EuroVelo 6/The Danube Cycle Path

Hiya folks

I've been suffering a mild "go touring" itch for a little while, and just got news that some friends are getting married in Budapest next August.

I'm toying with the idea of cycling part of the way there along EuroVelo 6 and the Danube Cycle Path, possibly starting in Germany or Switzerland depending on how much the train/flight would cost.

Just wondered if anyone had done this before, and if it's worthwhile? I've read that it's quite a popular route, so not sure if campsites/hostels might be over-subscribed in summer? I'm also most likely to do it on a Pompino, as I've heard it's flat-ish. Won't be able to afford a practical geared bike before then, I don't think.

Not 100% set on the idea, as it might turn out to be massively impractical, but I am dead keen to hear if anyone has any experience of the route, to help me decide :)

Cheers!
Mat

I cycled to Budapest on the Rhine and Danube in 2007. Then continued to Istanbul but the Danube path finished somewhere in Serbia. It was amazing. Would recommend.

I've ridden two sections.
1) Donauquelle in Donaueschingen to Ulm. Surface was mixed, mostly decent tarmac but some gravel paths (but manageable on a laden tourer). Also some pretty vicious short, sharp climbs. Extremely pretty.

2) Near Linz, Austria. Surface was good, very wide path. Problem is there are lots of OAPs on eBikes and families weaving around. It might get a bit boring after a few days?

@bombadil @rwn Cheers for the feedback!

Sounds intriguing for sure. I've heard/read about both the dodgy surfaces (though in Hungary in particular) and the eBike frenzy.

I am a little nervous of having to do much climbing, but I'll hopefully have crabon forks for the pomp by next year which I'm telling myself will make all the difference. It won't, I'm sure.

Rode the Budapest to Mohacs section last year, and apart from one stretch of grass for a few miles it was mostly on service road atop the flood dyke. It's not a busy route at all, and not much to see to be honest, the villages are away from the route, and on the other side of the river. Apart from Baja which the route goes through,where there is a big tesco store!

@Velorbi

Thanks bud! I've been hunting around on some other forums, and it sounds like most of the nicer stuff is through Germany & Austria, where there's a fairly liberal scattering of castles, towns, and so on. Dyke paths sound familiar though, so there could be a bumpy day or two on the cards.

Currently weighing up how I might attack the distance. I think it's roughly 650 miles from Passau to Budapest, and I'm thinking of trying to cover that in 8-9 days. So 80-ish miles a day, though I guess a better approach would be to scope out milestones where I can stay, and then planning the mileage around that? I imagine that would throw up a variety of long & short (recovery!?) days.

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