Route notes and impressions of Hungary
In the interests of full disclosure, we only cycled for 3 days in Hungary and it was along the Iron Curtain Trail (Eurovelo 13) between Austria and Hungary. But, we did learn a lot and formed some pretty distinct impressions.
The good: the route is very well signed (best we’ve seen on our trip). This portion was inaugurated by Eurovelo in 2014.
Also good: Szentgottard, Kozseg and Sopron had reasonable accommodations and food. They are pretty much the only game in town in terms of options to spend the night (unless you’re camping, in which case I have no idea).
Also good: very inexpensive choices abound and things are a good value. You get a lot for your money in rural Hungary. And some pretty swanky places were very moderately priced for what you got (ie: Benedict Hotel in Kozseg and Sopron Monastery in Sopron).
The bad: cars drive much faster and we did not feel nearly as comfortable sharing the road as we did elsewhere in Central Europe. Traffic on the Eurovelo route coming into Szentgottard and Kozseg was moderate but fast-moving and no shoulder.
The ugly: the Iron Curtain Trail has some terrible stretches on off-pavement paths with elevation. One is outside Szentgottard if you’re heading north and the other outside Kozseg heading north. It’s only marginally suitable on a trekking bike and we felt it wouldn't be possible on a road bike or tandem.
Generally, we wish there had been a bit more accessible history along the way.
The fast drivers will probably discourage us from thinking to tour in Hungary again, except perhaps the Danube Trail to Budapest. We weren’t thrilled about the food and wine (food was okay, not great and wine was very good but not much was available in rural areas) but we likely would have a different impression in a larger city with more choice. We are glad we did the route.
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