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Cycling along the Danube

Cycling the Danube: Budapest to the Black Sea

The 2772km-long Danube is Europe’s second longest river (behind the Volga). Rising in the German Black Forest, it runs through 10 countries on its way to the Black Sea.

This guidebook covers the 1647km that the river flows from Budapest to the extensive delta in Romania where it empties into the sea. As the Danube has dropped to an altitude of only 100m above sea level by the time it reaches Budapest, the cycleway following the river is mostly level.

The route follows part of EuroVelo route 6 (EV6), a trans-continental cycle route running from the Atlantic coast of France to the Black Sea. This is well waymarked in Hungary and Serbia, partly so in Croatia but unmarked in Romania. This guide breaks the route into 32 stages, averaging 53.5km per stage. In theory a fit cyclist covering 90km per day should be able to complete the trip in 19 days. However, this is difficult to achieve because of unequal distances between overnight accommodation, and so, unless you are camping, it is advisable to plan on taking between three and four weeks.

The Danube Cycleway

The 1712km lower Danube Cycleway passes through four countries. The first 234km are in Hungary, followed by 540km through the former Yugoslav states of Croatia and Serbia. The remainder of the journey, 938km, is across the south of Romania, through the regions of Wallachia and Dobruja.

This route starts in the heart of Hungary’s capital Budapest, before leaving the city via the Csepel-sziget island and then following the Danube south across the Great Hungarian plain to reach the border with Croatia. After passing through Slavonia, a region of Croatia recovering from the Yugoslav Civil War (Stages 6–8), the Danube is crossed into the Serbian region of Vojvodina to visit the cities of Novi Sad and Belgrade.

Heading east through Serbia, using cycle tracks along long stretches of Danube flood dyke, the barrier formed by the Carpathian mountains is reached at Golubac. The next 150km is the most scenic part of the route as it follows the river through the deep and winding Iron Gates gorges traversing a gap between Carpathian (to the north) and Balkan mountains (to the south). Emerging from the gorge before Drobeta-Turnu Severin, the route enters Romania and turns south following quiet country roads through a remote corner of Wallachia to reach Calafat.

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Ráckeve sits beside the Ráckevei-Duna

For over 430km from Calafat to Călăraşi our route follows the Danube road (Strada Dunarii), a road built in the mid-19th century to link riverside towns and villages in newly independent Romania. By now the river is flowing through a wide valley with a flood plain up to 30km across bounded by a river terrace that typically rises 50m above the valley floor. The mostly level route passes through a seemingly endless series of villages along the side of this flood plain, climbing occasionally on and off the river terrace. A number of riverside towns are passed, all with declining populations and surrounded by the decaying hulks of abandoned Soviet era factories. The Danube road was once lined throughout by shade giving trees, but many of these have succumbed to disease and been cut-down.

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The Ráckevei-Duna is a popular fishing river

At Călăraşi, where the Danube divides into two channels, the river is crossed and the going becomes hillier as the route undulates through the hills of southern Dobruja following the eastern branch of the river. This undulating going continues as the route turns north through Dobruja, eventually reaching the foothills of the Măcin mountains. The final stages circle these mountains, crossing the river twice to visit the large cities of Brăila and Galaţi before ending at Tulcea, the gateway to the Danube Delta. An alternative stage after Galaţi, allows you to pass through a small corner of Moldova and Ukraine while another extends the route from Tulcea by boat into the Danube Delta. There is an alternative route through Dobruja, going from Ion Corvin to Tulcea via Constanţa and the Black Sea coas

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Kálmán Tóth square in Baja

When to go

The route is generally cycleable from April to October. The best times are probably late spring (May–June) and early autumn (September–October) as it can be very hot during July and August when 40ºC is not uncommon on the Hungarian plain and in southern Romania.

How long will it take?

The main route has been broken into 32 stages averaging 53.5km per stage, although there is a wide variation in stage lengths from 30km to 96km. A fit cyclist, cycling an average of 90km per day, could complete the route in 19 days. However, the main determinant of how long the trip will take is not the distance you can cycle in a day; rather it is the distance between accommodation options, particularly in Romania. Unless you are camping, or are sufficiently fluent in Romanian to ask around in villages for private accommodation, you will find it difficult to achieve a steady daily distance and should allow at least three weeks for the journey. Travelling at a gentler pace of 60km per day and allowing time for sightseeing, cycling from Budapest to the Black Sea would take four weeks.

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Busó costumes in Mohács Busójárás museum

What kind of bike is suitable for the Danube Cycleway?

Most of the route is on asphalt surfaced roads or cycle tracks. However, there are some long stretches of cycling along unsurfaced flood dykes in Hungary and Serbia, and some of the road surfaces in Romania leave a lot to be desired although since Romania joined the EU they are improving rapidly. As a result, cycling the route as described in this guide is not recommended for narrow tyred racing cycles. There are on-road alternative routes which can be used to by-pass the rougher off-road sections. The most suitable type of cycle is either a touring cycle or a hybrid (a lightweight but strong cross between a touring cycle and a mountain bike with at least 21 gears). There is no advantage in using a mountain bike.

The Danube Cycleway Volume 2 - Front Cover

The Danube Cycleway Volume 2

From Budapest to the Black Sea

£17.95

Cycling guidebook to the Danube Cycleway exploring the route from Budapest to the Black Sea, the more adventurous second part of the Danube, suitable for most abilities and bike types. The river route starts in Hungary and continues into Croatia and Serbia before ending at Tulcea in Romania. The Danube Cycleway is also part of EuroVelo 6 (EV6).

More information

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