The
towers and spires of Neuschwanstein Castle soar above the bike paths of Fuessen
in Bavaria
By Norman D. Ford
From Vienna to Switzerland's Rhine Falls via some of Europe's most extravagent castles, walled medieval towns and Bavarian villages filled with painted houses.
The
towers and spires of Neuschwanstein Castle soar above the bike paths of Fuessen
in Bavaria
My spring 2003 tour was frankly designed as a discovery trip through Europe's heartland, as far as possible away from traffic and crowds. With a little help from the Zug (train). my route led from Vienna to the beautiful Czech town of Ceske Krumlov then along riverside bike paths--largely car-free--and through a series of historic baroque towns to Salzburg, one of Europe's most rewarding travel goals.
On through the Bavarian Alps, I biked mostly downhill to Mittenwald, famed for its magnificent array of painted houses, and on to Garmisch and to Fuessen with its fantasy castle built by the mad King Ludwig. Next came Lake Constance--the Boedensee in German--a huge inland sea completely encircled by a shoreline bike path that took me into Switzerland and on down the Rhine to the thundering Rhine Falls, Europe's largest waterfall.
This year's trip was a sequel to last year's ride through Germany and on down the Danube Bike Path to Krems near Vienna (see "Germany-Austria 2002, on home page menu). To avoid the hassle of taking the bike back to the States and bringing it back for another trip in fall, I stored it in a bike rental shop in Krems. But due to the Danube floods in August 2002, I did not return to Krems and the bike--which turned out to be undamaged--remained in storage for almost a year.
Which explains how this year's trip started in Vienna!
Getting There
After flying overnight from Texas to Frankfurt by Lufthansa, I rode the following day by train from Frankfurt to Krems, an all-day trip. On May 2nd I picked up my bike in Krems. And on May 3rd I took it by train to nearby Klosterneuberg on the Danube Bike Path. I then cycled the rest of the way into Vienna, where I stayed the weekend. Thus Day One of the trip log below was actually May 3rd.
As usual, I planned the entire trip myself and booked all hotels in advance on the Internet. Booking on the Net often rates a discount of 15 percent which helped offset the declining value of the U.S. dollar against the Euro. And though I cycled alone, I met and talked with many cyclists along the way each day.
In terms of bicycle travel, this was one of the safest, most pleasant and rewarding tours I've taken. There were only 3 significant uphill climbs (plus another up to Fuessen"s Neuschwanstein Castle). Most of the way I cycled on car-free or very low-traffic rural roads and bike paths--about 80 percent paved, the rest on hard-packed smooth dirt. So for anyone who might like to duplicate this tour, I've written it in a way that should make it easy to follow my route.
In the report below, I identify in red type and with ****, all parts of the trip which rank among the most scenic and unique bike travel experiences in Europe. I also name the hotel at which I stayed in each town. (Abbreviations: H = Hotel. RD = Recommended. BB = Best Buy). Example: "H. Gasthof Alpenrose, RD,BB " means "Hotel Gasthof Alpenrose, Recommended and a Best Buy". Most accommodations were good and others fair but few were disappointing.
You'll find information on hotels, rail travel, weather, seasons etc later in this report. Meanwhile, here is a Day-by- Day Report on the tour.
A DAY-BY-DAY REPORT ON THE TOUR
DAY 1: Klosterneuberg to Vienna, 25 kms. Unfortunately, there wasn't time to visit Klosterneuberg's 900-year old abbey filled with art treasures. And the flat ride along the paved Danube Bike Path to the edge of the city was uneventful. At this point, though, I'd like to caution cyclists not to continue on into Vienna without a good map of the city's labyrinth of bike paths.
****Vienna. A great world capital of 1.6 million, Vienna is webbed by a 1,300-kilometer network of bike paths and bike routes that make it one of the world's best cities for cycling.
But a good bike path map, not just a street map, is essential. I recommend the STADTPLAN WIEN FUR RADFAHRER INNEN, 5th edition, published by the Argus bike activist group. I got mine in advance by mail from Pedal Power bike shop (see under Germany in "Helpful Websites for Bicycle Touring" on the home page menu).
Following the map, I cycled south through the heart of the city on a 3-meter wide, paved bike path thronged with cyclists and quite hectic at times as younger riders sped past and weaved in and out. But bike traffic was one-way only, with another bike path for cyclists going the opposite way. Traffic signals directed cyclists to stop at intersections, which almost all did. And after a 5-kilometer ride lasting 40 minutes, I reached the West Bahnhof and my hotel, the Fuerstenhof.
Around the corner from the hotel, Vienna's great shopping street, the Mariahilferstrasse, was blocked by a procession of hard metal rock bands in trucks, with thousands of young people dancing in the street to protest restrictions on recreational drugs. Luckily, my hotel room, a bathless single at 40 Euros a night--cheap for Vienna--looked out on a quiet inner court while many of the hotel's more expensive rooms faced the noisy street.
DAY 2: Discovering Historic Vienna By Bike, 30 kms. I spent today cycling through 2,000 years of history while exploring Vienna's fabulous Altstadt, a huge pedestrian-only historic area within a crescent of streets called the Ring. One can cycle everywhere here but streets like Graeben and Karntnerstrasse-- bordered by ornate churches with lacy, hollow steeples and lined with boutiques--were so crowded with pedestrians that cyclists had to walk too.
Yet it was the monumental blocks of Hapsburg Palaces that were really overpowering. I felt dwarfed by their massive size as I cycled past the colonnaded facades. Along the way, talented street musicians played pieces from Liszt, Strauss and Mozart while men in wigs and 17th century attire advertised evening concerts by world famous philharmonics.
In the evening, I biked over to Schoenbrunn Castle, elegantly furnished by Maria Theresa and not far from the hotel. As with other castles and palaces on this trip, a lone cyclist hesitates to leave a bicycle outside, even though locked, while taking a tour of the interior.
To The Czech Republic
DAY 3: Vienna to Friestadt, Austria, by rail. From Vienna's West Bahnhof, across from the hotel, I took my bike on a fast EC train to Linz. EC or Euro-City trains have a special bike wagon with staff to load and unload your bike. On slower R or Regional trains, you usually have to load and unload the bike yourself. At Linz I had only 5 minutes to get my bike and bags down and up flights of stairs to connect with an R train for Friestadt. As I expected, I failed to make the connection in time and had to wait an hour or so for the next train.
I rode a train to Linz because I had already cycled this same route the previous year. And I continued by train to Fristeadt because there seemed to be no recommendable bike route.
The hilly 4 km ride from the bahnhof into Friestadt was marked by clear directional signs but I found an even better route by turning left into Bahnhofstrasse, which led straight into town with scarcely any traffic.
Cycling through Friestadt's ancient Marktplatz, I saw the first of many Maypoles, each consisting of a tall pine pole hung with woven plant rings. The Maypole is a pagan relic celebrated across Central Europe in early May. H. Pension Pirklbauer, RD, BB, next to ancient watchtower.
DAY 4: Friestadt to Rozmberk, Czech Rep., 35 kms. The first 14 kms of today's ride led uphill on E-55, the main Linz-to-Prague Highway. Then it crossed the Continental Divide and dropped steeply down to the border crossing into the Czech Republic. On average, a large truck overtook me every few minutes and there were cars as well. There were no shoulders but the road seemed adequately wide and I never felt threatened. Several villages en route had bike paths plus gasthofs with overnight accommodation. Overall, the traffic made this short section somewhat less enjoyable.
Once in the Czech Republic, I turned left onto smaller Highway 163 and coasted down through the wooded hills of South Bohemia. Then still smaller Highway 160 took me north beside the Vltava River (the same river that flooded Prague in 2002). Soon, the picturesque village of Rozmberk appeared, its castle and palace poised on a hill above the village square. H. Ruze, RD, BB, 420-380-749-715. Next door is the equally attractive Hotel U Marina.
Note: most cyclists could ride from Friestadt to Ceske Krumlov in a day but since I had booked a night in Rozmberk on the Internet, I had to stay with it--actually a very pleasant stopover. Most Czechs in hotels etc speak English or German but for the average American, the Czech language is next to impossible. Prices in North Austria and the Czech Republic were the lowest I encountered anywhere on the trip.
DAY 5: Rozmberk to Ceske Krumlov, 35 kms. From Rozmberk it's a delightful ride on a flat road beside the Vltava River. About 5 kms from C. Krumlov I passed a power plant with a tall stack. Just past it, I recommend turning right across a bridge and continuing into C. Krumlov on a narrow, paved road that runs along the river bank. Traffic is minimal and en route, you can watch kayakers run a fast water chute that by-passes a waterfall.
****Ceske Krumlov. The small road I was following took me into the heart of C. Krumlov, with spectacular panoramas of the red roofs and huge round tower, soaring churches and great castle of this fabulous village. Crowded around an S-bend of the Vltava River, C. Krumlov is a warren of narrow, crooked streets, most sloping up or down.
Despite this, it's easy to find the center. And you'll need it. For here is the Infozentrum Tourist Office with street maps and a helpful, English-speaking staff who can direct you to your hotel or find you a room. My hotel was the Pension U Slunce, located above the Infozentrum (and RD for its low price).
Don't miss seeing C. Krumlov after dark, its castle and churches dramatically floodlit.
The church towers and castle of Ceske Krumlov overlook
the Vltava River
DAY 6: Exploring Ceske Krumlov, 18 kms. Touristed it may be but C. Krumlov has a host of inexpensive pensions and some pricier hotels plus cafes and restaurants galore (and most will take Euros if you have no Czech crowns). It's easy to spend a full day exploring the town with its huge castle--second largest in the Crech Republic--and elaborate churches. I walked my bike through the castle and out into the manicured formal Castle Gardens, then returned to town on a long, winding country lane.
Among the hundreds of tourists, I heard little English spoken and nowhere on the entire trip did I meet another American cyclist. But Czech roads were full of cyclists, including packs of racers with whom motorists shared the road with patience and consideration. Even so, I'd avoid cycling on busier Czech roads.
DAY 7: 30 kms. On my second day in C. Krumlov , I bought a map of mountain bike trails around C. Krumlov and spent the morning sampling a couple. While they take cyclists into the heart of Bohemia, the trails were littered with small stones that called for fat tires rather than the small 26 x 1.5 inch road tires I was using.
Had I known that kayaks could be rented, including a trailer haul 10 kms upriver and a pick-up 10 kms below C. Krumlov, I would have sampled running the Vltava's fast water chutes by kayak. One chute in the middle of C. Krumlov had large standing waves that tipped over at least one kayak in every five.
DAY 7: Ceske Krumlov to Friestadt, 70 kms. This was a repeat, in reverse, of Days 4 and 5. Most towns so far had small but well stocked supermarkets and Friestadt also had a Reformhaus (Reform Your Diet) with rich, creamy soy yogurt and inexpensive packets of trail mix and nuts. All food shops also sold wine, including small bottles containing a single glassful. H. Pension Pirklbauer, RD, BB.
Cycling Austria's Tauern Radweg
DAY 8: Friestadt to Schaerding, Austria, by train. Today, I traveled by an R train back to Linz and caught another R train to Schaerding, a town on the Inn River with an extensive historical section famed for its baroque style burgher houses. I took a train from Linz to Schaerding because I had already cycled this section the previous year.
Schaerding lies astride the Tauern Radweg, a popular and well-marked bike path that follows the Inn and Salzach Rivers to Salzburg. It then continues up to Zell-am-Zee and to Krimml, high in the mountains. To make things confusing, bike path signs rarely mention the Tauern Radweg but instead refer to an Inntel Radweg while others have a bird symbol and point to a Nature Reserve. Still others say "Radweg" (bike path) or they just have an arrow with a bicycle symbol. Despite the diversity, if you follow the arrows you will eventually reach Salzburg.
In Schaerding, I stayed at H. Hotel zur Steige, OK but single rooms were very small.
DAY 8: Schaerding to Braunau, 50 kms. An edge-of-the-road bike path leads out of Schaerding then follows Nature Reserve bird signs on an unpaved bike path that traverses woods and fields beside the River Inn. Some signs simply had an arrow with the name of the next town.
High spot of today's ride was Obernburg, famed for its colorful Marktplatz surrounded by tall burgher houses. Exiting Obernburg through an ancient watchtower, I followed signs down to the river and headed south. Occasional road bridges, all with bike paths, crossed the Inn to Germany on the opposite bank.
Entering Braunau, one such bridge is the marker for cyclists to turn left off the bike path and ride up into Braunau zentrum. For the town itself is invisible from the Radweg (bike path). Suddenly, I emerged into Braunau's huge Marktplatz, ringed by tall gothic houses painted in bright colors. H. Poste.
DAY 9: Braunau to Burghausen, Germany, 35 kms. Today's ride began on an unpaved Radweg atop a levee. Next, it climbed a low hill with a stunning panorama of the confluence of the Inn and Salzach Rivers. On quiet, country roads I then pedaled close to Burghausen. And I descended briskly on a main road down to the bridge that crosses the river to Burghausen in Germany.
****Burghausen. Its colossal hilltop fortress and enormous Stadtplatz and Altstadt make Burghausen one of Germany's most picturesque river towns. While coasting downhill to the bridge, exciting panoramas of the entire Old Town and castle invited picture-taking.
Today's ride was short because I planned to spend time exploring Burghausen by bike. The majestic castle reaches back for a full kilometer above the multi-colored burgher houses and the Old Town is full of hidden surprises.
I found my hotel door on a narrow, cobblestoned street. But it was locked. A friendly shopkeeper called the hotel on his cell phone (everyone seems to have one) and learned that the front door was actually around the block and the reception was open. Twice later, I arrived at a hotel with locked door but inevitably I found the front door open when I cycled around the block. H. Salzburger Hof, RD.
DAY 10: Burghausen to Salzburg, 62 kms. To get back on the Tauern Radweg, I crossed on the downstream bridge back to Austria, turned immediately right and picked up the paved bike path. Some cyclists mistakenly leave by the upstream bridge and, unable to locate the bike path, ride or walk back up the main road. Not so! The Tauern Radweg runs south along the river for 2 kms then branches left and climbs a hill. You then ride 1 km on a main road before turning right at a sign to "St. Radegund, Tittmoning". On this road I traversed a forest for 7 kms to St. Radegund.
Emerging suddenly from the forest, I saw snow glistening on high Alpine peaks in the distance. At Tittmoning, it was an easy ride across a bridge to visit well-known Tittmoning Castle.
From here, most cyclists ride on the Austrian side of the river. The Radweg provides great views of the Salzach River, now a raging torrent with roaring rapids and huge standing waves. Bike traffic increased as Salzburg Castle appeared in the distance. And at Erzerhog Strasse I turned left off the Radweg and cycled over to Bahnhofstrasse and my hotel. H. Pension Auerhahn, RD, BB; 1 km from bahnhof and supermarket and 3 kms from Salzburg's world-famous Altstadt.
DAY 11: Exploring Salzburg By Bike, 25 kms.
****Salzburg. Another of the world best cycling cities, Salzburg is webbed by bike paths while 5 bike-and-pedestrian only bridges speed cyclists across the Salzach River. Cyclists flock the city and there are bike racks everywhere, with hundreds of bikes parked outside rail stations and shopping malls. Cyclists can roam freely in the mostly car-free Altstadt that clusters around the massive hilltop castle.
Dating from Roman times and made rich by its salt mines, Salzburg flourished under the Prince Bishops and became a great power center during the Holy Roman Empire. Today it is also remembered for its associations with Mozart and for its coffee houses serving sinfully-rich cakes filled with chocolate and marzipan.
I spent most of today exploring the Altstadt and in the afternoon, biked out around Salzburg Castle to another Castle, Hellbrun, with its Wasserspiele park, full of trick water fountains.
Back in the Altstadt, on Mozartplatz, is the main Tourist Office with an array of free or nominally-priced bike maps. The free "A1 City Guide" actually has the best map of the Altstadt and shows most other bike paths and routes. But for overall biking, I preferred the "Stadt Salzburg Alle Radwege in Der Stadt" map. It's free and shows all bike paths along the Salzach as far south as Hallein. (Tip: try to avoid Salzburg in August during the crowded Music Festival.)
DAY 12: From Salzburg to Werfen by rail, returning by bike on the Tauern Radweg, 45 kms. Bike-carrying R trains leave Salzburg hourly for Werfen, a 40-minute ride through forested mountains. From Werfen, I cycled back to Salzburg on the Tauern Radweg.
Leaving Werfen, cyclists must travel on a low-traffic two-lane road that climbs gradually between the sheer sides of the Salzbach Gorge up to Pass Lueg. Here. the road plunges through a short, curved tunnel. A sidewalk allows cyclists to walk bikes safely through the tunnel. Or you can take a steep, narrow road around the tunnel on the outside.
The road then drops gradually through forested mountains into the town of Goelling. Bike path signs here announce "Tauern Radweg" and they direct cyclists on down a quiet country lane to Kuchi and Hallein. From here. it's a flat ride on a partly-paved bike path along the Salzach River back into Salzburg.
I made this ride primarily to check out the Tauern Radweg above Salzburg. But I still have to pedal the 70-kilometer stretch from Werfen to Taxenbach before I can claim to have ridden the entire Tauern Radweg (by the Salzach Route).
DAY 13: Salzburg to Berchtesgaden and Eagles Nest and back by bus. Rain was predicted for today and rain it did. So instead of taking the train up to Berchtesgaden and cycling back on a secondary road through Hallein, I joined a bus tour that included Hitler's Hideaway of Eagles Nest.
The small tour bus was filled with American tourists, the only Americans I met on the trip. For 8 kms, we climbed steeply up the narrow, winding road to Eagles Nest. Despite traversing a dark, 400-meter tunnel, the road was open to cyclists. But there were none today, perhaps because it was snowing on top. And once there, most of the Americans headed straight for the coffee shop where they remained until it was time to leave.
Later, in Berchtesgaden where it was raining still, many spent their visit munching goodies in a cafe rather than exploring this very typical Bavarian town. I'm always reminded of a study that found that after spending hundreds of dollars and flying halfway round the world to get there, the average tourist spends only 38 seconds taking in such major sights as the Taj Mahal or the Tower of London. Then they start pulling out photos of grandchildren or begin to talk about the last Elk Club's pancake breakfast they attended back home in Kansas.
Berchtasgaden, with its interesting painted houses, was filled with marching battalions of postcard-writing tourists.
I'll take bike travel any day!
On To Bavaria
DAY 14: Salzburg to Mittenwald, by train plus 10 kms by bike. Riding an EC train from Salzburg to Innsbruck, as I did, may require you to make a reservation for your bike. Even so, EC train bike wagons are seldom full on weekdays.
Arriving at Innsbruck, with only a few minutes to connect with an R train for Mittenwald, I discovered that due to reconstruction work, the Mittenwald platform was currently isolated from the main bahnhof. I had to pedal the bike for 200 meters on a city street to reach it. I missed the connection. So did several others unencumbered by a bike or luggage. But the next train was due in only an hour.
Actually, I rode this train only to Scharnitz, a mountain village 10 kms from Mittenwald. From Scharnitz, I cycled on a wide, unpaved bike path through park-like woods and between jagged Alpine peaks, into the center of Mittenwald. (Caution: No bike path exists above Scharnitz.)
****Mittenwald. Rakish Alpine peaks, some still snow-clad, surround this delightful Bavarian village. I felt it rates four stars, not only for its spectacular setting, but for its magnificent display of elaborately-painted houses. H. Alpenhof, OK for the price.
DAY 15: Exploring Mittenwald By Bike, 25 kms. The best map for bike-touring in and around Mittenwald, and also to Garmisch- Partenkirchen, the next town, is RADWANDERN IM OBEREN ISARTAL, 1:50,000, price 2.50 Euros and available at all local Tourist Offices. Also available at many Tourist Offices was the free BAYERNNET FUR RADLER map, which showed and named all the principal bike paths in Bavaria. On it is the Koenigssee-Boedensee Radweg which links Berchtesgaden to Mittenwald, Garmisch, Fuessen and the Boedensee--all places I visited on this trip, But the map itself is too small for cross-country navigation.
You can easily spend several hours viewing all of Mittenwald's painted houses and a church. There were scenes from coaching days, various animals and animal caricatures, plus historical, religious and mountain scenes, all masterfully painted by skilled fresco artists.
I was also impressed by the many affluent homes, often in chalet style with flower-bedecked balconies. I learned that most were single family homes and owner occupied. Despite inferior supermarkets, the overall standard of living, and the quality of life in German-speaking Europe seemed appreciably higher than in the United States. Mittenwald was full of cyclists of all ages, including women in their late seventies out shopping.
In the afternoon, I explored several bike paths leading out of Mittenwald into nearby mountain valleys.
DAY 16: Mittenwald to Garmisch-Partenkirchen by bike, 30 kms. While some sections run close to the highway, the Mittenwald-to-Garmisch bike path is almost car free, 85-percent paved, well marked and downhill nearly all the way. You start off by riding through a forest on an unpaved road, then stay close to the highway but never on it.
The final six kms is a steep drop down into Partenkirchen. I found my hotel close to the bike path as it entered the city. Garmisch and Partenkirchen are adjoining towns that united to host the 1936 Olympic Winter Games. My hotel was named for the nearby Ski Stadium (Stadion).
There was still time to ride into the center, pick up a street map and shop at a supermarket and Reform Haus. H. Skistadion, RD, no phone or TV in rooms, 3 kms to zentrum on quiet streets.
DAY 17: Exploring Garmisch-Partenkirchen by bike, 50 kms. My hopes of cycling to nearby Oberammergau, famed for its passion play and painted houses, were dashed when I discovered there was no bike path. Instead, I biked north on a major radweg to the villages of Oberau and Eschenloe, a scenic ride along Alpine foothills and beside a foaming river with the rugged peak of the Zugspitz, Germany's highest mountain, clearly visible.
Passing through one village, I met a horsedrawn wagon filled with young men in Bavarian costume, all singing drinking songs. Someone told me they had just been discharged from the army--but all on the same day?
Returning, I took the bike path through the Altstadt of Garmisch and discovered that it traversed the entire length of Ludwigstrasse, a cobblestoned street with several blocks of painted houses , many decorated with gilded signs.
DAY 18: Garmisch to Fuessen, by train plus 18 kms by bicycle. Today, I took my bike on an Austrian train for a one hour trip through the Tirol to Reutte-in-Tirol in Austria. Reutte is only 18 kms from Fuessen in Germany, my destination, and there's a bike path all the way, 70 percent paved.
However, this radweg was so new it was not shown on the regional bike path map. Nonetheless, this map WANDERN UND RADWANDERN IM OSTALLGAU, 1:50,000 is invaluable and can be had at all area Tourist Offices.
Reutte has several hotels and gasthof in case you need one. From the bahnhof, I cycled 200 meters west on Bahnhofstrasse to the Tourist Office, on the left. Here I obtained a street map and an area map showing the bike route to Fuessen. They also sold the Ostallgau bike map at nominal cost.
On a weekend, the Tourist Office may be closed. But I cycled down Untersteg Strasse to a river bridge, crossed it and turned sharp right. Soon I picked up a series of green bike path signs leading to Hinterbichl. Then I followed Radwanderweg signs through the villages of Barenfalle, Brandstatt and Musau, riding country roads that are all shown on the Ostallgau bike map. These took me under the Ulrickesbrucke Highway bridge and on a gravel-covered radweg for 4 kms to the German border. It was then only 3 kms on a paved bike path to Fuessen.
My hotel was just two kilometers into Germany, in a lovely quiet community called Ziegelweiss, 200 meters off the bike path and close to the Lech River gorge and waterfall. H. Pension Haus Schwarzenburg, RD. BB.
DAY 19: To the castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein and back to Fuessen by bike. 40 kms. Fuessen's towering Monastery-Castle complex loomed above the bike path leading from the hotel into the car-free Old Town.
****Fuessen. While Fuessen's own castle, monastery and Altstadt are top bike-touring goals, the 4-star rating is due primarily to the city's proximity to Neuschwanstein Castle, the Disney-esque mountaintop eyrie built by King Ludwig II.
From Fuessen's Zentrum, a paved bike path winds through quiet woodlands for 5 kms to Hohenschwangau, a traditional-type castle in which Ludwig grew up. Hohenschwangau is open to visitors but the real goal here is Neuschwanstein, poised on a mountain crest 200 meters in elevation above the valley floor.
Some cyclists pedal up the steep, paved road to Neuschwanstein but most walk their bikes. And while cars are banned, the road was crowded with pedestrians and horsedrawn carriages.
The road ends abruptly next to the castle wall, much too close for a panoramic view. So most people walk, or push their bikes, for another kilometer higher up to the viewpoint at Marienbrucke, a bridge across a gorge with a stunning view of Neuschwanstein and its multiple towers and spires. Taking a tour of the castle interior means leaving your bike locked to a fence outside, a procedure many cyclists seemed willing to risk.
By now, the road back down was filled with people walking in both directions. I did manage to cycle slowly downhill but had to dismount several times to negotiate dense crowds of pedestrians. Back down at Hohenschwangau I enjoyed a concert of Bavarian music while eating my brown bag lunch on a seat beside a crowded beer garden.
Yes, it was all worthwhile and I wouldn't have missed it!
But the most enjoyable part of the day was pedaling up a narrow, winding, low-traffic road high above a lake and over a low crest of wooded hills to Ulrickesbrucke, which I'd passed yesterday. A short ride on the gravelly bike path led back to the hotel.
DAY 20: Cycling around the Forggensee, 45 kms. At the crossroads of two major bike paths--the Romantische Strasse and the Koenigssee-Boedensee Radwegs--Fuessen also offers a variety of one-day bike rides. Today, I sampled the Forggenseeweg, a bike route around the long, spindly Forggensee Lake north of Fuessen.
Starting out past the Neuschwanstein Music Theater on the lakeshore (nightly musicals about Ludwig), I biked north beside the lake, climbing gradually to Rosshaupten village. Then came a roller-coaster ride over low hills to Grieth, with return to Fuessen on an all-paved lakeside bike path popular with skaters.
Expect to meet in-line skaters on all paved bike paths everywhere. Most are expert, fast and willing to share the trail with other users. The entire countryside north of Fuessen is networked by bike paths while almost every village has a hotel and gasthofs. Evening thunderstorms seem common here, with clouds gathering above the rugged peaks south of Fuessen in late afternoon and a downpour starting at around 16.00. Even so, campgrounds were filled with tent campers.
Cycling Around The Boedensee
DAY 21: Fuessen to Lindau by train and on by bike to Wasserburg, 8 kms. Yes, I could have cycled from Fuessen to Lindau on the Koenigssee-Boedensee Radweg, a multi-day ride. But by the time I found a map, I had already made reservations for the rest of the tour. Instead, I took the bike by R-train to Bessenhofen and changed to another for Lindau, a 3-hour ride.
Lindau is a color-splashed island resort on the huge inland sea called Lake Constance or the Boedensee. The Boedensee Radweg completely encircles the lake, passing through Germany, Switzerland and Austria. At Lindau's Tourist Office, I purchased an excellent map called RADKARTE BOEDENSEE MASSTAB, 1:60,000, published by AVA Vertig Allgau for 6.50 Euros ( it also has street maps of most Boedensee towns).
The Boedensee Radweg enters Lindau over a causeway at one end and leaves by a bridge at the other end. My goal for today was the village of Wasserburg, a mere 8 kilometers west around the lake. Staying close to the lake and passing scores of affluent homes with rose gardens bordered by picket fences, the Wasserburg area reminded me of a German Cape Cod. H. Pension Seemann, Wasserburg, RD.
DAY 22: Cycling around the Boedensee from Wasserburg to Bregenz and back, 50 kms. On this day ride, I cycled back through Lindau and on around the Boedensee bike path to Bregenz, a small industrial city in Austria.
Visible across the lake were the snow-clad Swiss Alps. Scores of homeowners worked in vegetable gardens beside the radweg. Because house lots are small in Europe, homeowners lease vegetable gardens on the edge of town (called allotments in England). Vegetables and flowers flourished in the mild near-Mediterranean climate. Bregenz has a small but unimpressive Altstadt.
Cycling back, I passed a beach where at least 200 bikes were parked, but only six cars, and most of the bathers were adults.
DAY 23: Wasserburg to Meersburg, 45 kms. Heading west past cottages with white picket fences and verdant gardens, yacht harbors and RV parks, the Boedensee Radweg hugs the lakeshore on a variety of bike paths and country roads. Germany's RV parks resemble those in America of 35 years ago. Since many cars are too small to haul them, owners often leave their caravans permanently in parks beside the lake.
For 10 kms, the bike path traversed the larger town of Friedrichshafen, home of the Zeppelins. Although I never had to ride on a road, the route ran beside a truck-filled highway. Altogether, 90 percent of today's route was paved. And though no trains or buses serve this section, bike-carrying passenger boats run from Lindau to Konstanz, calling at all larger towns and resorts with 4 sailings daily each way.
****Meersburg was a surprise! Suddenly, you pedal around a bend and a huge castle appears towering over the road. Then you plunge straight into the photogenic Old Town, pass under a watchtower gate, and turn right up a hill into a maze of crooked streets and haphazard squares, all next to a real medieval castle and a stately monastery.
Viewpoints provide tantalizing panoramas of the boat harbor below and the vast lake with Switzerland's mountains on the far shore. All this dates from the centuries when Meersburg was home to the Prince Bishops of Konstanz.
Despite the traffic through Friedrichshafen, this had been a scenic and rewarding day. H. Pension Peter An Der Steig, RD, on hill in Meersburg's Old Town.
DAY 24: Day ride west on the Boedensee Radweg, returning to Meersburg, 40 kms. After exploring Meersburg, I spent the day cycling west along the lakeshore towards Uberlingen and back, a scenic ride on bike paths and small roads past orchards, camping platzes and yacht harbors, 75 percent of it paved.
Richly-decorated 15th century houses line the Marktplatz
and cobblestoned streets of medieval Stein-am-Rhein in Switzerland
DAY 25: Meersburg to Stein-am-Rhein, Switzerland, 40 kms. Today's ride began by cycling down to Meersburg's dock and riding aboard a car-ferry that crosses a narrow part of the Boedensee to the south shore near Konstanz. Four car ferries maintain a sailing every 15 minutes and the crossing takes about 20 minutes. Street maps of Konstanz are usually available at Meersburg Tourist Office or next to the ferry dock on arrival.
From the dock, it's an 8 kms ride on quiet roads and unpaved bike paths into downtown Konstanz. I left the dock south on Lindauerstrasse and followed signs to a bike path through the Lorettowald Forest and across a bridge into the larger town of Konstanz. Heading south and staying close to the lakefront brings you to the Konstanz bahnhof and Tourist Office.
Adjoining the bahnhof is a Swiss rail station where you can change Euros or travelers cheques into Swiss francs. For the next move is to cycle west through Konstanz Aktstadt on Gottliebstrasse to the Swiss Border. Once in Switzerland, bright red and blue bike signs indicate you are riding Swiss National Bike Route 2, the Rhein Route, and heading west towards Stein-am- Rhein.
Along with hundreds of other cyclists--most aged 50 and over and only one in five wearing a helmet--I biked along the lakeshore through farm fields and small resorts to the bridge over the Rhine to Stein.
****Stein-am-Rhein. Across the bridge, the roofs and spires of medieval Stein-am-Rhein crowd the river bank. And I cycled across the bridge and through a watchtower gate into a truly breathtaking Marktplatz. Stein's richly decorated Altstadt is filled with 15th century houses, most with an intricately-painted facade. Walkers and cyclists roamed the crooked, cobblestoned streets. Among them, I met two Danes riding curiously tall Peterson bikes, designed 100 years ago and still produced in Denmark.
My hotel here was 2 kms out and close to the frontier with Germany. H. Gasthof Genstein, RD for its reasonable price.
DAY 26: Day ride to Schaffhausen and Rhine Falls, returning by rail to Stein, 45 kms. This was a full day of biking and sightseeing. So starting early, I cycled downstream on the north bank of the Rhine, passing the long, covered wooden bridge into Diessenhofen, then entering the larger town of Schaffhausen.
****Schaffhausen. Bike Route 2 passes close to the city's extensive Altstadt, famed for its guildhall and narrow streets of burgher houses decorated with carved and painted oriol windows and balconies. All can be toured by bicycle, including a hilltop castle and a huge church dating from 1100 A.D. Spurning the pricey sidewalk cafes, many people, including myself, ate brown bag lunches on the shady church steps.
Then it was time to pedal on down Bike Route 2 beside the swiftly-flowing Rhine to the world-famous falls.
****Rhein Falls, Europe's largest waterfall, thunders down in a roaring white cascade six kilometers below Schaffhausen. Cyclists and walkers were everywhere. Many stopped for an overlook at the falls from Schloss Lindau. Several viewpoints on both banks, including a rail bridge with bike path, provide grandstand views.
From a basin below the falls, boats take people out to a tall pointed rock in the middle of the falls and you can walk up steps to the top.
Since it was still early, I biked a few more kilometers down river to Rheinau, a village lined by elegant houses with stepped gables, and adorned with shields. Also here is a Benedictine monastery on a river island.
That was the farthest point on this tour. Back in Schaffhausen, I caught a two-wagon turbo train back to Stein. The automated train carried 12 bikes and had a mountain bike scene painted on its power unit.
DAY 27: Stein-am-Rhein to Konstanz by bike 30 kms. This was a reverse ride along the route of Day 24 back to Konstanz. Once there, I stored my bike at a local bike rental shop to be picked up August 27th, 2003--all being well-- for my next bike tour of Europe.
The all-pedestrian Konstanz Altstadt was just a short walk from my hotel and here I found a large supermarket in the basement of a Woolworths store.
With an extra day or two, you might make a day ride east along the Swiss bank of the Boedensee to Romanshorn and back. Or a loop ride north to the two islands of Reichenau and Mainau, the latter a vast floral garden with arboretum and butterfly house.
For me, though, the tour ended here and next morning I took a direct train to Frankfurt for the return flight to U. S. A.
H. Gastehaus Centro, opposite Konstanz bahnhof, RD, ceiling fans, bike room.
SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE
Rather than duplicate the wealth of information already on this website, I suggest returning to the Home Page and scrolling down the menu to HELPFUL WEBSITES FOR BICYCLE TOURING and clicking on it.
Scroll down this page and, under the following headings, you will find links that supply most of the info you need for planning this tour.
EUROPE
>Deutches Bahn Timetables, German Rail Timetables.
>Bikeline Cycling Maps.
AUSTRIA
>Austria National Tourist Office: Cycling in Austria.
>Cycling Tours in Austria, for independent cyclists.
>Austrian Railways Timetable.
>Pedal Power.
GERMANY
>Reisen mit Preisen, lists most of Germany's hotels-gasthof-pensions with on-line booking.
>Deutches Bahn Timetables, German Rail Timetables with on-line ticket sales and hotel booking.
>Bicycle Germany: Trains, Hotels, Radwegs, everything you need to know.
>German National Tourist Office bike touring site.
SWITZERLAND
>Veloland Schweiz: complete info on bike touring in Schweiz.
>Swiss Railways Timetable.
>Locating Swiss Hotels.
To prepare yourself for the experience of biking in the world's safest and most popular bike-touring countries, I also recommend reading the report on BIKELANDIA, listed in Home Page menu.
Rail Travel
In Germany, Austria, Switzerland, all but the fastest international expresses carry bikes, often 20-40 or more. One daily train from Vienna, the Rad-Tramper Train, carries 500 cyclists with their bikes back to Germany each day (after they arrive in Vienna on the Danube Bike Path). In many trains, bikes are hung suspended from an overhead hook by the front wheel. So strong wheels are needed. There is usually a train staff member to help get bikes in and out of bike wagons. Switzerland has the best bike train transport but requires a pricey daily bike ticket.
Almost every town in Austria, Germany, Switzerland is accessible by frequent trains, with hourly service in both directions on most main lines. If possible, buy a ticket in advance to save waiting in line later. You can also buy tickets on-line through the Garman Train Timetable.
While we list national rail timetables for Austria and Switzerland, the easy-to-use English language German Train Timetable (http:bahn.hafas,de/english.html) covers all trains in all 3 countries, indicating which carry bikes, and also offering hotel booking at hotels near hauptbahnhofs in larger cities, including cities outside Germany.
A drawback to rail travel are the frequent groups of youngsters and students who, even with adult leaders, can be noisy and boisterous. While I have never seen them bother adults, one solution is to move up to first class. Or to move to a non-smoking compartment, since many kids smoke.
On R or regional trains, bike wagons are usually at front or rear, or both, and often in the center on EC trains. For EC trains, the bike wagon location is shown on a consist plan displayed in the booking hall and/or on departure platforms. On older trains in Germany and Austria, bike wagons are identified by a large bike sign but in new wagons, the sign is smaller and hard to see.
Best strategy is to stand in the center of the platform. If you don't see a bike wagon sign as the train draws in, it's likely to be in the rear half of the train. Trains may not stop long, so be ready to get in or out swiftly.
When buying a ticket, ask for a printed schedule listing the last station the train stops at before your destination. After passing this station, move your bags next to the exit and be ready to get out quickly and go to the bike wagon. In R trains, you can usually go into the bike wagon and have both bike and bags ready for a quick exit. Try to sit in a wagon as close as possible to your bike.
Large stations may have a board on which train departures are posted, including the platform (gleis) number and also showing if the train is late. On most platforms, an illuminated sign indicates the train number, departure time, desination and intermediate stops. The sign refers to the train already at that platform or to the next train to arrive. At larger stations, the platform may be divided into sections (A,B,C and D). Your bike wagon may stop in section B. Or a small train may leave from gleis 5, section A.
Remove all bags from your bike before boarding plus pump and computer and empty water bottles. Then get your bike and bags on the train (or off it) as quickly as possible. Look for a bike hook later. Getting on and off trains is easier when two cyclists work together. If possible, I avoid using any form of public transportation.
Hotels
The difference between hotels, gasthof and pensions is rather one of size, facilities and price rather than any significant difference in the comfort of rooms. Expect European hotel rooms to be smaller than American motel units with air conditioning (seldom needed) available only in the most expensive hotels. It doesn't hurt to ask for a room with fan or a ceiling fan in summer. There are few American style motels in Europe and parking in the center of towns is often a problem..
Most radfahrers (touring cyclists) find pensions offer the best value while if you don't mind being away from the center, privat-zimmer or Zimmer-frei (B&Bs) are cheapest and usually quite comfortable. All take reservations by phone and many pensions can be booked by email.
On this trip, I booked all accommodation in advance, estimating how far I could travel each day. If I was unable to cycle, I could usually reach the day's destination by train or, perhaps, lake steamer.
Many cyclists still prefer to find a place to stay each night without reserving ahead. Out of season and on weekdays, this may work well but on weekdays and holidays, especially in season, the least expensive rooms are mostly all booked solid by motorists and tour companies. Rooms are particularly hard to get at lakeside resorts in season. Most Tourist Offices will find you a room if one is available but they are often closed at weekends and the room they find you could be far from the center with its supermarkets, info office and bahnhof.
First, I used the Deutsches Bahn Timetable on-line booking service to reserve a room at Frankfurt, Vienna, Salzburg and Konstanz. Just type in a request for a schedule to the city you wish to stay at on the date you'll be there, and fill in the booking form. A printable confirmation is immediate. European dates are written day/month/year, not month/day/year and you may have to quote times in metric 24-hour time.
The rest of my German hotels I booked through Reisen-mit- Preisen. They cover pensions and gasthof at almost every town in Germany. If the pension you request is full, they will try to get you a comparable room elsewhere.
For Czech Republic bookings, click on <www.ckrumlov.cz> and for Stein-am-Rhein, Switzerland, the Tourist Office website is <www.stein-am-rhein.ch> and the Hotel Grenzstein is <www.grenzstein.ch>.
For Austria, you can request regional hotel guides to be mailed to you from the Austrian National Tourist Office in New York. On the Net, the Lycos search engine seems best for contacting Tourist Offices and accommodations. Other On-Line booking agencies may offer discounts but tend to steer you to big, expensive hotels away from the center and more suitable for motorists.
By contrast, smaller hotels, pensions etc are generally cheaper and many offer a discount of 10 percent or so for booking on-line or by email and paying in cash. However, I seldom stay at any accommodation with fewer than ten rooms. It's best to phone in morning or evening and to make sure the reception will be open at the time you arrive.
Maps
All maps I used are mentioned in the Day-by-Day report above except:-
TAUERN BIKE PATH, in English, 1:100,000, published by Schubert & Franzke, which includes street maps for all towns along the radweg. The Tauern reaches from Passau to Salzburg, and on up to Krimml, Austria
I also saw cyclists using Bikeline maps for several sections of my route. These are usually larger scale maps with greater detail. Look up the Bikeline Website listed above. You can also buy bike maps for my route from other sources listed on Helpful Websites for Bicycle Touring. Some are in the U.S.
Street maps can often be obtained in advance by mail from some Tourist Offices when you send a request by email. Others may have websites with street maps you can download and print. They may also have a street map of the next town you plan to stay at. When you arrive, Tourist Offices invariably have street maps and area biking maps. But some Tourist Offices close on weekends.
When To Go
Never in July or August and book well in advance if you will need a room in Frankfurt during trade fair periods, usually September 15-25 and October 7-15. During these periods, you could continue direct by train from Frankfurt airport to other German cities.
Best period to go is from September 7 to October 21 when risk of floods or snow is usually slight and there is only one public holiday. Otherwise, May 1 through mid-June is OK but there are several public holidays with long weekends when rooms may be hard to find and food shops may be closed from mid-day Saturday to Tuesday morning.
During my tour, on average, one day in 4 was sunny, one partly cloudy, one overcast, and one rainy. Late afternoon thunderstorms occur near mountains with rain continuing into the night. During daytime, I experienced only two rainy days. But good raingear is essential.
Bike Description
On the Home Page menu, click on " Through the Alps of France, Switzerland and Austria, 2001" and scroll down to "Bicycle Specifications." If you rent, specify you want a mountain bike with quick-releases, a pannier rack and mudguards (incorrectly called fenders). Pay to change the tires from knobbies to 1.5 inch size if needed. Add toeclips and straps plus a pump, tire levers and two spare tubes. Bike rental shops also rent touring bags. You must return a rental bike to the same place you rented it.
Your Own Itinerary
Duplicating my itinerary takes 27 days of cycling plus an additional 5 days for traveling from and to North America.
You can add more by cycling the Danube Bike Path from Vienna to Passau, and continuing to Schaerding on the Tauern Radweg. En route, you can take the same side trip by train to Freistadt and Ceske Krumov. I cycled the Danube Bike Path in 2002 and you can read the details by clicking on the report "Germany-Austria, 2002" on the Home Page menu. You could also cycle from Salzburg to Fuessen and the Boedensee on the Koenigssee-Boedensee Radweg.
You can shorten my itinerary by omitting some or all of the day rides. In some cases, fast cyclists can also cover the same distance in one day that I rode in two. It should be fairly easy to shave ten days off my itinerary.
Because I'm a self-catering cyclist, and buy all my food in supermarkets, I try to stay in the same hotel on long, 4-day weekends, when all food shops may close from mid-day Saturday till Tuesday morning. Most lodgings provide a free breakfast, though in cheaper places it may be only bread, butter, jam and coffee.
