central Budapest runs from Ferihegy station, which is adjacent to terminal 1. There is a connecting bus service, which does not carry cycles, and a motorway on which cycling is prohibited. For directions see box.

      BUDAPEST AIRPORT, TERMINAL 2, TO FERIHEGY STATION

      To reach Ferihegy by cycle, turn R outside terminal 2 and just before the end of the terminal buildings bear R through a gate onto a concrete block path to the R of the terminal departure road. Pass an aircraft museum R. By the entrance to this museum, turn L then R through barriers. Turn R onto an old airport perimeter road. Follow this as it turns R (signed Porta ‘J’), and after 250 metres turn L on a road with a no-through road sign. Fork R and where the road bears R, turn L onto a concrete block track passing under an advertising sign and down a short flight of steps. Cycle beside the highway for a short distance to reach traffic lights that allow you to cross over, heading towards a Shell petrol station on the opposite side. Before this filling station, turn R across another highway and immediately R again on a cycle track parallel to the road. Follow this past Vecsés shopping mall L and continue beside the highway for 3km, ignoring all turns to the L, to reach Ferihegy station. From here regular trains with cycle provision run to Budapest Nyugati station.

      By road

      If you travel by car you can leave it in Budapest and return by train via Bucharest when you have completed your ride. Budapest is between 1550km and 1600km from the Channel ports depending upon route.

      By river

      If you have the time and the money you can reach Budapest by using one of the many cruise boats that travel along the Danube. Most of these start from Passau on the German/Austrian border, but there are some that sail all the way from Amsterdam via the Rhine and the Rhein–Main–Donau canal.

      Intermediate access

      The only international airports passed are Osijek (Stages 6/7) and Belgrade (Stages 11/12). Giurgiu (Stages 23/24) or Olteniţa (Stages 24/25) have the nearest railway stations to Bucharest airport.

      While there are no railway lines that follow the river closely, many towns passed in Hungary, Croatia and western Serbia have stations, although in eastern Serbia and Romania stations are few and far between. All railway stations are listed in the text and shown on the maps.

      Getting home

      The СКАЧАТЬ