Prague to Dresden Along the Vltava and Elbe Rivers

Traveler photos

Route Map

Maps are for information purposes only and reflect typical routes between overnight locations. They may not reflect your actual route.

• ★★★★★ Janna R Poll 5 months ago

  Needs a bit more sophistication

  1. There was no GPS. They insisted it was easy and we had maps, but they were in Czech and hard to read and the street were rarely marked.

  2. I had two flats within the first mile ( two more to come). They need to put liners in their tires. Our pump was also so bad that after a lot of work it was still too low to ride. Usually other riders would stop and let us borrow their more superior pumps.

  They delivered a new bike in Prague because my brakes were also broken. To get to their delivery car I had to go down a wet slope and across a divided highway. I fell on a wet grid and hurt my knee bad and ripped the entire butt out of my only pair of bike shorts for the whole trip ( remember the missing luggage). This. Detour meant we couldn’t ever seem to find the bike bath again and since we had a late start of 3:30, we rode hard for six straight hours. It was extremely dangerous after dark and we had no food out in the farmland. I was using my phone to try to find the towns with path.

  I complained about the promise of a GPS and not having one. So they forwarded maps to use on a a special app on my phone, but that took a day to understand where we were on the map. I got a GPS the third day, but it didn’t have a charge and the charging unit didn’t go with the unit I had.

  4. Not only did we have flats, but my kickstand didn’t work and more importantly, the fender supports in the front was missing some rubber tips. That meant when I put down my foot when stopping and the wheel was turned at all, the snipped off metal of the support would slash my inside knees badly. This happened a lot and was very painful and bloody.

  5. Several of the hotels had some real problems with super warm rooms, (no A/C anywhere over there), loud streets, and no ice. Two at least had fans. the nice hotel in Bad Shandeau put us alone up on the 4th floor and said we were to leave the windows closed because of smoke from the fires, which was blowing the opposite direction. Our attic room was well over 90F w no ventilation. We opened the narrow attic windows anyhow
  The best hotel was a little pensioner on the first night. That frog even gave us ice for our water bottles. It was a very hot week.

  6. The path ran right by a forest fire before Bad Schandau. Breathing was bad and stinky.

  They guys were generally responsive, though the main guy was on vacation. We are fairly unde manding most of time, changed our own FOUR flat tires, tried to find our way, dealt w the bike faults, but feel they were tired of us the first day. In fact he said if we were ‘one of their clienta it would be different. If they took the money from you, we WERE their client!

  Overall, it was a bit disappointing on the bike side, though the river is lovely and biking is still the best way to see a country!

  Janna Poll Olender

  Pic of what the fender was doing. The bruise was from trying to get to their van w new bike in Prague.

  What was the date of your tour?

  July2022

  How many tours have you completed?

  Five

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens, Families with young kids

  Do you recommend this tour?

  No

  • 3/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 1/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 3/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 1/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 1/5 Local tour company services
• ★★★★★ Michele June 25, 2019

  Awesome Scenic Ride

  This easy ride provided scenic views of castles and countryside along an easily marked trail and river without a lot of car traffic. The City stops a long the way were quaint and friendly and there was always a place to stop for beer with fellow travelers. I would highly recommend this trip especially on an E-Bike!

  What was the date of your tour?

  April 24 to June 1 2019

  How many tours have you completed?

  1

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat easier

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Team Wuss June 24, 2019

  Great tour

  A great tour that exceeded expectations. We had by far the best tour guide as compared to all previous bike trips (5). Justin was attentive, thoughtful, and full of facts concerning culture, history, and geography. Most of the trip was spent on dedicated bike paths along the river with only a few hill challenges. We had a couple of hikes in national parks among beautiful sandstone cliffs and towers. The bikes were quite new and well maintained. Evening meals were uniformly excellent and the hotels were nice mid-range accommodations (with the exception of an opulent chatteau on the first night). Champagne with strawberries at the end of the last day's ride in Dresden was a nice touch.

  What was the date of your tour?

  June 1

  How many tours have you completed?

  5

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Rinat June 20, 2019

  Excellent trip b

  Cycling is the best way to experience the and feel the atmosphere, and Enjoy , the trip was excellent, the local company was very supportive, the signs on the way was clear and the view was absolutely amazing.
  Category B hotels sometimes were a bit simple. I really recommend the prague to Dresden trip

  What was the date of your tour?

  17-25 of May

  How many tours have you completed?

  3

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat easier

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Brink June 13, 2019

  Beautiful way to see small Czech and German towns

  The bike path was generally well marked along the rivers and the towns picturesque. People were friendly, the food good and the hotels good, except for the hotel in Dresden.

  What was the date of your tour?

  25 May—31 May 2019

  How many tours have you completed?

  3

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ JimS April 30, 2019

  Great bike ride...mostly on paved bike paths

  AVE provide a very good experience. Would definitely use them again. The trip listed a couple of short hills. There were two hills on the first day and they were steeper than I expected and also longer. That is just a minor thing and in no way diminished the trip. The bicycles were very good and their initial service was great...however, I would have preferred that they bring the bicycles the day before we started the trip instead of the morning of the trip. It meant that we started about 2 hours later than we would have. That also is a minor thing and didn’t, take away from the trip. All of the hotels were excellent.

  What was the date of your tour?

  April 17, 2019

  How many tours have you completed?

  2

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Beanaloca October 22, 2018

  beautiful

  This was a fun tour overall. I enjoyed biking along the rivers, it made for a scenic trip. A few of the towns we overnighted in were specatacular.

  What was the date of your tour?

  October 7, 2018

  How many tours have you completed?

  0

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 3/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Sandy89 September 18, 2018

  Tour Great/Less scenic than others

  Loved the company, the equipment, and the guides! This is our third bike trip in Europe and we were on a very specific timetable. That being said, the itinerary was the only one available for our dates, and wasn't as scenic as other tours we have taken. A lot of the river paths were alongside industrial areas (as many river paths are), so some of the scenery wasn't ideal. That being said, the hotels and the meals were amazing, and the sites that we visited were interesting!

  What was the date of your tour?

  July 2018

  How many tours have you completed?

  3

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 3/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Brian1624 September 17, 2018

  Wonderful Bike Tour

  Easy Route to fallow with 90% bike paths. Good notes on what to see along the way. Hotels were good but WiFi was average.

  What was the date of your tour?

  Aug 20-26th 2018

  How many tours have you completed?

  5

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
  • 3/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Stu T August 10, 2017

  Fantastic Ride from Prague to Dresden

  Great fun, bonus being that it mostly followed the Elbe River downstream to Prague so wasn't very strenuous, just a few hills here and there. Our guide Milan was great - definitely worth having along as (1) he spoke Czech which none of us did ! and (2) added in some side tours which would have almost certainly missed had he not been along. Also, our support lady Jitke was really helpful and very useful to have on hand, she moved our luggage every day effortlessly ! Great scenery, great beer (some of the wine was a bit ordinary) and great food. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

  What was the date of your tour?

  10-14 July 2017

  How many tours have you completed?

  2

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat easier

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Mandy July 16, 2017

  Prague to Dresden Along the Vitava and Elbe Rivers July 30-July 7th 2017

  Overall great trip! Guides were great. Needed better handouts (not self guided for guided tour) and would cut the brewery where you pour your own beer.

  What was the date of your tour?

  July 1-July 6th

  How many tours have you completed?

  6+

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 1/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Mikay July 5, 2017

  Beautiful, Romantic, Historic, Adventurous

  This trip was a blast! It was especially cool to see how the geography and culture changed as we moved out of Czech Republic and into Germany. This tour has a little bit of everything to satisfy everyone's tastes. Our favorites were the last two days: Hrensko, thermal bathes in Bad Schandau, Fortress in Koenigstein (well worth the hike to the top), and Bastei in Oberrathen (do the hike and visit the medieval fortress). Also, as far as navigation, we used the maps.me app and mounted our smart phone to the bike, which made getting around super easy. We had turn by turn directions throughout the tour.

  A couple tips I wished the tour company had provided, major sites along the route are closed on Mondays. We traveled from Litomorice to Decin on Monday. Unfortunately the Strekov castle and restaurant was closed (we found that out after climbing to the top of the hill). Additionally when we reached Velke Brezno to visit the brewery we found out it also is closed on Mondays. Therefore, if a day of your tour falls on a Monday it would be good to prioritize scheduling one of the hiking days (e.g. Decin to Bad Schandau or Bad Schandau to Dresden). In general, it would be nice to know in advance what days the points of interest are closed, so the group can manage their time at other sites better. If the tour company does not provide this info, I would recommend looking it up in advance.

  What was the date of your tour?

  June 23, 2017

  How many tours have you completed?

  0

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson July 6, 2017

    Thanks very much for your feedback! We're glad you had a great time. We'll pass along your helpful suggestions to the local operator.

  • 4/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ New Yorkers June 27, 2017

  Good variety, just enough challenge, 2 amazing cities

  We really enjoyed this trip — this was our first guided tour. Overall, it was a comfortable pace, a few big hills but lots of flat areas, and plenty of stops.

  Most of the riding was on paved bike paths, but some bits were on roads with cars, where the guides kept everyone safe and comfortable. Some of the riding was on dirt roads, but this was only a challenge one time, when the road was muddy and slightly uphill. Climbing big hills was always rewarded with amazing views & castles. Our group did all of the challenges, even if they had to walk and push their bikes up part of the hill. It was fine with everyone, and no one took advantage of the van (but you can if you want).

  The route took us along the rivers, through small picturesque villages and towns, farmland and forests. The poppies were in bloom when we went, in early June. We took quick ferry rides across the river a few times, which was fun.

  The biking started around 9am after a big breakfast. There were plenty of stops, snacks at the van by the side of a road, and coffee at a nice cafe in a beautiful town square. We would usually get to the hotel around 5-6pm and dinner was around 7pm. There was one day with less riding, where we had the option of spending the afternoon visiting the “Bohemian Switzerland National Park” (in the Czech Republic) or spending the time in Bad Spandau — a nice town on the river with hot baths and spa and cafes. We hiked and it was gorgeous.

  All of the guides were Czech, and spoke English, some were fluent. They helped translate in restaurants and hotels when needed. They gave us lots of info about sites along the way. One was a “physical geographer” and had lots facts about the geology of the area. We had discussions about the communist history of both Czechoslovakia and Eastern Germany. One guide would ride with us, and one drove the van, and they switched off every day. They were professional, polite, always willing to help — no request was too big or too small. They had funny Czech senses of humor.

  The accommodations were different each night, ranging from very fancy to basic, but always located in a beautiful historic town. Lunch and dinner locations were well chosen, the food was always good. We had lots of local specialties, and tried the local beers and wines. There was a vegetarian and a gluten-free person in our group, and their needs were accommodated.

  What was the date of your tour?

  June 3, 2017

  How many tours have you completed?

  5

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ GobaGirl June 6, 2017

  Wonderful way to see the Czech Republic

  We did the self guided trip (more on that option later) and the actual bicycle trip was fantastic. The cities we stayed in were great - Melnik was amazing - and the route along the Elbe was just stunning. The experience was just wonderful. Food, beer, wine, lodgings, villages - all perfect. The only caution is if you opt for the self guided trip. Although the bike paths were generally well marked, it was sort of stressful always having to watch for the twists and turns. A guide would have made the whole experience far more relaxing and enjoyable. And we would not have found ourselves lost quite so often.

  What was the date of your tour?

  May 12-18

  How many tours have you completed?

  2 guided tours and many cross state

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat easier

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 3/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 2/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Pedalann October 13, 2016

  A lovely ride down the Vltava and Elbe Rivers

  Cycling along the major rivers of Europe is always a pleasure and this trip was no exception.  Much of the path is asphalt-paved and hugs the river's edge.  There are several small ferries and some bridges which allow cyclists to cycle on either side of the Vlatava and Elbe as one goes north from Prague towards Dresden.  
     The bicycles supplied were well suited for the tour and the GPS, cue sheets and maps guided you on each day's ride. There are a few places where the path has been damaged or destroyed by floods so there are a few steep hills and "single track" sections to navigate.  Our lodgings, except in Prague and Dresden, were always in the historic city centers so it was easy to walk around and learn about each place.
     Along the way, we discovered the history of these rivers and the importance of our stopping points  - Melnik, Terezin/Litomerice, Decin, and Bad Schandau.  We also had booked an extra day both in Prague and Dresden and easily could have spent more time in these special cities.  We found the careful reconstruction of the historic buildings in these cities to be especially impressive.

  What was the date of your tour?

  Sept. 23 - 30, 2016

  How many tours have you completed?

  More than 20

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 2/5 Tour documents
  • 2/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Calista1226 September 29, 2016

  Incredible Experience

  This was my first bike tour and I cannot say enough positive things about my experience. Our group was small with 5 bikers and 2 guides. The other bikers were very friendly and we all got along well. The guides were incredible and I could not have asked for more supportive, friendly, helpful people to enjoy this experience with. The accommodations each night were very comfortable and in perfectly safe areas.

  While it was definitely a physically demanding trip, it was attainable and we all completed the trip perfectly fine. While I do bike regularly, I'm certainly not the ideal specimen of fitness. I bike around 30-50 miles a week and found the trip a little more difficult than I anticipated. But again, I would not let this discourage you from going.

  The guides were all from the Prague/Dresden area and so were able to share historical and relevant information about the sites and cities along the way. This trip was more than a bike tour--it was also a cultural tour. In addition, the sites are absolutely breathtaking. I'm giving myself a few weeks to recover and then planning my next one!

  What was the date of your tour?

  Sept 17-Sept 23

  How many tours have you completed?

  0

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)