Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic

Today, our Eastern Europe motorcycle tour continues. After a hearty breakfast, we’ll take a nice, relaxing ride through the heart of Luxembourg before crossing into Germany. 

The border crossing involves riding over the dam on the river Rhine. The dam was the first hydroelectric power station built on the Franco-German post-war coalition. It is a masterful fit of engineering. We’ll ride beautiful country roads and biking routes for the rest of the day.

Our hotel will welcome us with comfortable rooms, traditional evening meals and warm German hospitality.

Once again, on the third day of our Eastern Europe motorcycle tour, country-hopping is the order of the day. We’ll spend most of the day riding a combination of smooth country roads, scenic highways, rural byways and some motorways. The scenery and geography will vary from the rolling foresty hills of the Black Forest and Schawabian Alps to the agricultural lands of Lower Bavaria and the rugged mountains of Bavaria proper and Austrian Alps.

And, just before the end of the ride, we’ll cross the border and arrive at our hotel in the beautiful Austrian region of Salzburgerland.

Today, our Eastern Europe motorcycle tour will take us to Eastern Europe proper. We’ll leave one half of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire after an early-ish Frühstück and arrive at the heart of the other half just in time for vacsora (evening meal in Hungarian).  Within a day’s ride from the lush mountains of Österreich (Austria), we’ll descend to the lush Pannonian plains of Magyarország (Hungary). The contrast between the two could not be greater.

Today’s suggested route is quite long, and we’ll spend our day riding a cocktail of motorways, scenic mountain routes, ancient Roman roads, old Mongol byways, and nostalgic maple tree-lined Royal highways.

What Hungary lacks in terms of iconic biking roads, it certainly makes up in terms of food and wine. Bull’s Blood (Bikavér), Borforrás, and Tokaji Aszu are just a few among many famous Hungarian wines. Hungarians are also renowned for their ‘Eat, Drink, Dance & Be Magyar’ party outlook on life.

Today is our first day off on our Eastern Europe motorcycle tour, and we’ll have several options. Visits to Sümeg Castle or a circular self guided ride to Lake Balaton are popular options. 

Sümeg Castle is one of Hungary’s most beautiful and best-preserved medieval fortresses. The Castle stands on a barren hilltop overlooking the eye-pleasing countryside. The Castle is also home to the Medieval Equestrian Centre, where we can see medieval games, Knight Tournaments and feasts. A short walk or a taxi ride will take you to the Castle to see the ramparts, living quarters, dungeons, medieval armour and weapons collection. If you feel peckish, the Várcsárda (restaurant) serves a great selection of traditional Hungarian dishes. Please try goulash, paprikash or mixed grill. 

Our circular ride includes the nearby town of Hévíz, home to the largest thermal lake in the world. It started as a Roman spa town and, throughout its history, developed into one of Hungary’s most popular tourist destinations. The town is lovely to walk about, have a drink and relax. There are many cafés and restaurants, and it is easy to park. You’ll have a perfect opportunity to sample some of the best cakes ever. Or you can take a spin around the lake if you fancy a longer ride.

This is our recommended dessert menu of uniquely Hungarian calorie-dense cakes:
– Dobos torte: sponge cake with layers of chocolate buttercream.
– Esterházy torte: Royal Cake – alternating ground walnuts and rum-soaked buttercream layers.
– Krémes: custard slice similar to a Napoleon pastry.
– Flódni: rich cake layered with plum jam, apple, ground walnuts, and ground poppy seeds. Originates from Hungary’s Jewish community.

Today, our Eastern Europe motorcycle tour will take us from the pancake-flat Pannonian plains to the not-at-all-pancake-flat Low Tatras.

Within a day’s ride from the lush agricultural fields of Magyarország (Hungary), we’ll ascend to the lush mountains of Slovakia (Slovenská republika). The contrast between the two could not be greater. Today’s suggested route is not that long. So, weather permitting, we can spend the entire day meandering along the big sky country roads and scenic mountain routes.

The initial part of our journey will follow the nearly traffic-free country roads towards the Hungarian/Slovakian border. As we approach the border crossing, we’ll leave the Pannonian plains – the sea of grass. From there, in the distance in front of us, we’ll see the first glimpse of the Tatras.

The scenic mountain roads passing through many dreamy villages and historic towns, affording some stunning vistas of the green valleys, flowery meadows and often snow-capped mountain peaks, will guide us to our next destination. The whole area is surrounded by the mountains Strážovské Vrchy and Malá Tatra, famous for its original log houses with the characteristic white exteriors ornamented in Celtic-looking but not Celtic geometrical patterns.

Today, as the Eastern Europe motorcycle tour edges further into the Eastern frontier of motorcycle touring, we’ll leave the stunning Low Tatras and head towards the pristine High Tatras, often referred to as the “the smallest alpine mountains in Europe”.

From our hotel, a leisurely ride will take us straight to the heart of the Tatras mountain region. We’ll ride via the enjoyable valley roads and several not-demanding mountain passes, meandering through Low Tatras National Park, National Park Muránska Planina, National Park Slovensky Raj and passing through the town of Banska Bistrica. And we’ll get our kicks on the Slovakian version of Route 66.

As we continue our Eastern Europe motorcycle tour, we’ll depart the land of the perpetual mountain beauty of High Tatras in Slovakia and head towards the Land of Fields in Poland. A part-motorway-part-main valley roads route is possible. However, it should only be considered as an alternative if the weather decides to be temperamental. Otherwise, there is a more exciting, beautiful and scenic route available. The best way to start this fantastic journey is to have a relaxing, calorie-loaded Slovakian breakfast, load our bikes and depart. So, make sure your camera is fully charged and enjoy the ride. 

A relaxing cruise along some non-demanding mountain routes and stunning valley roads will effortlessly take us towards the historic city of Krakow.

Day nine of our Eastern Europe motorcycle tour is also our second free day, and you can do whatever you wish. This suggestion might not make much sense as this is a motorcycle touring holiday. But by opting to go for a ride, you actually might lose out. 

Krakow is one of the most stunning and surprising metropolises in Europe. Krakow is also one of Europe’s most beautiful, picturesque, and greenest cities. Its charm has been marked by different periods of history, most evident through its vibrant atmosphere, perfectly manicured parks, versatile cuisine and many tourist attractions.

The famous Old Town is an excellent place to start exploring this beautiful city, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can visit the Wawel Royal Castle, the Main Square, the Wieliczka Salt Mine and the Krakow Jewish Quarter.

If you are more interested in people-watching, you can find a table at one of many pavement cafés, bars and restaurants and people-watch as long as you wish.

Today is one of those rare long days in the saddle where the mileage is longer than average, and we just need to suck it up and get on with it. So a hearty breakfast and early departure are recommended.

On the tenth day of the Eastern Europe motorcycle tour, we’ll swap one beautiful historic city for another beautiful historic city. We’ll also leave the pristine plains and lush valleys of Poland and head towards the rolling hills and green forests of the Czech Republic.

We’ll enter the central European region by gradually departing from the Eastern frontier of motorcycle touring. The suggested route mainly consists of motorways, some scenic country roads and faster national routes.

Our hotel will welcome us with comfortable rooms and a charming city atmosphere.

Prague, often called the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ of Central Europe, is one of the most visited cities in the Czech Republic and the place where we’ll spend the third free day of our Eastern Europe motorcycle tour.

The must-see places are the Old Town, the hilltop castle of Pražský Hrad overlooking the town and Vltava River, the famous astronomical clock, the New Town and the Jewish Quarters.

And again, if you are more interested in people-watching, you can find a table at one of countless vibrant restaurants, bars, and cafés and people-watch as long as you wish.

Another good day of biking is ahead of us on this great Eastern Europe motorcycle tour. Today, we cross the border and return to Western Europe, leaving the Eastern frontier behind. The Northern Bavarian Region, also known as Franconia, can be described amongst the motorcycle touring fraternity as “the less travelled region”.

We’ll ride a combination of motorways but also follow some great country roads surrounded by rolling hills, green fields, and forests. It is an enjoyable day that will give us plenty of time to enjoy the ride, taking in the gradual change in geography, scenery and architecture. And gastronomically, we’ll leave the land of soups, stews, meat, and potatoes behind and enter the land of pretzels, schnitzel and weiβwurst (white sausage).

Our host hotel in Germany will welcome us with a comfortable room and a delicious evening meal. It also has a well-visited bear garden.

Today, unless it’s our own preference, we can use motorways as much or as little as we wish on our way to the next destination. This transit journey will take us from the green pastures and thickly forested hills of Northern Bavaria to the green pastures and thickly forested hills of the Ardennes.

We’ll pass through picturesque rural villages, ancient Roaman spa towns and typically Germanic marketplaces. It might be an average long day in the saddle, but having an early-ish breakfast and departure is worth it.

We’ll stay in a comfortable hotel in the heart of the Ardennes region tonight.

On the last day of the tour, we’ll travel through the rolling hills and green pastures of the Ardennes. Eventually, we’ll join the motorway that will take us to Calais to board your afternoon crossing.

Thank you for joining the Eastern Europe motorcycle tour and RidingWithUs. We hope to RideWithYou again soon.