1 Tour start - Road closures - Bratislava

Sunday, 8/5/2018

Route: Danube Cycle Path 3 (Vienna - Bratislava)

Distance traveled: 78 kilometers

Highlight of the day: Entrance to Bratislava on the waterfront promenade, first impression of the old town

It was time to get up at 6:00. After packing and a hearty breakfast at the hostel (which we also packed), we set off at exactly 8:00. First, we looked for our bike path, which was not so easy because the bridges somehow all came later than expected. Anyway, we found ourselves outside Vienna on a heavily trafficked asphalt path right on the Danube. Unfortunately, this condition did not last long, briefly we drove through an industrial area in the green strip. Then on gravel paths next to a dam, where we unfortunately didn't see much. Anyway, it went pretty well. Behind Schönau we took a detour via Mannsdorf, and eventually reached Orth from behind. We saw the castle there from the bike, but didn't find it worth stopping for. We took a break at the church at 10:00 - we had already traveled about 30 km.

Then we wanted to cycle through the Danube wetlands and were very disappointed. First, the path seemed to be closed because there was a detour, but no direct closure. Second, because we only cycled on a dam path again. We didn't see the Danube for about 15 km and there wasn't much to see from the wetlands either. That was our low point in terms of mood. Finally, we were at the level of Stopfenreuth. There would have been another detour and this time a construction fence. However, since we only had to follow this route for 1.5 km, we decided to continue. That went quite well until we had to cross a bridge. There was a wooden structure that we couldn't get past. So we carried our bikes up the 2m high ditch - an adventure! The ride over the bridge made up for these efforts: the view of the Danube wetlands and the Danube was fantastic! After that, we were already in the beautiful old town of Hainburg. There we took a break at the gates of the city wall on the waterfront - and promptly met a couple again who left the hostel in Vienna at the same time as us. It was very nice, the view was great! Then we continued, up and down, with a view of the castle, also with a view of Bratislava's high-rise buildings, and in the midday heat. Wolfsthal is bilingual. From there, the bike path went directly along the main road. And we struggled a lot.

Eventually we arrived in Bratislava. By accident, we passed a very quiet beach. There were maybe 5 people there, no one else in sight. This was some sort of branch of the Danube. Unfortunately, we didn't stay. Then we went into the city on the waterfront promenade. Very, very beautiful! And finally, we were in the old town, where our booked hostel was. The advantage was that we saw something while looking for it. Unfortunately, we couldn't find our hostel for a long time - only after 1.5 hours at quarter to 3. But we could only check in at 3. Then we settled into the room, took a shower, and rested. We woke up at 6 while resting. After that, we went on foot through Bratislava. Past the city wall, an old church, a very beautiful promenade with canals, bridges, avenue, fountain, plants, statues, and much more, a statue in the sewer, large squares, many restaurants, and even more Chinese people. Spontaneously, we ate burgers in a restaurant, drank homemade lemonade, and then strolled further, also along the Danube. At some point, we sat down at an illuminated fountain. At 9:00 p.m., music suddenly started there and there was a really cool fountain show. Then we went back to Hostel Manderla - it was only about 5 minutes away.