Along rivers and canals

The Elbe Route is one of the most popular in the Czech Republic. It is part of the EureVelo network of European cycling routes. It offers roughly 370 kilometres of adventures and experience. Where can you find the most beautiful sections? Someone will be enchanted by the environs of Děčín and the deepest sandstone canyon in Europe, where the cliffs can be up to 250 metres high. Someone else will prefer the Les Království Dam with its romantic turrets in the foothills of the Krkonoše Mountains or the Baroque Hospital in Kuks with its famous Virtues and Vices, statutes by sculptor Matyáš Bernard Braun. The sections nearer to Prague, from Poděbrady to Neratovice, are also popular. Here the marked routes line both banks of the river, and the asphalt surface is also used by wheelchair users and in-line skaters. Because of the railway running along the Elbe, you can start or end your trip at almost any point.

Just as popular is East Moravian Cycling Route. It is almost 80-km long and follows the Baťa Canal between the towns of Kroměříž and Hodonín. It is predominantly paved with asphalt, is fairly flat and, save a few short sections, does not share any roadways. It is possible to depart from the main cycling route and head towards the Chřiby and Hostýnské vrchy highlands or the White Carpathians. You can also combine bike trips with pleasure boat cruises or rent your own houseboat.

Off to the mountains by bike!

Wonderful, safe and long – those are the words that best describe the Bečva Cycling Route located in Eastern Moravia. It is almost 160 km long and begins at one of two points: the first at the source of the Vsetínská Bečva River and the second at the source of the Rožnovská Bečva River. The two sections then converge in Valašské Meziříčí. From there you can continue on to Tovačov. Numerous sections are also suitable for in-line skating, and the beautiful nature of the Beskydy Mountains is an added bonus. In Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, you can stop and visit the famous outdoor museum and taste one the local specialities: huge tarts know as frgály.

Would you like to get to know South Bohemia, explore the Šumava Mountains and discover tucked-away villages? Then take a bike trip down the cycling route named Šumavská cyclemagistrála, which was completed in autumn 2015. It begins at Železná Ruda and measures 163 kilometres. Along the way, you will get to know well-known boating channels, the typical mountain villages of Modrava and Kvilda, and the Lipno Reservoir, which is popular because of its barrier-free access for the disabled.

Biking where trains used to run

Newly opened in 2015 was the 13-kilometre cycling route joining the South Bohemian town of Slavonice and the Austrian town of Dobersberg. The route crosses beautiful countryside full of woods and streams, and follows a former railway embankment that used to be used by trains over seventy years ago. There are no steep sections, which makes it ideal for families with children as well as for in-line skaters. The route will gradually be extended. When completed, it will be known as the Thayarunde Circuit. It will be 90 kilometres long and join the towns of Slavonice, Waidhofen, Raabs an der Thaya and Písečná.

Tips for the best single tracks and bike parks

If you like mountain biking in the outdoors, then you should try out one of the many single tracks – narrow cycling trails of various levels of difficulty – that the country has to offer. The cycling trails are carefully designed to blend into the nature of the Bohemian and Moravian mountains, and their number continues to grow: each year new ones are built, especially in the vicinity of ski lifts at ski resorts. The resorts provide an excellent base, offering services ranging from bike rental, maintenance, repair and washing, through showers, changing rooms and shops with biking equipment, to restaurants, refreshment stands and accommodation.

The oldest are the single tracks under Mount Smrk in the Jizera Mountains (Jizerské hory). The trails were designed by Welsh designer Dafydd Davis, a world leader in the field. The start is located in Nové Město pod Smrkem at the beach of the natural swimming pool.

The Rychleby Trails are also thrilling. They start and finish in the town of Černá Voda near Jeseník.  Cyklo Arena Vysočina, a bike park with trails of various levels of difficulty, has built on the traditional MTB races in Nové Město na Moravě. You can also discover bike parks at Svatý Petr, Rokytnice nad Jizerou and Mladé Buky in the Krkonoše Mountains. In the Šumava Mountains, you can enjoy the trail up to Špičák Peak or at Lipno. Single tracks have also been built in the Jeseníky Mountains, specifically in Kouty nad Desnou and Dolní Morava. The oldest bike park in Eastern Moravian, Singletrail Bike Park Kyčerka, can be found on the south-facing slopes of the Pluskovec Valley in Velké Karlovice in the Beskydy Mountains.

 

More information:

CzechTourism Scandinavia and Finland

Villagatan 21, 114 32 Stockholm
Tel: 08 44 04 239
E-mail: stockholm@czechtourism.com
www.czechtourism.com