Planning the Tour: Logistics and First Impressions

It is January 2026 and I am doing the outline planning for a cycle tour in the autumn of this year. Up until now I have limited myself to hopping over the channel and just cycling from the ferry terminal but the time has come to go further afield. As I don't like the idea of flying if avoidable - environmental cost and risk of bike damage - I need a way to travel deeper into Europe without the headache of multiple train changes, risk of train cancellations and bike bookings/spaces on day trains. I find part of the answer in the form of the European Sleeper (The Good Night Train) which has a route from Brussels to Prague via Amsterdam and Berlin, and another route from Paris to Berlin via Hamburg; this is anchor number one for my tour. It's worth noting that in 2026 the European Sleeper train adds a route to Milan. The European Sleeper has yet to provide information on bike bookings so I'll need to monitor that and if the bike carriage is separate to the sleeping carriage maybe alight at the destination station.

Anchor number two comes in the form of a 475km circular cycle route round the Allgäu region which looks spectacular and - from the description and pictures - will provide the scenery and cycling I am looking for. With these core elements confirmed I just need to fill in the missing tour details.

Another part of the travel solution comes in the form of the Flixbus which is a bus that takes bookings for cycles and could get me back to Prague from Bavaria. Book early enough and you can get a table seat for extra leg space.

In the first iteration of planning for this tour I try to plan four parkrun events over three countries but the limited schedule of the European Sleeper and the duration of the proposed cycle routes just doesn't fit so I return my focus to a quality cycling experience.

Each country has its own logistical limitations and opportunities. It appears German trains aren't the easiest for bike tourers; it's usually a challenge in any country getting a guaranteed bike space and then finding the right door on the right carriage. Germany does however benefit from a good guide to cycle friendly accommodation so when the time comes I can check my proposed accommodation against the list of approved cycle friendly places.

Cycle friendly accommodation listing are available at https://www.bettundbike.de/en/find-accommodations. This guide on travelling around Germany with a bike appears to be drawn from experience; Take your bike on the train. Tellingly it suggests using the Flixbus where the only downside is that your bike may be put in general storage under the bus rather than the usual bike rack that Flixbus uses.

Stage 1: Getting to Prague

I know Prague is in the Czech Republic (also known as Czechia) and not Bavaria but the train goes to Prague and it's an opportunity. The overnight Harwich to Hook of Holland ferry gets me to the Netherlands then a two-day bike ride will see me boarding the Good Night Train to Prague. Though I could board at The Hague which is very close to the Hook of Holland, boarding at the departure (originating) station will be easier and less stressful and I'll get two days cycling to break up public transport. There is more information on the ferry logistics on my Netherlands blog.

Stage 2: Cycling from Prague to Kempten

I am initially using Komoot to map out a route from Prague to Kempten which is 515km then at some point I will double check the route using the cycle.travel website or app. Taking nine days either provides for less strenuous days or a day off subject to how the towns for accomodation stops play out. This gets me to Kempten to do the parkrun so I can tick off Germany as a parkrun country visited. I plan to take the Wednesday Good Night Train to Prague as it appears there is always a service on a Wednesday and this allows me to structure the four weeks; I can then just plug in whatever Monday start date suited the climate and any other plans I might have; today's planning is about preparing a framework.

Stage 3: Cycling the Allgäu Cycle Route

The Allgäu is an area covering parts of Southern Germany, Lichtenstein and Austria and the Allgäu Cycle Route is a circular 475km ride in, you gussed it, the Allgäu. To fit in with a parkrun I decided to cycle to Kempten though Kempten itself is about 15km off the route. Assigning eight days means day one will get me grom Kempten to Füssen (via Jungholz) then I can follow the standard seven stages of the route arriving back in Jungholz averaging about 64km (40 miles) a day.

The white arrow above shows where I cycle in from Prague with the arrow head being Kempten.

Stage 4: Getting Home

From Jungholz it is then a 2-day cycle ride to Münich where I can take a Flixbus to Prague. Prague is the departure (originating) station for the Good Night Train so another stress-free boarding though this time I can alight at The Hague the following morning ready to catch the overnight ferry from the Hook of Holland to Harwich. As I can't be late for the return train I will plan a contingency day in Prague providing time to do some sightseeing on foot or by bike.

Currency

Although the Czech Republic is an EU member and in the Schengen Zone, the currency is the Czech koruna (CZK) or Czech Crown. You can pay using a UK card with a poor conversion rate, or have some CZK cash and a currency card loaded with CZK. Paying accomodation costs in CZK using a currency card in advance if the hotel or booking site allows that ensures a better currency conversion rate.

The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Austria are of course EU, Schengen Zone and Euro compliant; my Allgäu route dips into Austria.

Climate

September moving into early October is good continental weather and relatively dry; spring is wetter. It is worth mentioning that for the Allgäu tour the typical altitude is 650m and this rises to 1,140m on the final day. Though high by UK standards being in central Europe you aren't as exposed as in the British Isles. In September you can expect 14 degrees centigrade (plus or minus 5) and moving into October the temperature can dip to 5 degrees centigrade. Pack for layering up and pack those waterproofs and gloves.

Communications

Talkmobile's Zone A is currently included in all their plans and includes The Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria.

Duration

The numbers come out at just over 900 miles over a total of 27 days including all the transfer and rest days with two night ferries and two overnight trains.

Contingency Plans

At the time of writing (31 January 2026) the bike carriage has not been confirmed and bikes cannot at present be booked on the Good Night Train. It is therefore with some trepidation that I call a halt to planning and await the opportunity to book my bike on the train. As I am in planning mode I look at some workable contingency plans.

The NightJet Sleeper service goes from Brussels to Salzberg and Vienna via Münich and has other routes so that is an option. As the commercial sites focus on A to B ticket purchase The Man in Seat 61 website provides more straightforward information on routes if like me you prefer the ease of joining the train at the originating station and alighting at the destination station thereby reducing the stress of getting you and your bike on and off the train within a finite time. Another option is Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, Cologne - Munich, Innsbruck.

Using the Flixbus from Brussels to Frankfurt, or Stuttgart (Kornwestheim, airport, central) would be options.

An alternative would be to take the ferry to Saint-Malo then the train to Paris and then Paris to Strasbourg or Münich. More generally the website seat61.com (https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Paris.htm#Paris-Munich) has great advice. Another possibility is using Stena Line's sail and rail followed by a train into Germany https://www.seat61.com/bike-by-train.htm#Germany, though I see bikes are not supported under this. For rail bookings this site shows routes https://www.raileurope.com/en

As of 3 February 2026 I see the Good Night Train won't be taking bikes in the summer of 2026. With this in mind I decide to cycle to the Allgäu Cycle Route, cycle the route, then return using the Flixbus from Stuttgart (Kornwestheim). I don't have the energy to re-write the plan just now and leave the old plan in place so we can all see the process and options.

Phone Calls

Phoning outside your home country requires use of the international dial codes with "00" taking you 'out' of your current country and then the country code takes you the relevant country. For France this is 00 33 then omit the first digit of the French number so 06 23 05 58 25 becomes 00 33 6 23 05 58 25.

Austria 41

Belgium 32

France 33

Germany 49

Netherlands 31

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_telephone_country_codes

Resources

The Allgäu region: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allg%C3%A4u

The Allgäu: https://www.allgaeu.de/

The Allgäu Cycle Route: https://www.allgaeu.de/draussen/rad/radrunde

The European Sleeper (The Good Night Train): https://www.europeansleeper.eu/

Friends of Cyclists: https://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl/en/