“We had such a wonderful experience on this trip. Riding from Prague through the Czech countryside, along the former Iron Curtain, through wine country, and eventually into Austria was an incredible way to see this part of Europe.

The route was beautiful and gave us a mix of history, small villages, castles, countryside, and places we never would have experienced traveling by car. We especially loved having the freedom to ride at our own pace and explore along the way.

Communication and organization were very good, and when we needed help, we felt supported. Our bikes worked well and the daily routes were manageable while still feeling like a real adventure.

Some of the accommodations were definitely more basic than others, and there were a few we would not choose again, but overall that didn’t take away from how special the trip was.

This ended up being one of those trips we’ll talk about for years. If you enjoy cycling, history, beautiful countryside, and traveling a little differently, I would absolutely recommend it.” Less

“Czechia is such a beautiful country, and this tour across southern Bohemia and Moravia was just fantastic. However, it is very hilly for the first few days. 50 miles per day with some very steep hills the first couple days. The countryside starts to flatten out more after you reach Znojmo. Once outside Prague, most folks do not speak English, so some knowledge of Czech and/or German is very helpful. Vlastimil, the local tour operator for Ave Travel, was very responsive and helpful.

I did ask for and received a GPX file to preload into my Garmin, as navigation is always a challenge on bike tours. Further, the local tour company recommended a couple of Czech specific apps which you can use to predownload the local maps for use when you arrive, and this was extremely helpful, if you have an international cell plan for your phone.

A couple of caveats: the GPX file included alternate routes instead of a single path, as this tour has optional legs that you may or may not want to go on. This negated my ability to use the navigation on my Garmin edge, since it couldn't know which route i wanted to take, and could only tell me when I was off course. Also, as others have mentioned, there was no opportunity to see our rented bikes and make sure they were appropriately sized prior to being picked up by the van for our transfer to Cesky Krumlov. Two of the four bikes we rented could have used newer tires; however they were clearly equal to the task of getting us across the CR.

I would say this is a wonderful route that is off the beaten path, but challenging. If you are unsure whether your fitness level is up to the task, an e-bike rental would probably be a great idea. I will also probably upgrade to a better Garmin that can actually do turn-by-turn navigation, which mine can't do. However, getting lost and finding your way is half the fun on these trips!” Less