Czech Bike Tour: Jewels of Southern Bohemia

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Detailed Trip Description

This tour starts and ends in Prague, a historical and architectural jewel of Europe. For many, it is the most beautiful city on the continent. Our tour will take us through southern and eastern Bohemia, a picturesque and unique region of the Czech Republic. The countryside consists of small lakes, forests, meadows, and pastoral farmland. It is also studded with charming and fairy-like preserved medieval towns, Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance cathedrals, churches, and monasteries, and dreamlike castles, chateaux, and palaces. You will get to taste the very best of Czech cuisine and, of course, Czech beer, arguably the best in the world. When you complete this tour, you will want to come back for more! We strongly recommend that you arrive in Prague a few days before the tour or stay a few days afterwards in order to explore this beautiful city. There is plenty of accommodation available in Prague but for those interested we can reserve a room for you at Pension Alpin, where we stay the first day of our tour. The pension is conveniently located and is walking distance from the historical center of Prague. The staff speak English and is very bike-friendly.

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Trip Itinerary

Day 1 - Prague

 
Prague - Check-in and Sightseeing.
Sightseeing

After you check-in (for those who are just arriving), we will regroup at the reception just before noon and set out for a three-hour introductory walking tour of Prague with a professional guide.

Prague Sightseeing picture

Day 2 - Prague

 
Prague - Ceske Budejovice - Cesky Krumlov (35 km / 22 miles).
Buses

After a breakfast at our Pension, we load our bikes and board a bus that will take us to Ceske Budejovice, the beautiful administrative center of southern Bohemia and the home town of the original Budvar (Budweiser) beer.


Day 3 - Czech Republic

 
Cesky Krumlov - Trebon (56 km / 35 miles).
Bicycling

We start today with a guided tour of the Cesky Krumlov Castle. After a short walk through town, we head northeast on winding back roads through more beautiful hamlets and some of Europe's oldest nature reserves dating back to the 1800s. Gradually, the terrain becomes flat as we enter a wooded region abounding with sparkling lakes, artificially made for fish raising (mainly carp and trout) already in the 1500's. We then make our way to the center of this region, the town of Trebon, which dates back to the 11th century and was famous in the past for its fishing industry.


Day 4 - Czech Republic

 
Trebon - Jindrichuv Hradec - Nova Bystrice (76 km / 48 miles).
Bicycling

We leave Trebon cycling on small, almost forgotten winding country roads, passing many of the region's ponds, crossing creeks and rivers, cruising through golden wheat fields and occasionally stopping to check out some of the quaint towns and villages, their churches of various architectural styles (from Gothic through Renaissance to Baroque) and unique folk architecture. We then reach Jindrichuv Hradec, the beautifully preserved Renaissance cultural center of southern Bohemia complete with an originally Gothic castle and Renaissance chateau.


Day 5 - Czech Republic

 
Nova Bystrice - Slavonice - Dacice - Telc (55 km / 35 miles).
Bicycling

Today offers so much to see... There are some climbs on the way but the rewards are more than worth it. First of all, after a short ride from our hotel, we visit the Gothic Landstejn Castle built in the 12th century as a fort. The spectacular views of "Czech Canada" from the top of the castle's watchtower are worth the climb. If we are lucky, we may even be able to shoot some mediaeval crossbows on the castle ground.


Day 6 - Czech Republic

 
Humpolec (60 km / 38 miles with an option of a longer ride 94.5 km / 59 miles).
Bicycling

We leave Telc and travel along the small roads of the lovely Moravian Highland, passing the ruins of Rostejn Castle, visiting renowned Trest with its synagogue and rich Jewish history dating as far back as the 1200's. Franz Kafka used to live in Trest and there is an exhibition on Kafka and Jewish history in the synagogue.


Day 7 - Czech Republic

 
Humpolec - Kutna Hora (70 km / 44 miles).
Bicycling

Heading north through the Vysocina region, we'll follow the Sazava River into charming Ledec, where you can enjoy lunch and explore its Baroque castle and town center. Ledec is also home to the oldest Jewish settlement in Bohemia.


Day 8 - Prague

 
Kutna Hora - Prague (93 km / 58 miles).
Sightseeing

In the morning we visit the nearby Ossuary, a small chapel decorated with over 40,000 human bones dating back to the Plague in the 15th century.


Day 9 - Prague

 
Airport Transfers

After breakfast at our lodging, we depart for home (except people who have opted to stay longer in Prague). Shuttle service to the airport is available in the morning. Have a save trip home!


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