Vienna to Bratislava

[Former member 102963]

Hi. Anyone everyone walked this, assuming primarily alongside The Danube? Interested to hear any thoughts!

 

[Flatlander]

Hi. Anyone everyone walked this, assuming primarily alongside The Danube? Interested to hear any thoughts!

I haven't walked it but it is a very popular biking route. Dependyon the information you are looking for you may find some useful information on CrazyGuyOnABike where many people on bikes have journalled their journeys.

 

[Kathar1na]

What @Flatlander says.

I've not done Vienna to Bratislava but I did Passau to Vienna. On bike of course, what else . The Donauradweg from the source of the Danube to the Black Sea is for your leg calves what the Camino de Santiago is for your feet: the most doable long-distance trail with the most convenient infrastructure and very popular. Plenty of good food, accommodation and wine, luggage transport (but without the bad conscience and finger-pointing), great landscapes, lovely towns, following an old Roman road along the Danubian Limes which used to be the economic-military border between the Roman Empire and free hordes to the north of it.

 

[angelafinnigan]

I haven't walked it but it is a very popular biking route. Dependyon the information you are looking for you may find some useful information on CrazyGuyOnABike where many people on bikes have journalled their journeys.

It’s not such an interesting walk but Bratislava is fascinating.

 

[mattythedog]

Hi. Anyone everyone walked this, assuming primarily alongside The Danube? Interested to hear any thoughts!

For a historical perspective on that walk and other parts of the Danube, read Patrick Leigh Fermor's book, A Time of Gifts. He describes his adventurous walk starting in London and through Europe to, in subsequent books, Istanbul. His journey took place in 1933-1935 at age 18-19. Fermor is considered Britain's greatest travel writer. Unless you are an English professor or otherwise literary savant, have a dictionary handy. Fermor's vocabulary was tremendous. I learned a lot reading his works and was duly inspired to travel all around Greece in 2019.

 

[domigee]

Hi. Anyone everyone walked this, assuming primarily alongside The Danube? Interested to hear any thoughts!

Yes, I walked it. My main memory is of the many (disused) check points. Very flat. Very grey (it was a grey day!).
From memory, it didn’t follow the Danube, we left it in Vienna.
Bratislava was great, very cheap (for us from England that is) and - so I am told - great beer.
Only spent one night there and then headed for Hungary.

 

[Former member 102963]

Yes, I walked it. My main memory is of the many (disused) check points. Very flat. Very grey (it was a grey day!).
From memory, it didn’t follow the Danube, we left it in Vienna.
Bratislava was great, very cheap (for us from England that is) and - so I am told - great beer.
Only spent one night there and then headed for Hungary.

Thank you everyone for their replies. Going to do some more research!

 

[LdnWalker]

For a historical perspective on that walk and other parts of the Danube, read Patrick Leigh Fermor's book, A Time of Gifts. He describes his adventurous walk starting in London and through Europe to, in subsequent books, Istanbul. His journey took place in 1933-1935 at age 18-19. Fermor is considered Britain's greatest travel writer. Unless you are an English professor or otherwise literary savant, have a dictionary handy. Fermor's vocabulary was tremendous. I learned a lot reading his works and was duly inspired to travel all around Greece in 2019.

Alongside Fermor’s Time of Gifts is Nick Hunt’s more recent walk following in Fermor’s footsteps called Between the Woods and the Water. Both books inspired me to hop across on the Harwich ferry twice - once to rail travel through Benelux and Germany and secondly to walk a section of the GR5 route through Benelux last summer. Covid derailed my plans to try cycling the Danube trail but hopefully I’ll get to it one day.

 

[lovingkindness]

For a historical perspective on that walk and other parts of the Danube, read Patrick Leigh Fermor's book, A Time of Gifts. He describes his adventurous walk starting in London and through Europe to, in subsequent books, Istanbul. His journey took place in 1933-1935 at age 18-19. Fermor is considered Britain's greatest travel writer. Unless you are an English professor or otherwise literary savant, have a dictionary handy. Fermor's vocabulary was tremendous. I learned a lot reading his works and was duly inspired to travel all around Greece in 2019.

Hi there @mattythedog. Thanks for this! It brings back some good memories...
One day, when I was walking to Jerusalem I met a young lady whose family had welcomed Patrick Leigh Fermor into their home, when he was a young fellow. She hoped that her family might open the doors for me too, seeing as I had walked such a long way also. Patrick had made quite an impression. When we met up again the next day she was sorrowful, though. It just wasn't to be. We had breakfast together at the local kafenio and chatted for hours. I haven't read Patrick's books yet but intend to one day.

Cheers!

 

[domigee]

Hi. Anyone everyone walked this, assuming primarily alongside The Danube? Interested to hear any thoughts!

Where are you planning to walk to?