EV6 from Basel to Bratislava - Riding the Danube

For anyone interested in riding the Danube you can find information from the Eurovélo6 site and I also recommend the https://www.danube-cycle-path.com dedicated platform. My ride from Basel to Bratislava of some 1,100 km took me 9 days and I had to continue to Warsaw by train when my dynamo hub failed me.

Day 1 - Source of the Danube to Mühlheim an der Donau

July 5 - I started from Wutöschingen, in the Black Forest, where I had arrived from Basel after leaving the #GTJ. My legs where swollen and tired from all the climbing in the Jura so riding the Eurovélo6 in the flatlands was most welcome!

First objective and milestone: Donaueschingen, the source of the Danube! Second longest river in Europe with its 2,850km, it once marked the limits of the Roman empire... It flows east into the Black Sea in Romania and Ukraine, and inspired the likes of Johan Strauss:

After 45km, strawberry fields as far as the eye could see... it is self-service with a minimum purchase of 1kg... a bit much for a single cyclist. Still, the lady said I could go ahead and have a taste. Not bad at all :)

Donaueschingen was the next stop:

After 100km and some 800m of climbing I arrived in Muhlheim an der Donau, once home to Goethe. The ride was pleasant and relaxing. I found accommodation at Theresia Guest House where I got a huge room and secure place for the bike. The team was great and we managed to commnunicate despite the language barrier. After a misshap at a restaurant where the waitress spilled tons of pepper on my plate I finished by eating at a pub amidst a crowd of football fans watching the Germany-Spain game where Spain won 2 to 1.

One big recommendation here is the fantastic café "idverpackt" where I had dessert an ice cream and a tea. Staff were fantastic and joked around a lot. I wish I had teken pictures.

For anyone riding the EV6, Muhlheim an der Donau is a great place for a quiet and relaxing stop.

Day 2 - Mühlheim an der Donau to Ulm

July 6 - I would ride 145 km today as the path took us through a forest along the Danube until Beuron (km20) where I was pleasantly surprised by the small Chapel that looks as if it had been built just for cyclists. I then passed the famous tunnel in the rock (after 40km) and was surprised by the "foot" with the nail - the toilet seemed conveniently located in the circumstances.

I continued my journey to the town of Mengen where I arrived in the middle of a fair:

Fair in Mengen

I finished my day on the outskirts of Ulm where I settled at Am Zehntstadl Hotel & Sauna where I enjoyed my first experience in a German sauna that I shared with a group of about 20 friends, mostly couples, many with small kids, who get together every year since they were kids. We met again in the morning during breakfast before parting ways. The hotel is very convenient for cyclists, with a locked garage and well located.

Day 3 - Ulm to Ingolstadt

July 7 - I am starting the day in the rain but my spirits are high as I am about to enter the city center of Ulm, where Albert Einstein (this is my first encounter with Einstein on this journey but not the last!) was born and home to the highest church tower in the world! But before leaving the bike path I give way to "locals"👇😉 going for a swim.

ULM Minster - world's tallest church, 769 steps, 161 meters!

After 154 kilometres I stoped on the outskirts of Ingolstadt at Come IN Comfort hotel which was a pleasant surprise as I met other long-distance bikepackers and we exchange about our adventures. The hotel is brand new, comfortable and offers a locked booth for bikes. There is a great Indian restaurant a few hundred meters away. I was very happy with my choice once again.

Day 4 - July 8

Today would be a shorter day with only 100 km from Ingolstadt to Kelheim where I stopped for lunch and to Regensburg with its nice medieval town where one can visit the famous Valhalla Temple. Surely a place where one could easily stay a few days.

In Regensburg I stayed at the Wiendl Hotel where they had a secure place for my bike and great restaurants within biking distance.

Day 5 - From Regensburg to Osterhofen

July 9 - The challenge today was to find internet access in Osterhofen. Luckily I found a Greek restaurant where th owners let me use the internet well into the evening so I could plan my next day... For some reason the internet at the Hotel Bayrischer Löwe gave some trouble but everything else including breakfast was just fine. The family owned hotel was surprisingly crowded in the morning. There is a locked garage to keep the bike safe and I would say this is a great place for cyclists. I had lunch in Straubing where there are a couple of good Indian restaurants.

Day 6 - Osterhofen to Haibach an de Donau

July 10 - On this special day with a smooth 90km ride with a brief ice cream stop in the border town of Passau I took the bridge to leave Germany and was excited to arrive in Austria. As I was taking a picture a chap on an e-bike asekd what I was doing and we rode along together for the next 20 kilometers. He used to be a chef in Switzerland and was now retired. Riding is one of his great daily joys and I had a great time riding with him. I wish I had taken a picture. He suggested to join him and cross to the other, even more scenic side of the Danube. But I continued as I feared it would slow me down.

I later passed in front of the "Sissi Café" in Engelszell that looked fabulous but was unfortunately closed. I later arrived in Gasthof Zum Hl Nikolaus that is a hotel and a camping right on the Danube - and where I ate like a king. A place I definitely want to visit again! I had my tea and dessert while boats were passing by.

Day 7 - Haibach an de Donau to Saxen

July 11 The morning ride along the Danube was pure joy. Halfway through my 100km ride I arrived in Linz where I first encountered a merry group of Pedalinaoc cyclists from Zagreb 🇭🇷 on their way to Paris 🇫🇷 for the Olympics and then I met Miriam and Ondrej, a just as happy couple from Bratislava 🇸🇰 on their 2,000 km walk to Santiago de Compostela!

The great day would continue to Saxen where I was very lucky to stop at the SturmMühle hotel that was extraordinarily empty and where I ate fresh fish from the pond and had a great room with a huge balcony. One could not think of a better place to stop for an overnight break in the quiet and peaceful countryside.

Day 8 - Saxen to Angern

July 12 - From Saxen the morning ride was increasingly difficult as the face winds picked up. My front wheel started making some noise and I stopped as several bike shops where I did not get proper advice until I arrived at Steindl's bike shop in Marbach an de Donau. The chief mechanic explained that it was the dynamo and that I could continue although the bike would make noise and slow me down a bit. There was no chance to find a spare dynamo hub on the road and this was a part I would have to order online.

Still, I rode around 100km until I found a great hotel in Angern - Weinhoff Maier - what I did not know was there was no restaurant open as everyone was working hard on the vineyards at this time of the year. I was saved then a couple, Krista and Hans, regular clients here offered to take me to dinner a short drive away.