cycle to the east @ least
Discover the old road to Istanbul crossing 8 countries on an epic adventure eastward.
The Sultans Trail cycling trail starts in Vienna right at the place where during the second siege of Vienna by the Osmans grand vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha (general of the Osman army) had put up his tent. Get your bicycle ready to start rolling.
GUIDEBOOKS including Free Tracks (GPX)
Full GPX Tracks for the complete route from Vienna to Istanbul. In the guidebooks you find the route divided into sections and alternatives.
The route and the places we visit can be accounted for from a historical perspective and gives the cyclist an impression of the rich history along this route. However, we do also make choices based on safety and cyclability.
In Hungary, we cycle along Székesfehérvár and in Croatia past Đakovo, both cities played some role during the sieges, but were both so strategically and historically important for the Ottoman history that they have been incorporated in the route. Between Mohács (Hungary) and Novi Sad (Serbia), one finds the alternative routes where 7.1 has played a major part during the first siege and which was also part of the route to Istanbul. Alternative route 7.2 was less interesting for the travelling armies due to the hilly environment and retourning floodings.
To get to the Sultans Trail by air there are several options. The big airports are Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrado, Sofia and Istanbul. From some countries, you can also fly to Osijek (Croatia), Nis (Serbia) and Plovdiv (Bulgaria). Via Skyscanner, you can view some of the prices and measurements required to transport your bicycle on board.
Sultans Trail legend Fikri Bekbaş in Sazlıbosna is our main contact for Sultans Trail and many travellers know him from staying in his B&B. Fikri is also helping our cyclists to travel from and to Istanbul airport (European side) with bicycles. The transport prices are from Istanbul airport to Sazlıbosna €32 for 1 person and a bicycle and €19 extra for an extra bicycle. Included in the price transport of the bicycle(s), montage if required and storage for a few days if needed.
If you leave Istanbul please add €6 for the bicycle box (cardboard).
Contact: Fikri Bekbaş +90 506 439 00 11
Building Memories
Impression of Sultans Trail part one from Vienna via Bratislava to Belgrade
No Distance too Far
During the development of our Sultans Trail cycle route, we used the Relive app to record a 3D view of our day trips. Below you will find films that are a good representation of the type of urban or green area and of course in the left hand corner you can clearly observe the height differences. With special thanks to Guus Post for his help in developing this Sultans Trail cycle route.
View the playlist: 3D films van de Sultans Trail cycle tour
Countries
Sections
Mountainranges
Cities
Rivers
WE Got You Covered
For cyclists
The Sultans Trail covers:
Part 1 from Vienna to Belgrade &
Part 2 from Belgrade to Istanbul
You can download the following lists below: accommodation, camping and bicycle shops.
Accommodation
There is plenty accommodation for cyclists. Campsites can be found in Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia. But in Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey hardly existing.
However, affordable sleeping places can be found in all countries.
Shared experience
We would love to hear about updates and additions of nice sleeping addresses for the Sultans Trail cycle route.
Did you find new Sultans Trail friends or updates on the route, please let us know? Your stories matter to us, we publish your unique experience and travel stories on the trail in our newsletter and on our blogs.
make memories that last, on the road to Istanbul