Prague to Budapest Ride

This is a wonderful trip through beautiful and historic villages, town and the cities of Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. And a beautiful countryside between vineyard, sunflower fields and a peacefull forrest. Our guides Dana and Peter was excellent. Great humor, knowledgeable, friendly and a rock on the bike.

Great ride through the rolling hills of Czech of republic and on through to Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Many interesting stops along the way. Glad I did some training before the ride as we had some windy days.

Great experience despite a few days of cold and heavy rain.

A great trip, with a variety of scenery and a really good bunch of people.

an excellent concept, linking prague with budapest with maximum sight seeing on a bike.more cycling on cycle paths, particularly along the Danube into Budapest would have enhanced this experience; better hotel, more central in Budapest- poor location, unhelpful staff, poor ending to holiday

An excellant trip through 4 countries in central Europe. Easy cycling, lots of history (old and recent) architecture, culture, very interesting. Easy cycling but the bit alongside the Danube was disappointing as it was on some sort of flood defence scheme and a bit dull as you could not see the river.

The cities, towns etc we visited were amazing. We started in Prague which is a popular resort, so popular I was glad to get away. But then on the first day we arrived at Cesky Krumlov, (didn't he use to play for Chelsea?) which is an amazing Gothic town and a UNESCO site, I'd never previously heard of , but could easily return to and spend a long w/end there imbibing some of the excellent Czech beer. There is an optional walking tour of the town which is well worth going on. The next town we reached , Trebon, was also very interesting, and well worth a walk around. And then came another UNESCO , Telc with yet another fantastic cobbled town square. A couple of days later we arrived in Vienna which just shouts opulence. Do go on the optional bike tour of the city as it gives you a good idea of where to head to when you get free time. A couple of us went to a classical concert (not usually my kind of thing) in one of the large churches where they played classical music's greatest hits (Vivaldi etc) and where the acoustics are simply amazing. Oh, and don't forget the cakes to die for or of ! We then got to Bratislava, another interesting place where the leader takes you on another optional walking tour; worth taking again. Eventually we arrived in Budapest and by this time I was beginning to suffer from cultural overload but managed to squeeze in a visit to the parliament building and the basillica before retiring to the bar. Oh , I nearly forgot the cycling bit of the trip; it's graded as 3 but could easily be a 2 as there were very few hills ; a considerable amount of the time is on cycle-only tracks which is great if you want to natter to your fellow cyclists but does mean there is only a limited amount of vehicle support. The trip notes say there is only 10% without vehicle support but it was considerably more than that . Fortunately, the vehicle war around when we rode through an almighty thunderstorm when the hairs on your head stand up , then curl, and possibly smolder, even for the'follickly challenged' like myself . Also, there was the fact that there was no "tail gunner" mechanic, which meant that if there was a mechanical, the whole group had to stop whilst running repairs took place. The bikes themselves, were more "upright" than I am used to but proved to be very good for my back ; unfortunately they seemed to be prone to the chain coming off and jamming ; couldn't possibly be anything to do with the ability of the cyclists themselves !

Although I found the "rolling hills" hard work I had a great time, the countries we visited were fascinating and I particularly enjoyed Cesky Krumlov where we were lucky enough to arrive for their medieval festival and Bratislava.

The best way to see the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary is by bike and taking this fabulously guided tour. These countries are well versed in cycling and have bike paths that go for miles and miles and are in good condition. There is some cycling that happens on main roads but cars are very accommodating of cyclists. The most difficult terrain is in the first couple of days with a lot of undulating hills. For this it is best if you have some cycling experience. Strangely enough the terrain turns flat about half way through the trip which is good for a while but believe it or not as scenic as the countryside is, you'll find yourself wishing for the odd hill or two just for variety and believe me that's not something I thought I ever would have said. Transfers on the bus are minimal compared to other trips which is good because the bus is small and we had an excellent driver so safety was never an issue. The accommodation included a mix of hotels and pensions. You can expect twin beds which is noteworthy if travelling as a couple. This is the European way and in most cases the beds could be pushed together if you wanted. On only one occasion did we have beds with the springs being not far below the surface and in another there was no hot water which was disappointing after a long days cycle but on the whole they were very satisfactory and everything was well organised upon our arrival. They were also centrally located which was a bonus in the bigger cities. The spread at breakfast was excellent at every stop. However, I should mention that if you're gluten free like myself, it is more of a challenge. I picked up some supplies in Prague and carried them with me. Also, the restaurants and cafes we stopped at also don't cater to gluten free and throw in vegetarian and it can get tricky. Our guide was really helpful in trying to ensure I at least got something at lunch and dinner. There are regular stops near shops to pick up supplies. You will find the bikes themselves to be heavier than what you're used to but you soon adapt. They were safely locked away each night and spares are carried in case there are any problems along the way. Our starts in the morning were at reasonable times which is great if like myself you're not a morning person. At the end of each day, the following days information would be shared. There are plenty of breaks throughout the day starting with morning coffee, followed by lunch and an afternoon break on longer ride days. There were a few occasions were it would have been better to push on especially when it was pouring rain and you were soaked as stopping for a lengthy time only allowed you to get cold. My suggestion would be to poll the group and possibly do shorter stops especially when the weather is bad. Our group spent almost the entire trip together including at night and free time. Dinners were often followed by nightcaps in the hotel bar. A great way to end the day! It was extremely helpful in the bigger cities that our guide gave us an overview as it really helped us get our bearings for our free time. Our morning tours of some of the smaller towns were a great start to the day and the scenery was spectacular.

First few days of cycling are quite difficult as there are a lot of hills. For the rest of the trip the cycling is mostly very easy and flat. You will visit 4 countries and have to get used to managing 3 currencies. Food is fresh and portions are big. Bratislava is by far the smallest capital on the trip.