 Cycling Amber
Trail:
Budapest - Cracow
Description: This rewarding
route leads through three countries - Hungary, Slovakia,
and Poland in the steps of the historic amber trade route.
Our journey starts on the Danube River in Budapest, the
capital of Hungary and the 'Paris of the East'. The route
itself begins in the nearby village of Szentendre about
10 km north of Budapest. Szentendre is a picturesque little
town full of cafes, restaurants, galleries, churches, museums,
little shops, and street artists. It is the gateway to
an especially beautiful part of Hungary called the Danube
Bend, where the river winds between high hills to Visegrad
(its castle has a beautiful view) and the historic town
of Ezstergom, for centuries the seat of the Hungarian bishops,
with a magnificent cathedral.
In crossing the Danube we reach Slovakia,
the longest and most scenically attractive part of the
journey. The first segment leads through the spa town
of Dudince to Banska Stiavnica, a medieval mining town,
selected
for the UNESCO
World Heritage List because of its unique history. For
those who wish to rest and regenerate their strength,
the spa in Sklene Teplice offers swimming in thermal
caves.
The trail leads through the unspoiled countryside of the mountains in Slovakia
and typical highland villages, through historic Kremnica and Banska Bystrica
to the Low Tatras and the Western Tatras ranges, where the effort expended
in conquering the difficult route is more than compensated for by the panoramic
view of the highest mountains in Slovakia. The little mountain villages might
be lost in time; the hospitality of the local people, herds of sheep and traditional
crafts, all this is part of the unforgettable experience of this trail, so
far
relatively undiscovered by outsiders. You can still watch carpets being hand-made
in Malatin, or little wooden churches in Lestiny and Hronsek built without
a single nail. History lovers will not fail to notice the castles and castle
ruins
along the way; for example, majestic Oravsky Castle is breathtaking even for
the experienced traveler. Many villages such as Vlkolinec (a UNESCO World Heritage
Site) consist largely of the old-fashioned traditional wooden cottages. And
most importantly, the bicycle route leads over the asphalt surfaces of
Class 3 roads,
i.e., the backroads, with a minimum of traffic and good surfaces ideal for
bicycle travel.
The Slovak leg of the journey ends at the border in the village of Trstená,
and the route
crosses over into Poland. The route on the Polish side goes through less demanding
terrain, through Sucha Beskidska, by the chateau of Maly Wawel and the village
of
Lanckorona, onward to the monumental Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, with 32 chapels
and
chaplets on a famed Stations of the Cross. Only 8 miles outside of Cracow,
Wieliczka, a salt mine is an incredible place to visit. It has been in operation
since the
Middle Ages and is still going. The high point of the Polish side is Cracow
itself, a wonderful historic, lively, pulsing town, a town known among other
things for
the amber market at the Sukienice (Cloth Hall), reaffirming the meaning and
existence of the Amber Trail as a link between North and South, a trade route
that offers
such riches as to become a destination in itself.
|
Greenways
Travel Club
