Bikes on trains in Serbia?

Jaeger
Jaeger Posts: 439
edited April 2009 in Tour & expedition
Me & my girlfriend are touring from Bucharest to Belgrade along the Danube (we we're somehow lucky enough be 2 of the 400 people doing this trip: http://www.danubebybike.eu). :D

From Belgrade we're hoping to get across to the Montenegro/Croatian coast for a week's sun 8) , preferably by train to Bar, which is supposed to be a very scenic journey.
It looks like we might have a job taking our bikes with us though. Does anyone have any experience of this, or advice?

Any help greatly appreciated!

Comments

  • tardington
    tardington Posts: 1,379
    Hey that looks very nice! Lucky to get in there!

    (I have some hungarian friends - I will ask them about their trains tomorrow. Aren't the ex-block countries normally quite good about trains and bikes?)
  • Special K
    Special K Posts: 449
    check out

    http://www.seat61.com

    My understanding is that you will probably have to dismantle and carry in bags. You could probably improvise with card and refuse bags (you only need to reduce it's size to get past the guards and make sure it doesn't make anything else dirty) or purchase one recommended on a thread a couple of weeks back.

    it sounds like an excellent trip and i wish you all the best !
    "There are holes in the sky,
    Where the rain gets in.
    But they're ever so small
    That's why rain is thin. " Spike Milligan
  • BE1
    BE1 Posts: 27
    Jaeger

    See you in Belgrade! I'll be coming down the other route from Budapest. Your route has the most spectacular scenery I just don't have the legs for it :cry:

    I've never taken the train down to Bar so I'm not sure what the bike situation is some of the blogs on Crazy guy on a bike have covered various train journeys in the region and may have a few pointers for you.

    As to the train journey itself it is one of the great train jouneys in terms of the view, less so in terms of the train which is a little past it's best. This despite the TGV which starred in the Casino Royale re-make: all my friends from Montenegro were killing themselves laughing :lol:

    good luck with the planning
  • Jaeger
    Jaeger Posts: 439
    Thanks for the help guys, we're really looking forward to the trip, just gotta get a few more miles in before June.

    BE1, we also looked at that half of the route as my girlfriend is still just getting into cycling, but we thought we'd have more chance if we just applied for either route. And here we are! What bike are you gonna be riding? We'll both be on MTB's with semi-slick tyres, and trying to pack v.v.light....

    I have a bike bag which I suppose I could post over the the last stop in Belgrade, so it's waiting for us, ready to pack up the bikes for the train. Maybe just wing it with some cardboard and bubble wrap, like you said, SK.

    Any news from your Hungarian friends, Tardie?
  • BE1
    BE1 Posts: 27
    I'll be on my Cannondale M800.

    MTB tyres for touring seem to pop up as a tread theme on a fairly regular basis. I've just fitted conti travel contacts which, at 80psi, seem to make a great deal of difference downhill: uphill I'm so unfit its hard to tell :oops:

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