Stage 01
Budapest – Solt
Farewell to the Parliament, out into the Hungarian plain — flat, fast, the overture.
96 km170 m
Key Facts
Distance
≈1,750 km
Days
30
Countries
5
Climbing
≈11,400 m
Company
Wanted!
Status
Planned · autumn 2026
The Route
Photo: Pasztilla aka Attila Terbócs, CC BY-SA 4.0
Stage 02
Solt – Baja
Puszta rhythm and sandbanks. Baja in the evening, Hungary's fish-soup capital.
85 km130 m
Stage 03
Baja – Apatin
Border crossing into Serbia — through the floodplain forests of Gornje Podunavlje.
91 km160 m
Photo: Hrvoje Blajić, CC BY-SA 3.0
Stage 04
Apatin – Vukovar
Quiet banks, then Croatia: Vukovar's water tower, memorial and landmark in one.
60 km110 m
Photo: Zeljko511, CC BY-SA 4.0
Stage 05
Vukovar – Novi Sad
Across the Bačka to Novi Sad, right beneath the walls of Petrovaradin fortress.
85 km360 m
Photo: Janos Guljas, CC BY-SA 3.0
Stage 06
Novi Sad – Belgrade
Past the Fruška Gora into the metropolis on Sava and Danube — rest day in Belgrade.
81 km470 m
Photo: Dzumba54n, CC BY-SA 3.0
Stage 07
Belgrade – Kovin
Out of the city, downstream — Smederevo fortress towers on the opposite bank.
67 km100 m
Photo: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0
Stage 08
Kovin – Golubac
Overture to the Iron Gates: Golubac fortress rises straight out of the water.
83 km220 m
Photo: Geologicharka, CC BY-SA 4.0
Stage 09
Golubac – Donji Milanovac
The queen stage: through the Kazan narrows, where the Danube squeezes to 150 metres.
62 km1,200 m
Photo: Erik Cleves Kristensen, CC BY 2.0
Stage 10
Donji Milanovac – Kladovo
Decebalus rock, Trajan's plaque, then the mighty Iron Gate I dam.
64 km770 m
Photo: Erik Cleves Kristensen, CC BY 2.0
Stage 11
Kladovo – Vidin
The longest stage — and three countries in one day: Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria.
107 km700 m
Stage 12
Vidin – Kozloduy
Baba Vida in the morning, the historic steamship Radetzky at Kozloduy by evening.
98 km640 m
Photo: Milcholazarov, CC BY-SA 4.0
Stage 13
Kozloduy – Ostrov
Lonely river roads and sunsets — the quietest Danube of the whole journey.
58 km480 m
Stage 14
Ostrov – Nikopol
Rolling hills to Nikopol, the old fortress town high on the bluffs.
86 km470 m
Photo: Ивелин Минков, CC BY 3.0
Stage 15
Nikopol – Svishtov
A short stage to Svishtov — time for coffee beneath the clock tower.
50 km380 m
Photo: StefkaVasileva, CC BY-SA 4.0
Stage 16
Svishtov – Ruse
Rolling climbs into «Little Vienna»: Belle-Époque facades in Ruse, then a rest day.
89 km820 m
Photo: Paulinabgbg, CC BY-SA 4.0
Stage 17
Ruse – Tutrakan
Steep banks and fishing villages — Tutrakan with its famous fishermen's quarter.
105 km620 m
Stage 18
Tutrakan – Silistra
The last Bulgarian stage: Roman traces at Durostorum, today's Silistra.
71 km730 m
Stage 19
Silistra – Rasova
Romania! Wide Dobruja hills and the historic Saligny bridge at Cernavodă.
81 km810 m
Stage 20
Rasova – Dăeni
The Măcin Mountains on the horizon — Romania's oldest range escorts the Danube.
94 km960 m
Photo: Ioan Cepaliga, CC BY 3.0
Stage 21
Dăeni – Isaccea
Wetlands and sunrises — the Danube begins to braid into the delta.
96 km640 m
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Stage 22
Isaccea – Tulcea
Tulcea, gateway to the delta — the Black Sea is within reach.
39 km430 m
Stage 23
Sulina – Sfântu Gheorghe
Optional · to the Black Sea: through the delta to Sulina, the easternmost point, and on to Sfântu Gheorghe — where the Danube meets the sea.
35 km20 m
Cover photo © Mircea Bezergheanu
Highlights
Three capitals, four rest days
Budapest at the start, Novi Sad and Belgrade along the way. Rest days in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Ruse and Tulcea — time for the cities, not just the road.
The Iron Gates
The most dramatic section of the entire Danube: the gorge between the Carpathians and the Balkan Mountains at Golubac and Donji Milanovac — with the hardest stage of the tour (1,200 m of climbing).
The Danube Delta
Finale in Tulcea, where the Danube fans out into the Black Sea. With a boat trip to Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe — to the river's true end.
Fancy one stage — or the whole way to the Black Sea? Companions welcome.