EuroVelo 6 - useful description, map and GPX

EuroVelo 6 leads from the Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea, passing ten countries and touching different cultures. It is one of the most popular cycling routes in Europe thanks to its variety of great landscapes, little elevation gain, and diverse infrastructure to see and visit. The whole EuroVelo 6 cycle route has about 4550 km.

In France, cyclists ride along the Loire River. EuroVelo 6 starts in Saint-Nazaire, where the river flows into the Atlantic Ocean. There are many vineyards, historic places, and remnants of the Roman Empire on its banks. You can ride through the kings’ castle valley, which is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. From Nevers to Basel route leads by mostly the natural areas with vineyards and quaint towns such as Besançon and Basel.

In Switzerland, cyclists follow the Rhine river until they reach Germany. EuroVelo 6 leads among vineyards and sunflower fields. There is a short stage here without EuroVelo signs, so you can download the GPX file from the top of this page to never miss the way.

In Germany, the route meets the next picturesque river - the Danube (Danube Radweg/Danube Cycle Path). In Ulm, the town of Einstein’s birth, you can visit the highest church steeple in the world. Cyclists cross the Bavarian region, which is full of medieval towns, churches, and river valleys.

The Austrian section is probably the most popular in the whole Eurovelo 6. It leads from the German town Passau to Vienna - city full of places worth seeing. This part is flat and scenic, so many also not well-fitted riders choose it.

Leaving Vienna, you pass the Austrian forests and reach Bratislava - the capital of Slovakia. After a quite short period in this country, you ride into Hungary to immediately meet Budapest with its beautiful city center.

Hungarian stage is dominated by rural areas and local communities. Reaching the border of Serbia and Croatia you have to choose the way you ride further. The Croatian part leads across the Kopacki Rit national park and Vukovar city. Serbian part leads across nature. There’s no option to change the side later until the Croatian part joins the Serbian in Backa Palanka. After visiting Belgrade cyclists can see the breathtaking gorges called the Iron Gates. Then riders again have the choice between staying in Serbia or riding on the Romanian side, which later goes into Bulgaria. The second option is hillier. Both sides are under development, so it’s good to have navigation. At the end, routes join each other and circle as the Danube meanders. You can also shorten this stage and go directly to the Black Sea by riding east.

The most significant information about EuroVelo 6

• Start – Saint-Nazaire by the Atlantic Ocean
• Finish - Constanta by the Black Sea
• Distance - about 4550 km
• Elevation - mostly flat, with some hilly sections in Germany and Bulgaria. Daily sections should not exceed 1000 m elevation gain, and usually not reach more than 500 m
• Surface - about 92% of the EuroVelo 6 route is perfectly or well rideable, about 8% of roads could make some problems with comfortable riding
• Recommended bike — cross, touring, gravel bike
• Navigation - the most of the route has Eurovelo signs, apart from small sections and the last stage (Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria) where the route is still under development
• Safety - part of the route leads on a public road with small/medium traffic, sometimes there is no roadside.
• Interesting Places - Nantes, Tours, Orleans, Nevers, Basel, Ulm, Ingolstadt, Regensburg, Passau, Linz, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Constanța
• Countries - 10: France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria

EuroVelo 6 - Inconveniences

You have to know that some part of route can lead over the streets, sometimes with high traffic. Probability of riding on such roads increases as you go. Hungarian, Croatian, Serbian, Romanian and Bulgarian parts have about 10-20% sections with medium and high traffic.