I am planning to bike from Prague to Vienna To Budapest. I am traveling solo. I want to spend 3-4 days in Vienna . I have researched several tour companies but the timing/direction of travel /expense are problematic. I am starting the bike tripfrom Prague around Oct. 1 .

I am looking for advice from people who have biked this trip on their own. Here are a couple of questions?

1) How did you manage luggage transer between Cities? I think I only need my luggage transfered between Prague-Vienna and Budapest. I plan on carrying what I need for the 4-5 days I will be riding between these major towns. Has anyone successfully contracted with a hotel or other to transfer luggage from City to City in this manner?

2)The cost of Bike rental and the associated fees for delivering a rental bike to Prague and then picking it up in Budapest are very high.
I am contemplating buying a bike in Prague. I then would take it on the train to Zareg, Croatia and then to Ocijek where I could leave it with my son who is staying in a near by town for several years.
Any experience with bike purchase in Prague? Recommendations for a good reputable bike store where english is spoken?
How is traveling on the train with a bike from Budapest into Croatia? I assume there would be an extra fee? Do they always make accomodations...or is it hit and miss? Is the bike safe while on the train?

3) I would like to make the bike trip with a minimum of hotel/hostel reservations along the way. The idea would be to stop and spend the night where and when I want without the predetermined schedule of having advance hotel reservations. In early October, how is the availibility in these small towns between Prague-Vienna and Vienna-Bedapest? Any idea about cost? Are there many hostels in these small towns or are the hostels mostly in the larger Cities.

4) I am a male, 55 yrs old. Is it common for people of my age to stay in hostels in this area...or are they mostly used by younger travelers?

5) Do many people speak English in the smaller towns between these larger Cities? How difficult is it to obtain directions in English and then translate the local street sigans, etc.

6) Any comments on the price of hostels, small hotels, pensions?

Thanks for any input you can offer!!!

try searching the trip reports at www.crazyguyonabike.com

Not sure if this will be helpful, but... We booked a biking trip through www.eurobike.at a couple of years ago. We took 10 days to cycle 200 miles from Passau to Vienna. Compared to other tour companies I researched, it was very affordable, something like 500 euros per person for 8 nights, with maybe a 100 euro single supplement. We could leave any day we wanted (except Saturday, I think).

Maybe October is too late for their season though.

They arranged the bike rental in Passau and drop-off in Vienna, gave us some instructions and a copy of the Danube Cycling Guide (which we also purchased in advance from Omni Resources) and booked the hotels. Hotels were mostly small and simple, but very comfortable.

The best part was that we left our luggage in the hotel lobby each morning and when we arrived at our destination at the end of the day, it was waiting for us in the new hotel's lobby.

Just to be clear, completely self-guided.

Don't expect anyone to speak English outside the main cities. I would recommend joining warmshowers.org - a friendly group of people who support cycle tourists with a bed for the night - and a warm shower.

Vienna to Budapest. Done this, no need to book ahead. Forint is in trouble so hotels will be good prices (as will dentistry if needed), bike bath black top but may have bottles on it. Two areas were poor and may have improved (through bratislava was tricky) and austrian danube crossing by local boat but not necessary.

English possible but not certain, local signs pretty easy as writing is in these letters not cyrilic. However Hungarian is not an Indo European language so there will be few "clues"

Trains, will take bikes but may need to keep to slower ones, guards van is preferable as when we used corridor ones bits kept being pinched off them.

2 paaniers should last you 2 weeks so not sure why you need lugauge transport. Vienna to Budapest along the river is flat, possibley cold and wet but flat.

I'd stay in hotels, once you've seen hostels in this area you may understand why

Outside of Prague and the main tourist towns in the Czech Republic, small pensions should cost no more than $25 per night and in October there will be vacancies. I suggest you get some guidebooks and look at towns you will possibly be staying in on the way and note hotel names and addresses. I went through quite a few very small towns and didn't see hotels at all. It's only in the larger towns that you will find accommodations. You can also contact the Czech, Austria, and Hungary tourist boards and explain what you need and ask them to send any info they have. Many tourist boards have a booklet of accommodations by area, or for the entire country, that they will send you.

Thanks to all for this great info!!! It is very helpful!!

I am now thinking about buying a bike in Prague. Does anyone have a recommendation about a good reputable Bike shop in Prague and how much I hould expect to pay?

bigtyke - I am hooked on crazyguyonabike. I've been reading the trip reports for a couple of days now. So glad you mentioned it.