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Cycling on the return journey from Hungary

We also cycled on our journey back from Hungary to Belgium.

Day 1 and 2 – Cycling in Lednice and surroundings

Half a day’s drive from Balaton is Lednice. From there, you can take a scenic bike ride through the triangle Lednice – Valtice – Břeclav, 45 kilometres along lakes, fields and forests.

Along the way you will come across remarkable buildings that the Liechtenstein family – on top of the castle – has randomly constructed in this landscape: a hunting lodge, the colonnade of Reistna, a minaret and the chapel of Saint Hubert.

When we drove there, the fruit and nut trees were full of fruit, and we saw fields full of faded sunflowers. The night before it had rained and the roads were slippery. The forest was steaming in the morning sun. You could already smell autumn. It was a very nice bike ride.

I must add that the condition of the cycle paths varies greatly.

One moment you are driving on smooth asphalt, a little later on a road full of pits filled with coarse gravel, then on a gravel path that is flooded.

The signage also regularly left much to be desired. Sometimes a bicycle route was indicated with a color, other times with a number. Sometimes you just had to guess which direction you had to go.

Apps like Komoot or Wikiloc are really not a luxury here.

Especially the passages through the village/city centers of Lednice, Břeclav or Valtice were confusing, and even downright dangerous due to the heavy traffic that drives on those axes. Cycle paths suddenly stop, traffic comes from all sides and as a cyclist you figure it out yourself.

I am lucky that my husband likes to figure it out himself. If another arrow is missing, he will scout for clues in front. And yes, sometimes we make a detour, but in the end we always end up right.

But otherwise it was wonderful cycling on this route. Moreover, the combination of autumn, beautiful weather and those remarkable Liechtenstein buildings in this beautiful area made the bike ride special.

We noticed that there were a striking number of cyclists within this triangle, especially on the easy cycle paths. Most of them rode mountain bikes, which is quite handy on this route.

We even got the impression that the Czech Republic is a cycling country par excellence, because practically all the cyclists we heard were Czechs.

Where to stay in Lednice and eat in Valtice

In Lednice we stayed for a few days in one of the cabins at the back of the garden of the Penzion Valašský Dvůr in Lednice.

The guesthouse is very nice and modern, with a nice breakfast, and a beautiful garden. Everything is taken care of, down to the last detail. Immaculata, as they would say here. A nice place to stay for a few days.

For our meals, we went to Valtice, which has a good range of restaurants. There we found a busy restaurant with simple, but tasty dishes.

At the checkout we got something that we would rather get rid of: the American tip system. The payment terminal was shoved under our noses with the question whether we wanted to tip 10, 15 or 20 percent.

In the Czech Republic, the prices on the card include taxes and a tip is not a mandatory part of the bill. The fact that you still have to choose a percentage when paying felt like a form of social pressure to us.

Perhaps I am extra sensitive to this, because a few months ago in America we were given such terminals every day for a month.

Europe has already adopted many American customs. But some customs can safely stay on the other side of the ocean as far as I am concerned.

By the way, this was the only place during our trip where we were confronted with this American tip system – at least for the time being.

Day 3 – Over an old railway bed to Kyjov

The third day we parked the car on the outskirts of Mutěnice where we got on our bikes towards an old railway bed (Mutěnka) that runs from Mutěnice to Kyjov through the landscape. (20 km one way)

Once we had found the route through the town of Kyjov, we could continue cycling on the Moravian wine route towards Skoronice.

What also struck us along the way were the many small-scale activities. Small workshops, businesses and businesses still seem to be part of the landscape here.

It reminded me of how so much of that small activity has disappeared or come under pressure in Belgium.

Day 4: Cycling along the Danube near Passau

Next stop on our return trip was Pension Gambrinus, on the outskirts of Passau. A very well-kept guesthouse with many rooms, ample free parking and a nice breakfast.

Nearby is the famous cycle route along the Danube, from Passau all the way to Vienna.

Qualitatively without a doubt the best cycling route of our trip. Beautiful, wide and well-constructed bike paths, beautiful scenery and hardly anything to complain about.

And yet, in my opinion, the least pleasant route of our trip.

The reason? The route is very popular with cyclists. And they want, as I wrote earlier, to speed up. Unannounced, they arrive at great speed and pass by.

That startles me every time. When you’re cycling quietly yourself and want to enjoy the landscape, that’s not pleasant. Whereas, ringing the bell or a warning in advance would work wonders.

Passau itself, on the other hand, is even more beautiful than Tábor and Brno and possibly the most beautiful town we have encountered during this trip. The location on the water is special: this is where the Danube, the Inn and the Ilz meet.

On the quay, many walkers were looking at the place where the three rivers meet.

What is special is that they each have a different color: the Danube blue-gray, the Inn greenish and the Ilz darker. The differences are especially visible at the confluence.

Passau seemed like a real hub for river cruises. One boat after another left downstream full of tourists. It is a completely different kind of tourism than what we encountered along the way. Really on a large scale.

In the evening we drove a little higher into the hills to have dinner at Blaas-Passaublick. The name says it all: from the terrace you have a beautiful view of Passau, which is located down in the valley.

And if, on top of that, a zeppelin appears in the sky at dusk, as was the case with us, the picture is complete.

We enjoyed it. The view, the cozy atmosphere and certainly the delicious food. A nice end to our trip.

Day 5 – Last night on the Rhine

Our very last stop was Rheingauer Hof in Oestrich-Winkel.

The guesthouse – you could also call it a small family hotel with a dozen rooms – may look a bit dark upon entering, but on the first floor you enter a very spacious courtyard. A pleasant place to read or have a drink if you prefer not to stay in your room.

Everything was immaculately cared for and the many flowers, trees and greenery gave the whole a cozy atmosphere.

It was our last stop of the trip before we drove home, but we left feeling good. We already know that we will return to explore the area further and make bike rides along the Rhine.

Moreover, there is a very good Italian restaurant around the corner: Tutto Pizza da Tomasso.

A beautiful restaurant with a winter garden and a huge terrace, and with affordable prices. The dishes are neat and consistent, with an authentic taste.

So, if you are in the area, we think you can’t go wrong with both this guesthouse and the restaurant.

Later, as we approached home, we heard ‘our tune’ of 2026 on the radio: Ella Langley. With her song ‘Choosin’ Texas’ , she had just broken Mariah Carey’s Billboard Hot 100 record, with 23 weeks at No. 1.

Back home: what do we remember?

Was it a nice trip? Yes, definitely. Would I make it again? Yes, at least in the same way, but I would stay closer to home.

We saw that you don’t have to travel that far to discover landscapes, cycling routes and culture that are at least as interesting. Germany also has a lot to offer.

Lake Balaton was certainly a good base for cycling. We were particularly impressed by the Kis-Balaton and the south side of the lake. The north side is more beautiful, but felt deserted and empty to us.

Some of the hyped attractions appealed to us less – at least at the time we were there in September. Tihany, for example, with its commercialised lavender industry, faded lavender fields and dry inland lake. But what we did like was the bike ride around Tihany Bay.

We have seen a lot along the way and especially cycled a lot.

Germany, the Czech Republic and Hungary each have their own character and sights, but in the end it is mainly the atmosphere on our bike tours that stays with us: enjoying the landscape, the weather, and occasionally stopping to take a closer look.

Not everything has to be worth it for a trip to be worthwhile.

Carine

One last page: Hungary and Lake Balaton: our experiences