Accessible accommodation along The Danube

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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wheely
Posts: 2
Joined: 28 Mar 2014, 10:44am

Accessible accommodation along The Danube

Post by wheely »

Hi all, I am a newbie to the CTC Forum hoping I don't transgress any forum rules.
My enquiry centres around my wife and I hoping to embark on a trip cycling down The Danube this coming summer.
My question really is, with an average daily mileage of 40-50 mile we will need accommodation each day.
The issue that makes this more problematic is that I use a handbike and will need suitable wheelchair accessible accommodation. Unfortunately access to travel accommodation cannot be assumed to be wheelchair accessible, even in todays more enlightened world.
Does anyone out there know of any simple clean reliable accessible accommodation either using a mixture of hotel, hotel chain or B&B??
Any thoughts of how to get to the Danube from the UK boarders using train or ferry/train would be very gratefully accepted as well?
Many thanks in advance
Mike Rhona
Barrenfluffit
Posts: 797
Joined: 20 Oct 2009, 5:31pm

Re: Accessible accommodation along The Danube

Post by Barrenfluffit »

Do you have a plan for getting back.

Donaueschigen has a train station.

Thereafter its tricky. There are accommodation guides for Eurovelo 6 but you'd have to contact the hotels etc directly to see what the situation was. Germany / Austria should be easier but beyond Budapest your in rural area's so there's less choice (and standards are much lower).
BE1
Posts: 120
Joined: 22 May 2009, 10:56pm

Re: Accessible accommodation along The Danube

Post by BE1 »

These people run a handbike tour down part of the route.

Not suggesting that you necessarily take their tour but they may have useful information/contacts

http://www.barrierefrei-reisen.at/en/reisen.php?id=24
burroc
Posts: 73
Joined: 11 Aug 2009, 9:32pm

Re: Accessible accommodation along The Danube

Post by burroc »

The times I've cycled along the Danube I have been amazed by the sheer number of cyclists and the variety of bikes. I've seen a few hand propelled ones and countless trailers (I saw one chap with a Brompton: child on front, child on rear and another child in a trailer!). Sorry I can't help in relation to your accommodation query, but I can at least assure you the cycle paths have been designed with cyclists in mind - none of this having to get off and manhandle your bike through barriers or gates. I counted 14 barriers on a 10 mile stretch of a cycle route in this country - I cannot recall a single one on the Danube. Have a good trip.
pal
Posts: 612
Joined: 22 Mar 2008, 11:49am

Re: Accessible accommodation along The Danube

Post by pal »

I'm afraid I can't help with the accommodation question: the 'Bett und bike' site is a good source of general info for accommodation along the German long-distance cyclepaths (and includes the Austrian bit of the Danube cycle path) (http://www.bettundbike.de/en), but the only way to check on accessibility seems to be to look at each hotel/B&B individually...

On transport: it depends a bit on where you're starting (and finishing), but the City Night Line train is a good way to travel across Europe with a bike. They have routes from Paris and Amsterdam to Munich -- and from Munich it's relatively easy to get to Passau (or other Danube jumping-off points) by Deutsche Bahn. UK to Paris could be done by Eurostar; UK to Amsterdam by ferry (+ short bike or train ride) from Harwich or Hull or Newcastle. Bahn.com has the info (bike bookings can't be done online, as far as I know, but their UK call centre is very helpful).
Jonny Deezil
Posts: 9
Joined: 22 Feb 2014, 12:05pm

Re: Accessible accommodation along The Danube

Post by Jonny Deezil »

Maybe not the best solution is to consider youth hostels along the Danube. Germany has plenty of these:

http://www.hihostels.com/

Perhaps not necessarily to book through the site but merely to have the address and contact details as back up.

Have fun.

:D :D :D

Victor
edwin
Posts: 137
Joined: 27 Nov 2010, 6:24am
Location: Germany Odenwald

Re: Accessible accommodation along The Danube

Post by edwin »

Hi Mike,

I'm German and I'm living in the north of Baden-Württemberg. (The sources of the Danube are in the south)
I always had the impression that Britain is more handycap-friendly than Germany. So, there might be some issues.
Unfortunately I'm not an expert on wheelchair life and travel but I know Germany quite well. :wink:
First a question: How do you plan to move inside buildings? Will you take a small wheelchair with you?

For the transport: Here is a link to the wheelchair pages of Deutsche Bahn. From my personal observations, I would say it can be quite a hassle to get on trains. Sometimes the staff of the bahn has to get a ramp to get you on the train but it seems to be always possible. It seems to be important to state in advance that you need to get on the train by wheelchair.
There is a convient train line through the Black Forrest from Karlsruhe to Konstanz (on Lake Constance) that stops in Donaueschingen. When I toured the Danube with my son, we got off the train in St. Georgen, giving us 20km along the Brigach river on a convinient Radweg mostly downhill to Donaueschingen.
Have a look at http://www.bahn.de yourself.

For accomodation, the trick is to google "barrierefrei" (barrier free). E.g. I found a bit of information for the Alb-Donaukreis (a Landkreis (county) at the Danube). They tag wheelchair accessible accomodation, but you can't search it. So you have to click on every item to find something. This is just an example. There must be better ways....

If you have any question or if I can help you with translating, feel free to ask here or give me a private message.

Have fun at the Danube!

Edwin
Vorpal
Moderator
Posts: 20700
Joined: 19 Jan 2009, 3:34pm
Location: Not there ;)

Re: Accessible accommodation along The Danube

Post by Vorpal »

Many chain hotels (e.g. Ibis, Quality, etc.) allow wheelchair accessibility to be used as a search criteria on their websites. TripAdvisor and some other centralised booking platforms also allow searches by accessible accommodation. Of course, they will always warn you to check with the hotel. And I suspect that some places which are accessible (or at least useable) don't list themselves as such.

There are also a couple of English language sites with information about accessible accommodation in many countries...
http://www.disabledholidaydirectory.co.uk/
The Irish Wheelchair Association has a directory of links for accessible travel http://www.iwa.ie/services/holidays/accessible-holidays

Good luck and enjoy your trip.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
Psamathe
Posts: 17648
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: Accessible accommodation along The Danube

Post by Psamathe »

Can't help with info (sorry) and I wish you success in your search but ...

Maybe as you do the ride take extensive notes and on your return write it all up. I'm sure the Eurovelo site would love such an article (as well as CTC sites and probably many other places to publish). And thereby encourage others to do the ride, etc.

Ian
edwin
Posts: 137
Joined: 27 Nov 2010, 6:24am
Location: Germany Odenwald

Re: Accessible accommodation along The Danube

Post by edwin »

Hi,

it's me again. I can't get this out of my mind. :)
I found a cool website of a German couple: The Wittmachers. She is riding a handbike and he is a cyclist.
They've done two tours at the Danube: Donaueschingen-Ulm and Ulm-Weltenburg and written helpful articles about it.
I'm sure they will help if you contact them.
Their accomodation:
  • Hotel Stadt Tuttlingen in Tuttlingen
  • Hotel Fürstenhof in Sigmaringen
  • Charisma-Hotel Brücke in Riedlingen
  • Hotel Zum Ochsen in Ehingen
  • Landgasthof Sonne, Gundelfingen
  • Hotel Traube, Donauwörth
  • Hotel am Fluss, Neuburg
  • Gasthof Delagera, Großmehring

regs

Edwin
wheely
Posts: 2
Joined: 28 Mar 2014, 10:44am

Re: Accessible accommodation along The Danube

Post by wheely »

What can I say, a great response, all the hints, tips and links will be very useful I am sure.
My wife and I have done a few 'tours' that feel like 'expeditions' it goes with the disability to a degree.
We have normally had very positive experiences with people normally really being helpful.
In a world that sometimes struggles with the concept of treating all equally, the cycling community has never disappointed.
We wrote an article for the CTC mag a few years ago and we try to get to The Birthday Rides week most years.
It is always the access to transport and accommodation that is the challenge.
We can now, thanks to your suggestions, start using The Web to ask the questions regarding the above.
Any and all further info you think maybe helpful please do not hesitate to contact us.
Many, many thanks
Mike & Rhona
cotswolds
Posts: 287
Joined: 16 Jan 2010, 10:47am

Re: Accessible accommodation along The Danube

Post by cotswolds »

A slightly belated suggestion: a site you might find useful is wheelmap It's based on Open Street Map (i.e. crowd sourced) and shows wheelchair accessible places.

A few minutes work found the following as fully wheelchair accessible:

Best Western in Regensburg
Ibis in Regensburg
Hotel Theresientor in Straubing
Spitz Hotel in Linz

There are large areas with no data, so it's far from perfect, but it may give you a few suggestions. Hopefully you'll add the places you find and make it more useful for others.

Rob
Last edited by Vorpal on 5 Apr 2014, 10:10pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: fix link
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