By train
The two main points for joining or leaving the route are Budapest and Belgrade.
The key for entering Eastern Europe by train is Vienna.
Three direct trains from the Austrian capital accept bicycles:
- The night train from Paris-Est to Vienna, via Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Munich, Ulm and Linz, leaves Paris at the end of the afternoon and arrives in Vienna early the next morning (15hrs).
- The international day train from Hamburg to Vienna, via Bremen, Munster, Bonn, Coblenz and Frankfurt (14hrs).
- The night train from Dortmund to Vienna, via Cologne, Frankfurt, Mannheim and Linz (12hrs)
These trains can be accessed quite easily from Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and Northern France.
Other train services between Vienna and Budapest accept bicycles, but they require changing trains. There are three trains per day from Vienna to Budapest, changing at Bratislava (5hrs 30mins).
From Budapest to Belgrade, the train service meets the itinerary at Novi-Sad (6 to 7hrs).
The best website for obtaining information about international train services is the Deutsch Bahn site (www.db.de)
For international services to major European cities:
www.mav.hu
By coach
Several international coach companies provide regular services to Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade from most major European cities. Officially, most companies refuse to carry bicycles but they are often accepted if they are boxed and placed in the hold.
By boat
Mahart shipping company: www.mahartpassnave.hu
By plane
There are many international flights from Budapest and Belgrade to other major European cities.
In Hungary, cycle tourists can chose from a wide range of bed and breakfasts, boarding houses and hotels.
In Croatia and in Serbia, the association “Bike and Bed” and GTZ have done a lot of work to raise awareness of cyclists’ needs among accommodation providers. You will receive a warm welcome at the hotels, campsites and bed and breakfasts belonging to this network.