1st stage Offenburg-Vienna-Bratislava
The first part of our 8-day intensive trip begins at 6 p.m. in Offenburg and leads via Munich to Salzburg and then to Wels in picturesque Upper Austria. After arriving in the early hours of the morning, the first thing to do is to get some sleep. As the sun rises, the journey continues east on the A1 to the first metropolis.
We arrive in Vienna with a wonderful view of Styria and blessed with the best summer weather. Since Vienna is known for its parking problems, we decide early on to park our van outside the center safely and, above all, stress-free. We also save on parking fees. The myvélo e-folding bikes are set up within 2 minutes and we are on our way to the center just 5 minutes after arriving.
We like it classic - yes, even when it comes to e-bikes.
Our Zurich model impresses with a battery integrated into the seat post and shines in all its glory in front of the Vienna State Opera. Powered by the powerful electric motors, we cycle effortlessly through the entire city and discover the alleys of the historic city center with St. Stephen's Cathedral and the Danube river.
Since we don't have the ambition to have seen every museum from the inside, our Vienna tour is over after just a few hours. But we don't feel like we've missed anything. Pack up, we're moving on...
With the e-folding bikes in our luggage we continue to Bratislava
Vienna-Bratislava is a stone's throw away and is therefore the shortest section between two capitals on our tour. We are excited. On a magical midsummer day (Friday) we drive towards the city center with the sun on our backs. The parking problem is definitely different and compared to Vienna everything seems a bit slower and more relaxed. But this does not spoil the mood at all.
The city center is full of great cafes and bars that invite you to linger. Strengthened with two beers in our throats, we make our way to the castle. The relatively long journey and subsequent climbing of stairs is rewarded with a wonderful view of the city, the Danube and the region.
Since we know that we will be spending the night in the van, we always look out for washing facilities early on. We will find them later in the evening in the Danube. Now it's time to cook and then we'll head to the old town for two, three, ... beers.
Interesting facts: Bratislava is the capital of a very young country - Slovakia has only existed since 1993. Before that, it was part of Czechoslovakia, which was founded in 1918. Slovakia has been an EU state since 2004.
The route at a glance:
- Day: Offenburg-Vienna-Bratislava
- Day: Bratislava-Budapest
- Day: Budapest-Szeged
- Day: Szeged-Timișoara- Belgrade
- Day: Belgrade-Sarajevo
- Tag: Sarajevo-Mostar-Split
- Tag: Split-Novalia
- Tag: Novalia-Rijeka-Ljubljana-Munich-Offenburg
Facts and Figures:
- 3650km by car
- 200 city kilometers with the folding e-bike
- 150 litres of water
- 52h 36min by car
- 12 impressive cities
- 9 countries
- 8 days on tour
- 7 nights in a VW T4
- 6 capitals
- 3 tank fillings
- 1 Hostel
