Questions & Answers: Cycling the Danube cycle path

Below you find questions answered that were sent to us previously. If you have a question regarding the Danube cycle path, drop us a line. If time allows, we get back to you shortly.

Cost of camping along the Danube cycle path

Question: "I plan to cycle the Danube Cycleway in June on my way from UK to Istanbul and wonder how much it would cost to stay at campsites along the Danube section per night?" (Jonathan from the UK)

Answer: "As we barely talk about prices on our website, we looked up a few camp grounds along the way. The nightly costs for one person and a tent are (year 2017):
Germany, Kelheim: €7
Germany, Straubing: €13.50
Austria, Feldkirchen: €11.50
Austria, Au an der Donau: €12
Hungary, Esztergom: €10
With these prices in mind, I recommend estimating €12-14 per night. Further down the Danube, where there are less campsites, you may consider spending the nights at hotels or apartments which will be around €40 to €50. Cheaper accommodation will certainly be available."

Getting from Vienna to Donaueschingen by train

Question: "A friend and I are planning a self-guided bicycle tour in May next year along the Donau River. We want to rent bikes but see a possible issue with how far the train from Vienna will take us with bikes into Germany." (Barbara from the US)

Answer: "Hello Barbara, It shouldn't be a problem to get from Vienna to either Ulm or Donaueschingen by train. We took a train from a place near Ulm to Donaueschingen with bicycles and gear just recently. All you need is time. The fast trains usually ban bicycles. Go to bahn.com and use the search form provided there. Put in departure and arrival station, a date, bla bla .. and (!) check the 'Only show connections that allow carriage of bicycles' field before clicking on '--> Search'. Result: The journey from Vienna to Donaueschingen takes less than 10hrs. You got to change trains in Salzburg (you may want to stop here for a day or two anyway) and Ulm. It could be worse."

Self-supported cycling on a local bicycle

Question: "A friend and I want to bicycle from Vienna to Bucharest this coming September. Is it possible to rent two bikes in Vienna for the trip, which would take about a month? What do you think it might cost? Could we easily buy a couple of bikes and quickly sell them later? Usually we bring our bikes with us from the US." (Dean from Tucson, Arizona)

Answer: "We recommend sending this kind of request to the people from PedalPower in Vienna. Since they also rent out bicycles to do the cycle path between Passau and Vienna, their bicycles might be good for such a venture. (Keep in mind that the typical client of bicycle rental stations in big cities is one that wants to use it for half a day or a weekend trip. Hence the bikes are rather robust and not necesseraly comfortable for a longer ride.) However, they will certainly charge at least €700 per bike (€300 per bike and minimum €800 for taking them back so far away) - if they do this at all.

Buying one in Vienna and either selling it in a local store (or donating it to local organization) afterwards sounds interesting. You might end up at about €500 for a hybrid off the rack. Your embassy should be able to provide a list of charity organizations that are trustworthy. We however preferred bringing our own bicycles. Including the airfare for the bike and the repair costs of damaged parts, it should be cheaper - and there is nothing like riding your own bicycle, isn't it?"