Velo Martini -Pilgrimage on bicycle

During the 7-day cycling pilgrimage starting from Bratislava, many religious sites, historical and cultural heritage cross our path in beautiful landscapes that are easy to cycle on. It is not easy for us to leave our daily routine to embark on a journey with a different rhythm. On each of the seven days, spiritual guides will help our cycling pilgrimage at the designated locations. In addition, we will also learn a lot of interesting things about the cultural and natural values visible along the way.

Our tour starts in Bratislava, in front of St. Martin's Cathedral, then leads through the rich landscapes of Szigetköz, Moson plain, Pannonhalma Hills, Rábaköz and Fertő-Hanság, and then takes the Sopron - Kőszeg route through the Alpokalja to Savaria, i.e. to Szombathely, to the birthplace of St. Martin, the end of the Via Sancti Martini international pilgrimage route.

DAY 1 - Bratislava - Mosonmagyaróvár

On the first day, following the Eurovelo 6 international cycle route, we can see landmarks such as St. Martin's Cathedral in Pozsony / Bratislava, which as a former coronation church is an important historical site and is still an important church centre today. The people of Pozsony / Bratislava revive the atmosphere of the era with annual coronation days. Another stop on the route is Rajka, where you can see the church named after St. Martin, built on Roman foundations, and there are several representations showing the life of the saint. At the end of the day, you can park your bike in Mosonmagyaróvár, a small town with a 2,000-year history, where you can explore the Mosonmagyaróvár Castle, the Saint Gotthard Church, and relax on the winding banks of the Rivers Lajta and Danube.

DAY 2- Mosonmagyaróvár - Győr

In this section, you can taste the traditional flavours of the area of Szigetköz: the local version of Óvár cheeses, pickled fish or fish soup offers a unique experience. In Mosonmagyaróvár, it is worth visiting the church of St. John of Nepomuk, which Maria Theresia had promised to build, thus it was then built. We cross over the sparkling waters of the Mosoni-Danube several times, in summer we can even take a pleasant bath in its quiet, clean cooling water. We can meet the legendary 'witness' in Hédervár, who witnessed the thousand-year change of time, we can have a rest at the Calvary in Ásványráró in the shade of a hundred-year-old poplar tree, and finally, when we reach our destination, we can see the towers of the famous Five Temples by walking in the sunset in Győr or from a boat on the Mosoni-Danube.

DAY 3- GYŐR - PAnnonhalma - GyŐR

In Győr, five churches of five religions are located in close proximity to each other in a unique location on a single street. After leaving from the city and following the Pannonhalma cycle path in the direction of Lake Balaton and Veszprém, we arrive at an open, flat area where, according to the locals, there is always a headwind. After 10 kilometres, the landscape changes, we leave the flat Kisalföld behind and enter the Sokoró hills. As we get closer and closer to the building complex of the Pannonhalma Abbey on the top of the hill, its impressive shape gradually emerges with each kilometre we complete. Entering the city, after the first small climb, we stop at the " At everyone's crossroads", where St. Martin welcomes us. After that, either we muster up the strength to cycle up to the main entrance of the abbey, which already has a real sporting value, or we can leave our bikes at the base of the hill and discover all the values and the panorama that ​​St. Martin's Hill offers on foot.

DAY 4 -Győr - lébény - Fertőd

During pilgrimages, there is always a difficult moment when all our strength must be gathered to be able to move on. On the 4th day, we can look forward to a more breath-taking distance, this is perhaps the most difficult day during the pilgrimage. In Lébény, the meeting point of the St. James's and St. Martin's pilgrimage routes; the Hungarian Camino offers inner renewal. Moving further towards the Austro-Hungarian border, in the Hanság region, nature will be our companion, helping us on our spiritual journey. We should prepare with food and drinking water especially well for this stage of our journey.

Suggested possible alternative route – train + bicycle:

Starting from Pannonhalma, we can return to Győr by train together with our bicycle. By changing trains at the Győr train station, you can comfortably cover a smaller part of the distance (20 kms, to Lébény) by train or bike transport. It is worth getting off the train to Mosonmagyaróvár at the Öttevény station, or, in the case of other shuttles, at the Lébény -Mosonszentmiklós stop. In this case, we should also be well prepared with food and drinking water.

DAY 5  - Fertőd - Sopron

Looking back on the days so far, we have been to countless places and had many wonderful experiences. Today is no different, we will be adventuring in locations that offer specialities. We can continue our pilgrimage in the protected natural environment of the Fertő landscape (UNESCO world heritage), which we had a glimpse already the previous day. The economy of the landscape gives us a real boost. It may be biased to say that we will have the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful parts but let everyone decide for themselves!

DAY 6 - Sopron - Kőszeg

The medieval downtowns of both Sopron and Kőszeg are extremely rich in medieval monuments, churches, and residential buildings, which determine their atmosphere. Walking along their winding, cobbled streets, the doorways, colourful houses, and courtyards hide and tell many stories. On the 5th day, we will get to know the legend of the construction of the Goat Church, as it is called in everyday language, as well as Sopron's oldest street, which is called Új utca (New Street) nowadays. The Kőszeg mountains beckon us as we pass through vineyards, wooded and hilly areas, all the way along the footprints of St. Martin.

DAY 7 - Kőszeg - Szombathely

Our journey is slowly coming to an end. Walking through the tranquil, quiet streets of Kőszeg, we find the footprints of St. Martin, where, according to legend, he came when there was a disaster, and he appeared there to the give aid of the townspeople. Leaving for Saint Martin's birthplace in Szombathely, a small adventure awaits us through the vineyards and forest. The last story of those seven days, is perhaps the most important part of our trip. From the Church of Calvary to the Church of St. Martin, we are guided by the yellow signposts of the Via Sancti Martini road, from early Christian traditions through the important events of Martin's life to works of art honouring the Saint.

more information about the route - here