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Representing Local Bike Tour Companies
More than 400 Tours in 70 Countries
Get our newsletter | Contact Us
Call (877) 462-2423 or (423) 756-8907
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| Type of tour: | Self-guided/Guided |
| Level: | Moderate |
| Duration: | 19 Nights |
| Distance: | 29 Miles/day average |
| Dates: | Self-guided: Daily: Apr 15 - Sep 23, 2013 Guided: Daily: Aug 19 - Sep 7, 2013 |
| Tour price: | €2369 (self-guided) €2289 (guided) |
| Start city: | Prague, Czech Republic |
| End city: | Budapest, Hungary |
This unique CZ EuroTour cycle tour has been prepared particularly for North American clients. Its romantic routes are designed to enable visiting and discovering the most beautiful landmarks of UNESCO heritage and the most beautiful places along the entire route. The tour leads through 4 countries of Middle Europe – the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. We will visit 6 most renowned UNESCO landmarks, various urban listed preserves and southern part of the Czech Republic, which with its landscape and beautiful castles and chateaus is the cleanest area in the Czech Republic.
Program of this tour includes 18 nights with 17 days of cycling without any van transfers. This can be supplemented with extra nights to give everybody enough time for landmarks, relax, and entertainment.
The tour can be shortened or extended at your request, or transfers in a van can replace some parts of the tour.
Please note the guided tour requires a minimum of 6 participants, with a maximum of 20.
The self-guided tour requires a minimum of 2 participants, with a maximum of 20.
Not sure which tour to book? Learn about the differences between guided and self-guided tours.
This unique CZ EuroTour cycle tour has been prepared particularly for North American clients. Its romantic routes are designed to enable visiting and discovering the most beautiful landmarks of UNESCO heritage and the most beautiful places along the entire route. The tour leads through 4 countries of Middle Europe – the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. We will visit 6 most renowned UNESCO landmarks, various urban listed preserves and southern part of the Czech Republic, which with its landscape and beautiful castles and chateaus is the cleanest area in the Czech Republic.
Program of this tour includes 18 nights with 17 days of cycling without any van transfers. This can be supplemented with extra nights to give everybody enough time for landmarks, relax, and entertainment.
The tour can be shortened or extended at your request, or transfers in a van can replace some parts of the tour.
Please note the guided tour requires a minimum of 6 participants, with a maximum of 20.
The self-guided tour requires a minimum of 2 participants, with a maximum of 20.
Not sure which tour to book? Learn about the differences between guided and self-guided tours.
Day 1: Prague arrival day
This day begins with a welcome at the airport, then transfer to hotel and accommodation. This day we will devote to discovering the magic places of Prague. We recommend visiting of the UNESCO historical centre of the city and following that we will prepare a welcome dinner in a restaurant.
Overnight in Prague.
Day 2: Prague - Karlstejn - Dobris (41 miles/66 km)
Our first cycle tour leads from our Prague hotel to the famous castle Karlstejn. After an optional visit of Karlstejn, another part of our first cycle tour to a city of Dobris is awaiting us. The city, which in the 10th century led "Golden Path" from Prague to Bavaria. Once we have put us up, we can set out on a visit of the beautiful chateaux with a large French garden. And we must ask the question now yet - did we spend a night sometimes in an authentic chateaux ? Therefore will be an unforgettable experience for us the accommodation at this chateaux.
Overnight in Dobris.
Day 3: Dobris - Zvikovske Podhradi (42 miles/67 km)
From Dobris, we will go to Orlik dam in the morning - one of the dams of a Vltava-river cascade system, which also protects Prague against floods. The dam is 33km / 22 miles long and we will go alongside it to reach 500m long Zdakovsky bridge, which with its one span is one of the biggest bridges in the world. We can also visit a romantic water castle Orlik here. In the afternoon, we will leave for Zvikovske Podhradi & a Zvikov castle at a junction of the river Vltava and the river Otava. We will be accommodated there. Optional visit of Zvikov castle is recommended.
Overnight in Zvikov.
Day 4: Zvikovske Podhradi - Pisek (18 miles/29 km)
Today we will ride from Zvikov through the romantic landscape and forests into a smaller town Pisek. Pisek City was founded on the banks of the river Otava Czech kings in the 13th century. From this period also comes his biggest sight - the oldest stone bridge in the Czech Republic, which is older than the Charles Bridge in Prague. Thanks to the gold-gold mining Otava Pisek is soon became an important commercial center. This romantic city, still called the city students, after 1989 blossomed into beauty. Houses, parks and monuments are all newly revised and creates an unforgettable atmosphere for tourists, well-being and relaxation.
Overnight in Pisek.
Day 5: Pisek - Hluboka - Ceske Budejovice (33 miles/53 km)
From Pisek, we will set out on a route to Hluboka chateaux, also called the Pearl of Southern Bohemia. After optional visit of the chateaux we will finish today’s route in Ceske Budejovice, a city of the famous brewery Budvar / Budweiser and a unique historical monument from 1825 - the first and biggest horse railroads in Europe, which once connected Austrian city of Linz and Ceske Budejovice. After a dinner with Budvar beer, we definitely recommend you to enjoy a romantic evening walk round the city center.
Overnight in Ceske Budejovice.
Day 6: Ceske Budejovice - Cesky Krumlov (31 km/19 miles)
We will say good-bye to Ceske Budejovice and will go through a beautiful landscape us to Cesky Krumlov - a last UNESCO place in the Bohemia. We will spend here unforgettable moments walking through historical lanes; we can visit the chateaux and its tower, a museum of medieval torture tools and many other interesting things.
Overnight in Cesky Krumlov.
Day 7: Cesky Krumlov - Trebon (33 miles/53 km)
Another route will take us from Cesky krumlov through the landscape of ponds to a spa city of Trebon. We will spend here some relaxing moments in the historical centre - urban listed preserve - and can also visit a chateau and its romantic garden. You may also wish to purchase a spa procedure in a local spa.
Overnight in Trebon.
Day 8: Trebon - Jindrichuv Hradec (34 miles/52 km)
We are leaving Trebon and are looking forward to the city of Jindrichuv Hradec. Its well-kept historical centre will fascinate us with its picturesqueness and we will certainly be tempted by a visit of a museum and the biggest mechanical Bethlehem in the world. Or a visit of one of the biggest chateauxs in Czechia?
Overnight in Jindrichuv Hradec.
Day 9: Jindrichuv Hradec - Slavonice (29 miles/47 km)
We will say good-bye to Jindrichuv Hradec and will go through a beautiful landscape of a national park called the Czech Canada. We will pass by a ruin of Landstejn castle and will come to Slavonice - another historical centre and city at a border of three lands - Bohemia, Moravia and Austria. After the accommodation and relaxation we can visit a wine cellar in the evening.
Overnight in Slavonice.
Day 10: Slavonice - Zwetti (Austria) (38 miles/61 km)
We have passed the last night in the Czech Republic and will continue into the first Austrian city - Zwettl. Path leads us beautiful wooded landscape „Green Waldviertel“, then over the border crossing into Austria called “Trojmezi” - boundary stone of three countries, Austria, Bohemia and Moravia. We spend the first night in Austria - Zwettl town. Zwettl was founded by the knights of Kuenring and was first mentioned in a monastery record in 1139. We look forward to the next tour, which takes us into the beautiful romantic Unesco city on the Danube - Melk.
Overnight in Zwetti.
Day 11: Zwetti - Melk (37 miles/60 km)
In the morning we leave Zwettl. This day’s route is a little more difficult, it will lead us beautiful wooded and rugged landscape. We will have a short breaks in a picturesque points and then will hit the road to the Unesco city Melk. At the point where the Danube enters the region of the Wachau lies the little town of Melk, dominated by the massive bulk of the Benedictine abbey, one of the best known and most splendid monastic houses in Austria. We will arrive in Melk afternoon and therefore we have time to visit the famous Melk Benedictine abbey
Overnight in Melk.
Day 12: Melk - Krems (24 miles/38 km)
This day’s route is very easy, it will lead us alongside the river Danube through Unesco Wachau valley to Krems an Donau. The Wachau valley begins just where the magnificent baroque Abbey Melk arises on the southern bank. It is also a pleasure garden, and one of the most beautiful river valleys on the world. In 2000, the Wachau was declared part of the UNESCO World heritage. This unique work of art extends up to the city of Krems 40 km. Krems is one of the oldest towns in Austria, whose history is more ancient than a thousand years. The historical center of Krems is one of the most beautiful in Europe and in 2000 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Overnight in Krems.
Day 13: Krems - Vienna (51 miles/83 km)
This day’s route is not difficult, it will lead us alongside the river Danube; we will have a short break in a picturesque city of Klosterneuburg and then will hit the road to the capital of Austria. We will arrive in Vienna late afternoon and therefore we have time to visit only if it extends to our program for one day.
Overnight in Vienna.
Day 14: Vienna - Bratislava (Slovakia) (48 miles/78 km)
A third capital city and a third country, which we will visit on our cycle tour, is Bratislava - the capital of Slovakia. To take advantage of leisure time, we will take a walk through Bratislava´s historical centre; we can recommend you to visit the Bratislava castle or castle D?vín above Danube, but probably the following day during the day off. But only if we extend our program for one day. Having bought some presents and enjoyed suppertime farewell in a restaurant or tavern, we are looking forward to Hungary.
Overnight in Bratislava.
Day 15: Bratislava - Mosonmagyarovar (24 miles/39 km)
We will depart from Bratislava and alongside the Danube we will come to a large lake - the megalomaniac dam of Gabcikovo, built during the period of socialism. Originally it be a joint Czechoslovak-Hungarian building with a view both to prevent flooding in this area, both to improve the navigability of the river. Then we continue to Rajka - first Hungarian town on our bike tour. After a short break we leave for spa town Mosonmagyaovar. Above all things the town's most valuable treasure is its thermal water, which is one of the five best medical thermal waters in Europe. Accommodation here.
Overnight in Mosonmagyarovar.
Day 16: Mosonmagyarovar - Gyor (27 miles/43 km)
This day’s route is short and very easy, it will lead us through hinterland. We will bike through the small villages into one of the largest towns in Hungary - Gyor city. GyÅ‘r, this ancient and living town hosts a vast array of architectural, cultural and natural treasures. GyÅ‘r, Hungary's second richest town in historic buildings outside Budapest has won Europe-award for the protection of the historic buildings, in acknowledgment of the reconstruction of the Baroque centre of the town. Churches, palaces, museums, characteristic corner-balconies and narrow lanes, all reminders of a historic past, invite visitors to take a walk in the centre of the town. Overnight here.
Overnight in Gyor.
Day 17: Gyor - Komarno (35 miles/57 km)
Our next day trip will cycle back to the Danube River. This day’s route is also very easy and it will lead us again on the Slovak side of the city of Komarno. Komarno, situated at the confluence of the rivers Vah and Danube is one of the oldest settlements in the Carpathian basin. It is a town with rich history. Its territory has been systematically inhabited since the Early Bronze Age. Most of the cultural and historical memorials are in the historical centre. At the moment Komarno is a busy frontier town of the Slovak republic.
Overnight in Komarno.
Day 18a: Komarno - Esztergom (Hungary) (33 miles/53 km)
In the morning you can enjoy the last breakfast in Slovak Republic. Also, the last Slovak route is very light and lead us into Sturovo / Esztergom, a frontier city divided into two parts by the border - Slovakian and Hungarian. However, we will spend the night already on the Hungarian side not forgetting to visit the city centre with its famous basilica.
Day 18b: Komarno - Tata - Esztergom (Hungary) (43 miles/9 km)
In the morning you can enjoy the last breakfast in Slovak Republic. We will say good-bye to Komarno on the Slovak side and will go through the Hungarian side through the city of Tata to the town Esztergom. This bike route is a little longer and last time, we can try ride through a fragmented landscape. We will spend the night already on the Hungarian side not forgetting to visit the city centre with its famous basilica.
Overnight in Esztergom.
Day 19: Esztergom - Budapest (46 miles/74 km)
Enjoy one of the most beautiful part of cycle tracks in Hungary, leading through Szentendre village – an open-air museum. When we have visited it, we will pass through Szentendre city and are drawing nearer to Budapest - the goal of our journey. We will accommodate and dine with a subsequent walk through nocturnal Budapest. Because we did not have time to look at Budapest, we recommend to extend your stay by one day. This day is for relaxation and farewell at the same time and it is a day for the last UNESCO heritage on our tour. Therefore we will visit Buda Castle Quarter, maybe the Parliament; we can recharge the batteries on top of Gelert in a spa. Shopping in the city centre on a pedestrian zone and farewell dinner in a restaurant will follow.
Overnight in Budapest.
Day 20: Budapest departure
We have packed and are waiting for our VAN, which will take us from the hotel to the airport. We are looking forward to go home, yet inwardly we promise to come back at some stage in the future.
Day 1: Prague arrival day
This day begins with a welcome at the airport, then transfer to hotel and accommodation. This day we will devote to discovering the magic places of Prague. We recommend visiting of the UNESCO historical centre of the city and following that we will prepare a welcome dinner in a restaurant.
Overnight in Prague.
Day 2: Prague - Karlstejn - Dobris (41 miles/66 km)
Our first cycle tour leads from our Prague hotel to the famous castle Karlstejn. After an optional visit of Karlstejn, another part of our first cycle tour to a city of Dobris is awaiting us. The city, which in the 10th century led "Golden Path" from Prague to Bavaria. Once we have put us up, we can set out on a visit of the beautiful chateaux with a large French garden. And we must ask the question now yet - did we spend a night sometimes in an authentic chateaux ? Therefore will be an unforgettable experience for us the accommodation at this chateaux.
Overnight in Dobris.
Day 3: Dobris - Zvikovske Podhradi (42 miles/67 km)
From Dobris, we will go to Orlik dam in the morning - one of the dams of a Vltava-river cascade system, which also protects Prague against floods. The dam is 33km / 22 miles long and we will go alongside it to reach 500m long Zdakovsky bridge, which with its one span is one of the biggest bridges in the world. We can also visit a romantic water castle Orlik here. In the afternoon, we will leave for Zvikovske Podhradi & a Zvikov castle at a junction of the river Vltava and the river Otava. We will be accommodated there. Optional visit of Zvikov castle is recommended.
Overnight in Zvikov.
Day 4: Zvikovske Podhradi - Pisek (18 miles/29 km)
Today we will ride from Zvikov through the romantic landscape and forests into a smaller town Pisek. Pisek City was founded on the banks of the river Otava Czech kings in the 13th century. From this period also comes his biggest sight - the oldest stone bridge in the Czech Republic, which is older than the Charles Bridge in Prague. Thanks to the gold-gold mining Otava Pisek is soon became an important commercial center. This romantic city, still called the city students, after 1989 blossomed into beauty. Houses, parks and monuments are all newly revised and creates an unforgettable atmosphere for tourists, well-being and relaxation.
Overnight in Pisek.
Day 5: Pisek - Hluboka - Ceske Budejovice (33 miles/53 km)
From Pisek, we will set out on a route to Hluboka chateaux, also called the Pearl of Southern Bohemia. After optional visit of the chateaux we will finish today’s route in Ceske Budejovice, a city of the famous brewery Budvar / Budweiser and a unique historical monument from 1825 - the first and biggest horse railroads in Europe, which once connected Austrian city of Linz and Ceske Budejovice. After a dinner with Budvar beer, we definitely recommend you to enjoy a romantic evening walk round the city center.
Overnight in Ceske Budejovice.
Day 6: Ceske Budejovice - Cesky Krumlov (31 km/19 miles)
We will say good-bye to Ceske Budejovice and will go through a beautiful landscape us to Cesky Krumlov - a last UNESCO place in the Bohemia. We will spend here unforgettable moments walking through historical lanes; we can visit the chateaux and its tower, a museum of medieval torture tools and many other interesting things.
Overnight in Cesky Krumlov.
Day 7: Cesky Krumlov - Trebon (33 miles/53 km)
Another route will take us from Cesky krumlov through the landscape of ponds to a spa city of Trebon. We will spend here some relaxing moments in the historical centre - urban listed preserve - and can also visit a chateau and its romantic garden. You may also wish to purchase a spa procedure in a local spa.
Overnight in Trebon.
Day 8: Trebon - Jindrichuv Hradec (34 miles/52 km)
We are leaving Trebon and are looking forward to the city of Jindrichuv Hradec. Its well-kept historical centre will fascinate us with its picturesqueness and we will certainly be tempted by a visit of a museum and the biggest mechanical Bethlehem in the world. Or a visit of one of the biggest chateauxs in Czechia?
Overnight in Jindrichuv Hradec.
Day 9: Jindrichuv Hradec - Slavonice (29 miles/47 km)
We will say good-bye to Jindrichuv Hradec and will go through a beautiful landscape of a national park called the Czech Canada. We will pass by a ruin of Landstejn castle and will come to Slavonice - another historical centre and city at a border of three lands - Bohemia, Moravia and Austria. After the accommodation and relaxation we can visit a wine cellar in the evening.
Overnight in Slavonice.
Day 10: Slavonice - Zwetti (Austria) (38 miles/61 km)
We have passed the last night in the Czech Republic and will continue into the first Austrian city - Zwettl. Path leads us beautiful wooded landscape „Green Waldviertel“, then over the border crossing into Austria called “Trojmezi” - boundary stone of three countries, Austria, Bohemia and Moravia. We spend the first night in Austria - Zwettl town. Zwettl was founded by the knights of Kuenring and was first mentioned in a monastery record in 1139. We look forward to the next tour, which takes us into the beautiful romantic Unesco city on the Danube - Melk.
Overnight in Zwetti.
Day 11: Zwetti - Melk (37 miles/60 km)
In the morning we leave Zwettl. This day’s route is a little more difficult, it will lead us beautiful wooded and rugged landscape. We will have a short breaks in a picturesque points and then will hit the road to the Unesco city Melk. At the point where the Danube enters the region of the Wachau lies the little town of Melk, dominated by the massive bulk of the Benedictine abbey, one of the best known and most splendid monastic houses in Austria. We will arrive in Melk afternoon and therefore we have time to visit the famous Melk Benedictine abbey
Overnight in Melk.
Day 12: Melk - Krems (24 miles/38 km)
This day’s route is very easy, it will lead us alongside the river Danube through Unesco Wachau valley to Krems an Donau. The Wachau valley begins just where the magnificent baroque Abbey Melk arises on the southern bank. It is also a pleasure garden, and one of the most beautiful river valleys on the world. In 2000, the Wachau was declared part of the UNESCO World heritage. This unique work of art extends up to the city of Krems 40 km. Krems is one of the oldest towns in Austria, whose history is more ancient than a thousand years. The historical center of Krems is one of the most beautiful in Europe and in 2000 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Overnight in Krems.
Day 13: Krems - Vienna (51 miles/83 km)
This day’s route is not difficult, it will lead us alongside the river Danube; we will have a short break in a picturesque city of Klosterneuburg and then will hit the road to the capital of Austria. We will arrive in Vienna late afternoon and therefore we have time to visit only if it extends to our program for one day.
Overnight in Vienna.
Day 14: Vienna - Bratislava (Slovakia) (48 miles/78 km)
A third capital city and a third country, which we will visit on our cycle tour, is Bratislava - the capital of Slovakia. To take advantage of leisure time, we will take a walk through Bratislava´s historical centre; we can recommend you to visit the Bratislava castle or castle D?vín above Danube, but probably the following day during the day off. But only if we extend our program for one day. Having bought some presents and enjoyed suppertime farewell in a restaurant or tavern, we are looking forward to Hungary.
Overnight in Bratislava.
Day 15: Bratislava - Mosonmagyarovar (24 miles/39 km)
We will depart from Bratislava and alongside the Danube we will come to a large lake - the megalomaniac dam of Gabcikovo, built during the period of socialism. Originally it be a joint Czechoslovak-Hungarian building with a view both to prevent flooding in this area, both to improve the navigability of the river. Then we continue to Rajka - first Hungarian town on our bike tour. After a short break we leave for spa town Mosonmagyaovar. Above all things the town's most valuable treasure is its thermal water, which is one of the five best medical thermal waters in Europe. Accommodation here.
Overnight in Mosonmagyarovar.
Day 16: Mosonmagyarovar - Gyor (27 miles/43 km)
This day’s route is short and very easy, it will lead us through hinterland. We will bike through the small villages into one of the largest towns in Hungary - Gyor city. GyÅ‘r, this ancient and living town hosts a vast array of architectural, cultural and natural treasures. GyÅ‘r, Hungary's second richest town in historic buildings outside Budapest has won Europe-award for the protection of the historic buildings, in acknowledgment of the reconstruction of the Baroque centre of the town. Churches, palaces, museums, characteristic corner-balconies and narrow lanes, all reminders of a historic past, invite visitors to take a walk in the centre of the town. Overnight here.
Overnight in Gyor.
Day 17: Gyor - Komarno (35 miles/57 km)
Our next day trip will cycle back to the Danube River. This day’s route is also very easy and it will lead us again on the Slovak side of the city of Komarno. Komarno, situated at the confluence of the rivers Vah and Danube is one of the oldest settlements in the Carpathian basin. It is a town with rich history. Its territory has been systematically inhabited since the Early Bronze Age. Most of the cultural and historical memorials are in the historical centre. At the moment Komarno is a busy frontier town of the Slovak republic.
Overnight in Komarno.
Day 18a: Komarno - Esztergom (Hungary) (33 miles/53 km)
In the morning you can enjoy the last breakfast in Slovak Republic. Also, the last Slovak route is very light and lead us into Sturovo / Esztergom, a frontier city divided into two parts by the border - Slovakian and Hungarian. However, we will spend the night already on the Hungarian side not forgetting to visit the city centre with its famous basilica.
Day 18b: Komarno - Tata - Esztergom (Hungary) (43 miles/9 km)
In the morning you can enjoy the last breakfast in Slovak Republic. We will say good-bye to Komarno on the Slovak side and will go through the Hungarian side through the city of Tata to the town Esztergom. This bike route is a little longer and last time, we can try ride through a fragmented landscape. We will spend the night already on the Hungarian side not forgetting to visit the city centre with its famous basilica.
Overnight in Esztergom.
Day 19: Esztergom - Budapest (46 miles/74 km)
Enjoy one of the most beautiful part of cycle tracks in Hungary, leading through Szentendre village – an open-air museum. When we have visited it, we will pass through Szentendre city and are drawing nearer to Budapest - the goal of our journey. We will accommodate and dine with a subsequent walk through nocturnal Budapest. Because we did not have time to look at Budapest, we recommend to extend your stay by one day. This day is for relaxation and farewell at the same time and it is a day for the last UNESCO heritage on our tour. Therefore we will visit Buda Castle Quarter, maybe the Parliament; we can recharge the batteries on top of Gelert in a spa. Shopping in the city centre on a pedestrian zone and farewell dinner in a restaurant will follow.
Overnight in Budapest.
Day 20: Budapest departure
We have packed and are waiting for our VAN, which will take us from the hotel to the airport. We are looking forward to go home, yet inwardly we promise to come back at some stage in the future.
Daily: Aug 19 - Sep 7, 2013
These dates are available for guided tours only for groups of 6 or more.
Daily: Apr 15 - Sep 23, 2013
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5- and 4-star hotels. 5-star hotels available in Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest |
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4- and 3- star hotels. 4-star hotels available in Prague, Pisek, Ceske Budejovice, Cesky Krumlov, Trebon, Jindrichuv Hradec, Vranov nad Dyji, Horn, Krems, Vienna, Bratislava, Esztergom, and Budapest |
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3-star hotels |
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The guided tour requires a minimum of 6; and maximum of 20.
The self-guided tour requires a minimum of 2; and a maximum of 20.
These are sample hotels and may vary based on availability.
Day 1: U Medvidku, Prague
www.umedvidku.cz
Located in the historical city center, the hotel has preserved gothic rafters and renaissance style painted ceilings. The hotel also has a restaurant and brewery.
Day 2: Belvedere, Pribram
www.belvedere-hotel.cz
Brightly colored rooms are available in the hotel, which is located in the city center.
Day 3: Zvikov, Zvikovske Podhradi
www.hotelzvikov.cz
Located on the shores of Lake Orlické. You can enjoy the summer terrace located above the lake or the restaurant which is internationally acclaimed.
Day 4: Bila Ruze, Pisek
www.hotelbilaruze.cz
A brightly decorated hotel located in the heart of Pisek. Enjoy the wellness center, saunas, or terrace.
Day 5: Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice
www.bohemiacb.cz
When the hotel was restored, some of the original architectural aspects were maintained to enhance the atmosphere. The hotel is located a short walk from the city square.
Day 6: U Maleho Vitka, Cesky Krumlov
www.vitekhotel.cz
The hotel is located in the historic city center and is in a total of three gothic style buildings.
Day 7: Zlata Hvezda, Trebon
www.zlatahvezda.cz
Each of the 48 rooms are decorated differently than the others. The hotel is in a reconstructed renaissance building in the historic center of Trebon.
Day 8: Grand Hotel, Jindrichuv Hradec
www.grandhotelcernyorel.cz
Located in the quiet center of the city, the hotel is cheerfully decorated. Try the restaurant's traditional Czech cuisine or an international dish.
Day 9: Arkada, Slavonice
www.hotelarkada.cz
The hotel is located in the perfect area for city conveniences and country charm. Enjoy the pond, outdoor fireplace, or the courtyard in the middle of the square.
Day 10: Pod Zamkem, Vranov nad Dyjí
www.pod-zamkem.cz
Located on the central square of Vranov nad Dyjí and close to the Vranovská lake. There are 16 comfortable rooms to relax in.
Day 11: Gasthof zur Stadt Horn, Horn
www.hotelblie.at
The family run hotel offers clean and comfortable rooms in the city of Horn.
Day 12: Unter den Linden, Krems
www.udl.at
Located in the heart of Krems on the Danube, guests are warmly invited to stay and relax in the family run hotel.
Day 13: Am Brillantengrund, Vienna
www.brillantengrund.at
The hotel is built in the Biedermeier style of the 18th century and preserved as a national monument. The hotel offers peace and quiet while still being close to Vienna's main shopping center.
Day 14: Ibis Bratislava centrum, Bratislava
www.ibishotel.com
Located close to the historic city center and Bratislava castle, the hotel has 120 modern and comfortable rooms.
Day 15: Arpad, Gabcikovo
www.hotelarpad.sk
Located in the heart of the Cornfield island, the hotel's restaurant specializes in Hungarian and Slovakian cuisine.
Day 16: Banderium, Komarno
www.banderium.sk
In the center of Komarno, the hotel is close to all of the sights. There is also a courtyard for your enjoyment.
Day 17: Bazilika Panzio, Esztergom
www.bazilika.eu
Opened in 2007, the hotel is modernly decorated and has a wine cellar, jacuzzi, and saunas.
Day 18: City Hotel Matyas, Budapest
www.cityhotel.hu
The City Hotel Mátyás is located in the heart of the downtown just 50 meters from the famous Váci Street.
Interested in visiting other areas before or after your tour? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options.
These are sample hotels and may vary based on availability.
Day 1: U Medvidku, Prague
www.umedvidku.cz
Located in the historical city center, the hotel has preserved gothic rafters and renaissance style painted ceilings. The hotel also has a restaurant and brewery.
Day 2: Belvedere, Pribram
www.belvedere-hotel.cz
Brightly colored rooms are available in the hotel, which is located in the city center.
Day 3: Zvikov, Zvikovske Podhradi
www.hotelzvikov.cz
Located on the shores of Lake Orlické. You can enjoy the summer terrace located above the lake or the restaurant which is internationally acclaimed.
Day 4: Bila Ruze, Pisek
www.hotelbilaruze.cz
A brightly decorated hotel located in the heart of Pisek. Enjoy the wellness center, saunas, or terrace.
Day 5: Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice
www.bohemiacb.cz
When the hotel was restored, some of the original architectural aspects were maintained to enhance the atmosphere. The hotel is located a short walk from the city square.
Day 6: U Maleho Vitka, Cesky Krumlov
www.vitekhotel.cz
The hotel is located in the historic city center and is in a total of three gothic style buildings.
Day 7: Zlata Hvezda, Trebon
www.zlatahvezda.cz
Each of the 48 rooms are decorated differently than the others. The hotel is in a reconstructed renaissance building in the historic center of Trebon.
Day 8: Grand Hotel, Jindrichuv Hradec
www.grandhotelcernyorel.cz
Located in the quiet center of the city, the hotel is cheerfully decorated. Try the restaurant's traditional Czech cuisine or an international dish.
Day 9: Arkada, Slavonice
www.hotelarkada.cz
The hotel is located in the perfect area for city conveniences and country charm. Enjoy the pond, outdoor fireplace, or the courtyard in the middle of the square.
Day 10: Pod Zamkem, Vranov nad Dyjí
www.pod-zamkem.cz
Located on the central square of Vranov nad Dyjí and close to the Vranovská lake. There are 16 comfortable rooms to relax in.
Day 11: Gasthof zur Stadt Horn, Horn
www.hotelblie.at
The family run hotel offers clean and comfortable rooms in the city of Horn.
Day 12: Unter den Linden, Krems
www.udl.at
Located in the heart of Krems on the Danube, guests are warmly invited to stay and relax in the family run hotel.
Day 13: Am Brillantengrund, Vienna
www.brillantengrund.at
The hotel is built in the Biedermeier style of the 18th century and preserved as a national monument. The hotel offers peace and quiet while still being close to Vienna's main shopping center.
Day 14: Ibis Bratislava centrum, Bratislava
www.ibishotel.com
Located close to the historic city center and Bratislava castle, the hotel has 120 modern and comfortable rooms.
Day 15: Arpad, Gabcikovo
www.hotelarpad.sk
Located in the heart of the Cornfield island, the hotel's restaurant specializes in Hungarian and Slovakian cuisine.
Day 16: Banderium, Komarno
www.banderium.sk
In the center of Komarno, the hotel is close to all of the sights. There is also a courtyard for your enjoyment.
Day 17: Bazilika Panzio, Esztergom
www.bazilika.eu
Opened in 2007, the hotel is modernly decorated and has a wine cellar, jacuzzi, and saunas.
Day 18: City Hotel Matyas, Budapest
www.cityhotel.hu
The City Hotel Mátyás is located in the heart of the downtown just 50 meters from the famous Váci Street.
Interested in visiting other areas before or after your tour? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options.
All our bikes include :
All our bikes include :
The cycle path is marked, and 90% of the time the route is on blacktop cycle paths with low motor traffic.
The tour is rated moderate and is for cyclists in good physical condition.
The cycle path is marked, and 90% of the time the route is on blacktop cycle paths with low motor traffic.
The tour is rated moderate and is for cyclists in good physical condition.
Prague and Budapest have major international airports and rail connections.
Tips on getting to and from your tour
Prague and Budapest have major international airports and rail connections.
Tips on getting to and from your tour
From Prague to Budapest via Vienna — by bicycle — 2011
By Robert S. Philippe
"That’s the beauty of bicycle touring; the hard-to-find rolls by every day, there is no privacy when viewing the world from your bike, we see all, and they see us."
Being international bicycling tour vets, we're always looking for more — more days, more places, more adventure. We wanted more.
As it turned out we got more than bargained for.
If someone told me I was going to plant my 62-year-old butt on a bicycle seat and pedal over 1,100 kilometers from Prague, Czech Republic to Budapest, Hungary, I would have thought they were nuts. Well, maybe I am the nut, because that’s exactly what I did. And I guess my significant other, Valerie, is also a nut because she rode along.
Not content with the pampered seven-day bike tours we had previously ridden with several different US-based bicycle tour companies, these escorted rides through the civilized countries of France and Italy, and even a self-guided eight-day trip around the Island of Majorca didn’t seem enough, I turned to the web and perused the on-line catalog offered by biketoursdirect.com.
What’s this: 19 days of pedaling, a self-guided bicycle tour from Prague to Budapest? We had always talked of visiting Prague and my great, great, great somebody was born in Budapest. Sounds interesting and the tour included eight days of riding the famous Danube Bike Trail, how bad could that be? Well, wait and see.
I had discovered biketoursdirect.com several years ago when, like the rest of the world, I had taken a financial beating. Up to that point we had been riding tours selected out of slick catalogs and didn’t mind paying the $300 to $400 per day tab. Now things were different, but our desire to ride bikes in Europe was still strong. With a “do it while you still can” mentality, I searched for less expensive ways to keep the dream alive.
Did I really need some suave Italian tour guide waiting around every corner with fresh fruit and granola bars to keep me going? Did I really need, or even want. to spend every night around the dinner table with 14 strangers? No, I didn’t. I had participated on several of those tours and I hope to take many more because it is not a bad way to travel. But let’s talk the here and now.
Enter the self-guided bicycle tour concept. Last year we gave it a try with eight days of Four Star treatment: luggage transferred from beach-front hotel to beach-front hotel, breakfast and dinner each day, just enough personal attention, maps, detailed trail guide, quality bike rental, beautiful weather and fabulous riding around the Spanish island of Majorca. All of this for only 700 Euros or about $130 US per day. What a deal and what a great tour it turned out to be.
Back home in Colorado after that adventure the wheels were still turning. If I kept riding the self-guided bike tours I could ride two or even three tours for the price of one guided tour. That is exactly what Jim Johnson, president of biketoursdirect.com and I discussed. Jim said that I wasn’t alone in my thinking and many of his American customers had come to that same conclusion. That’s why even in this troubled economy his business is growing. His 9-year-old company and on-line catalogue offered over 200 tours in 35 different countries, representing 60 different European tour companies. A detailed list of guided and self-guided bicycle tours gives day-to-day detailed information in every European locale — from Portugal to Turkey. The website has links to weather history, travel and rail schedules, all-in-all a bike tourist's dream list.
So there it is, maybe the longest tour on the menu, Prague to Budapest, 19 days in the saddle with a base price of only $3,200 for Three Star accommodations. Ahhh, for an extra $400 you can upgrade to Four Star hotels. What’s this? Add another $400 and the accommodations include Five Star hotels where available. Not a bad deal— an upgraded tour of 19 days, for $4,200 or about $200 per day, a real bargain. Breakfast was included every day; there was a welcome dinner in Prague and a farewell dinner in Budapest. We added one extra Five Star night in Prague, two extra Five Star nights in Vienna and an extra Five Star night in Budapest that brought the 23-day tour in for just less than $4,700 per person. Not bad considering that a deluxe five-night, six-day tour from a USA-based company can set you back over $4,000. Remember, you can do the basic 19-day Prague to Budapest tour for $3,200 or less than $170 per day.
Enter Jaromir Siblik, the owner of CZ EuroTour, a 13-year-old family-owned travel and tour agency based in the Czech Republic. The local provider of our bicycle tour, Jaromir is a former ballroom dancer now bicycle enthusiast, He was soon our new Czech best friend. We first met on the steps of Prague’s President Hotel, a cozy Five Star on the border of Josefov, or the Jewish Quarter, in the center of the city. Here he delivered our bikes, retrofitted them with our own pedals and then sat down to discuss the coming tour, all translated into English by his associate, Jana. What a discussion it turned out to be.
Before us, Jaromir laid out three portfolios, almost 10 pounds of media, all of the maps and detailed instructions we would need to traverse over 700 miles through the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. The first portfolio contained route instructions packaged in a day-by-day format — turn here, do this, go there, route # to road # to trail # and most importantly a daily elevation schematic, kilometer-by-kilometer. Also in this portfolio were individual vouchers for each of the 18 hotels we would be staying at over the next 23 nights.
These instructions were cued to the next portfolio, which contained over 70 pages of detailed maps, each carefully marked to show the planned route and numbered in sequence. We were now starting to get a hint of the enormous scope of what we had gotten ourselves into. Then Jaromir brought out the big portfolio that contain over 20, card table-sized maps that detailed the route through most of the important villages, towns and cities. Each was marked to show each night's lodging, how to get there and how to get out of there. Also in this portfolio were the extensive Danube Bike Trail tour books that would guide us through the last eight days of the coming journey.
It’s raining outside, dark clouds in a city where few ride bikes, where there are more dead people than live ones, where few people speak English, and we are getting ready to cut the umbilical cord and take off on a very long bicycle ride. It is a little creepy here in the rain; we wander through Josefov, the Jewish quarter that Hitler spared so later it could be turned into a museum of the Jewish race when he was done murdering them all. Thanks to never being bombed during WWII (albeit once by accident), the entire city survives, including a 13th century synagogue and Jewish cemetery, where eight centuries of graves are laid one on top of the other. Fascinating history in a city of bad food and questionable service. “Don’t worry,” I told Valerie, "things are sure to get worse.”
Into the Czech Republic we ride
Things got worse the very next day. Don’t get me wrong. Prague is a beautiful and fascinating city full of historic significance. Unlike Paris, London, or even New York City, Prague is one of those been there, done that, don’t need to go back places. So here we are leaving our comfy Five Star wombs to pedal through a city of endless trolley and train tracks, no organized bike lanes and hazards around every bend. Overcast, but not raining, we climb up through the old city, the new city and then the communist-era suburbs of drab, ugly, and too numerous concrete apartment buildings. This is a difficult trail to follow; we ask directions every 20 minutes or so as no map or GPS is going to get you through this maze of bike and/or pedestrian pathways.
Eventually, you leave Prague and its environs for the wide-open spaces, alternating dense forests and wide-open farmlands. Always there's the next village where the road splits three ways, but with only one sign, so you guess which way you go and then you have to go back because you guessed wrong and there are plenty of hills to climb — sometimes again.
Wow, what a first day. It’s almost 2 p.m., and we are not even at our first checkpoint, the famous Karistejn Castle. No time to stop and tour this 12th century Gothic masterpiece, as we need to get to safehabor before dark. Mis-guided and mis-directed, and not yet use to reading the directions that have not been translated to its final form and not originally written in English, we end up back at the castle’s tour bus and parking lot. Okay, we can make this work. A little conversation, mostly gestures, no English spoken here, a deal is made and we dismantle the bikes and somehow get everything into a taxi for a 20-minute lift to get us back on track. This scores points with Valerie, who I sensed was on the verge of despair and has only cried once today.
Now it is just a two-hour huff, mostly uphill on questionable bike paths, paved, graveled or maybe just weeds, to get to the first night's rest in Pribram. If you never get to Pribram you are not missing much. A dreary, communist-era outpost of closed and spent uranium mines and mills. It's also home to quite possibly the worst Four Star hotel on Earth. Did I say communist-era? This hotel was built around a gym and squash courts, and offered closet-sized rooms, nine-diagonal TV with four channels and Sponge Bob sheets, comforters and pillowcases — just the pillowcases with no pillows inside. Now it was my turn to cry.
Things had to get better — they didn’t
Look, we are adults, raised in the age of three-martini lunches; obviously members of the "establishment," so at the end of the day a good adult beverage would do nicely. No matter how I said it, pantomime and pointing, vodka tonic was not happening. Not until I sketched out a life-size, an anatomically correct drawing of a glass, with ice with vodka to level and topped with tonic and crowned with a lemon wedge, all neatly labeled, did it happen. I used this drawing almost every night for the next three weeks. But we were in luck because there was a tea dance to karaoke that afternoon at the Hotel Welnor in Pribram and the Czech baby-boomers were rocking out to Elvis and other old-time favorites.
Fortunately, my mother had tortured me with cotillion classes as a kid so we got up and did an admirable turn around the dance floor, which pleased the suspicious crowd, then we sat down to the most non-descript spaghetti, pushing the questionable bolognaise to the side. Afterward, we went to the room, crawled into our Sponge Bob bed, watched Bart Simpson in some languagenot to be identified and dreamt to better days to come. This was the end of the first day.
The best thing about Pribram: leaving it. As was to be our standard MO for the next three weeks, we got lost for the first time only one hour into the ride. So we figured it out and made up our own route to the next checkpoint. The supplied maps were very readable in a large scale with good topography and so detailed that we could improvise rather than back-track. Well, the next checkpoint was the Orlic Dam and the major site on today’s ride. It was a beautiful ride until we found ourselves at the bottom of this towering dam with a 12 percent grade over a rough cobblestone road and a major climb to the route beyond.
“We can do this," we said, discussing the next obstacle as the local bus passed us. Joking around, I made a half-hearted hitch-hiking gesture and the bus stopped. Maybe having seen this pathetic sight before, the driver motioned to us to put the bikes on board. We did. There was only one other passenger as we stood rocking back and forth holding the bicycles erect. Up and up, over and past the dam, the bus finally stopped at the top of the hill. Only a 20-minute ride, it saved us two grueling hours of very difficult riding, the difference between pain and enjoyment, a valuable lesson learned. Flashers on and parked in the middle of the road, the driver helped us unload the bikes, walked us over to a roadside map, explained our situation, while not speaking English, pointed to the correct path and a recommended restaurant, he refused any fare and bade us farewell.
All of sudden things are looking up, but we are only 1.5 days into the ride. What is going to happen next?
Deposited by the side of the road in a small village, just one of dozens we were to ride through, we ended up at a 17th century compound, with a closed-up inn, but open, busy restaurant. Filled to the brim with gray jump-suited and knee-high rubber-booted farmworkers eating appealing food and drinking beer at 11 in the morning, we knew we were in luck. The owner, Jan, explained in English that we were only the third and fourth Americans he has seen in 10 years and the only ones on bicycles. Good food, good beer and good directions set us off on an afternoon of riding through a thick, dense forest and picturesque landscape of ancient castles and romantic chateaus, all commanding majestic sites overlooking the large, meandering rivers here in the Czech Republic.
So things keep looking up and we keep pedaling into the late afternoon sun, over more bridges, through more picturesque villages, in and out of shadowed forests, then fields ripe for harvest, to the confluence of the rivers Uitava and Otava, a fortified ancient castle and a very comfortable inn and brewery built on the site of another brewery first built around 1380. At the end of the second day we are in a place called Zvikovske Podhradi, anticipated and welcomed guests at the Hotel Pivovarsky dvur ***. Pivo is Czech for beer — get it?
Soon, the days, like the renaissance towns, roll by. Each day brings another 40 or so miles of riding. Training for this ride in Colorado we were doing 20 miles at high altitude — 9-12,000 feet — in less than an hour and a half, so we thought, 40 miles, no big deal, maybe three hours of riding. Not so. I had heard that on a bike tour the average pace is 8.5 miles an hour. Now, I can tell you that is accurate. Forty miles on tour is more like six or seven hours in the saddle, as you connect from paved path to dirt road to lightly traffic two-lane highways, single track, muddy paths, marked tourist (hiking) paths that turn into greenways, in and out of each little village stopping for cheap beer, back on the trail and lost, get found only to get lost again. On the road before 9 a.m., and hope to find the next hotel before 4 p.m.
I am really starting to like this adventure.
For the next seven days we roll through the Czech Republic and an area called “Czech Canada,” and it is really quite beautiful. Towns, villages and small cities, spending the night in places whose names don’t exactly roll off of the tongue:
• Pisek with its 13th century stone bridge
• Huboka, the pearl of Southern Bohemia
• Cheske Budajovice, site of the original Budvar/Budweiser brewery
• Cesky Krumlov, a UNESCO masterpiece
• Trebon, famous for its spas
• Jindrichuv Hradec and its fabulous chateau
• Slavonice in a national park and on the triple borders of Bohemia, Moravia and Austria
• and finally, the last stop in the Czech Republic, Vranov and Dyji, crowned by an 11th century castle.
The most memorable features of the past several days are the endless and numerous fishponds. We ride all day, through 700 years of aqua culture. You would think that after all that time they would have come up with something better to eat than the ever-present grasscarp. Well, they did and other farm-raised delights include eel, pike and the better-tasting hybrid pikeperch.
The other culinary event has been the beer. The Czechs take their beer seriously and the breweries are as numerous, and as old, as the towns we ride through:
• Platan — since 1598
• Cerna Hora — since 1286
• Gosser — 1860
• Krusovice — 1581
• Bohemia Regent — 1379
• Bernard —1597
• Pilsner Urquell — 1842
• Gambrinus — 1860
• Cerveny Drak, Staropramen, Kozel and on and on.
We drink beer several times each day, sometimes in pubs and in small villages, others in the livingrooms of the pubkeeper’s house. No matter how small the village we can take a break and find a cold beer on tap. That’s the beauty of bicycle touring; the hard-to-find rolls by every day, there is no privacy when viewing the world from your bike, we see all, and they see us.
For the past two days we have been aware of Austria as we ride along the border, lined with old pillboxes, machine gun nests and observation posts on our right. They’re not to keep out invaders out, but to keep in the citizens. Many Czechs talk of the “horrible 40 years” of communism, the smaller the village, the slower to have adapted, yet the houses are well-kept, surrounded by piles of firewood and victory gardens, a sign that the economy is not good, however, life in general seems to be okay.
On the tenth consecutive day of pedaling we cross into Austria. With great anticipation we ride across the bridge that is the border. We must be the only ones around with anticipation as the border-crossing is deserted and the guard shack is boarded up — no one in sight. We immediately get lost and because of the severity and length of our climb up from the river bottom to the plateau above, we decide to improvise once again and not back-track. With the help of the GPS and iPhone compass app, we take a different route, and in the right direction.
I felt it, and Valerie expressed this way: ”The forest smells better, the air is fresher, the sky more blue.” Hard to tell, although maybe there was a noticeable difference and as we stopped for lunch and then we knew we were not in the Czech Republic anymore.
The Austrian beer was good, but now the $1 Czech half-liter was the Austrian $5 half-liter. The local chowhouse was spotless, well-decorated and cheery. The waitress spoke English and was happy to see us. Everywhere there were signs of commerce: new BMW’s replaced old four-cylinder Soviet sedans, the BMW’s rested on their own wheels, not like the cars across the border, which were mostly up on blocks or under tattered tarps. Was there such a big difference in such a short distance? Yes. Would we have noticed it had we not been on bicycles? Maybe.
So another day of riding through national parks, this one in Austria and called Thayatal. One last day of rolling countryside to conquer before we reach Horn and then on to Kremes, the oldest city in Austria — old like in BC, not AD. Krems is also the first city on the long-anticipated Danube Bike Trail. No more hills, or so we thought.
The Danube Bike Trail is well documented in a series of combination map-guides published by bikeline guides from www.esterbauer.com. We were provided with Parts 2 and 3. These would take us — kilometer by kilometer — the 350 or so miles to the finish line in Budapest. Time-wise we were at the half-way mark, a full two days of riding out of Vienna and a three-night rest stop. Don’t think that these guides were the answer to our off-piste wanderings, because even with such detail there are complications.
In fact, there really isn’t a Danube Bike Trail. It is more of a "route." A designated route that sometimes is paved bikepath, at other times a dirt track or lightly trafficked and then heavily trafficked roads. There is signage unless it has been defaced or otherwise damaged. Sometimes you are given options like “may be difficult to transit in wet weather.” Still, it is a route and the guide is informative and will eventually get you to where you are going.
We are riding through the major wine region of Austria and it is late September. The harvest is in full swing and the route passes villages clogged with tractors pulling wagons full of green grapes. The odor of fresh-pressed grapes seeps from the courtyards of the numerous small wineries. Now, besides the ever-present river and the two-lane road we share the route with a railway. The railroad tracks become important landmarks and aid in our direction-finding.
Are you tired or maybe drank too much wine with lunch? The option of hopping the local rail bus exists. I am a rail fan, so when Valerie suggests a longer lunch break at a very tasty beer garden and then a quick 15-minute rail ride into Kremes, it couldn’t be refused. That afternoon we arrived in the student-packed city of Kremes by rail. We still get lost looking for the hotel, which turned out to be part of the local university campus, very modern and comfortable.
Krems is a college town and has been for many centuries. A real happening place, so we were no longer limited in our choices. We ride and walk the pedestrian streets in awe of the variety of food and drink we hadn’t seen for many days. I didn’t see carp on any of the menu boards, so I felt good about this place
The Danube Bike Trail to Vienna and beyond
So, in general, everything is better in Austria: the food, the hotels, people’s attitudes, everything but the prices. Buoyed by the comforts of the past two days we look forward to the 70-mile ride into Vienna. The day was the classic Danube Bike Trail that one may imagine but it doesn’t really exist. A rollicking ride along the big, wide river into big and busy Vienna. This city is made for bike riding and the locals are out in full force. To begin with there is some confusion, and following the flow we eventually figure it out. Valerie imagines a two-day rest off the bikes; it's not to be. Soon, we have the bellman rolling the now road-worn two-wheelers through the lobby and out the front door, much to the delight of the other guests.
We had laundry from 12 days of consecutive riding. The hotel wanted 9 euros per shirt or pair of shorts, so we loaded up 20 pounds of dirty Pearl Izumi bikewear and other dainties and rode off across the city to one of the few laundromats the concierge could locate. It was quite a scene. You can add Vienna to the list of places you want to (re)visit.
The ride out of Vienna is as fantastic as the ride in. Bicycle-clogged city streets soon cross the Danube and disappear into an extensive city park and then into the wilderness, but not before riding through the nudist friendly riverbank parks and clothing optional beer gardens. Chomping at the bit, we are off on the quest for the third capital city in the third country of the tour.
Bratislava, Slovak Republic, the tour literature says “maybe a good spot for an extra day.” I say not, yet it is still a great ride, with long bridges to cross back and forth, always in sight of the armadas of long, skinny river cruise ships navigating through locks. Eventually, a beautiful old city emerges from behind ugly and dirt concrete buildings from a not so distant repressive past. Slovakia is the poor cousin of the Czech Republic, while good food is hard to find, good beer flows freely. The villages are more drab and boring, yet the beauty of Gothic and Renaissance architecture is everywhere, so are the remnants of communal life and industry, boarded up factories and public buildings.
We had survived the first night of the tour in a strange and creepy place so we knew we could survive the night in a small and non-descript wide spot on the trail called Gabeikovo. Here the route mysteriously disappeared into construction surrounding the “megalomaniac dam” that separates Hungary and Slovakia. There is no prescribed detour, but by now we are road warriors and take it all in stride. The next day we head off to the last stop in Slovakia, Komarno. Located at the confluence of the rivers Danube and Vah. Komarno is the site of possibly the best Three Star hotel of the tour, Hotel Banderium***. But the town overall is One Star, full of empty buildings, an entire town built with each individual structure designed to look like that of another country in Europe. Maybe 50 different buildings, mostly empty, as are the streets. Anyway, it is the last night in Slovakia and the hotel’s restaurant is excellent.
We get our first rain day of the entire tour. After determining the day’s route was mostly highway and not pathway, we decide to ride with the luggage transfer — no reason to risk life or limb this close to the finish. A quick email to Jaromir at the tour office and a second taxi is offered up for the bicycles and we all head for the border and into Esztergorm, "the Rome of Hungary.”
Glad to be dry and to have a rest day before the last big ride into Budapest, we soon discover that Esztergorm is worth a full day's visit. Eventually, we end up at the famous basilica and decide to climb to the top, not knowing that few attempt that feat. Now we know why, after navigating up extremely narrow 24-inch wide ancient stone circular stairs, up over 30 stories of windowless towers designed to turn the strongest believer into a shivering, claustrophobic sweat-drenched pilgrim. We are treated to a 360-degree walk around a very shaky walkway of rotten wooden planks ringed by a rusted out cable rail in a blustery wind and driving rain.
Why are we here? It must be the view, down the Danube in the direction of Budapest, across the Danube to the Slovakian side of the city called Storovo and up the Danube from whence we came. One more reward for our efforts as a tiny little elf of an old man, the keeper of the dome, appears and motions us to follow him through a locked gate into the darkness. Here he demonstrates with a yelp, the reverberating, round and round and round echo. Stay here, he motions, and disappears, soon the most beautiful choir boy voice serenades us from the other side of the dome, we sing back and this becomes one of the most memorable events of a memorable tour.
Off early on the final day of riding
With only 70 more miles of typical Danube Bike Trail, from path to highway, some traffic, then more traffic, we are zigzagging in and out of villages. It's detours, dirt tracks, washed out paths, more highways and then the trail gets friendlier with miles of riverfront vacation cottages and small hotels, even a few restaurants and bars. So close, yet lost again in a confusing urban landscape, we find ourselves on the wrong side of the tracks, literally. Good directions from helpful English-speaking locals means that we are close to the city; few people speak English outside of the cities. We can sense Budapest, yet we still can’t quite get there.
All of the sudden we are swept up by a pack of 7- and 8-year-olds out for a club ride. Pedaling their little mountain bikes with reckless abandon, decked out in high visibility green bike vests decorated with a logo of the Big Bad Wolf. They hoot and holler as they ride through the underpasses and tunnels as they lead us to the Erasable Bridge, one of eight that join Buda with Pest, and the bridge that leads us to the final hotel of the tour.
Wow, what a finale! We check in and head to the bar for a well-deserved celebratory cocktail. We get what we want without the now-tattered visual aid and meet Zoltan, the barman who learned to speak English by watching the Cartoon Network.
But that is another story — and the end of this one.
From Prague to Budapest via Vienna — by bicycle — 2011
By Robert S. Philippe
"That’s the beauty of bicycle touring; the hard-to-find rolls by every day, there is no privacy when viewing the world from your bike, we see all, and they see us."
Being international bicycling tour vets, we're always looking for more — more days, more places, more adventure. We wanted more.
As it turned out we got more than bargained for.
If someone told me I was going to plant my 62-year-old butt on a bicycle seat and pedal over 1,100 kilometers from Prague, Czech Republic to Budapest, Hungary, I would have thought they were nuts. Well, maybe I am the nut, because that’s exactly what I did. And I guess my significant other, Valerie, is also a nut because she rode along.
Not content with the pampered seven-day bike tours we had previously ridden with several different US-based bicycle tour companies, these escorted rides through the civilized countries of France and Italy, and even a self-guided eight-day trip around the Island of Majorca didn’t seem enough, I turned to the web and perused the on-line catalog offered by biketoursdirect.com.
What’s this: 19 days of pedaling, a self-guided bicycle tour from Prague to Budapest? We had always talked of visiting Prague and my great, great, great somebody was born in Budapest. Sounds interesting and the tour included eight days of riding the famous Danube Bike Trail, how bad could that be? Well, wait and see.
I had discovered biketoursdirect.com several years ago when, like the rest of the world, I had taken a financial beating. Up to that point we had been riding tours selected out of slick catalogs and didn’t mind paying the $300 to $400 per day tab. Now things were different, but our desire to ride bikes in Europe was still strong. With a “do it while you still can” mentality, I searched for less expensive ways to keep the dream alive.
Did I really need some suave Italian tour guide waiting around every corner with fresh fruit and granola bars to keep me going? Did I really need, or even want. to spend every night around the dinner table with 14 strangers? No, I didn’t. I had participated on several of those tours and I hope to take many more because it is not a bad way to travel. But let’s talk the here and now.
Enter the self-guided bicycle tour concept. Last year we gave it a try with eight days of Four Star treatment: luggage transferred from beach-front hotel to beach-front hotel, breakfast and dinner each day, just enough personal attention, maps, detailed trail guide, quality bike rental, beautiful weather and fabulous riding around the Spanish island of Majorca. All of this for only 700 Euros or about $130 US per day. What a deal and what a great tour it turned out to be.
Back home in Colorado after that adventure the wheels were still turning. If I kept riding the self-guided bike tours I could ride two or even three tours for the price of one guided tour. That is exactly what Jim Johnson, president of biketoursdirect.com and I discussed. Jim said that I wasn’t alone in my thinking and many of his American customers had come to that same conclusion. That’s why even in this troubled economy his business is growing. His 9-year-old company and on-line catalogue offered over 200 tours in 35 different countries, representing 60 different European tour companies. A detailed list of guided and self-guided bicycle tours gives day-to-day detailed information in every European locale — from Portugal to Turkey. The website has links to weather history, travel and rail schedules, all-in-all a bike tourist's dream list.
So there it is, maybe the longest tour on the menu, Prague to Budapest, 19 days in the saddle with a base price of only $3,200 for Three Star accommodations. Ahhh, for an extra $400 you can upgrade to Four Star hotels. What’s this? Add another $400 and the accommodations include Five Star hotels where available. Not a bad deal— an upgraded tour of 19 days, for $4,200 or about $200 per day, a real bargain. Breakfast was included every day; there was a welcome dinner in Prague and a farewell dinner in Budapest. We added one extra Five Star night in Prague, two extra Five Star nights in Vienna and an extra Five Star night in Budapest that brought the 23-day tour in for just less than $4,700 per person. Not bad considering that a deluxe five-night, six-day tour from a USA-based company can set you back over $4,000. Remember, you can do the basic 19-day Prague to Budapest tour for $3,200 or less than $170 per day.
Enter Jaromir Siblik, the owner of CZ EuroTour, a 13-year-old family-owned travel and tour agency based in the Czech Republic. The local provider of our bicycle tour, Jaromir is a former ballroom dancer now bicycle enthusiast, He was soon our new Czech best friend. We first met on the steps of Prague’s President Hotel, a cozy Five Star on the border of Josefov, or the Jewish Quarter, in the center of the city. Here he delivered our bikes, retrofitted them with our own pedals and then sat down to discuss the coming tour, all translated into English by his associate, Jana. What a discussion it turned out to be.
Before us, Jaromir laid out three portfolios, almost 10 pounds of media, all of the maps and detailed instructions we would need to traverse over 700 miles through the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. The first portfolio contained route instructions packaged in a day-by-day format — turn here, do this, go there, route # to road # to trail # and most importantly a daily elevation schematic, kilometer-by-kilometer. Also in this portfolio were individual vouchers for each of the 18 hotels we would be staying at over the next 23 nights.
These instructions were cued to the next portfolio, which contained over 70 pages of detailed maps, each carefully marked to show the planned route and numbered in sequence. We were now starting to get a hint of the enormous scope of what we had gotten ourselves into. Then Jaromir brought out the big portfolio that contain over 20, card table-sized maps that detailed the route through most of the important villages, towns and cities. Each was marked to show each night's lodging, how to get there and how to get out of there. Also in this portfolio were the extensive Danube Bike Trail tour books that would guide us through the last eight days of the coming journey.
It’s raining outside, dark clouds in a city where few ride bikes, where there are more dead people than live ones, where few people speak English, and we are getting ready to cut the umbilical cord and take off on a very long bicycle ride. It is a little creepy here in the rain; we wander through Josefov, the Jewish quarter that Hitler spared so later it could be turned into a museum of the Jewish race when he was done murdering them all. Thanks to never being bombed during WWII (albeit once by accident), the entire city survives, including a 13th century synagogue and Jewish cemetery, where eight centuries of graves are laid one on top of the other. Fascinating history in a city of bad food and questionable service. “Don’t worry,” I told Valerie, "things are sure to get worse.”
Into the Czech Republic we ride
Things got worse the very next day. Don’t get me wrong. Prague is a beautiful and fascinating city full of historic significance. Unlike Paris, London, or even New York City, Prague is one of those been there, done that, don’t need to go back places. So here we are leaving our comfy Five Star wombs to pedal through a city of endless trolley and train tracks, no organized bike lanes and hazards around every bend. Overcast, but not raining, we climb up through the old city, the new city and then the communist-era suburbs of drab, ugly, and too numerous concrete apartment buildings. This is a difficult trail to follow; we ask directions every 20 minutes or so as no map or GPS is going to get you through this maze of bike and/or pedestrian pathways.
Eventually, you leave Prague and its environs for the wide-open spaces, alternating dense forests and wide-open farmlands. Always there's the next village where the road splits three ways, but with only one sign, so you guess which way you go and then you have to go back because you guessed wrong and there are plenty of hills to climb — sometimes again.
Wow, what a first day. It’s almost 2 p.m., and we are not even at our first checkpoint, the famous Karistejn Castle. No time to stop and tour this 12th century Gothic masterpiece, as we need to get to safehabor before dark. Mis-guided and mis-directed, and not yet use to reading the directions that have not been translated to its final form and not originally written in English, we end up back at the castle’s tour bus and parking lot. Okay, we can make this work. A little conversation, mostly gestures, no English spoken here, a deal is made and we dismantle the bikes and somehow get everything into a taxi for a 20-minute lift to get us back on track. This scores points with Valerie, who I sensed was on the verge of despair and has only cried once today.
Now it is just a two-hour huff, mostly uphill on questionable bike paths, paved, graveled or maybe just weeds, to get to the first night's rest in Pribram. If you never get to Pribram you are not missing much. A dreary, communist-era outpost of closed and spent uranium mines and mills. It's also home to quite possibly the worst Four Star hotel on Earth. Did I say communist-era? This hotel was built around a gym and squash courts, and offered closet-sized rooms, nine-diagonal TV with four channels and Sponge Bob sheets, comforters and pillowcases — just the pillowcases with no pillows inside. Now it was my turn to cry.
Things had to get better — they didn’t
Look, we are adults, raised in the age of three-martini lunches; obviously members of the "establishment," so at the end of the day a good adult beverage would do nicely. No matter how I said it, pantomime and pointing, vodka tonic was not happening. Not until I sketched out a life-size, an anatomically correct drawing of a glass, with ice with vodka to level and topped with tonic and crowned with a lemon wedge, all neatly labeled, did it happen. I used this drawing almost every night for the next three weeks. But we were in luck because there was a tea dance to karaoke that afternoon at the Hotel Welnor in Pribram and the Czech baby-boomers were rocking out to Elvis and other old-time favorites.
Fortunately, my mother had tortured me with cotillion classes as a kid so we got up and did an admirable turn around the dance floor, which pleased the suspicious crowd, then we sat down to the most non-descript spaghetti, pushing the questionable bolognaise to the side. Afterward, we went to the room, crawled into our Sponge Bob bed, watched Bart Simpson in some languagenot to be identified and dreamt to better days to come. This was the end of the first day.
The best thing about Pribram: leaving it. As was to be our standard MO for the next three weeks, we got lost for the first time only one hour into the ride. So we figured it out and made up our own route to the next checkpoint. The supplied maps were very readable in a large scale with good topography and so detailed that we could improvise rather than back-track. Well, the next checkpoint was the Orlic Dam and the major site on today’s ride. It was a beautiful ride until we found ourselves at the bottom of this towering dam with a 12 percent grade over a rough cobblestone road and a major climb to the route beyond.
“We can do this," we said, discussing the next obstacle as the local bus passed us. Joking around, I made a half-hearted hitch-hiking gesture and the bus stopped. Maybe having seen this pathetic sight before, the driver motioned to us to put the bikes on board. We did. There was only one other passenger as we stood rocking back and forth holding the bicycles erect. Up and up, over and past the dam, the bus finally stopped at the top of the hill. Only a 20-minute ride, it saved us two grueling hours of very difficult riding, the difference between pain and enjoyment, a valuable lesson learned. Flashers on and parked in the middle of the road, the driver helped us unload the bikes, walked us over to a roadside map, explained our situation, while not speaking English, pointed to the correct path and a recommended restaurant, he refused any fare and bade us farewell.
All of sudden things are looking up, but we are only 1.5 days into the ride. What is going to happen next?
Deposited by the side of the road in a small village, just one of dozens we were to ride through, we ended up at a 17th century compound, with a closed-up inn, but open, busy restaurant. Filled to the brim with gray jump-suited and knee-high rubber-booted farmworkers eating appealing food and drinking beer at 11 in the morning, we knew we were in luck. The owner, Jan, explained in English that we were only the third and fourth Americans he has seen in 10 years and the only ones on bicycles. Good food, good beer and good directions set us off on an afternoon of riding through a thick, dense forest and picturesque landscape of ancient castles and romantic chateaus, all commanding majestic sites overlooking the large, meandering rivers here in the Czech Republic.
So things keep looking up and we keep pedaling into the late afternoon sun, over more bridges, through more picturesque villages, in and out of shadowed forests, then fields ripe for harvest, to the confluence of the rivers Uitava and Otava, a fortified ancient castle and a very comfortable inn and brewery built on the site of another brewery first built around 1380. At the end of the second day we are in a place called Zvikovske Podhradi, anticipated and welcomed guests at the Hotel Pivovarsky dvur ***. Pivo is Czech for beer — get it?
Soon, the days, like the renaissance towns, roll by. Each day brings another 40 or so miles of riding. Training for this ride in Colorado we were doing 20 miles at high altitude — 9-12,000 feet — in less than an hour and a half, so we thought, 40 miles, no big deal, maybe three hours of riding. Not so. I had heard that on a bike tour the average pace is 8.5 miles an hour. Now, I can tell you that is accurate. Forty miles on tour is more like six or seven hours in the saddle, as you connect from paved path to dirt road to lightly traffic two-lane highways, single track, muddy paths, marked tourist (hiking) paths that turn into greenways, in and out of each little village stopping for cheap beer, back on the trail and lost, get found only to get lost again. On the road before 9 a.m., and hope to find the next hotel before 4 p.m.
I am really starting to like this adventure.
For the next seven days we roll through the Czech Republic and an area called “Czech Canada,” and it is really quite beautiful. Towns, villages and small cities, spending the night in places whose names don’t exactly roll off of the tongue:
• Pisek with its 13th century stone bridge
• Huboka, the pearl of Southern Bohemia
• Cheske Budajovice, site of the original Budvar/Budweiser brewery
• Cesky Krumlov, a UNESCO masterpiece
• Trebon, famous for its spas
• Jindrichuv Hradec and its fabulous chateau
• Slavonice in a national park and on the triple borders of Bohemia, Moravia and Austria
• and finally, the last stop in the Czech Republic, Vranov and Dyji, crowned by an 11th century castle.
The most memorable features of the past several days are the endless and numerous fishponds. We ride all day, through 700 years of aqua culture. You would think that after all that time they would have come up with something better to eat than the ever-present grasscarp. Well, they did and other farm-raised delights include eel, pike and the better-tasting hybrid pikeperch.
The other culinary event has been the beer. The Czechs take their beer seriously and the breweries are as numerous, and as old, as the towns we ride through:
• Platan — since 1598
• Cerna Hora — since 1286
• Gosser — 1860
• Krusovice — 1581
• Bohemia Regent — 1379
• Bernard —1597
• Pilsner Urquell — 1842
• Gambrinus — 1860
• Cerveny Drak, Staropramen, Kozel and on and on.
We drink beer several times each day, sometimes in pubs and in small villages, others in the livingrooms of the pubkeeper’s house. No matter how small the village we can take a break and find a cold beer on tap. That’s the beauty of bicycle touring; the hard-to-find rolls by every day, there is no privacy when viewing the world from your bike, we see all, and they see us.
For the past two days we have been aware of Austria as we ride along the border, lined with old pillboxes, machine gun nests and observation posts on our right. They’re not to keep out invaders out, but to keep in the citizens. Many Czechs talk of the “horrible 40 years” of communism, the smaller the village, the slower to have adapted, yet the houses are well-kept, surrounded by piles of firewood and victory gardens, a sign that the economy is not good, however, life in general seems to be okay.
On the tenth consecutive day of pedaling we cross into Austria. With great anticipation we ride across the bridge that is the border. We must be the only ones around with anticipation as the border-crossing is deserted and the guard shack is boarded up — no one in sight. We immediately get lost and because of the severity and length of our climb up from the river bottom to the plateau above, we decide to improvise once again and not back-track. With the help of the GPS and iPhone compass app, we take a different route, and in the right direction.
I felt it, and Valerie expressed this way: ”The forest smells better, the air is fresher, the sky more blue.” Hard to tell, although maybe there was a noticeable difference and as we stopped for lunch and then we knew we were not in the Czech Republic anymore.
The Austrian beer was good, but now the $1 Czech half-liter was the Austrian $5 half-liter. The local chowhouse was spotless, well-decorated and cheery. The waitress spoke English and was happy to see us. Everywhere there were signs of commerce: new BMW’s replaced old four-cylinder Soviet sedans, the BMW’s rested on their own wheels, not like the cars across the border, which were mostly up on blocks or under tattered tarps. Was there such a big difference in such a short distance? Yes. Would we have noticed it had we not been on bicycles? Maybe.
So another day of riding through national parks, this one in Austria and called Thayatal. One last day of rolling countryside to conquer before we reach Horn and then on to Kremes, the oldest city in Austria — old like in BC, not AD. Krems is also the first city on the long-anticipated Danube Bike Trail. No more hills, or so we thought.
The Danube Bike Trail is well documented in a series of combination map-guides published by bikeline guides from www.esterbauer.com. We were provided with Parts 2 and 3. These would take us — kilometer by kilometer — the 350 or so miles to the finish line in Budapest. Time-wise we were at the half-way mark, a full two days of riding out of Vienna and a three-night rest stop. Don’t think that these guides were the answer to our off-piste wanderings, because even with such detail there are complications.
In fact, there really isn’t a Danube Bike Trail. It is more of a "route." A designated route that sometimes is paved bikepath, at other times a dirt track or lightly trafficked and then heavily trafficked roads. There is signage unless it has been defaced or otherwise damaged. Sometimes you are given options like “may be difficult to transit in wet weather.” Still, it is a route and the guide is informative and will eventually get you to where you are going.
We are riding through the major wine region of Austria and it is late September. The harvest is in full swing and the route passes villages clogged with tractors pulling wagons full of green grapes. The odor of fresh-pressed grapes seeps from the courtyards of the numerous small wineries. Now, besides the ever-present river and the two-lane road we share the route with a railway. The railroad tracks become important landmarks and aid in our direction-finding.
Are you tired or maybe drank too much wine with lunch? The option of hopping the local rail bus exists. I am a rail fan, so when Valerie suggests a longer lunch break at a very tasty beer garden and then a quick 15-minute rail ride into Kremes, it couldn’t be refused. That afternoon we arrived in the student-packed city of Kremes by rail. We still get lost looking for the hotel, which turned out to be part of the local university campus, very modern and comfortable.
Krems is a college town and has been for many centuries. A real happening place, so we were no longer limited in our choices. We ride and walk the pedestrian streets in awe of the variety of food and drink we hadn’t seen for many days. I didn’t see carp on any of the menu boards, so I felt good about this place
The Danube Bike Trail to Vienna and beyond
So, in general, everything is better in Austria: the food, the hotels, people’s attitudes, everything but the prices. Buoyed by the comforts of the past two days we look forward to the 70-mile ride into Vienna. The day was the classic Danube Bike Trail that one may imagine but it doesn’t really exist. A rollicking ride along the big, wide river into big and busy Vienna. This city is made for bike riding and the locals are out in full force. To begin with there is some confusion, and following the flow we eventually figure it out. Valerie imagines a two-day rest off the bikes; it's not to be. Soon, we have the bellman rolling the now road-worn two-wheelers through the lobby and out the front door, much to the delight of the other guests.
We had laundry from 12 days of consecutive riding. The hotel wanted 9 euros per shirt or pair of shorts, so we loaded up 20 pounds of dirty Pearl Izumi bikewear and other dainties and rode off across the city to one of the few laundromats the concierge could locate. It was quite a scene. You can add Vienna to the list of places you want to (re)visit.
The ride out of Vienna is as fantastic as the ride in. Bicycle-clogged city streets soon cross the Danube and disappear into an extensive city park and then into the wilderness, but not before riding through the nudist friendly riverbank parks and clothing optional beer gardens. Chomping at the bit, we are off on the quest for the third capital city in the third country of the tour.
Bratislava, Slovak Republic, the tour literature says “maybe a good spot for an extra day.” I say not, yet it is still a great ride, with long bridges to cross back and forth, always in sight of the armadas of long, skinny river cruise ships navigating through locks. Eventually, a beautiful old city emerges from behind ugly and dirt concrete buildings from a not so distant repressive past. Slovakia is the poor cousin of the Czech Republic, while good food is hard to find, good beer flows freely. The villages are more drab and boring, yet the beauty of Gothic and Renaissance architecture is everywhere, so are the remnants of communal life and industry, boarded up factories and public buildings.
We had survived the first night of the tour in a strange and creepy place so we knew we could survive the night in a small and non-descript wide spot on the trail called Gabeikovo. Here the route mysteriously disappeared into construction surrounding the “megalomaniac dam” that separates Hungary and Slovakia. There is no prescribed detour, but by now we are road warriors and take it all in stride. The next day we head off to the last stop in Slovakia, Komarno. Located at the confluence of the rivers Danube and Vah. Komarno is the site of possibly the best Three Star hotel of the tour, Hotel Banderium***. But the town overall is One Star, full of empty buildings, an entire town built with each individual structure designed to look like that of another country in Europe. Maybe 50 different buildings, mostly empty, as are the streets. Anyway, it is the last night in Slovakia and the hotel’s restaurant is excellent.
We get our first rain day of the entire tour. After determining the day’s route was mostly highway and not pathway, we decide to ride with the luggage transfer — no reason to risk life or limb this close to the finish. A quick email to Jaromir at the tour office and a second taxi is offered up for the bicycles and we all head for the border and into Esztergorm, "the Rome of Hungary.”
Glad to be dry and to have a rest day before the last big ride into Budapest, we soon discover that Esztergorm is worth a full day's visit. Eventually, we end up at the famous basilica and decide to climb to the top, not knowing that few attempt that feat. Now we know why, after navigating up extremely narrow 24-inch wide ancient stone circular stairs, up over 30 stories of windowless towers designed to turn the strongest believer into a shivering, claustrophobic sweat-drenched pilgrim. We are treated to a 360-degree walk around a very shaky walkway of rotten wooden planks ringed by a rusted out cable rail in a blustery wind and driving rain.
Why are we here? It must be the view, down the Danube in the direction of Budapest, across the Danube to the Slovakian side of the city called Storovo and up the Danube from whence we came. One more reward for our efforts as a tiny little elf of an old man, the keeper of the dome, appears and motions us to follow him through a locked gate into the darkness. Here he demonstrates with a yelp, the reverberating, round and round and round echo. Stay here, he motions, and disappears, soon the most beautiful choir boy voice serenades us from the other side of the dome, we sing back and this becomes one of the most memorable events of a memorable tour.
Off early on the final day of riding
With only 70 more miles of typical Danube Bike Trail, from path to highway, some traffic, then more traffic, we are zigzagging in and out of villages. It's detours, dirt tracks, washed out paths, more highways and then the trail gets friendlier with miles of riverfront vacation cottages and small hotels, even a few restaurants and bars. So close, yet lost again in a confusing urban landscape, we find ourselves on the wrong side of the tracks, literally. Good directions from helpful English-speaking locals means that we are close to the city; few people speak English outside of the cities. We can sense Budapest, yet we still can’t quite get there.
All of the sudden we are swept up by a pack of 7- and 8-year-olds out for a club ride. Pedaling their little mountain bikes with reckless abandon, decked out in high visibility green bike vests decorated with a logo of the Big Bad Wolf. They hoot and holler as they ride through the underpasses and tunnels as they lead us to the Erasable Bridge, one of eight that join Buda with Pest, and the bridge that leads us to the final hotel of the tour.
Wow, what a finale! We check in and head to the bar for a well-deserved celebratory cocktail. We get what we want without the now-tattered visual aid and meet Zoltan, the barman who learned to speak English by watching the Cartoon Network.
But that is another story — and the end of this one.
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The Czech Republic has more than 2,000 castles and chateaus, the largest concentration per square mile in Europe. Towering above the capital city sits the iconic Prague Castle, the largest castle in the world built 1,000 years ago. Apart from the capital are the towns of Cesky Krumlov, the best-preserved medieval town in central Europe, and Cesky Budejovice, home to the famous Budweiser Budvar beer dating to 1265. Brno's skyline is dominated by Spilberk Castle, a royal castle from the 13th century, while Central Bohemia’s Karlstejn Castle from 1348 in Central Bohemia is one of the most remarkable Czech castles. Surrounded by peaceful scenery and lively cities, the castles of the Czech Republic provide a window into the country's past.
More on bicycling in Czech Republic >
View all Czech Republic bike tours >
The Czech Republic has more than 2,000 castles and chateaus, the largest concentration per square mile in Europe. Towering above the capital city sits the iconic Prague Castle, the largest castle in the world built 1,000 years ago. Apart from the capital are the towns of Cesky Krumlov, the best-preserved medieval town in central Europe, and Cesky Budejovice, home to the famous Budweiser Budvar beer dating to 1265. Brno's skyline is dominated by Spilberk Castle, a royal castle from the 13th century, while Central Bohemia’s Karlstejn Castle from 1348 in Central Bohemia is one of the most remarkable Czech castles. Surrounded by peaceful scenery and lively cities, the castles of the Czech Republic provide a window into the country's past.
More on bicycling in Czech Republic >
View all Czech Republic bike tours >
We are a family company, our clients often become our friends. Successful combination of great experiences, professional services, perfect products, competitive prices, flexibility, and interest in personal satisfaction of every client is a principal reason of continued growth.
CZ EuroTour was established in 1999 and is focused especially in travel & bike incoming tourism from USA, Canada and Australia to the Czech Republic and Central Europe. We offer the complete set of services for a group or individual stay which includes the following : accommodation, food, bike rental, guides, transfers, transportation, Car / VAN rental, cultural events, spa stays and many others.
We appriciate you choosing one of our many bike tours. We look forward to meeting you!
We are a family company, our clients often become our friends. Successful combination of great experiences, professional services, perfect products, competitive prices, flexibility, and interest in personal satisfaction of every client is a principal reason of continued growth.
CZ EuroTour was established in 1999 and is focused especially in travel & bike incoming tourism from USA, Canada and Australia to the Czech Republic and Central Europe. We offer the complete set of services for a group or individual stay which includes the following : accommodation, food, bike rental, guides, transfers, transportation, Car / VAN rental, cultural events, spa stays and many others.
We appriciate you choosing one of our many bike tours. We look forward to meeting you!
The Trip Cancellation
7.1. Both the supplier and the customer can withdraw from the agreement on the grounds of the trip cancellation or for customer’s failure to keep to his obligations before the trip begins
7.2. The customer withdraws from the agreement on the date when the supplier receives the information about customer’s trip cancellation. The cancellation payments will be calculated on the grounds of the original price following the conditions listed in the offer, not deduced by bonuses and discounts
7.3. The customer is obliged to pay the cancellation payments following the conditions in the offer
7.4. If the customer willingly or for any other reason stops off his/her trip, or if he is delayed at the beginning of the trip for his reason the cessation is 100% of the price
General Conditions
The General Conditions are an essential part of the Order - Travel Agreement (hereinafter, "Agreement"), to settle the relations between the supplier and the customer. The customer confirms that he/she agrees with all conditions by signing the Agreement The parties of the Agreement
1.1. The travel agency CZ EuroTour s.r.o. (hereinafter, CZ EuroTour), ID : 2519 8238, registered in the Commercial Register at The Regional Court in Ceske Budejovice in section C, file No. 9039, executes all legal acts pertaining to signing the Agreement especially the customers’ registration. CZ Euro Tour ensures all payments between the customer and the supplier
1.2. CZ EuroTour organizes and ensures all tour services including the services listed in the offer, which is always a part of the Agreement
The Subject of the Agreement
2.1. CZ EuroTour is obliged to provide all services in the extent and under the conditions listed in the relevant offer for its customers. The offer is revised according to the customer’s requirements and is valid only by the date of the latest revision that is recorded in the Agreement
2.2. The customer is obliged to pay the price in the offer
Signing Agreement
3.1. There are two signed copies of the Agreement. If the Agreement is sent by fax, the customer signs the Agreement and sends it signed back to the supplier
3.2. The customer signs the Order-Travel agreement on a pre-printed form. By filling it, signing it and sending it back to the supplier ‘s address the agrrement takes effect
3.3. The supplier sends the customer the invoice following the conditions listed in the offer
3.4. Having paid the full price of the trip the customer receives the voucher from the supplier. The voucher is used as a receipt for the trip. The CZ Euro Tour guide takes the voucher over from the person at the place where the trip starts according to the program in the offer
3.5. If the customer represents more customers and signs the agreement on their behalf, he/she claims that he/she is authorized to do so. He/she takes responsibility for their obligations toward CZ EuroTour including paying for the trip, passing the information on them, providing necessary data for their trip registration( their names, surnames, passport numbers) in CZ EuroTour
The Price of the Trip
4.1. The price is contracted between the supplier and the customer and it is considered to be an advanced payment until the beginning of the trip. The price is a part of the offer. The price is in the relevant currency specifying the way of payment
4.2. The price includes all services listed in the offer including tax, it does not include the air tickets, visas and insurance unless specified
4.3. The price of the trip has to be paid according to the conditions in the offer ( advanced payment, pay-up). The date when the final (additional )payment is put down to the CZ Euro Tour account is considered the day of the the payment. If the payment is not put down to the CZ Euro Tour acoount the supplier is authorized to cancel the trip. The customer will be informed about his/her trip cancellation in writing and the advanced payment reduced by five percent will be returned. Not paying the additional payment is not considered as the client’s trip cancellation Increase of the
Trip Price
5.1. The supplier is authorized to increase the price of the trip according to the conditions in the offer
5.2. The supplier is obliged to inform the customer about the increase of the price within 30 days before the beginning of the trip
5.3. The customer agrees on that the supplier is authorized to increase the price according to the conditions in the offer and he agree to pay the increase of the price. The price increase is not considered as the reason for the agreement withdrawal
The changes of contracted services
6.1. The supplier is authorized to change the programme of the trip in necessary extent in case of natural disaster, political turmoil in a country, serious disease or any customer’s/guide’s diseases or injuries and under some other unusual circumstances. The trip guide is authorized to change the programme in order to ensure safety of the customers. The additional costs ensued from vis maior are paid by the customer 6.2. The changes under the section
6.1. are not the reason to withdraw from the agreement. The programme change is not a reason for a claim. The customer is entitled to receive a financial compensation from the supplier for the part of the trip that has not been accomplished . The supplier is obliged to inform the customer about the above mentioned changes in writing immediately
6.3. If the customer does not use, either partly or entirely, the services booked, paid and provided by the supplier, the customer is not entitled to receive any reimbursement or any discount on those services
6.4.If the suppplier breaches his duties ensuing from the offer and from the signed agreement, the customer is entitled to have reimbursed his/her advanced payment
Detailed Instructions for the Trip
8.1. Detailed information about the trip - each customer receives his hour itinirary at the beginning of the trip. The scheduled itinirary - the programme of the trip is a part of the offer
Passports and visas
9.1. The customer has to have a passport valid for the course of the trip. The travel documents have to follow requirements of all countries included in the trip organized by the supplier. The customer is obliged to follow all passport, customs, health, currency and other legal regulations of all countries. If he fails to do so the supplier does not bear any responsibility for possible consequences
Health Requirements
10.1. The customer is fully responsible for his health fitness in the course of the trip. Failing to follow the health principles is not considered as the reason for the trip withdrawal
10.2. The supplier recommends the customer to see his doctor and inform him about the trip before the trip begins
Insurance
11.1. By signing the agreement the customer becomes responsible for arranging their effective health insurance for all countries that are included in the trip
11.2. Health treatment insurance is not included in the price of the trip
Age Limit of the Customer
12.1. Children under 15 are allowed to take part in a trip only when accompanied by their legal guardians who are older than 18
12.2. The youth between 15-18 are allowed to take part in a trip without their legal guardians. Parents‘ or legal guardians‘ authorization in writing is required by the supplier
Customer’s Responsibilities
13.1. The customer takes part in a trip at his own risk
13.2. The customer shall follow the guide’s instructions during the trip. He has to inform the guide about any individual changes of the programme. The customer is fully responsible for his behaviour during the trip and he has to act in a way so that the nature and the environment do not get damaged. The customer agrees to act accordingly to cultural customs of visited countries
13.3. If the customer is intoxicated by alcohol or by any other drug, or if his physical and psychical condition is not relevant to the programme activities the guide is authorized to expel him from a particular part of the trip. If the customer breaks any trip regulations or if he disrupts other paricipants in any extreme way the guide is authorized to expel the participant from the rest of the trip without any financial compensation. The same is applied if the customer breaks accommodation regulations. In such cases his failure to participate in the trip is not the responsibilty of the supplier and the supplier does not bear any financial or other responsibilities
13.4. The supplier does not have any responsibilties for the customer’s property damage, loss or theft
The Right to Claim
14.1. The supplier shall provide the customer with all the services listed in the offer properly and promptly. If the customer finds out that either the services provided are not identical with those listed in the offer or that the general conditions have been broken, he is entitled to submit his claims on the services
14.2. The customer is entitled to make a claim on the services to the supplier after the trip
14.3. In the course of the trip the customer can claim any deficiencies on the services to the guide. To settle the deficiency immediately the guide will record as the following : personal data of the claiming customer, the subject of the claim and the relevant requirements
14.4. The customer’s right to claim ceases if not applied within 3 months after the trip 14.5. The supplier has to settle the claim within 30 days after the trip if the deficiency has not been fixed during the trip
Customer’ Responsibilities
15.1. The customer confirms that he is not aware of any health problems that may endanger his fitness or safety of other trip participants
15.2. The customer agrees to cover financially any potential damages that he causes to the facilities in the means of transportation or at the venue
15.3. The customer agrees that by signing the Agreemnet on behalf of a person younger than 18 he is acts either as a parent or a legal guardian
15.4. The customer agrees to provide the personal data necessary for the trip registration and for filing them in the customers’ database
Final Provision
16.1. The above mentioned General Conditions 2010 apply to all trips and services provided by the supplier. If needed the supplier is authorized to upgrade them
16.2. Both the rights and responsibilities of contracted parties pertaining to the Agreement are liable to the General Conditions 2008 following the Act No.159/199 Coll., Act No.101/2001 on protection of personal data and the Civil Code and ensuing legal regulations of the Czech Republic
16.3. The contracted parties confirm that they have read the Agreement and the Offer thouroughly and that they agree with their contents . They prove they have done that by signing the documents willingly
16.4. If the supplier provides services listed in the Offer by a foreign partner or an agency, the customers will follow both The Conditions issued by the foreign partner or agency and the above mentioned General Conditions 2010. It is possible to synchronize them for any contracted trip. However, this has to be done in writing
The Trip Cancellation
7.1. Both the supplier and the customer can withdraw from the agreement on the grounds of the trip cancellation or for customer’s failure to keep to his obligations before the trip begins
7.2. The customer withdraws from the agreement on the date when the supplier receives the information about customer’s trip cancellation. The cancellation payments will be calculated on the grounds of the original price following the conditions listed in the offer, not deduced by bonuses and discounts
7.3. The customer is obliged to pay the cancellation payments following the conditions in the offer
7.4. If the customer willingly or for any other reason stops off his/her trip, or if he is delayed at the beginning of the trip for his reason the cessation is 100% of the price
General Conditions
The General Conditions are an essential part of the Order - Travel Agreement (hereinafter, "Agreement"), to settle the relations between the supplier and the customer. The customer confirms that he/she agrees with all conditions by signing the Agreement The parties of the Agreement
1.1. The travel agency CZ EuroTour s.r.o. (hereinafter, CZ EuroTour), ID : 2519 8238, registered in the Commercial Register at The Regional Court in Ceske Budejovice in section C, file No. 9039, executes all legal acts pertaining to signing the Agreement especially the customers’ registration. CZ Euro Tour ensures all payments between the customer and the supplier
1.2. CZ EuroTour organizes and ensures all tour services including the services listed in the offer, which is always a part of the Agreement
The Subject of the Agreement
2.1. CZ EuroTour is obliged to provide all services in the extent and under the conditions listed in the relevant offer for its customers. The offer is revised according to the customer’s requirements and is valid only by the date of the latest revision that is recorded in the Agreement
2.2. The customer is obliged to pay the price in the offer
Signing Agreement
3.1. There are two signed copies of the Agreement. If the Agreement is sent by fax, the customer signs the Agreement and sends it signed back to the supplier
3.2. The customer signs the Order-Travel agreement on a pre-printed form. By filling it, signing it and sending it back to the supplier ‘s address the agrrement takes effect
3.3. The supplier sends the customer the invoice following the conditions listed in the offer
3.4. Having paid the full price of the trip the customer receives the voucher from the supplier. The voucher is used as a receipt for the trip. The CZ Euro Tour guide takes the voucher over from the person at the place where the trip starts according to the program in the offer
3.5. If the customer represents more customers and signs the agreement on their behalf, he/she claims that he/she is authorized to do so. He/she takes responsibility for their obligations toward CZ EuroTour including paying for the trip, passing the information on them, providing necessary data for their trip registration( their names, surnames, passport numbers) in CZ EuroTour
The Price of the Trip
4.1. The price is contracted between the supplier and the customer and it is considered to be an advanced payment until the beginning of the trip. The price is a part of the offer. The price is in the relevant currency specifying the way of payment
4.2. The price includes all services listed in the offer including tax, it does not include the air tickets, visas and insurance unless specified
4.3. The price of the trip has to be paid according to the conditions in the offer ( advanced payment, pay-up). The date when the final (additional )payment is put down to the CZ Euro Tour account is considered the day of the the payment. If the payment is not put down to the CZ Euro Tour acoount the supplier is authorized to cancel the trip. The customer will be informed about his/her trip cancellation in writing and the advanced payment reduced by five percent will be returned. Not paying the additional payment is not considered as the client’s trip cancellation Increase of the
Trip Price
5.1. The supplier is authorized to increase the price of the trip according to the conditions in the offer
5.2. The supplier is obliged to inform the customer about the increase of the price within 30 days before the beginning of the trip
5.3. The customer agrees on that the supplier is authorized to increase the price according to the conditions in the offer and he agree to pay the increase of the price. The price increase is not considered as the reason for the agreement withdrawal
The changes of contracted services
6.1. The supplier is authorized to change the programme of the trip in necessary extent in case of natural disaster, political turmoil in a country, serious disease or any customer’s/guide’s diseases or injuries and under some other unusual circumstances. The trip guide is authorized to change the programme in order to ensure safety of the customers. The additional costs ensued from vis maior are paid by the customer 6.2. The changes under the section
6.1. are not the reason to withdraw from the agreement. The programme change is not a reason for a claim. The customer is entitled to receive a financial compensation from the supplier for the part of the trip that has not been accomplished . The supplier is obliged to inform the customer about the above mentioned changes in writing immediately
6.3. If the customer does not use, either partly or entirely, the services booked, paid and provided by the supplier, the customer is not entitled to receive any reimbursement or any discount on those services
6.4.If the suppplier breaches his duties ensuing from the offer and from the signed agreement, the customer is entitled to have reimbursed his/her advanced payment
Detailed Instructions for the Trip
8.1. Detailed information about the trip - each customer receives his hour itinirary at the beginning of the trip. The scheduled itinirary - the programme of the trip is a part of the offer
Passports and visas
9.1. The customer has to have a passport valid for the course of the trip. The travel documents have to follow requirements of all countries included in the trip organized by the supplier. The customer is obliged to follow all passport, customs, health, currency and other legal regulations of all countries. If he fails to do so the supplier does not bear any responsibility for possible consequences
Health Requirements
10.1. The customer is fully responsible for his health fitness in the course of the trip. Failing to follow the health principles is not considered as the reason for the trip withdrawal
10.2. The supplier recommends the customer to see his doctor and inform him about the trip before the trip begins
Insurance
11.1. By signing the agreement the customer becomes responsible for arranging their effective health insurance for all countries that are included in the trip
11.2. Health treatment insurance is not included in the price of the trip
Age Limit of the Customer
12.1. Children under 15 are allowed to take part in a trip only when accompanied by their legal guardians who are older than 18
12.2. The youth between 15-18 are allowed to take part in a trip without their legal guardians. Parents‘ or legal guardians‘ authorization in writing is required by the supplier
Customer’s Responsibilities
13.1. The customer takes part in a trip at his own risk
13.2. The customer shall follow the guide’s instructions during the trip. He has to inform the guide about any individual changes of the programme. The customer is fully responsible for his behaviour during the trip and he has to act in a way so that the nature and the environment do not get damaged. The customer agrees to act accordingly to cultural customs of visited countries
13.3. If the customer is intoxicated by alcohol or by any other drug, or if his physical and psychical condition is not relevant to the programme activities the guide is authorized to expel him from a particular part of the trip. If the customer breaks any trip regulations or if he disrupts other paricipants in any extreme way the guide is authorized to expel the participant from the rest of the trip without any financial compensation. The same is applied if the customer breaks accommodation regulations. In such cases his failure to participate in the trip is not the responsibilty of the supplier and the supplier does not bear any financial or other responsibilities
13.4. The supplier does not have any responsibilties for the customer’s property damage, loss or theft
The Right to Claim
14.1. The supplier shall provide the customer with all the services listed in the offer properly and promptly. If the customer finds out that either the services provided are not identical with those listed in the offer or that the general conditions have been broken, he is entitled to submit his claims on the services
14.2. The customer is entitled to make a claim on the services to the supplier after the trip
14.3. In the course of the trip the customer can claim any deficiencies on the services to the guide. To settle the deficiency immediately the guide will record as the following : personal data of the claiming customer, the subject of the claim and the relevant requirements
14.4. The customer’s right to claim ceases if not applied within 3 months after the trip 14.5. The supplier has to settle the claim within 30 days after the trip if the deficiency has not been fixed during the trip
Customer’ Responsibilities
15.1. The customer confirms that he is not aware of any health problems that may endanger his fitness or safety of other trip participants
15.2. The customer agrees to cover financially any potential damages that he causes to the facilities in the means of transportation or at the venue
15.3. The customer agrees that by signing the Agreemnet on behalf of a person younger than 18 he is acts either as a parent or a legal guardian
15.4. The customer agrees to provide the personal data necessary for the trip registration and for filing them in the customers’ database
Final Provision
16.1. The above mentioned General Conditions 2010 apply to all trips and services provided by the supplier. If needed the supplier is authorized to upgrade them
16.2. Both the rights and responsibilities of contracted parties pertaining to the Agreement are liable to the General Conditions 2008 following the Act No.159/199 Coll., Act No.101/2001 on protection of personal data and the Civil Code and ensuing legal regulations of the Czech Republic
16.3. The contracted parties confirm that they have read the Agreement and the Offer thouroughly and that they agree with their contents . They prove they have done that by signing the documents willingly
16.4. If the supplier provides services listed in the Offer by a foreign partner or an agency, the customers will follow both The Conditions issued by the foreign partner or agency and the above mentioned General Conditions 2010. It is possible to synchronize them for any contracted trip. However, this has to be done in writing
