For an active day out an hour from Bratislava, I’d recommend cycling the B10 loop around Lake Neusiedl (Neusiedler See). I’d stop at a birdwatching tower on the east side of the lake. For lunch I’d head to Rust, which the route runs right through. At the Alte Schmiede restaurant, the schnitzel is the thing to order.
- From Bratislava
- In summer 2020, a Slovak Lines bus with a bike trailer to Podersdorf; check before you go whether it still runs
- Route
- The shorter B10 loop on the Austrian side is 75 km with the seasonal ferry from Illmitz to Mörbisch; the full loop is 132 km
- Time needed
- The shorter loop took me just under five and a half hours, including the wait for the ferry and lunch in Rust
- Difficulty
- Mostly flat; as a casual cyclist I managed it easily, but watch out for a strong headwind
- Lunch
- In Rust, which the route runs through; I’d go for the schnitzel at Alte Schmiede, which has bike racks
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I wrote this article in 2020. Prices, opening hours and connections may have changed since then, so check them before you go.
Did you know there’s a sea just an hour from Bratislava? A sea of possibilities, to be precise. A sea you can swim in, a sea you can sail your boat across and a sea you can ride all the way round by bike in a few hours. This ‘Viennese sea’ is called Neusiedler See, or Lake Neusiedl. Cycling around Lake Neusiedl on the B10 had been a small dream of mine for years: a trip to the Viennese sea, only an hour from Bratislava.
I first heard about this well-known cycle route, or Radweg as it’s called in German, in 2018, on a press trip to Burgenland in Austria. That’s where Lake Neusiedl lies. The region is known for good wine and for water sports on a lake with its own lighthouse.
Cycling around Lake Neusiedl on the B10 route
By bus from Bratislava to Podersdorf
In summer 2020 Slovak Lines launched a special excursion bus from Bratislava to Lake Neusiedl. It ran via Parndorf and the town of Neusiedl am See and ended in Podersdorf. I took it, bike and all, from central Bratislava straight to the terminus in Podersdorf. There I joined the B10 cycle route (Radweg B10), which runs right round Lake Neusiedl. You can ride it two ways, a shorter loop or a longer one. A sea of possibilities, as promised.
Tip from Milan I’d recommend booking your accommodation as early as you can, because rooms in a good location at a fair price go first. Here you’ll find accommodation offers in the area valid today.
In summer 2020 the Slovak Lines bus left Bratislava every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 9am and headed back from Podersdorf at 5pm. Before you go, check on the Slovak Lines website whether the lake bus with the bike trailer still runs. In November 2026 Slovak Lines wasn’t offering it. If you go for the shorter version of the route around Lake Neusiedl, ‘only’ 75 km, you’ll easily make the bus back to Bratislava. There’s also time for lunch in one of the villages around the lake. I’d recommend Rust.
Tickets, bikes and the length of the route
The buses ran with bike trailers. In 2020 a return ticket cost €11 for an adult and €8 for a child, plus €1 for a bike in the trailer. To see what they currently offer, go to the Slovak Lines website. Here’s a link to their site. As for the two versions I mentioned, you can ride the full route through Hungary, 132 km in all. That one, though, needs a night on the way. The shorter version stays on the Austrian side. It comes to 75 km if you take the shortcut on the ferry from Illmitz to Mörbisch am See.
The shorter loop is about four and a half hours in the saddle. With the wait for the ferry and a lunch break in Rust, it took me exactly 5 hours, 23 minutes and 53 seconds. Here are a few stats from my smartwatch.
How to cycle around Lake Neusiedl
If you ride the short version of the B10 like I did, I’d get off the bus at the terminus in Podersdorf. In 2020 it arrived there at 10.10am, close to the lighthouse. Here I can recommend Al Faro Lodge, a rather nice place for breakfast. The prices are reasonable and the breakfast is good: just what you need before the 75-kilometre B10 cycle route around Lake Neusiedl. For more ideas, read my tips on what to see at Lake Neusiedl and where to stop on the way.
The B10 cycle route: length, surface and the ferry
- Without the ferry shortcut in Illmitz, the whole route is 132 km long; the short loop is about 75 km. You can easily do the short version as a day trip from Bratislava. For the full loop, plan on a night somewhere along the route, in Hungary or in Austria.
- The route is mostly flat. As a casual cyclist I managed it with no trouble at all. The one thing that can spoil it is a strong headwind. If I were you, I’d check the wind forecast before setting off.
- Between Podersdorf and the ferry in Illmitz the route runs mostly through natural steppe and Seewinkel National Park, a safari park of sorts. I’d recommend stopping at one of the lookout towers to watch the rich birdlife and the water buffalo grazing out in the open.
- The second stretch, from the ferry in Mörbisch am See, takes you through all those pretty Austrian villages with geraniums in the windows.
- On Instagram you asked me whether the route works on inline skates or with a pushchair. Part of it, definitely, but not all of it. About 85% is tarmac. The rest is dirt track, which you wouldn’t get through on skates.
- The ferry from Illmitz to Mörbisch am See is seasonal, so I’d always check the departure times in advance. When I went, a ticket cost €8. In 2020 the boat ran every half hour in high season, from 9.30am to 5pm. In the 2026 season the ferry ran from April to October, every half hour from 9am to 5.45pm in high season. A ticket, bike included, cost €10. Times change, so I’d recommend calling ahead (+43 2175 2158) or checking their website.
Facts about Lake Neusiedl
Lake Neusiedl is surrounded by steppe and reeds. The surprising thing is that its deepest point is only 1.85 m. It’s a very shallow lake, and that shows in the colour of the water. The reed belt around almost the whole lake is an exceptional habitat for a wide range of wildlife. Near the village of Donnerskirchen it is up to 5 km wide. Podersdorf, by contrast, lies on the only stretch of shore that is almost free of reeds, thanks to the strong wind.
When you cycle around Lake Neusiedl, make sure you stop at the lighthouse in Podersdorf and climb one of the birdwatching towers on the east side of the lake. For lunch, stop in Rust, a lovely town the route runs straight through. I recommend the schnitzel at the Alte Schmiede restaurant, which is right on the route and, naturally, has bike racks. Whether you’re after an active day on the bike or a relaxing one on the water, Lake Neusiedl offers a sea of possibilities.
You might also like my article on 5 less touristy places in Vienna worth seeing.
A Slovak travel blogger who has been getting Slovaks out of their office chairs since 2013. Author of the book Influencer and founder of the Bez Mapy blog. "Bez Mapy" is Slovak for "without a map".
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