EuroVelo 6: Passau - Budapest or Vienna - Belgrade?
FR

Translated into English.

Original post
CA
Hi there,

We're planning to ride the EuroVelo 6 by tandem this summer for two weeks (16 days).

We're torn between two routes: Passau-Budapest or Vienna-Belgrade. A third option could also be to go from Prague to Vienna and then continue to Budapest.

Which route would you recommend? Is the EuroVelo really crowded in the summer?

Thanks so much,

Camille
LA Langenscheid Veteran ·
I only did the section between Melk and Budapest, and visited Belgrade separately.

According to “On the Danube Trail” by Emmanuel Ruben, the downstream section from Budapest is more unique because it’s less crowded and human contact is easier, but it’s also less well-equipped (very few bike shops after Budapest, for example).

As mentioned in another thread, for Serbia, it’s probably better to take your passports if you have them rather than just French ID cards.
NO Nomade743 Veteran ·
Hello,

We're planning to follow the EuroVelo 6 by tandem this summer for two weeks (16 days).

We're hesitating between two routes: Passau-Budapest or Vienna-Belgrade. A third option could also be to reach Vienna from Prague and then continue to Budapest.

Which route would you recommend? Are there really a lot of people on the EuroVelo in the summer?

Thanks a lot,

Camille

Hi Camille, I did the whole route last year. Outside of France, the part I preferred was from Basel to Bratislava. Hungary didn’t really wow me. The Iron Gates passage between Serbia and Bulgaria is stunning. Otherwise, Prague isn’t on the EV6 route at all.
BU Buckley40 ·
I just got back from a cycling trip in that area, barely 10 days ago. I took the train from Prague to Linz, then headed to Vienna, Bratislava (70 km from Vienna by bike), and then down to Budapest. The signage is pretty good up to that point, but after Budapest toward Serbia and Bulgaria, it becomes Koh Lantha! Better to be equipped with a map, a good GPS, and a sharp sense of logic... And the road conditions get a bit trickier.

For accommodations, you can find them almost everywhere, and these are affordable countries, depending on your budget.

Regarding the climate, it was already very hot, so I preferred to set off early to beat the heat...

As for safety, there’s no need to feel more threatened than anywhere else—people are friendly, or not, just like everywhere. No big deal.
JO Joce64 Regular ·
hi. I’m revisiting your route. Did you take the EV6 or another path? Are the campgrounds really crowded? Thanks. joce
BU Buckley40 ·
Hi Joce, The EuroVelo 6 route is perfectly marked. You can't get lost. And it winds around the places that are most worth seeing. From Budapest to Prague, via Bratislava and Vienna, the signage is clear.
NO Nomade743 Veteran ·
Hello. I’m following up on your route. Did you take the EV6 or another path? Were the campgrounds really crowded? Thanks. Joce

Hi Joce, I followed the EV6 in its entirety. In September, the campgrounds weren’t crowded at all. What time of year are you planning for, and from where to where? Pascal
JO Joce64 Regular ·
thanks Pat, actually I’d like to go as far as Salzburg (the EV6 doesn’t go there) and connect to Italy via the "Alpa Adria" if possible, then return to France.
NO Nomade743 Veteran ·
leaving from Basel?
JO Joce64 Regular ·
no, leaving from France..
NO Nomade743 Veteran ·
So, about campsites—be careful in Germany, there aren’t that many along the Danube. On the other hand, you’ll notice there are lots of canoe/rowing clubs by the river, and they often have a camping spot. For cheap, you get a patch of grass and access to showers. Sometimes hostels also welcome cyclists.
HU Humphry ·
Hi there, We're heading out on the EV6 from Passau to Belgrade in early August. How did you handle the maps? I have the Cartovélo guide for Passau/Vienna, but for the rest I haven’t found anything except an English guide for Vienna/Budapest!!!
MA Mazzzz Veteran ·
Hello, We're heading out on the EV6 between Passau and Belgrade in early August. How did you handle maps? I have the Cartovélo guide for Passau/Vienna, but for the rest I haven’t found anything except an English guide between Vienna and Budapest!!!

Hi there, There’s loads of info on the EuroVelo website. Otherwise, on the ground, it’s well signposted all the way to Budapest, so maps aren’t essential—a smartphone is way more practical. As for the Hungarian section after Budapest, it’s really boring and not interesting until Belgrade.
HU Humphry ·
Thanks for your reply. Otherwise, did you have any trouble finding campsites? And how do you handle the return trip (train/bike)?
MA Mazzzz Veteran ·
didn’t have any issues camping, and for the return trip I made my way to Istanbul and flew back. But from Belgrade there are also flights to France
HU Humphry ·
We’d go for taking trains back to Passau, where we’d leave our car in a "long-term parking". Last year we did Chalon-sur-Saône to Passau and back by TER with our bikes. A bit of a hassle, but it’s doable.
LA Langenscheid Veteran ·
When trains are a bit of a hassle, you can also look into long-distance coaches for at least the segment(s) that cause issues.

In Germany, it’s not uncommon for them to have bike racks, which avoids the hassle of the hold—where bikes aren’t always accepted.

For campsites, a non-exhaustive but already solid source: run a query on the OpenStreetMap database by zooming in on the EV6.

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