This east-west route passes successively through seven countries – Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Belarus and Russia – and visits all their capital cities.

The western section of EV2 between Galway and Dublin was scheduled to commence construction between Athlone and Mullingar in 2014, and completed in 2015, along a disused railway line.

Portions of the Royal Canal bank between Mullingar and the Westmeath – Meath county boundary have been completed.

After that it joins the Kennet and Avon Cycle Route (NCR4) along the canal which links the Thames and the Bristol Channel, weaving through scenery on its way from Bath to Reading.

[5] In Germany, the EV2 follows the German Cycling Network's D-Route 3, which runs 960 km (600 mi) from the Dutch border at Vreden to the Polish one at Küstrin-Kietz.