Hungary, Slovenia & Croatia
2026
Taking in Bratislava (Slovakia), Gyor & Esztergom on the way to Budapest. Then Balaton Lake on the way to our favorite vinyard, Puklavec, Jeruzalen, Slovenia, where we celebrate Esthers birthday, before joining Beck, Filip and Lily in Sibenik, Croatia for a week. Finally Zagreb, for the Croatian Masters, where we swap the Womo with Fiona&Alex for a car to take us home.
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Route
Outward
- Baldham
- Bratislava, Slovakia 476km, 5 hrs
- Gyor, Hungary 80km, 58 mins
- Esztergom, Hungary 100km, 1:31
- Budapest, Hungary 41km, 0:52
- Revfulop, Balaton, Hungary 117km, 1:12
- Puklavic, Zavasci, Slovenia 181km, 2:00
- Varazdin, Croatia, 19km, 0:25
- Mresnizki Drig, 150km, 1:45
- Gracac, Croatia, 200km, 2:00
- Skradin, Croatia, 110km, 1:10
- Sibenik, Croatia, 22km, 0:22
Return
- Sibenik, Croatia, 22km, 0:22
- Zagreb, Croatia, 344km, 3:20
- Ljubljana, Slovenia, 139km, 1:55
- Baldham, Germany, 411km, 4:38
Bratislava, Slovakia
We arrived in the evening, parking on the big parking lot by Hrad Devin Castle, where we had a meal and spent the night. We originally planned to take the bus into town, but as there were plenty of suitable parking close to the centre, we drove in and parked at a Park4Night-recommended paid-parking. When we returned to the WoMo after a pleasant half-day wander around the town, the van was unlocked and inside things had been moved: some-one had broken-in and searched for valuables. Fortunately we had a ll valuables with us and there was neither damage to the van nor anything missing: we were only one day in Slovakia and our camper van got broken into for the first time since we've had it!
Hrad Devin Castle, near Bratislava, where we parked up for the night before driving into the city.
Bratislava Old Town
Györ
The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: the Mosoni-Danube, Rába, and Rábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Győr's bishops, can be easily recognized by its incomplete tower. Győr's oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the 15th-century Gothic Dóczy Chapel. The cathedral, originally in Romanesque style, was rebuilt in Gothic and Baroque style.
Other sights include:
- Town Hall
- Benedictine church of St. Ignatius of Loyola
- Carmelite church
- Museum of Roman Archaeology
- Jedlik fountain[17]
We arrived early evening and parked on the car park of the thermal baths / Spa, a 10 minte walk from the centre. We wandered around the town, having a nice meal at the traditional Szalai Vendeglo restaurant.
Esztergom
Esztergom is a historic city in northern Hungary, situated on the right bank of the Danube River directly across the border from Štúrovo, Slovakia.
- Basilica: Hungary's largest church and tallest building, featuring an 118-meter-high dome and the world's largest painting on a single canvas.
- Castle: Built originally in 1070 on Roman foundations, this reconstructed site showcases permanent exhibitions of pottery, coins, weapons, and architectural fragments detailing the region's royal and medieval history.
- Maria-Valeria-Bridge: An iconic structure linking Esztergom with the Slovakian town of Štúrovo.
We parked at Gran Camping between the Danube & town centre, a 15 minute walk from the Basilica. We walked underneath the basilica then round it, popping inside on the way, then back past the castle to the campsite., after each enjoying a huge Langos at a food truck next to the Basilica.
Budapest
capital and largest city of Hungary. It is home to roughly 1.7 million residents. The iconic Danube River bisects the metropolis into two distinct districts: hilly Buda on the west and flat Pest on the east. Officially founded in 1873 through the unification of Buda, Óbuda, and Pest, the city serves as Hungary's central political, commercial, and cultural hub.
Other sights include:
- Parliament Bulding: The domed neo-Gothic structre was inspired by the British House of Parliament and serves as both a vibrant government center and a proud city landmark on the banks of the Danube.
- Fishermans Bastion: Built during the 19th century for the Hungarian Millennium celebrations, this mock bastion features pointed towers and turrets, reminiscent of the fairytale castles in Disney World.
- Jewish Synagogue & Mazel Toy restaurant
Camping:
- Mömax parking lot, with direct 15 minute bus connection to the centre and cheap lunch and breakfast.
On the first afternoon in Budapest, it was grey, windy & cold, so we warmed up in a rstaurant next to the bus stop before heading back to the Camper Van for an early night.The next day was a bit warmer with sunny intervals, so we heaaded back into town to enjoy a Danube boat tour with a great view of the Parliament building and fishermans bastion.
Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton is a freshwater lake in western Hungary. It’s a major holiday destination with beaches, volcanic hills, resort towns and high-rise hotels along its 197km shoreline. The hilly north shore is a wine-growing region, with protected wetlands and hiking trails at Balaton Uplands National Park. The town of Veszprém has a walled Castle district, and 13th-century frescoes at the Gizella Chapel.
We stayed at Balatontourist Camping Napfény on the north shore, taking a ferry to get there from the motirway on the south side of the lake.
After getting rather cold in windy Budapest, he warm sunshine was a welcome change.
We stayed 3 nights, giving me some time for a couple of bike rides in the lovely wooded rolling hills behind the lake: they were empty of people and full of wildlife: I saw deer, wild boar, hares, green lizards and a wide variety of birds.
Puklavec, Zasavci, Slovenia
We spent the weekend of Esthers birthday with Fiona and Alex at our favorite vinyard. As usual, excellent weather, food & wine!
Some of the photos were taken on a bike ride from the vinyard to Jeruzalem via Ormuz (Komoot tour).
Wine Camp Hazic, Varazdin, Croatia
Only 20 kilometers from Puklavec, on the other side of the Croatian/Slovenian border was a Campsite boasting wine tastings of their own produce. Unfortunately there was no wine tasting when we were there, but we could buy a bottle of wine and some delicious fruit juice.
Nice cycling in lovely countryside, and the campsite was new & clean, but slightly disappointing after Puklavec.
Camp Slapic, Meznicki Brig, Croatia
We spent 2 nights next to the beautiful Mreznica river, relaxing and (in my case) cycling.
Camping Lika, Gračac, Croatia
We chose this campsite as it split the journey from Meznicki to Sibenik. Clean, peaceful, nice MTB-country, although no komoot rides directly from the campsite: we spent 2 nights.
Skradin, Croatia
One of the oldest towns in Croatia, close to Krka waterfalls/NP. Takes about 10 minutes to walk around, then we looked for a shady restaurant for lunch.
Sibenik, Croatia
we stayed at Tony & Silva's house in Zablaće, and spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach with Filip, Backy & Lilly. Filip was an excellent tour guide, taking us to a vinyard for wine tasting, an oyster bar with a lovely view over the bay where the mussels are farmed and the pretty ethno-village restaurant in the Amadria holiday hotel complex.
Zagreb, Croatia
Our visit to Zagreb coincided with the Croatian Squash Masters tournament, in which I won the M65+. We popped into the city between matches on Saturday afternoon, a 15 minute tram ride from the squash center.
Zagreb was smaller than expected and the hisorical centre can easily be walked round in half a day.
Unfortunately the cathedral was encased in scaffolding.
We had very good pizzas and Tiramisu at the Pizeria Zero Zero.
Bike Tours
This shows a komoot summary of the bikerides I did on this holiday.