Having visited Vienna many times as a delegate to UN Outer Space Committee meetings each June, and as a dedicated cyclist in Santa Barbara, California, USA, I have heard about the Wien-Budapest bike tour from friends and finally had the opportunity to do it, post-pandemic.
The Rad & Reisen Tour I just completed did not disappoint, albeit with some caveats and suggestions for improving the overall experience.
The good and marvelous: the other riders were fantastic! Great conversations and I have new friends. The bike and equipment were just right for the terrain (i.e., flat). The hotels (Class A) were average to very good. Very Good: Park Inn and Portobello.
The Less-Than-Great: Hotel Famulus. The concierge at Hotel Famulus directed me to ride to the back of the hotel and thinking that we were to enter at the back, I was distracted by the person?s oral direction and while trying to turn, hit the curb and fell on my right side. While I was able to continue the ride, my right arm has hurt since the fall on the poorly marked curb rear entrance at the Hotel. The room was too warm and there was no thermostat so that even with the window wide open to air circulation, it was impossible to bring the temperature down.
The luggage arrived at each hotel as predicted. The Guide Book was easy to read and quite informative. Last minute changes in the ferry crossing was added to the route description from Esztergom-Budapest. I ended up on the prime route that was VERY dangerous on the highway 11 toward Visegrad and beyond. The highway has no shoulder and riders are being passed by large trucks and buses. The highway authorities have added "traffic calming" pedestrian crossings that narrow the highway and should a truck be attempting to pass a cyclist at those spots, a disaster is waiting to happen. On the other hand, the dedicated bike paths are very enjoyable and beautiful to experience.
The beginning of my Rad & Reisen Trip was very stressful. The representative asked for my hotel address in Vienna so that the documents could be sent there. Nothing arrived. I moved to the Arcotel Kaiserwasser expected some news there on Saturday and there was nothing. I called the given phone numbers and sent emails - again nothing. On Sunday morning, I encountered Italian riders on the trip who were going to Pedal Power in Vienna to pick up their cycles. So with NO news I went with them thinking the tour was starting there at the bike rental store. My name was on no list there. So I returned to the Arcotel Kaiserwasser and luckily the Rad & Reisen van was still there. I met the Hungarian representative who was very friendly and helpful who gave me (finally!) the documents and the bike. I met coincidentally two other riders (Neal and John) and with them we left the hotel for Hainburg. The trip was on!
The other big problem was also one of communication. I signed up for a bus ticket back to Vienna for Saturday. The packet included a Voucher for Flixbus. Before on the trip the voucher was all you needed for the boat from Szentendre to Budapest, so I thought the same was true for Flixbus. I had already the Flixbus App and tried redeeming every number on the voucher for the Flixbus ticket - nothing worked. So I paid on my ApplePay function and was finally able to board the bus. There was no instruction about how to use the voucher for the Flixbus ticket. The Budapest bus station is very difficult to use due to no change machines to get the coins needed for lockers. The personnel there were sullen to say the least.
So the lack of communication at the beginning and the end were the "bad taste" elements of what was otherwise a very enjoyable (except for the arm injury) and scenic and wonderful fellow riders experience. I am an experienced cyclist with two "hundred mile" races and many Mt. Diablo Challenge races in my cycling CV.
The bikes and the equipment on the bikes were both very appropriate. I am though, very concerned about the safety of the riders on the Highway 11. Many thanks for a very memorable experience.