Variant for Stages 27–32 Ion Corvin to Tulcea via Constanţa and the Black Sea coast
Appendix A Stage summary table
Appendix B Facilities summary table
Appendix C Tourist information offices
Appendix D Accommodation
Appendix E Useful contacts
Appendix F Language glossary
Appendix G Serbian Cyrillic alphabet
Straw cycle at entrance to Kopački rit nature reserve (Stage 6)
Kalocsa cathedral in baroque style (Stage 3)
Liberty monument in Budapest was originally the Russian victory monument (Stage 1)
INTRODUCTION
The upper and middle Danube from Germany through Austria to Vienna and on to Budapest in Hungary is one of the world’s most popular cycle routes, followed by cyclists of all ages and abilities. (For a description of the route from the Black Forest to Budapest see The Danube Cycleway Volume 1 by the same author.) But the Danube Cycleway does not end at Budapest. It continues for another 1717km at first through Hungary, then the countries of Croatia and Serbia (former Yugoslavia) and Romania, all the way to the Black Sea. The cycleway still follows the river, but the resemblance ends there. Unlike the well-developed tourist infrastructure of Germany and Austria, after Budapest you enter a region where tourism is still in its infancy.
As a result, by cycling the lower Danube you embark upon an adventure where the very journey becomes something of a challenge. Tourist offices, places to stay and cycle shops are few and far between, while West European languages are little spoken. You need to plan accommodation ahead and be more self-sufficient when it comes to maintaining your cycle in working order. The fact that you cross the line of the former Iron Curtain twice, pass through an area that was involved in a violent civil war as recently as 1999 and skirt the edge of the old Soviet Union all add to the sense of adventure. But don’t be discouraged by this. Cycling the lower Danube is well within the capabilities of most cycle tourists. The people are warm and friendly and both road surfaces and waymarking have improved a lot in recent years. This book is intended to help the average cyclist complete this adventure successfully.
The chain bridge spans the Danube between Buda (left) and Pest (right) (Stage 1)
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. Through Hungary and Serbia the route follows long off-road stretches along flood dykes. In Romania cycling is mostly along the Romanian Danube road (Strada Dunarii), a quiet long-distance road set back from the river alongside the flood plain, which was built in the mid-19th century to open up the southern part of the newly unified country.
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 just under 54km 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 main sights encountered en route include the great cities of Budapest and Belgrade and the rugged Iron Gates gorges where the Danube has forced its way through a gap between the Carpathian and Balkan mountain ranges. Although the river rushing through the gorge has been tamed by the construction of two huge dams, this is still an awe-inspiring place. The lake behind the dams has flooded Roman Emperor Trajan’s military road that followed the river and a new corniche road has been built which climbs above the gorge with spectacular views. The route ends in the Danube Delta, Europe’s largest area of natural wetland and home to an enormous variety of bird species. Although the cycleable route ends 73km short of the river mouth, it is possible (and recommended) to take a boat through the delta to the zero kilometre point where the Danube enters the Black Sea, a suitable place to conclude your adventure at the very end of Europe.
Background
As the major river of central and south-eastern Europe, the Danube has played significant roles in the history of the continent, first as a border, then as an invasion route and later as an important transport and trade artery.
A Roman frontier
The first civilisation to recognise the importance of the river was the Romans. After pushing north through the Balkans, they arrived on the banks of the lower Danube around 9BC. Seeing the value of a natural and defendable northern border to protect their empire from barbarian tribes, the Romans established fortified settlements along the river from Germany all the way to the Black Sea, the largest of these in the section covered by this guide being Aquincum (near Budapest), Singidunum (Belgrade), Viminacium (near Kostolac) and Durostorum (Silistra). The Romans knew the border area as the Limes and settlements were connected by a series of military roads. The Romans advanced across the Danube (AD101) into Dacia (modern day Romania) but withdrew again in AD271. After the Roman Empire split in two (AD330), the province of Pannonia (modern day Hungary and Croatia) became part of the Western Empire and Moesia (Bulgaria and Serbia) part of the Eastern (later Byzantine) Empire. The Western Roman Empire collapsed and was overrun by barbarians in the fifth century, leaving the Byzantine Empire to soldier on until 1453.
A reconstruction of a section of Trajan’s Roman bridge over the Danube in Drobeta-Turnu Severin (Stage 16)
The Great Migrations
After a period of tribal infighting, a number of nomadic tribes from the Asian Steppes started crossing the Carpathian mountains. In the sixth century, Slavs settled in Serbia, from where they expanded across much of the southern Balkans. The Avars arrived in Romania and Hungary in AD568, while the Bulgars captured Moesia from the Byzantines in AD681, creating the first Bulgarian kingdom. Apart from a brief return to Byzantine rule in 11th–12th centuries, the Bulgars remained in power until overrun by Ottoman Turks in 1396. The Magyars came to the region after AD830, at first trying to dislodge the Bulgars, but when this failed they turned north to take Romania and Hungary from the Avars in AD895.
Árpád, leader of the Magyars, is commemorated in Ráckeve (Stage 1)
Hungary and the Magyars
The Magyars, led by Árpád, settled Hungary between various tribal groups. The conversion to Catholic Christianity in 1000 of King Istvan I (Stephen I), who was canonised as Szent Istvan, and adoption of western European script and methods