noglider 

My Lovely Wife™ and I are traveling to Hungary and France. Should I look for anything bike-related there?

Our hosts in Hungary will have bikes to loan us. I'm picturing myself lost on a rural road, far from their home, not being able to communicate anything to strangers. And that is what you call an adventure!

I've been to France, and I speak skeletal French. Hungarian is impossible to learn, and I haven't even tried. I watched a video on how to count, and oh, forget it.

nlerner

My impression is that these are fairly large countries (i.e., asking, "I'm going to the United States. Anything bike related I should do there?"). You might want to specify what cities/regions you'll be in.

Kilroy1988 

Hungary is on my short list. Enjoy the trip! Where will you be staying while there? I have a good friend who went to Central European University (the source of much current controversy in the free world) and my wife has spent some time in Budapest and loved it there. It's rather important to consider that right now Hungary is experiencing quite a bit of forceful and hostile political upheaval. Personally, as someone who's been a lonely tourist in some nearby Balkan states, getting lost in the countryside is not always going to guarantee sympathy or even comfort among the locals. I would recommend knowing exactly where you're going to and from before wandering and letting others know your plans.

-Gregory

lostarchitect 

I suggest consuming food while there. Also consider drinking liquids!

scarlson 

Go to Cycles Alex Singer, it's right off the metro in Levallois, a northern suburb of Paris. A bit of a long ride, but a very cheap metro ticket will get you there for the same price as going one subway stop. Buy a water bottle and chat them up with your skeletal French! They're friendly.

LucasHartong

No danger whatsoever in Hungary! Great people.

LucasHartong

And yes, France is quite large! But it's great to bike there. Lots of B&Bs. And campsites. And farm-hotels/rooms.

non-fixie 

Seriously.

Kilroy1988 

I'd heard the same thing about Croatia and Greece, but out in the countryside as I traveled alone in those places I had several encounters where villagers made me feel unwelcome and were not helpful when I was seeking directions or advice. I'm not thinking about danger, but simply the possibility of becoming lost or finding one's self in inhospitable circumstances.

-Gregory

JohnDThompson 

Don't feel bad, Hungarians have problems when they come to English-speaking countries as well:


(Sorry, couldn't resist)

I've been to Hungary, but that was in 1977 and I suspect much has changed since then.

onre

Be sure to eat some lángos in Hungary.

Regarding Balkan inhospitability, my personal experience has been exactly the opposite. Basically everyone I've met at random has been friendly and helpful.

vp1337

Hey, Hungarian lad here. Make sure to lock your bikes _always_. Be very careful on roads, cycling culture is still in baby shoes here compared to more western regions of Europe. Drivers often pass close, and not all of them are jerks, most are simply unfamiliar with this stuff. Oh, and our roads and bike lanes generally suck, potholes everywhere etc.
People are generally friendly, but English is not this nation's strong suit by a long shot - smartphones, Google Translate can help a ton.
We have fine wines, pálinka (distilled fruit spirits), and ridiculously good craft beers if you're into that, but the latter can only be found in Budapest (mostly). As for cuisine, previously mentioned lángos is good stuff (greasy as hell, just like most stuff here), but don't pay more than 5-600 HUF for it, since it costs like 50 HUF to make...

ryansu

My experience in Paris was the French were very friendly especially if I at least tried to begin things in my very rudimentary French. I think that they A) appreciated the effort and B) didn't want me to continue to butcher their beautiful language. All those rumors of rude, snooty Parisiennes were just that rumor, very nice and helpful and even if I didn't have much command of French I could always say Merci! I know at one point they had a very robust bike share program in Paris -Velib but they decided to change vendors in 2018 and I understand that caused issues not sure what the current state of their bike share program is. There are about 370 km of bike paths in the city so if you can find a bike that bodes well.

Baguettes, Croissants, Vin Rouge especially St Emilion region. I had the best lunch of my life in a little brasserie near Notre Dame. Have fun Tom -Bon Voyage.

unterhausen

I have heard there are flea markets where you can find bike stuff in France. Not sure if I will be there long enough to go to one, but it sounds interesting

Kilroy1988 

I'd say the same thing - basically everyone. I spent a total of about 100 days touring Croatia and Greece on my own, and almost everyone was helpful. But there is no country full of perfect people in this world, and communication and cultural boundaries can serve to provoke irrational behavior.

The few people I met who weren't helpful or friendly were not the norm, but they were there, as they almost certainly are in every place on the planet.

My initial post was made to warn against any assumptions that "everyone is nice," because that's never true.

-Gregory

JohnDThompson 

I remember enjoying the wine when I was in Hungary. I don't remember craft beers, but that was 40+ years ago. I remember particularly enjoying the Roman baths in Budapest. By the time we got to Budapest, we had been on the road for several months, mostly camping and cold showers, so the hot spring baths were a real treat.

bargainguy

I took my Bike Friday folding bike to Paris in 2005.

Gorgeous city, but shortly after arriving and biking in the curb lane, had a motorcyclist use the 1 ft. gap between me and the curb to thread through at 50+mph. No joke. The right lane is supposed to be bikes, buses and turning vehicles only, but in reality, motorcyclists and scooters thread in and out of traffic at breakneck speeds. I learned to keep much closer to the curb as a result. Don't know if it's still the same way, it might have changed by now.

noglider 

We are Jewish, visiting Jews, so we are a bit wary, but so far, so good. There is political division, but there is also a respect for the fact that people have different views. We spent a pleasant evening with a couple who ostensibly support Orbán.

Right now, we are in the Kali Basin, around Lake Balaton. It's gorgeous. We did get a ride in already, and we did just fine. The food is amazing, and the wine is a pleasant surprise. Everything is impressive. A proper Hungarian table has salt, pepper, and paprika, and maybe even red pepper flakes.

The bikes I've seen here are unimpressive but functional. I might check out a bike shop in Budapest, which is our next stop.

squirtdad

this was my experience also.....of course the cynic in me is that everyone would be friendly with the prices (compared to Provence) and automatic tip I went to a little bakery every morning and my bad french became a bit of shared joke/experience.......and the bread and butter are worth the weight gain.

and the simplest food is often the most fantastic.... simple sandwich of baguette (don't need to say fresh they are), tomatoes and cheese at a cafe near the Eiffel tower...I still think about

In paris do watch out for pickpockets and street scams......... three card monte with bad shills by gypsies is classic draw for pickpockets..... but the 3 card monte guys are no where as good as the ones I remember in NYC. and for agressive street vendors targeting me as and american.....I just started speaking german

it will be a great trip

non-fixie 

Lake Balaton. Nice! Mrs non-fixie and I have been to Keszthely a couple of times, and swimming in Lake Balaton was one of the highlights on both occasions. Breakfast was the other one.