In Romania there is no waymarking. However as most of the cycleway follows one long country route, the Danube road, this is not much of a problem. Regular well maintained kilometre stones mark every road and can be useful confirming that you are on the right route.
In the introduction to each stage an indication is given of the predominant waymarks followed.
| Summary of cycle routes followed | ||
| EuroVelo Route 6 (EV6) | Stages 1–16 | Hungary/Croatia/Serbia |
| Ruta Dunav | Stages 6–8 | Croatia |
| Dunavska ruta | Stages 9–16 | Serbia |
Maps
By far the best mapping is provided by the definitive maps of EV6 published by Huber Kartographie. These are available as an eight strip map set at 1:100,000 (ISBN 978 3 943752 17 5). Information is in German, but the mapping is clear and easy to understand. These maps are available from leading bookshops including Stanford’s, London and The Map Shop, Upton upon Severn. Do not expect to find maps available en route.
Various online maps are available to download, at a scale of your choice. Particularly useful is Open Street Map www.openstreetmap.org which has a cycle route option showing EV6 where a definitive route has been waymarked (although not in Romania).
Accommodation
Hotels, inns, guest houses and bed & breakfast
Unlike the upper and middle Danube, where accommodation is plentiful, for most of this route places to sleep are more limited with sometimes long distances between them. This becomes more acute the further east you progress. Until recently it was impossible to complete this route without using a tent to provide accommodation in remote areas. However, the number of places offering accommodation has increased as new premises have opened and it is now possible by using this guide to complete the journey without a tent. A list of accommodation is given in Appendix D. This covers rural parts of Hungary, Croatia and Vojvodina (northern Serbia). Accommodation options are not provided for towns and cities in these countries where there is a tourist office and a wide choice of accommodation. For eastern Serbia and all of Romania a full list of accommodation is given. The stage descriptions also identify all places known to have accommodation.
Hotels vary from a few expensive five star properties to more numerous local establishments. Hotels and inns usually offer a full meal service; guest houses do sometimes. Signs showing in Hungarian szoba, Croatian sobe, Romanian cazare indicate that accommodation is available. In Hungary best value is often found in a panzió (pension) or vendégház (guest house). Prices for accommodation in all countries are significantly lower than in western Europe.
Dunavski Plićak cyclists’ guest house beside the Danube flood dyke in Manastirska Rampa (Stage 13)
For full details of accommodation in Hungary, Croatia and Serbia use the internet or contact local tourist information offices. The Hungarian national tourist board has a website with a comprehensive list of all accommodation registered with local tourist offices, www.itthon.hu/szallashelyek (Hungarian, with other language options) or www.gotohungary.com/accomodation (English). An equivalent site for the Croatian tourist organisation can be found at http://croatia.hr/en-GB/Accommodation-search (English). In the Vojvodina region of Serbia the official tourist office accommodation site is www.vojvodinaonline.com/tov/smestaj. For the rest of Serbia, the National Tourist Organisation of Serbia (www.serbia.travel) has produced a booklet, Discover the Danube in Serbia, listing all accommodation along the river. This can be accessed online at www.yumpu.com/en/discover-the-danube-in-serbia. Most main towns in all three countries have tourist information offices and these are listed in Appendix C. They can provide lists of accommodation but unlike tourist offices in western Europe, do not generally offer a booking service.
In Romania there is no national accommodation database and there are no tourist offices for over 900km until you reach the delta at the end of your journey. Where there are long distances between places to stay, it is advisable to telephone ahead to ensure accommodation is available. It is sometimes possible to find accommodation by asking around in villages, but as few Romanian villagers speak any foreign languages, this is far from easy.
Youth hostels
Apart from in the cities of Budapest and Belgrade, there are only two Hostelling International youth hostels on the route (Vukovar in Croatia and Novi Sad in Serbia). In summer 2015 both were closed for refurbishment and it is not known when (or if!) they will reopen. In former communist countries ‘official youth hostels’ are still widely associated with state controlled political organisations for young people such as Pioneers or Communist youth leagues. There are, however, a number of independent hostels in major towns and cities that cater for backpackers. Many of these can be found via www.hostelbookers.com.
Camping
If you are prepared to carry camping equipment, this may appear the solution to the problem of finding accommodation, particularly in Romania. However official campsites, which are shown in the text, are few and far between. Camping may be possible in other locations with the permission of local landowners. The Romanian countryside is a surprisingly populous place, with many stages passing through a never ending string of villages, which often makes it difficult to find a spot to camp where you will not be observed or disturbed. Where there are campsites, these often have basic cabins to rent in addition to places to pitch tents.
Basic cabins can often be found at Romanian campsites such as these at Zăval (Stage 19)
Food and drink
Where to eat
Compared to the upper Danube, the number of places where cyclists can find meals and refreshments is quite limited, particularly in Romania. Locations of all places known to have restaurants, cafés or bars serving food are listed in the stage descriptions. A restaurant is an étterem (Hungarian), restoran [ресторан] (Croatian/Serbian). Menus in English or German are sometimes available in big cities and tourist areas, but are rare in smaller towns and rural locations. Indeed in smaller establishments there may be no written menu and even when a menu is provided only a few of the items listed will actually be available (the normal custom is for prices to be shown only for available items). In Romania every village has a number of small grocery stores that sell soft drinks, water and beer to consume on the premises, but meals and snacks are not available. There is, however, no problem purchasing bread, cheese, cold meats and salad items to put together a picnic lunch. Bars seldom serve food.
When to eat
Breakfast (Hungarian reggeli, Croatian doručak, Romanian mic dejun) is usually continental: breads, jam and a hot drink. In Romania this is often supplemented with eggs, cold meats, cheese and fresh vegetables.
Lunch (Hungarian ebéd, Croatian ručak, Romanian prânz) is usually the main meal of the day. For a cyclist this can prove problematic, as a large lunch is unlikely to prove suitable if you plan an afternoon in the saddle. This is particularly pronounced in Romania where lunchtime menus often have no light meals or snack items, apart from soup.
For