A varied self guided ride through the Hungarian lowlands from charming Vienna to the beautiful city of Budapest

This is a classic one week ride through the beautiful peaceful scenery that links these two historic cities. Vienna requires little introduction, with a wealth of history, famous sites, entertainment and culture. The route passes numerous rural villages and takes in the famous "Danube Bend", one of the most picturesque sections of this famous river. This section makes more use of the roads, which can be busy, and also moves away from the banks of the river more often, but follows cycle paths and good quality flat tracks for much of the time. There is one hilly day. After a few miles in Slovakia the route continues to Hungary. Riverside woodland gives way to farmland, avenues of walnut trees, wide flat landscapes and the shady hills towards the famous Danube Bend. The end point of the trip is the beautiful city of Budapest with time to saok up the wonderful atmosphere, enjoy the stunning architecture and visit Buda Castle and the Royal Palace.

Itinerary:

Day 1 Start Vienna; make your own way to the hotel. Free at leisure in Vienna. 2 Cycle to Bad Deutsch Altenburg. Follow the Donauinsel, a long thin island and on to the Roman remains at Petronell-Carnuntum, one of Austria's most important archaeological sites. 3 Cycle to Halaszi. Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, not bad for a day's ride! Visit historic Hainburg, lunch in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, then into Hungary and Halaszi. Chance to visit the attractive but unpronounceable town of Mosonmagyarova 4 Cycle to Gyor. Continue through rural villages and a riverside track leads to the historic city of Gyor. 5 Cycle to Tata. Easy rural ride to picturesque Tata, situated on two lakes. 6 Cycle to Esztergom. Over the first hills of the trip towards the beginnings of the Danube Bend at historic Esztergom. 7 Cycle to Budapest. Ride round the Danube Bend past Visegrad, once the corner of the Roman Empire, to the artists' town of Szentendere, and on to wonderful Budapest. 8 End Budapest.

Mode of travel: Av. daily distance: 55km (34m)No. of cycling days: 6Vehicle support: none whilst cycling, luggage is transferred between hotels for you.Terrain and route: a great introduction to cycling abroard using mostly cycle paths and tracks, some road riding in Hungary. Hills are very rare except for one day.
Group size: self-guided. Luggage is transferred, route notes and maps are provided.
Accommodation: 7 nights inns and hotels.
Food: all breakfasts included.
Compulsory Single Supplement: from $230.00
Trip Reference: LSH
Reverse Itinerary: trips that run in reverse are specified with an "R" in the dates and prices table below.