We have selected the nicest landscapes, sights, and some of the best hotels at the River Danube in North-West Hungary, to make this cycle tour a really special experience. You will cycle along the most beautiful sceneries with breathtaking panoramas of the Danube Bend, enchanting lakes of Tata, take a canoe tour in the romantic watery-world of Szigetköz, visit the picturesque Baroque town Szentendre, medieval castles at Visegrád and Tata, Hungary's biggest cathedral in Esztergom, and Benedictine monastery at Pannonhalma, and you will get totally spoiled and relaxed in the superb comfort and luxury of fantastic hotels, all with unique atmosphere and surroundings, offering lovely swimming pools, saunas, massages, turkish baths, and masterpieces of the Hungarian cuisine. Last but not least you will see many beautiful faces and colors of the Danube, probably even blue...
* Dates in 2009: 27.June-05.July, 05-13.September
(start on Saturdays, finish on Sundays, both in Budapest).
* Level of Support: Fully guided and supported.(One of us cycles always with the group, and there is a support bus available for the whole group at any time.)
* Level of Difficulty: Rather easy, mainly flat areas, with some inclines on three days.
* Cycling Distance: total 216kms/ 134miles, daily 18-37kms/11-23 miles approx.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival in Budapest. Your hotel is situated right at the woods on the top of the Buda hills. Its wonderful and quiet environment, lovely swimming pool, sauna, fitness or massage possibilities well represent the character of this holiday, and will bring you quickly into holiday mood. You will meet with your tour guide at the reception at 6pm, have a welcome drink, information about the tour, and dinner in the cosy restaurant of the hotel.
Day 2: Budapest to Szentendre. After getting ready to start, we roll down among the romantic Buda hills to the Danube, and see nice views of Budapest and the Houses of Parliament. Then we cycle through Margaret Island, one of the finest parks of Europe, passing by ancient plane trees, beautiful rose and Japanese gardens with small lakes, a little zoo with exotic birds, interesting fountains that play music, ruins of the 13th century convent where Princess Margaret lived as a nun. Getting through Old-Buda, we have a look at the Roman ruins of a 3rd century town: Aquincum, and stop for a lunch break at tiny little river-side restaurants at the Danube.
Nice cycle paths (and our guide) will lead us to Szentendre, the town of artists, with a picturesque Mediterranean atmosphere. It is worth taking a stroll in the the narrow streets among the charming Baroque houses and Serbian Orthodox churches, lovely restaurants and cafés, plenty of souvenir shops, and visiting some of the interesting museums such as a unique exhibition of a famous ceramist: Margaret Kovacs, or another specialty: the Marzipan Museum. After all these you deserve a nice rest, so we take the ferry to Szentendre Island, where we can get relaxed in a nice little hotel with a familiar atmosphere, a small swimming pool, and gourmet food. (cycling approm. 36km/22m).
Day 3: Into the Forests of Borzsony. We ride through tiny little villages on the island of Szentendre - and peacefulness, and cross the Danube on another romantic ferry to get to Kismaros, where we take an old narrow-gauge railway up into the Borzsony Hills. After having a lunch break at Kiralyret, and cycling in very beautiful woods among the hills, we end up at a nice glade in the middle of forests and surrounded by mountains.
To stay at the log hotel here, is a real experience. It has an individual character, and with its gorgeous outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, real Scandinavian sauna and cooling pool, massage, bowling alley, it is an ideal place of relaxation. Not to mention the lovely terraces and rooms of the restaurant, and their local specialties. (cycling approm. 36km/22m)
Day 4: Visegrad in the Danube Bend. Cycling among the hills in the forests of the biggest National Park of Hungary, we arrive at Marianosztra, where we visit a monastery, which is a miraculous pilgrimage place, and was founded in 1352. It belongs to the only original Hungarian monastic order, the Paulaner, which was established in the 13th century. We ride further down the hills to the Danube, and cycle along the river, approaching to Nagymaros among fascinating sceneries of the hills and a view of the fortification at Visegrad, where King Matthias had his Renaissance royal palace which was famous throughout Europe in the 15th century.
We take the ferry across the river, and the bus up to the top of the hills of Visegrad, where we walk around the ruins of the 13th century Citadel. The panorama of one of the most beautiful areas of the country, the Danube Bend, is really breathtaking from here. Just a few steps we take to our hotel, which has an exceptional location. Even from its swimming pools and restaurants you can enjoy the unique view, and the Turkish bath, bar, sauna and various massages in their wellness center offer a perfect revitalization. The master chef cooks superb meals here. (cycling approm. 37km/23m)
Day 5: Stop in Esztergom and then to untouched woods of Tata. We go with our bus to Esztergom. The small town used to be our capital, and even now, the center of the Catholic Church of Hungary is here. This is why we can visit here the biggest cathedral of Hungary, have a look at the nice view of the Danube, and some great statues that show how and where our first King St Steven was crowned in 1000. Yet another short bus transfer, and we will cycle again. Getting across some hills, we have a lunch break at a hidden meadow in the middle of the woods, and then ride further off the beaten track, towards Tata.
The hotel where we stay is surrounded by a nice wood, and connected with a golf club. The nicely renovated old hunting lodges and the whole estate was owned by the Esterházy family, and their tranquil and elegant ambiance well recalls the atmosphere of the old times. Number of recreational possibilities such as a beautiful swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, fitness room, tennis (and the delicious food) make your stay here as pleasant as possible. (cycling approm. 34km/21m).
Day 6: Tata - the Town of Waters. Today we will have a leisure cycling through beautiful parks around romantic lakes of Tata, stop at a Calvary hill, a palace of the Esterhazys, see a Geological Museum, visit the medieval Castle with interesting exhibitions of remains of a 2nd century Roman room, and a 12th century Benedictine abbey, history of town, the local guilds and famous pottery, and pass by an English Park, old watermills, nice Baroque houses and many little interesting sights. After having a lunch, we cycle back to the hotel, and move with our bus to another enchanting area, the Szigetkoz, where we can swim in a lovely thermal bath in Lipot, and then we get to the 400 year old Renaissance castle of Hedervar.
It is one of Hungary’s most beautiful castle hotels, renovated with great care in a wonderful, authentic style. Antique furnitures in all the rooms, bronze chandeliers, Zsolnay stoves, the Baroque "Sala Terrena", and chapel, and the English garden with century old trees around the castle make the atmosphere here exceptionally unique. We thought, it is worth staying here for 2 nights. (cycling approx. 18km/11m).
Day 7: Szigetkoz - a Romantic Watery World. This is the largest island of our country, embraced by the Danube and Moson Danube Rivers, a paradise for cyclists, bird watchers, fishermen, and with its rich flora and fauna, for lovers of nature or water tours too. We will cycle along cycle paths, dams and country lanes among oxbow lakes dead arms of the river, through really charming little villages, and along idyllic landscapes.
The highlight of the day will be a canoe tour among the labyrinth of the peaceful branches of the Danube, enjoying the really romantic scenery, and watching some of the beautiful birds like herons, egrets, buzzards, cormorants, kingfishers, mallards, swans, tits. Also we can see a lot of small fish in the rather clear water, and even some places where the beavers live. After this great experience, we have a lunch break at a very nice spot at the river, (a possibility to swim for the water fans) and we ride back to enjoy the luxury of the "Pearl of Szigetkoz” for another night.(cycling approx. 36km/22m).
Day 8: Pannonhalma - the Salt Hill of Pannonia. Just a short bike ride in the morning to say good-bye to the beautiful Szigetköz, and we take our bus to Pannonhalma. Already from a long distance it is easy to see the dignified complex of the Benedictine monastery, crowning the top of the hill. With its classical facade and fine medieval parts it is one of the most outstanding works of the Hungarian architecture. This great symbol of our 1000 years traditions was founded in 996, and became part of the UNESCO World Heritage in 1996.
We will have a guided tour to see the most valuable parts: the late Romanesque-early Gothic basilica, the 15th century cloister, and the Neoclassical library. All these jewels are still used in accordance with their original purpose, and here is one of the best schools of the country. Also they make very good wine here, so why shouldn’t we taste some, and have lunch in a nice local inn. From here we take our bus to Budapest, where you can have a nice rest using the lovely facilities of the hotel. Farewell dinner we have in a typical small Buda restaurant that brings back the nostalgic atmosphere of bygone days. (cycling appr. 19km/12m)
Day 9: You still can enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the hotel in the morning, and we hope that you will return home with nice memories for a lifetime.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- 8 nights accommodation mainly in 4 star hotels
- 8 times buffet breakfast, and 3 course gourmet dinners, always with some drinks and excellent wines
- 1x wine tasting in a lovely wine cellar
- Full English speaking guiding during cycling and the programs of the whole tour
- Full technical support, and special trailer for all the bikes, and to transport all the luggage
- Air conditioned support bus for the whole group
- All the bus transfers, private guided sightseeings, and visits mentioned in the itinerary
- Canoe tour along idyllic branches of the Danube in Szigetköz
- All the museum, castle, church, railway, ferry and bath tickets, written in the program
- Very good quality hybrid bikes with 24 gears, front suspension, handbrakes, and panniers.
- Souvenir water-bottle and TNS T-shirt.
- Sights, most beautiful&quiet routes.
Price Excludes:
- Your travel between Budapest and your home, before and after the tour.
- Travel and health insurance.
Also see tour packages in:
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Hungary
Bicycle Touring
Cultural Journey
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