Budapest-Vac_Hungary_7-22-14

Back on the bikes again, we ride Budapest-Vac on a terrific bicycle path. We left Budapest this morning and had a pretty easy time following a bike path through the city. There is a bike path that we caught behind St. Stephen’s Basilica all the way to Margit Bridge that does not show on the Bikeline map.

Budapest-Vac-Great bicycle paths

It goes to the back side of the Parliament Building, up close and personal.

Budapest-Vac-Parliament Building

It crosses the bridge and connects with EV 6 on the right bank of the Danube, or you can choose to exit in the middle of the bridge and cycle north on Margit Island to the next bridge.

Budapest-Vac-Parliament Building

As rain for the day was already in the air, we decided to follow the track on the right bank. We found this to be an easy bridge to get on and off. (Chain Bridge is also easy to access from both sides. We thought Erzsbet Bridge was the most complicated because of traffic on the right bank.)

The bike path was easy to follow to the north end of Margit Island and Arpad Bridge when suddenly; it dropped onto a street with heavy traffic. We saw no EV 6 signs to guide us at this point. There were numerous roads to choose from. This was the first time today we got lost! After trying several routes and asking locals, we finally, and in a circuitous manner, got back to EV 6 signs and a good bike path. We never did figure out where we went wrong or how to correct it.

When that bike path disappeared, we really got lost. Again, no signs, so we ended up on the highway which had a bike lane. We never did find the dedicated bike path that followed the Danube shore between Romaifurdo and Csillaghegy. But we were not the only ones who missed it.

We stopped at an intersection and to get something to eat. While we were there, numerous groups of cyclists came to the intersection. There was a group of four British cyclists who stopped at the intersection; they saw the EV 6 sign which said to go left; they looked to the left and decided that that couldn’t be right so instead of going left, they went straight ahead. A couple came from the left and went straight through the intersection following the sign the opposite way. We never saw them again. A lady by herself came up to the intersection, turned left, and about 15 minutes later came back to the intersection wondering where to go. She finally went straight through the intersection where the sign said not to go. So it was our turn next and we turned left which is what the sign said to do.

Within five minutes, we turned around and came back to the intersection because we were heading right into a town which did not seem the right way to go. So we followed the other confused cyclists and went straight through the intersection and caught up to them about a half an hour later. They were on the bicycle path on the dike; they had found it. So had we.

We followed this bicycle path through beautiful wooded area along the Danube

Budapest-Vac-Cycle paths

and then suddenly it comes up on to the dike and there is a sign that says “no bicycles.” What did that mean exactly? As we were pondering that sign, two cyclists came down the dike. They had just come from Szentender that we were heading towards. No problem, they said just about 4 km down here you’ll come to the town. So we followed the sign that said no bicycles.

Apparently we got on the route that shows on the map as unfinished. Bikeline suggested that trailers should not go that way. The paving was extremely rough and rugged. Then the paving gave way to gravel. Then the gravel gave way to sand and packed dirt. But, it was for a very short distance and we had no particular difficulty with the trailer or the trike.

Budapest-Vac-bicycle paths

Budapest-Vac-bicycle paths

Budapest-Vac-bicycle paths

So Mike looks for EV 6 sign which we see to our immediate right going back exactly in the same direction that we just came from on the other side of a little canal. Confused? Yes we were very confused. A look at Bikeline map confirmed that EV 6 made a sharp turn and went right back up the way we just came, on the other side of a canal. Only now, we were on a good bike path. This was just a few kilometers before Szentender.

We stopped at a lovely tennis court complex right on the bicycle path and had lunch. Numerous cyclists have gone by including another French family with two children, one riding on a bike behind mom and the other in a carriage behind dad.

It had been spitting rain all morning with a few heavier showers. It started again as we cycled into Szentender which is an interesting looking town on the river. It deserved a stop and exploration, but with more rain coming, we pushed onward. Sections of the paved bike path were very rough and bumpy after Szentender, but it wound through lovely forest along the river to Leanyfalu. Luckily, we came to a liquor store with a covered porch at the end of the path as it started to downpour.

From Leanyfalu to Tahitofalu, there followed a short section on a busy highway with no shoulder. Cars whizzed by unconsciously spraying great amounts of water, but still, we found all the drivers gave us plenty of room. Once we turned towards Vac, the traffic completely dropped off. Vac has a wonderful town center. From the ferry landing, head straight up the cobblestone street directly in front of the landing, turn right in the square to find the tourist information office.

Budapest-Vac-Vac center

There are rooms in Vac, but they are not easy to locate on one’s own. We stayed at Stephano’s Apartmani just opposite the library. It was a bit further from the square than others, but he was such a welcoming personality. He drove us into the square at dinner time and gave us his umbrella for walking back in the continuing rain.

Budapest-Vac-Stephano’s in Vac

Budapest-Vac-Great restaurants in Vac

Bicycling-Hungary-Stephano’s Apartmani in VacBudapest-Vac-Stephano’s in Vac