Trip Report: Bikepacking CrossEurope – From Amsterdam to Budapest

Hello fellow Bikepacking friends,

I spend almost two month, 54 day exactly on a bikepacking trip across Europe and wanted to share some photos and make a trip report. Just came two days ago.

It was a blast and I had a lot of fun, even tho there were hard and hot days. 😊

The Rider

I am from western Germany, love to ride Mountainbike and spend a lot of time in the nature going on adventures. Startet last year with bikepacking and had two trips before this on, but never more than 5 days. 

The Bike

I rode with my litte customized Cube AimPro Hardtail MTB, adding a luggage rack for pannier-bags and switching the handlebar to the surly moloko-bar with some ergonomic grips. It was my first time with the moloko bar and they felt very comfortable and had enough space for my GPS, Bag and GoPro-Mount.

The Equipment

Nothing special, very minimalistic.

GoPro and a Drone for video documentation for myself. Usual camping cooking gear, reapair-kit & spare tire, very little clothing. If you are interested to get me into detail for equipment, just ask!  

I’ve got my tent (naturehike cloud up 2) with me and I wanted to sleep 50% of the night in the tent and 50% in AirBnBs, Rooms or Hotels. In the end it was way more Hotels than expected, but hey, it fact this was some way of vacation and I don’t wanted to look at the money spend on the way. On some days a good shower and a real bed were very necessary 😅

The Plan

The whole route was planned by myself in advance and the most time I actually stick to the plan. I got the inspiration for the individual stages from this sub, from bikepacking.com or I simply put together a route myself. Only had to replan the stage in the Vosges in France because I felt not ready for that much altitude meters at that point. 

My main goal was to cross the Alps, and every kilometer after that was an "extra mile" for me. Until just before the Alps, I didn't expect to actually make it to the very end. 

My secondary goal was to see as many countries as possible. 

To be more organized, I decided to split the whole trip in 10 stages and decided to give myself one or two rest-days per stage. Twice I had two days off, otherwise it always stayed at one day, because i want to get back on the bike again. In the end, every stage felt different and had its own vibe – this was cool. 

The Stages & The Tour

1 – From Amsterdam to Genk (Netherland / Belgium)

I wanted to have a easy flat stage to start my trip and get into the flow and a place which I could reach fast without actually riding bike, because I don’t want to start at home (I know every litte trail around my hometown and wanted to see something new).

The cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands is a dream for every cyclist and it was great fun to start the whole thing here.

The whole stage I slept on camp-grounds (except in Genk) because there are so many in the Netherlands. You just have to love the friendly dutch and "Frikandel Speciaal“. 

One day it was also King's Day in the Netherlands, everyone was walking around in „oranje“ and there was a great atmosphere everywhere!

Genk as the stages final was nice as well, cute town with a beautiful park and cozy city center.

2 – GR5 and Belgian Ardennes (Belgium)

I got this route from bikepacking.com. However, I have adapted the tour a little so that it fits perfectly into my plan. Tour-wise it was a slight change from mostly paved roads to more off-road terrain. It had some very steep sections and rough terrain, but also some very impressive scenery and it was fun to ride.

The city of Spa surprised me positively and here in Belgium I also camped wild once in a forrest, which was also a great experience.

3 – Luxembourg and French Moselle (Luxembourg / France)

Luxembourg is very rural and has some beautiful hills, even though the country is quickly traveled through. In the north of Luxembourg outside the capital city there are surprisingly no campgrounds, hotel or airbnbs at all.

Had to do a longer ride on that day.

I really liked Luxembourg City, it's a great place to explore and has a lot to offer.

The part at the moselle was for connecting my route with the later stages. This section was flatter again, but it allowed me to quickly gain some distance and set a few daily records. I made a few overnight stops in small villages with lovely French charm.

4 – France: Vosges and Alsace (France / Germany / Swiss)

First bigger mountain-stage. Vosges were super awesome but very hard to ride with that much altitude. On one hill i even got some thumbs up from motorcycle-riders when they discoverd me panting to reach the mountain summit 👍

Lovely nature, camped one night at Lac de Gerardmere, a very scenaric mountain lake. It was very cold at night but the area was worth it. Behind the Vosges I had a night in Thann, also a super pretty town.

I came around the border-triangle between france, germany and swiss and the final destination four this stage was Basel in Switzerland, very beautiful city as well – The Eurovision Song Contest took place here later the week i arrived. The city center was accordingly packed and there was a lively party atmosphere.

5 – Rhine Route & Lake Constance (Germany / Swiss)

Along the Rhine going east as preparatory work for crossing the Alps. Thought it’s going to be a litte bit of a „boring“ route, but it was also very chill to ride. Lovely cities with old buildings on both sides of the Rhine. 

At Lake Constance I got a bit of a holiday feeling, the Alps on the horizon were already motivating and made me look forward to the later crossing.

6 – Lake Constance to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany / Austria)

It was getting hilly again, nice route. One highlight was the Plansee, a stunning mountain lake with crystalclear water in Austria, which is way less crowded than other lakes in that area. 

Garmisch-Partenkirchen was my goal for this stage, because I’ve never seen the Zugspitze before. It’s the highest peak in Germany. And as a German I think you have to do so.

So I’ve spend two rest-days going up with the nice cog railway and also visit the Eibsee (Mountain lake) and the Partnachklamm (a Gorge). The whole area is a huge highlight for nature-enthusiasts and hikers as well.

7 – Crossing the Alps from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Lake Garda (Germany / Austria / Italy)

The first day on this stage was the only day I’ve had constantly bad weather. Wet to the skin at around 10 degrees, this was the hardest tour of all.

The Alps are simply incredibly beautiful and they were, of course, the highlight of the entire trip, even though I also enjoyed every other stage and city.

The climax was at the Brenner Pass, which also marks the border with Italy – I even got a little emotional with tears in my eyes on the way down on the other side.

The Italian part of the Alps (South Tyrol) was simply breathtaking, also because the weather was better again and I could enjoy the amazing view. I also felt at home in Italy, culinary-wise. (Pizza is love, Pizza is live)

8 – From Lake Garda to Trieste (Italy)

I have to admit that this was the tour that was the least fun in terms of riding bike. The landscape is very monotonous, there are hardly any hills and it was very hot.

But it was okay, because I took a two-day break on the Mediterranean Sea, laid on the beach with a bag full of treats and plenty to drink, and really relaxed for the first time for both days. (Every other restday, i walked around the cities a lot so my legs did not really get a rest). It felt like two days of vacation.

Trieste in the end was also a very pretty city again with a lot of italian Dolce Vita.

9 – Slovenia & West Loop Trail (Italy / Slovenia)

Another tour I ripped from bikepacking.com, although here I only rode the southern section between Trieste and Ljubljana. The way through the Notranjski Regional Park was so beautiful. Slovenia really is a hidden gem in Europe. Such beautiful, diverse nature and such tranquility, I really enjoyed it. There were also some nice climbs and wild trails on the route; it was super versatile.

Ljubljana is a city you simply can't help but love. It feels like a small town, but it's full of life.

I planned the second part of the stage from Ljubljana to Maribor myself, but it was no less beautiful.

10 – Hungary & grand finale in Budapest (Slovenia / Croatia / Hungary)

I wanted an epic location for my finale, and since I had been to Budapest 10 years ago and loved it there, the city was chosen as the destination.

After a short detour through Croatia for one night, i headed for the last country: Hungary. The stage through Hungary itself was unfortunately somewhat monotonous and very flat again, even though I really enjoyed the small towns where I stayed overnight. Lake Balaton is very touristy, which I don't particularly like. But that motivated me to do another day trip of over 100 km shortly before the end.

Budapest was a perfect choice as a destination. I planned my tour so that I would cross the Chain Bridge of course and end the trip exactly at the Heroes' Square.

Of course there were still a few days left in Budapest, my girlfriend picked me up there and we celebrated my trip and enjoyed the city together.

In my opinion one of the most beautiful cities in Europe!!

It's hard to put into words the feeling I had at the finish line. I was so proud of myself!

Numbers & Statistics

• 11 countries
• 43 tours
• 2.875 kilometers in total
• 171 hours and 20 minutes of riding time
• 20.700 meters of elevation gain
• 54 days traveling, including 11 rest days (approximately 20%)
• Average daily distance (riding days only): 66.8 km
• Average daily distance (all days): 53.2 km

Other nice / funny / cool information

• The weather-god was on my side: With the exception of a short thunderstorm in Luxembourg and all-day rain the first day after Garmisch-Partenkirchen I didn’t seen any rain at all
• Throughout the entire trip, I met and got to know so many nice bikepackers and other friendly people, which meant a lot to me. Some of them I will remember positively for a long time
• The goddam Country Signs 😀 They're just small, erected metal plates, but it's always so exciting to pass by one. It's always another milestone!
• Don’t forget Chamois-Creme on your trip. It’s a game-changer for your ass.
• The whole trip meant so much to me that I even got a small tattoo in Budapest as a souvenir

I think this sums up the trip quite well, although there is so much that happened that I would still like to report.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Could only add 20 photos – If you are interested on more pictures and my blog (in german on FindPenguins) or the GPX-routes (on Komoot), just DM.

Godspeed to all of you fellow riders 😎