Touring - Looking for Advice on Cycling from Strasbourg to Budapest

I've toured a few times before in Ireland, Britain and France, but was looking for advice on taking the Danube bike trail from Strasbourg to Budapest.

1. How long should this take me, given that I usually make 80km/day across undulating land. Should I take a train from Strasbourg to the start of the ride?

2. What are the camping options? I usually free camp most nights, then stay at sites when the need for a shower becomes too much for me to take. Are there many opportunities for free camping along the route? Are campsites expensive? How are the facilities?

3. What about guidebooks, maps etc? Is it easy to find them in English along the route. What is necessary?
I've toured a few times before in Ireland, Britain and France, but was looking for advice on taking the Danube bike trail from Strasbourg to Budapest

1. How long should this take me, given that I usually make 80km/day across undulating land.

2. What are the camping options? I usually free camp most nights, then stay at sites when the need for a shower becomes too much for me to take. Are there many opportunities for free camping along the route? Are campsites expensive? How are the facilities?

3. What about guidebooks, maps etc? Is it easy to find them in English along the route. What is necessary?

Any other tips or trips gleaned from experience would be more than welcome!

Thanks in advance!
GarethI've toured a few times before in Ireland, Britain and France, but was looking for advice on taking the Danube bike trail from Strasbourg to Budapest

1. How long should this take me, given that I usually make 80km/day across undulating land.

2. What are the camping options? I usually free camp most nights, then stay at sites when the need for a shower becomes too much for me to take. Are there many opportunities for free camping along the route? Are campsites expensive? How are the facilities?

3. What about guidebooks, maps etc? Is it easy to find them in English along the route. What is necessary?

Any other tips or trips gleaned from experience would be more than welcome!

Thanks in advance!
Gareth
Any other tips or trips gleaned from experience would be more than welcome!

Thanks in advance!
Gareth

I've toured a few times before in Ireland, Britain and France, but was looking for advice on taking the Danube bike trail from Strasbourg to Budapest.

1.
3. What about guidebooks, maps etc? Is it easy to find them in English along the route. What is necessary?

Gareth

Gareth the Danuble Cycle Way is on my wish list. Haven't done it so can't provide specific advice however I do own a copy of The Danube Cycleway: Donaueschingen to Budapest, by John Higginson, published by Cicerone. (I own just about every bike touring book published - the benefits of owning a business which allows wholesale purchases of books! :) )


This guide breaks the journey down to 20 easy (one day) stages, allowing lots of time to sightsee. The longest day is 106km, the shortest 26km. Obviously it could be done a lot faster (or slower) depending on how fast you want to travel. Its very flat, but there can be very steep hills if you want to get out of the river valley and sightsee. (The route descends 575 m over the 1367km to Budapest.

The Guide has a good introduction which includes preparation, how to get there, what to expect, accommodation advice, food, topograhy etc.

Each stage of the Guide lists towns and sights to see along the way and includes available facilities eg banks, supermarkets, camping, cycle shops, information centres etc and includes basic maps for each stage as well as maps which help you to navigate in and around major towns. Using this guide, and remembering that the Cycleway is pretty well signed for its entire length, you shouldn't need any other maps unless you are planning side trips away from the Cycleway. There are contact details for tourist info, lists of maps you can buy etc in the Appendices.

The guide is 156 pages, is small (very roughly 6.5" x 4.5") and weighs about 180 grams.

Enjoy the ride!

Maureen

Strasbourg to Budapest is 663 miles (~1060ish Km) according to one of the online maps. As this used highways to calculate, figure adding at least another 30-40%, so somewhere of a total of 1500Km.

1500Km/80Km per day= 19 riding days. 3 weeks seems a good general guide from your door to Budapest, with a rest day every 7, and ample time to check out "touristy" bits along the way (historical sites, etc).

-Camping-

Free camping seemed generally frowned upon in Austria along the Danube, yet there were some hardened sites as I recall-but few and far between. Shouldn't prove a problem to an experienced leave no trace free-camper though. The pay campings were 8-15Euro 6 years ago, and easy enough to find.

Free camping was much easier in Slovakia & Hungary, the pay campings were much better value at that time too. For a real treat you can even include a few nights in a Pension' in Slovakia/Hungary-price realy depends upon time of tourist season.

-guides-

Check out cycotourers suggestion above. Finding guidebooks along the way in english for the route beyond Vienna proved impossible on 2 occassions. Can be found in German with relative searching at better map shops ie Freitag&Berndt Vienna.

-Suggestion-

If the weather is good, stay on the Slovakia side as long as possible. I really enjoyed the open riding along the river wall (?dike). Since you are exposed all day long, it would be awfull riding in my opinion if foul weather (head wind, rain etc). In the event of foul weather, cross into Hungary early and follow a road route.

You will be wanting the Esterbauer Bikeline map books for the Danube. They are the best bike maps in the world. The ones for the Danube are even in English! http://www.esterbauer.com/buecher/html/drw1_e_frameset.htm

I haven't had the pleasure of riding that route, but the veal ragout with tarragon at the For Sale Pub in Budapest might be the best thing I've ever had. It's on the Pest side directly across from the open air market. Enjoy

+1 on the Estebauer guides Becnal suggested. English versions were readily available along the way for sections 1 and 2 (up to Vienna). I could not find the English version for section 3 (Vienna to Budapest)-so I'd recommend buying it ahead (or use the German one).

Edit: Oh wow, it looks like estebauer now has section 4 (Budapest to the Black sea) in English. Nice!

That would be a pretty nifty ride. I've done Budapest to the Black sea, but didn't follow the Danube.

The Esterbauer map books in English can be bought at: http://www.sustransshop.co.uk/index.php?search=danube&f=find.php&t=srchlist.htm