Two route choices:
Version A (Guided: upon request, 2019) is favored by those who like history, as it adds the unique Lednice-Valtice area and Cesky Krumlov. Cycling in the Czech-Austrian border area that was cut off by the Iron Curtain for 40 years is a unique experience. Medieval castles, a varied landscape, fairytale chateaux, pristine countryside with tiny, rustic villages and baroque towns, the best beer in the world, and safe back roads with good surfaces for cycling make for a well balanced vacation.
Version B (Guided: upon request, 2019) is a more challenging route for cyclists who really want to experience the whole route from Vienna to Prague by bicycle. The route is interesting due to the landscape variety – from the warm, winegrowing region of South Moravia, the lush, forested Podyji National Park, to the Czech-Moravian highlands, the lakes surrounding Telc and the romantic landscape of central Czech Republic. Enjoy the numerous fairytale castles, chateaux, small, historical towns on the trail.
Please note that the tour travels along the famed cycling route known as the "Vienna-Prague Greenways." However, the tour doesn't start in Vienna but rather in Valtice (Czech Republic) for Version A and in Stockerau (about 12 miles from Vienna) for Version B. Version A ends in Cesky Krumlov, and many tour participants travel from there to Prague by train or bus. Version B ends in Prague. Neither tour includes lodging in Prague. We encourage you to stay overnight in Vienna before your tour and in Prague after your tour.
Version A - 165 miles/264 km
Day 1: Vienna – Valtice
Arrive by train from Vienna to Breclav, where you will be picked up by the tour representative and driven to your hotel. There you will get all necessary information materials and equipment.
Overnight in Valtice.
Day 2: Valtice – Lednice – Mikulov (24 miles/38 km)
You will start your biking trip in Lednice-Valtice area (UNESCO World Heritage Site), where you will ride on forest and field trails. Two magnificent chateaux grace the area, along numerous 'follies,' romantic structures set in a harmonious way into the surrounding landscape. A paved road with little traffic then leads you to Pavlov with an archaeological museum streched over the Stone Age mammoth hunters site. Wrap up your day riding to Mikulov with an imposing castle, historic square, the tomb of the Dietrichstein family, as well as the synagogue and the Jewish cemetery, where the oldest tombstone dates back to 1605.
Overnight in Mikulov.
Day 3: Mikulov – Znojmo – Vranov nad Dyji (26 miles/42 km)
Morning transfer by car from Mikulov to Znojmo. Then cycle through the Podyji National Park with untouched nature, beautiful views of the deep, forested river valley and the last remnant of the Iron Curtain. Vranov chateau, perched high on a rock above the Dyje river is another highlight.
Overnight in Vranov nad Dyji.
Day 4: Vranov nad Dyji – Slavonice – Telc (30 miles/48 km)
From Vranov skim the Austrian border lined with pre-WWII fortification to Slavonice, a forgotten jewel with sgraffito houses. Then transfer by local train to the town of Telc, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its perfectly preserved Renaissance town center.
Overnight in Telc.
Day 5: Telc – Jindrichuv Hradec (27 miles/42 km)
Today you will cycle through the Czech-Moravian Highlands, through fields and forests. A unique stop on the way is the memorial in Kostelni Myslova to Jewish painter Frantisek Moritz Nagl, a local artist who died in Auschwitz along with his family. Finish the day in the old town of Jindrichuv Hradec, containing the third biggest castle complex in the Czech Republic.
Overnight in Jindrichuv Hradec.
Day 6: Jindrichuv Hradec – Trebon (19 miles/30 km)
Take in the historic town and castle of Jindrichuv Hradec, then start cycling through the mosaic of ponds, woods and meadows of the Bohemia Lake District to Trebon, a medieval town whose walls are still largely intact. Enter the historical center through a gate in the old fortifications and across a moat, part of a unique water regulation system dating back to the 16th century.
Overnight in Trebon.
Day 7: Trebon – Cesky Krumlov (39 miles/63 km)
The last day of cycling leads through hilly terrain to the jewel of South Bohemia, the town of Cesky Krumlov (a UNESCO Heritage Site), situated on the banks of the meandering upper course of the Vltava River.
Overnight in Cesky Krumlov.
Day 8: Cesky Krumlov – Prague
Enjoy all that Cesky Krumlov has to offer within one day. The old town preserves a virtually intact and unparalleled ensemble of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque structures. Among the attractions are the second largest castle complex in the Czech Republic and the oldest working Baroque theater in Europe. Late afternoon transfer by bus from Cesky Krumlov to Prague.
Accommodations are not included on Day 8.
Version B - 267 miles/459 km
Day 1: Vienna – Stockerau
After your arrival in Vienna, a city of Habsburg tradition combined with modern architecture, make your way individually to Stockerau (car, train or 18 km by bike). Check in and enjoy the evening in this cozy town. We will meet you at your hotel with the necessary materials and bikes.
Overnight in Stockerau.
Day 2: Stockerau – Mikulov (45 miles/72 km)
After breakfast meet the tour representative who will give you all necessary information materials and equipment. On the first day of the ride, you will follow the rolling countryside of Weinviertel (Wine Quarter) past Laa an der Thaya to enter the Czech Republic at Mikulov. In this small town with an imposing castle is also a former Jewish Quarter with a synagogue and Jewish cemetery, where the oldest tombstone dates back to 1605.
Overnight in Mikulov.
Day 3: Mikulov – Znojmo – Vranov nad Dyji (65 miles/105 km)
Take a former Iron Curtain patrol road turned into a dedicated bike path along the Austrian border and continue on a flat road through Znojmo to Podyji National Park with untouched nature, beautiful views of the deep, forested river valley and the last remnant of the Iron Curtain. Another highlight is Vranov Castle, perched high on a rock above the Dyje River. A shorter cycling option (26 miles/41 km), with a car transfer from Mikulov to Znojmo, is available.
Overnight in Vranov nad Dyji.
Day 4: Vranov nad Dyji – Slavonice – Telc (50 miles/78 km)
From Vranov skim the Austrian border lined with pre-WWII fortification to Slavonice, a forgotten jewel with sgraffito houses. Then cycle from Slavonice to Telc, which has a well-preserved Renaissance town center listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A shorter cycling option (30 miles/48 km), with a train transfer from Slavonice to Telc, is available.
Overnight in Telc.
Day 5: Telc – Jindrichuv Hradec (27 miles/43 km)
Today you will cycle through the Czech-Moravian Highlands, through fields and forests. A unique stop on the way is the memorial in Kostelni Myslova to Jewish painter called Frantisek Moritz Nagl, a local artist who died in Auschwitz extermination camp along with his family. Finish the day in the old town of Jindrichuv Hradec, containing the third biggest castle complex in the Czech Republic.
Overnight in Jindrichuv Hradec.
Day 6: Jindrichuv Hradec – Tabor (31 miles/50 km)
Take in the historic town of Jindrichuv Hradec with the world’s largest mechanical nativity scene in the regional museum. Then follow the route through a tapestry of woods and ponds to Cervena Lhota, with a beautiful little chateau built on a rocky island in the middle of a pond. Afternoon arrival in Tabor leaves plenty of time for a tour of this historic town, founded by the Hussitess.
Overnight in Tabor.
Day 7: Tabor – Benesov (44 miles/73 km)
From Tabor we ride through a region of highlands with woods and pastures, an area known as Czech Siberia for its blustery winter weather and unspoiled environment. Wrap up your day by a visit to the impressive Konopiste Castle with its large park and Rose Garden which belonged to the Austrian crown prince Franz Ferdinand d’Este before his assassination in Sarajevo, touching off WWI.
Overnight in Benesov.
Day 8: Benesov – Pruhonice – Prague (26 miles/41 km)
The final part of this bicycle tour takes you to Pruhonice with its Renaissance chateau and chateau park - a center of botany and garden science in the Czech Republic. Transfer by car from Pruhonice to Prague city center.
Accommodations are not included on Day 8.
