Balkans Cycle Tour, Vienna to Istanbul
April - June 2011
All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2011. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.
Balkans Cycle Tour, Vienna to Istanbul April - June 2011
All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2011. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. |
Map showing my route from Vienna to Istanbul
Contents
Photo Pages, Maps and Route Notes:
Vienna to Istanbul. Why? Many people asked me why I would choose this starting and ending point for a cycling trip. Well the answer is no particular reason, except that I've always been interested in the knot of little countries that comprise the Balkans region and wondered what it would be like to ride through this entire region. I had always heard that the former Yugoslavia was home to some of the last wild places in Europe, with gorges and mountains where wolves and bears still roam in the wild. And there is the beautiful coastline of Croatia, the mountains of Montenegro, the historic cities of Mostar and Dubrovnik, and the melting pot of cultures, the blend of Muslim and Christian, Ottoman and Hapsburg, East and West. So with all these considerations, why wouldn't you go?
I bought a new touring bike in Sydney, took it and my old panniers with me on a flight to Vienna, then set off on the road towards Istanbul from where I would fly home about 5 weeks later.
This web page is my personal record of the trip, with information and photos for anyone interested in doing something similar. Cycle touring is a fantastic way to see the world, and any trip like this is a memorable adventure.
Originally I had intended to take my trusted old Trek touring bike on this trip. But when I took it to the bike shop in Sydney for an overhaul, they told me that the bike was completely worn out and that I really should by a new one! So I ended up being sold this bike, a Specialized Tricross Sport. I was very happy with this bike and whilst it probably isn't ideal for riding long distances on rough gravel roads, it is perfect for European cycle touring where almost all the roads are bitumen.
The bike loaded up at the beginning of the trip in Vienna
Here are some stats on the length of the ride, distance travelled, etc:
| Number of Days: | |
|
32 days 3 days 35 days |
| Distance: | |
|
3178 km 96 km 3274 km
148 km 99 km |
| Accommodation: | |
|
3 nights 17 nights 7 nights 8 nights 35 nights |
| Weather: | |
|
9 days |
Day |
Date | Distance Cycled Today (km) | Total Distance Cycled so far (km) | Activities and Highlights | Accommodation that night | Country (Link to Photos) |
| 1 | 28 Apr 2011 | 22 | 22 | Arrive Vienna airport on flight from Sydney. Assemble bike at airport and go to campground. | Camping Neue Donau, Vienna. | Austria |
| 2 | 29 Apr 2011 | 114 | 136 | Into Vienna to buys maps and gas then return to campsite (32km). Ride to Forchtenstein, cold rain in afternoon. | Wild camp in forest near Forchtenstein. | Austria |
| 3 | 30 Apr 2011 | 123 | 259 | Heading south through lower Austria. Some nice roads. Some rain. Eventially reached Fürstenfeld. | Camping Fürstenfeld. | Austria |
| 4 | 01 May 2011 | 140 | 399 | Nice riding south into Slovenia. Rural Slovenian countryside then tiny road along Croatian border. A German man at the campsite invited me into his caravan for dinner and breakfast. | Campsite in Slovenia south of Rogaška Slatina. | Austria - Slovenia |
| 5 | 02 May 2011 | 113 | 512 | Crossed border into Croatia at Samobor. Nice ride through quiet valleys and hilly wine country. 20km of flat riding into Karlovac. | Camped in parkland by the river in Karlovac. | Slovenia - Croatia |
| 6 | 03 May 2011 | 129 | 641 | A long day's ride to the Croation coast from Karlovac. Long climb over the coastal mountain ranges. Afternoon rain. Incredible transition to coastal scenery during 18km downhill run. | Small coastal campsite at Novi Vinodolski. | Croatia |
| 7 | 04 May 2011 | 81 | 722 | Cold strong headwind. Ride down the coast through Senj. Ferry to island of Pag. | Camping Novalja, a HUGE campground! | Croatia |
| 8 | 05 May 2011 | 78 | 800 | Rode through the historic town of Pag, then lovely coastal riding to the beautiful village of Novigrad. | Camping Novigrad. | Croatia |
| 9 | 06 May 2011 | 135 | 935 | A long ride through hinterland to the historic town of Skradin. Was forced to avoid a motorway and pushed on all the way to Split. | Campground near Split airport with views to Split. | Croatia |
| 10 | 07 May 2011 | 92 | 1027 | Bad traffic around Split and Solin, Eventually reached the beautiful town of Omis nestling beneath spectacular coastal hills. Rode inland, then up a hill, then back to coast and down to Makarska. | Private room with shared kitchen in Makarska. | Croatia |
| 11 | 08 May 2011 | 99 | 1126 | Followed Road 512 towards Vrgorac but had to turn back due to road closure. Returned to coastal road and crossed into Bosnia-Herzegovina at Metković. Rode to national park Hutovo Blato. | Motel in NP Hutovo Blato. | Croatia - Boznia |
| 12 | 09 May 2011 | 43 | 1169 | Rode into Mostar on a cold windy day, arriving in the old town at around lunch time. I spent the remainder of the day in the old town. | Pansion Oscar, Mostar. | Boznia |
| 13 | 10 May 2011 | 90 | 1259 | From Mostar rode eastwards, climbing steadily to altitudes exceeding 1000m. Beautiful gentle mountain riding and alpine hamlets and farms. Ugly power station at Gacko. Had to camp wild outside Gacko. | Wild camp near Klinje Jezero, Bosnia. | Boznia |
| 14 | 11 May 2011 | 148 | 1407 | Rode to border with Montenegro but was turned back because only locals are allowed to cross here. Long ride around to border crossing at Bileća, then long ride through hilly country to Nikšić. | Hotel in Nikšić, Montenegro. | Boznia - Montenegro |
| 15 | 12 May 2011 | 71 | 1478 | Climb into the mountains of Montenegro. Two mountain passes of altitude 1500m or higher and long descent to valley town of Šavnik. Long climb to high mountain pass near Žabljak. Fantastic scenery. | High campsite near Žabljak. | Montenegro |
| 16 | 13 May 2011 | 80 | 1558 | Descend into Tara canyon and spectacular riding through the canyon to town of Mojkovac. Camped by beautiful lake in national park. | Camping in Biogradska Gora National Park. | Montenegro |
| 17 | 14 May 2011 | 84 | 1642 | To Berane then another long climb over mountain pass to Rožaje. | Camping in a man's garden near Rožaje. | Montenegro |
| 18 | 15 May 2011 | 98 | 1740 | The highest pass of the trip at 1800m then descent to Peć in Kosovo. Ride through agricultural plain to Kosovo town of Zrze. | Motel in Zrze. | Montenegro - Kosovo |
| 19 | 16 May 2011 | 116 | 1856 | To Prizren, then Sara National Park, then a 1500m pass, cold rain, cross border into Macedonia. | Motel near Tearce. | Kosovo - Macedonia |
| 20 | 17 May 2011 | 71 | 1927 | Cold and wet. Uninteresting ride through Macedonian villages. Climb into Mavrovo National park and stayed with Macedonian hunters at Lake Mavrovo. | Motel on Lake Mavrovo. | Macedonia |
| 21 | 18 May 2011 | 101 | 2028 | Fast downhill run then scenic riding south through Macedonia near the Albanian border to Lake Ohrid. | Campsite near Struga, Lake Ohrid. | Macedonia |
| 22 | 19 May 2011 | 86 | 2114 | Through the historic town of Ohrid then through the hills to the town of Bitola. | Nice hostel accommodation, Bitola. | Macedonia |
| 23 | 20 May 2011 | 103 | 2217 | Crossed the border into Greece. Fast riding but uninteresting valley full of coal mines and power stations. | A hotel in Kozani, Greece. | Macedonia - Greece |
| 24 | 21 May 2011 | 129 | 2346 | A huge day of riding with some awesome hills. Crossed 2 ranges of hills and a pass over 1100m. Fantastic downhill run to the coast at Plaka Litochorou. | Camping Olympios Zeus, Plaka Litochorou. | Greece |
| 25 | 22 May 2011 | 49 | 2395 | Rode into the national park of Mt Olympus and parked the bike at the roadhead at 1100m. Then hiked to refuge "Spilios Aghanitos" at 2100m, then returned to the coast where my tent was pitched. Fantastic day. | Camping Olympios Zeus, Plaka Litochorou. | Greece |
| 26 | 23 May 2011 | 126 | 2521 | Another very long ride into Thessaloniki. Difficult avoiding motorways with complex detours needed. | Backpacker refuge, Thessaloniki. | Greece |
| 27 | 24 May 2011 | 25 | 2546 | Rest day in Thessaloniki. | Backpacker refuge, Thessaloniki. | Greece |
| 28 | 25 May 2011 | 117 | 2663 | Rode east from Thessaloniki through scenic hills and considerable climbing to the hill town of Arnea, then long downhill run to the coast at Olymbiada. Then follow coast to Stavros and thence Asprovalta. | Katerina Haus, Asprovalta. | Greece |
| 29 | 26 May 2011 | 90 | 2753 | A hot day. Rode east, just inland from the coast, through little villages and hills. Steep climb over coastal hills to Kavala and thence to Nea Kavali. | Camping Nea Kavali. | Greece |
| 30 | 27 May 2011 | 83 | 2836 | Slowing down as there is now plenty of time to reach Istanbul. Fairly uneventful riding through an agricultural river delta region. | A closed campsite near the coastal village of Fanari. | Greece |
| 31 | 28 May 2011 | 80 | 2916 | Fantastic riding around scenic coastline. Took a minor dirt road through historic ruins that wound its way around rugged and pristine coastline. | Municipal campsite, Alexandroupoli. | Greece |
| 32 | 29 May 2011 | 148 | 3064 | Crossed the border into Turkey. Long distances on 4 lane road, heading towards Gallipoli. Then hard hilly riding to finally reach the coast at Sarkӧy. A very tiring day, the longest and most tiring of all. | A motel in Sarkӧy. | Greece - Turkey |
| 33 | 30 May 2011 | 26 | 3090 | Spent the morning in Sarkӧy then a short ride along the coast to Gazikӧy. | A motel on the coast near Gazikӧy. | Turkey |
| 34 | 31 May 2011 | 62 | 3152 | Very scenic riding on minor unsealed roads north of Gazikӧy. Rugged coast. Passed through the city of Tekirdag then continued along coast. | Coastal campsite past Tekirdag. | Turkey |
| 35 | 01 Jun 2011 | 122 | 3274 | Long ride in heavy traffic and increasingly urbanised landscape to the centre of Istanbul. | Hostel in Istanbul. | Turkey |
Photo Pages, Maps and Route Notes
I cycled through nine countries on this bike trip. The photos are organised by country, one web page per country, each with a map and further notes. Click on a country to go to the relevant page.
Web page created 29 Jun 2011, last updated 29 Jun 2011. All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2011. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. |
