My Husband Alex and I bikepacked Across Europe from London to Istanbul, Türkiye, we passed through 15 countries and cycled over 2,500 miles (4,023 km). We made our own way for the most part and while it was NOT the most efficient way to cycle across Europe, we were able to see a lot of bucket list places, including quaint Belgium towns, the beautiful Alsace region of France, the Black Forest in Germany, the Alps in Austria, the Dolomites in Italy, beautiful lakes and caves in Slovenia, remote towns with friendly people in Croatia the Iron Gates Gorge along the Danube in Serbia, the Balkans mountain range in Bulgaria and so many intricate mosques in Türkiye. It’s a wild ride going from literally Buckingham palace to the Blue Mosque in Türkiye but it was the most incredible experience of our lives.
We developed this guide to help you on your own adventure. I know not everyone will have the time to complete the full route so in this guide, we will break down some pros and cons of each of the areas we biked as well as the lessons we learned along the way. Also we VLOGGED the entire trip so feel free to check out our Bikepacking Across Europe playlist on YouTube to help prepare you as well:
Route and GPS Tracks
While there are quicker ways to bikepack from London to Istanbul than the route we took, we were able to see so many iconic European destinations on our bikepacking route across Europe. There are many Eurovelo routes zig zagging across Europe but we couldn’t find one we wanted to follow the whole time, so we came up with our own bikepacking across Europe route. When we started planning this trip we had a long bucket list of European destinations we wanted to explore, and we really saw this trip as a fusion of two things we love, outdoor-based adventure and travel. So we prioritized areas that didn’t seem too far off route but would still enable us to check out some epic travel destinations and beautiful natural wonders in Europe. For example, we knew we wanted to see the Alsace region of France but that was not the most direct way across the continent. Also, we added time (and a decent amount of elevation) to bike through the Alps in Austria and Italy.
We are providing our GPS tracks of the route we took for informational purposes in order to help you plan your own route, but we don’t necessarily recommend following it the entire time for your own bikepacking route across Europe based on the warnings we’ve listed below. For privacy reasons we have also removed detours to host stays as we wanted to keep their locations private. So the GPS tracks without the detours is less than the 2,500 miles our GPS clocked us at the end of our bikepacking trip across Europe. You should expect some additional miles for grocery stores, site seeing, and lodging when you plan your own bikepacking adventure across Europe.
Route Warnings:
- We do not recommend taking the small detour we took through Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there was some nice dirt roads initially, we ended up needing to take busy roads with no shoulder most of the time.
- We followed the Eurovelo 6 along the Danube between Serbia and Romania. For this route you can go on either the Serbian or Romanian side of the Danube. We mostly stayed on the Serbian side (which we recommend), but we crossed over into Romania after seeing the statue of Decebalus and we think it would have been better to have stayed on the Serbian side as the roads were very busy on the Romanian side. We were able to find some lovely dirt trails for small segments which were great, but based on what we’ve heard, we think the better choice overall is the Serbian side.
- The route we took through Bulgaria was also not ideal for the most part. At that point in our trip we were falling behind schedule and were mostly trying to find the shortest way to Istanbul, however, it was full of a lot of narrow, busy roads with little to no shoulder. Towards the end of our time in Bulgaria though we took some nice mountain roads through the Bulgarian Balkans and that was a highlight of our bikepacking trip across Europe!
- Istanbul is a terrible place to bike. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND doing what we did. It would be better to end your route before the city center and take a train in. The driving is chaotic there and a lot of the roads lack biking infrastructure.
Overview By Country
In this section we break down the route, highlights and challenges of each country we traveled through on our bikepacking trip across Europe.
England - 106 miles (170km)
We started our trip in London and wanted to officially start at some of the iconic sites so we biked from our Warm Showers host’s apartment to Big Ben and then to Buckingham Palace to officially begin this adventure. We also crossed the London Bridge and Tower Bridge for good measure. Biking in London was stressful, made worse by the fact that we were not used to biking on the opposite side of the road, plus massive double deckers buses are terrifying to bike next too! We biked along the Thames River to exit the city limits. This stretch was pretty nice and we even found some single track to follow for part of the time. As we made our way to the magnificent White Cliffs of Dover we took a series of busy highways, narrow country roads, and part of the Pilgrim’s way trail. While beautiful, taking the pilgrims way trail was a MUCH harder way to go so I don’t know that we would recommend it as it adds a lot of extra time.
England Highlights
- Welcoming host stays. We found that Warm Showers hosts were the easiest to find in England!
- Seeing quaint Cottages in the English Countryside
- Seeing the incredible White Cliffs of Dover (Pro tip: Add a day here to explore and hike on the beautiful cliffs, we wish we would have!)
- Some nice (albeit not continuous off-road trails)
England Challenges
- A few rude drivers, that don’t seem to love cyclists. We only experienced being yelled at in England. To quote someone “Move out of the way you wankers!”
- Cycling infrastructure: the bike paths are seriously lacking in the part of England we went through and there are a lot of crowded country roads that cyclists share with cars making for a lot of stop and go riding. Additionally, the highway stretches we took required a lot stop and go riding as well in order cross the interstate.
England Foods Not to Miss!
- Traditional English Breakfast – it is relatively affordable and super filling, making it perfect for hungry bikepackers
- Jacket Potatoes – Massive potatoes stuffed with a ton of toppings
- Fish and Chips – these are literally everywhere and they serve massive portions of chips that you need to get with salt and vinegar!
- Frutella – the most amazing candy you can get that is perfect for quick energy, available at convenience and grocery stores
Belgium - 276 miles (444 km)
Belgium was such a fun place to cycle on our bikepacking across Europe adventure. Belgians love to cycle and they prioritize bicyclists as a result. We ended up seeing a lot of Belgium as the route we did followed a large portion of the country. Most of the riding is on canals in-between quaint Belgian towns. It would make an amazing first tour destination. We took some time to explore the towns and we are so glad we did. We stayed a night or two in the following towns to allow more time to explore: Brugge, Ghent and Brussels. We could have spent a lot more time in many of the towns though! We also highly recommend the slight detour after Namur to check out the town of Dinant. It’s an insanely beautiful town.
Belgium Highlights
- So many quaint Belgium towns to explore! Our personal favorites were Ghent and Dinant
- The Food – the place is famous for its fries, chocolates and waffles..need I say more?
- Cycling infrastructure is AMAZING! – Almost the entire route follows cycling paths often on beautiful canals
- Brussels – such a beautiful city to explore and eat your way through 🙂
Belgium Challenges
- The cost of lodging is VERY high and limited during peak summer season
- Limited Warm Shower host availability during the summer – but we were able to find hosts available 2 of the 9 nights we spent in Belgium
Belgium Foods Not To Miss!
- Fries – they actually invented fries contrary to the common belief that it was France. Everyplace we went serves massive portions making it great for hungry bikepackers. Two places to try in Brussels: Fritland (Alex’s favorite) and Frit Flagey (Liz’s favorite). Don’t forget to get them with several sauces!
- Chocolates – there are so many chocolatiers throughout Belgium. Our favorites were from a place in Brugge called Chocolates & Happiness
- Waffles – these are everywhere and they are not just limited to breakfast. They have so many different types of waffles but our favorite were the Liege waffles that have sugar crystals inside….I’m literally drooling just thinking about them…They serve them plain and they are soooo good on their own!
Luxembourg - 62 miles (100 km)
We had no idea what to expect from this small country before we left on our bikepacking trip across Europe. Interestingly, the feeling of this country is so different than the other surrounding countries. The buildings seem more modern and it has a less “European feel” to it. There are three official languages in the country: Luxembourgish, French and German. We learned from a local that Luxembourg is an extremely wealthy country, and the prices at the restaurants seemed to reflect this. We only spent 2 days in the country, with 1 night in the capital city, Luxembourg where we explored for half a day. The cycling surrounding the city was SO GOOD. Great cycling lanes surrounded by nature and much less crowds than in the surrounding countries.
Luxembourg Highlights
- Cycling paths that feel more isolated and have loads of nature surrounding them
- Free public transportation if you need it
Luxembourg Challenges
- The prices were very high for lodging and food
Luxembourg Foods Not to Miss!
- KUMPIR The Happy Potato: Unlimited toppings stuffed potatoes. These are HUGE. So filling. Perfect for the hungry bikepacker
- Glacier Bargello: Get the vegan chocolate gelato. We aren’t vegan but it is DEVINE and probably the best gelato we have had
- Do For Love: Really good coffee
France - 136 miles (219 km)
We cycled in and out of France a few times on the trip for roughly. After getting off the ferry from England we cycled for roughly 40 miles in the north of France before entering Belgium. Then we came back in again after Luxembourg and in and out a bit but then another section through the Alsace region known for its beautiful half timber houses and the beautiful city of Strasbourg France.
France Highlights
- Bakeries and patisseries: So many amazing things to try and much more affordable than similar items in the USA!
- Affordable campgrounds (we spent around $15 for campgrounds with a shower for two people)
- Exploring Strasbourg – don’t miss the Cathedral Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg and Petite France
- Loads of dedicated cycling paths
France Challenges
- The cost of lodging is VERY high and limited during peak summer season
- Limited Warm Shower host availability during the summer
France Foods Not to Miss!
- Try loads of stuff at all the amazing (and quite affordable compared to the US) Boulangeries (Bakeries) and Patisseries (Pastry Shops)
- In the small town of Durstel there is an amazing small bakery called Maison Fardeau and they had the best pretzels we had on the trip beating even all the ones we tried in Germany
- In Strasbourg go to La Gare’Mandise-Boulangerie Patisserie Salon and get the delightful Hazelnut cream pastry called Tonnerre De Brest – probably the best thing I’ve ever had
Germany - 162 miles (260 km)
We cycled in an out of Germany on the trip and then for a long portion through the Black Forest region which was a major highlight of our trip. We actually preferred the look of the fairytale style towns in Germany than the ones we saw in France. Germany is know for its bread so that was also a major highlight for Alex who is obsessed with German seed bread!
Germany Highlights
- Black Forest Towns including Gengenbach and our personal favorite, Schiltach
- Amazing scenery surrounding the Black Forest towns
- Passing by many hillside castles
- German Bread
- Excellent cycling paths and a few short dirt/gravel roads
Germany Challenges
- Expensive campgrounds in the Black Forest (we recommend planning to just visit these towns during the day to avoid the high cost)
Germany Foods Not to Miss
- German Seed Bread
- Black Forest Cake: There are so many places that offer this and you’ll be biking through the Black Forest so you have to try it!
- Pretzel croissant: this is literally the perfect fusion of two amazing things Pretzels and croissants. SO GOOD and can be purchased at a lot of bakeries as well as grocery stores!
- Flammkuchen: thin dough topped with crème fraîche and other toppings and baked in a wood-fired oven
Switzerland - 31 miles (50 km)
We were in Switzerland for a very short amount of time. Our original internery involved much more in this country but a bad weather week was approaching and so we made the decision to skip out on most of our original plan as we didn’t want to be stuck in a hotel in a very expensive country for a week while the weather cleared. However, we heard good things about lake Constance and it didn’t seem to add too much time to our itinerary so we spent a day cycling along the beautiful lake paths and staying at a campsite on the water. However, a horrible storm came that night that was so strong that it literally destroyed our tent making our short stay in Switzerland memorable, but for the wrong reasons.
Switzerland Route Highlights
- Lake Constance
- Food
Switzerland Route Challenges
- Cost
- Freak Massive storm that destroyed our tent (this was not expected, and people who came to the campground yearly were shocked by this) so hopefully this doesn’t happen if you go this way!
Switzerland Foods Not to Miss
- Chocolate they are famous for this!
- Zopf bread
- Unfortunately we didn’t get to try much since we were here for such a short time, but we will go back someday!
Austria - 214 miles (345 km)
We cycled in the western part of Austria before heading into the alps. Then after some time in Italy, we popped into Austria again. The Austrian Alps are beautiful and we knew when planning the trip that we wanted to see them. A wonderful Warm Shower host gave us route suggestions that took us up the beautiful Silveretta pass and over to the Italian Alps. Unfortunately, we had to wait out a massive storm for 5 days in a hotel since our tent died in Switzerland.
Austria Route Highlights
- Silveretta Pass in the Alps
- Nice bike paths after Silveretta paths between beautiful alpine villages
Austria Route Challenges
- Construction on some of the roads. We managed to take some beautiful dirt paths but had to reroute many times because of trail construction
- Cost of hotels is high, especially in the Alps
Austria Foods Not to Miss
- Similar to Germany the bread here was wonderful with lots of Alex’s favorite seed bread everywhere
- Breakfast smorgasbord: If you stay in a hotel you will see the fairly elaborate breakfast full of a variety of breads, cheese, spreads, yogurt and fruit and sometimes eggs
- Cream cakes – Austria has amazing cakes and bakeries and many of which are my personal favorite because they are whipped cream based. So good!
- Apple Strudel
- Sauerkraut on Kiachl (fried dough)
Italy - 167 miles (269 km)
Beautiful Italian alpine lake, dolomite views, good food, and amazing cycling paths made the Italian portion of our route an amazing place on our bikepacking adventure across Europe. We crossed the border near Reschensee which is a beautiful alpine lake. If you are traveling the way we did, take a left at the lake which takes you on a nice smooth gravel trail to the sunken cathedral! The rest of the route travels on cycle paths through the foothills of the Dolomites, through loads of tunnels and along vast apple orchards. The scenery was unreal.
Italy Route Highlights
- Some of the most beautiful scenery on the route
- Reschensee – beautiful turquoise alpine lake with a sunken cathedral
- Biking through the foothills of the Dolomites
- All the yummy food!
- Some of the best cycling paths
- Lago Di Fusine (beautiful alpine lake)
Italy Route Challenges
- Cost for campgrounds is very high – expect to pay $40-50 euros per night for a basic spot next to loads of people
- Crowds – this is a popular spot to travel and so the biking paths and campgrounds were very crowded at times
- Minimal local interaction – As in most popular tourist sites it’s hard to connect with locals as they are overwhelmed with tourists and we were unable to find Warm Shower hosts
Italy Foods Not to Miss
- Italy is obviously famous for its food some ones we loved – fresh pasta, pizza, tiramisu, and gelato
- In Bolzano there’s a restaurant called Pasta Lab where they make their own homemade pasta!
- Ottenkeller Pizzeria e ristorante
Slovenia - 211 miles (339 km)
When we think of Slovenia we think about the amazing natural scenery including loads of beautiful lakes and caves throughout the country. This was the first part of our trip where for days we felt like we were off the beaten path. This was also the first part of the trip where we were mostly off cycling paths. We tried to take a bit more gravel and dirt trails here and found that the recent rains had made some pathways inaccessible. Overall it’s a beautiful country and one the top countries we hope to go back to from this trip.
Slovenia Route Highlights
- Amazing cycling paths through beautiful forest when you first enter Slovenia
- Lake Bled – swim, hike and cycle around this beautiful place
- Škofja Loka – beautiful medieval town with a castle and church on a hill
- Ljubljana – the largest city and capital of Slovenia
- Postojna Caves and Predjama Castle – One of the biggest highlights of the ENTIRE TRIP. We have never seen a more impressive cave than Postojna cave in all our travels and Predjama Castle was also super cool. You can purchase a combo ticket to save some $ at the ticket booths and there’s a shuttle that runs between them
- Beautiful gravel trails and caves to explore on your own in Rakov Škocjan National Park
Slovenia Route Challenges
- Route finding into Lake Bled. Most of the route after the Italian border is great but once you get closer to Lake Bled we struggled finding the route
- The gravel and dirt trails of the Slovenia West Loop after Lake Bled had lots of washouts due to heavy rain fall
Slovenia Foods Not To Miss
- Bled Cream Cake
- Štruklji (rolled dumplings)
- Ričet – Barley veg soup
Croatia - 249 miles (400 km)
Croatia – 249 miles (400 km)
Croatia to us will always make us think of the people. Out of all the countries on our bikepacking trip across Europe, we received the most trail magic from Croatia. This hospitality is out of this world, however, this was the first country where we had a lot of road cycling with little to no shoulder at points. The environment after Zagreb also completely changed as we passed through remote villages and saw visible signs of poverty for the first time. We popped into Bosnia for a day but then finished crossing Croatia. We ended our time partying and staying with complete strangers before crossing into Serbia. It really was the people that made our trip to Croatia so special.
Croatia Route Highlights
- Hospitality – the highest amount of trail magic we’ve ever received
- Hotels/guest houses prices are much better
- Zagreb – largest city and capital of Croatia. We did a lovely walking tour there and also loved exploring Tunel Grič
Croatia Route Challenges
- Cycling infrastructure is extremely lacking for most of the route
- The approach into Zagreb was scary
- Lack of established campgrounds most of the way
- Encountered our first (of many) aggressive dogs!
Croatia Food Not To Miss
- In Zagreb – La Štruk Restaurant – Fresh Štrukli – we loved the cheesy one best
- In Zagreb – Chocolat 041 – amazing ice cream. Loved the dark chocolate and Raffaello
- In Zagreb – Market Dolac – pick up some fresh produce at this fun outdoor market
Bosnia & Herzegovina - 30 miles (49 km)
We popped into Bosnia and Herzegovina for a brief 24 hours partway through our time bikepacking across Croatia. This was partly driven by the fact that there were zero campgrounds or lodging options where we were from Croatia and wild camping in Croatia is illegal (see section on camping/lodging below for more on this). It wasn’t too out of the way to pop into Bosnia & Herzegovina so we did. However, we actually would not recommend this, rather we recommend trying to plan your biking around available lodging options as the road conditions and cycling were not great for a large portion of our brief time in this country. We will need to go back someday to explore properly.
Bosnia & Herzegovina Highlights
- Some nice dirt trails for the first part of the time
- Friendly people
Bosnia & Herzegovina Challenges
- Lack of infrastructure
- Mostly road miles with no shoulder
Bosnia & Herzegovina Foods Not To Miss
Sadly we didn’t have time to try local foods here.
Serbia - 242 miles (389 km)
Serbia was so beautiful, but our time there was mixed with bike problems and it proved hard to find parts for our bikes. We followed the Eurovelo 6 for our whole time in Serbia. The roads were a mix of busy roads with minimal highway, dirt and grass roads and even a ferry crossing. After crossing the border we passed through Novisad, then Belgrade and then towards the Iron Gates Gorge and the huge rock sculpture of Decebalus.
Serbia Route Highlights
- Belgrade – the largest city and capital of Serbia
- Some remote dirt/gravel trails that pass by people herding cattle and a beautiful river
- Beautiful ferry crossing with castle views
- The Iron Gates Gorge along the Danube and the rock sculpture of Decebalus
- Very nice and affordable guest houses along the Danube
Serbia Route Challenges
- Wild aggressive dogs became a daily struggle
- Minimal bike shops outside of Belgrade
- Some highway miles with no shoulder (and cars that don’t seem to give you much space)
- Very challenging to get into and out of Belgrade with a bike
- Lots of tunnels along the Danube with minimal shoulder
Serbia Foods Not To Miss
- Börek – Flaky cheese (or meat) pastry – You will find these in surrounding countries as well but our favorite was here!
- In Belgrade: Ferdinand Knedle – amazing dumplings that can be sweet or savory. Don’t miss the plum one – its more traditional and the best in our opinion!
- Along the Danube: Traditional Fish Soup – you will find this at many cafes
- Srpska Salata (Serbian Salad): a salad you will find everywhere with cucumbers, tomatoes and onions (popular in surrounding countries as well)
Romania - 130 miles (209 km)
The route we took through Romania on our bikepacking trip across Europe was really remote and we wouldn’t recommend going the way we did. After seeing the statue of Decebalus we crossed into Romania and initially had loads of busy highways with semi-trucks that made us feel unsteady every time they passed. We eventually found some remote country roads and dirt roads. However, the infrastructure for travelers was lacking and it made it hard to plan our route as we could not find established campgrounds that were still operating and there were very few hotels most of the way. That being said, the people were incredibly friendly and we were able to see some beautiful natural scenery.
Romania Route Highlights
- Some beautiful dirt/gravel roads where people herd their livestock
- Friendly people who hang out outside and wave as you pass
Romania Route Challenges
- Lack of cycling infrastructure
- Lodging/campgrounds hard to find and spaced out
- Terrible highway with little to no shoulder and lots of big trucks
Romania Foods Not To Miss
- Covrig – an amazing bagel like circle bread that’s slightly sweet and with seeds (my favorite bread of the trip)!
Bulgaria - 287 miles (462 km)
Our second to last country on our bikepacking trip across Europe and the route we took through Bulgaria was mostly out of efficiency. There are likely better routes to go through this country but we were low on time and our bikes and bodies were struggling at this point in the trip, and our stove broke. However, a huge highlight of our trip was going up a pass in the Bulgarian Balkans so we highly recommend that part of the route at least! However, there were some scary sections on busy highways particularly as we approached the border of Turkey.
Bulgaria Route Highlights
- Beautiful pass in the Bulgarian Balkans with minimal cars
- Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria – beautiful town with a fortress
- Espresso machines EVERYWHERE with many options. Even the smallest villages you will find these and they are actually good!
- So many friendly street cats
Bulgaria Route Challenges
- Some busy highways with minimal shoulders
- Lack of bicycle shops along the route
- Aggressive dogs continue
- Lodging limited and hard to find or spaced out awkwardly
Bulgaria Foods Not To Miss
- Yogurt – similar to greek yogurt in that it is sifted and so good! A local told us to look for the highest fat percent to find the best local ones
- Börek and tomato cumber salad continued here 🙂
- Espresso or other drinks from the many vending machines throughout the route
Türkiye - 203 miles (327 km)
The final country on our bikepacking trip across Europe, country #15. As soon as we crossed the border we noticed an immediate cultural shift. It was the biggest change of the trip. We saw so many mosques and heard so many calls to prayer. The route we took to Istanbul had some really nice parts especially shortly after the border and some parts that we highly discourage on absolutely massive highways close to Istanbul. On our way to Edirne we opted off the highway and went on some country and dirt roads that passed through some very small villages, however, after Edirne we opted to take the most efficient route possible due to our ever increasing bike problems and if you’ve seen our finale you know we did not manage to escape those problems. We do not recommend biking into Istanbul. The roads are extremely dangerous and require multi–lane highway crossings and then once closer to Istanbul huge hills and just chaotic driving due to poor infrastructure. If we could do it again we would have set our minds to a point just outside the city and take a train in or see if there was another way around.
Turkey Route Highlights
- Small country and dirt roads on the way to Edirne with beautiful scenery
- Friendly Cats EVERYWHERE – locals take care of the cats well here
- Edirne – A large city shortly after the border that has some beautiful mosques to explore
- Calls to prayer
- Good food!
Turkey Route Challenges
- Getting into Istanbul was terrible. The roads are extremely dangerous and require multi-lane highway crossings and then once closer to Istanbul huge hills and just chaotic driving due to poor infrastructure
- Pide (similar to pizza but better)
- Lentil soup (common staple and good)!
- Turkish coffee (often served with Turkish delights and or chocolates)
- Turkish Tea
- Kunefe
- Baklava
Accommodations
Wild Camping
- England
- Belgium
- Luxembourg
- Germany
- Switzerland
- Austria
- Italy
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Serbia
- Bulgaria
- Turkey
Campgrounds
Hot tip: I have always struggled with camping in campgrounds because I am such a light sleeper so I hear EVERYTHING, but I brought a lightweight noise machine with me and that made such a HUGE difference. Also, make sure to bring lightweight toiletries and microfiber towel as showering almost daily was GLORIOUS.
Host Stays
Lodging
