Grateful for another autumn day we decided we should explore more of the interior regions of Czech Republic. The drive itself was worth it as it went through more agricultural areas than urban. The region is covered with hops fields and you can stop in the town of Krušovice (https://krusovice.cz/en/historie) to try their beer whichContinue reading “Manětín”
Author Archives: 5zsite
Zbečno – Central Bohemia
One of the more well known castles to visit not far from Prague is Křivoklát, but if you don’t make a lot more time for some hiking or biking you will miss the beautiful Křivoklátsko, a landscape protected area. Because it was the hunting grounds for the kings and princes since the Middle Ages itContinue reading “Zbečno – Central Bohemia”
Stříbrná Skalice
When the autumn days are nice, Czechs refer to it as ‘babí léto’ which means grandmother’s summer. It is what we know as ‘indian summer’ and this first day of October was definitely a nice day. This trip is only a 45 minute drive south east from Prague and near the Sázava river. There wereContinue reading “Stříbrná Skalice”
Železné Hory – Seč
Železné Hory or Iron Mountains is about two hours east of Prague and not too far from the more touristy town of Kutná Hora (known for its old silver mines). These mountains are not particularly high which made our ride quite easy and relaxed through the forests. We did this ride in September when mostContinue reading “Železné Hory – Seč”
Šumava – Černé jezero
Feeling fortunate for the extended summer weather into September we made another trip back to Šumava National Park. Although its only a 2 ½ hour drive from Prague it seems more efficient to spend the night there to make the most of the warm days. This time we stayed at the northern end of theContinue reading “Šumava – Černé jezero”
Šumava – Prášily
On the way to the start of our trip in Prášily and not far from the hotel where we stayed in Železná Ruda is an area taken over by beavers (bobr in Czech). If you are interested in the Eurasian beaver’s civil engineering you can get a unique view of little towns full of beaverContinue reading “Šumava – Prášily”
Jevany, Central Bohemia
This ride was one of the easy ones and quite uneventful – with the exception of very close encounter of Polly’s bike with the car making very sharp turn uphill. Luckily brakes on both sides worked well. She claims it was her lucky feather. The town of Jevany and the forests above the ponds areContinue reading “Jevany, Central Bohemia”
Beroun – Žebrák
Many of our bike trips are fairly close to Prague and Beroun is no exception. This town is only a quick 30 minute drive from the center and easily reached by train as well. Beroun has everything it takes to make it a nice visit even without biking. In former times it used to beContinue reading “Beroun – Žebrák”
Kbely, Prague
Sometimes choosing the destination first and then planning the route around is the best. This time we decided to have lunch at the Kbelsky Pivovar (http://kbelskypivovar.cz/) in Prague 19. Unlike the previous Únětice brewery we visited which was founded as early as 1557. The Kbelsky brewery is very modern and new (opened in 2019). TheyContinue reading “Kbely, Prague”
Prague parks and Únětice
We don’t usually start a bike ride from our house given we live in the center of Prague and really hate the traffic but we wanted to go for lunch in Únětice brewery. It turned out to be a 45 km ride through a surprising number of different parks of Prague and surroundings. This rideContinue reading “Prague parks and Únětice”
Radotín and Berounka – Central Bohemia
Well, if you want to start your bike ride on an appropriate place, then start at the Ski and Bike Centrum Radotín (http://www.skiservis.cz/). They will let you park at their parking lot and you should definitely visit their warehouse (especially if you want to drop a lot of money on the next bike of yours)Continue reading “Radotín and Berounka – Central Bohemia”
Konopiště, Central Bohemia
Konopiště is about an hour drive from Prague and is one of my favorite castles. The castle is a four-winged, three-story castle located in the village of Konopiště, which is now a part of the town of Benešov. It has become famous as the last residence of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to theContinue reading “Konopiště, Central Bohemia”
Brdy, Central Bohemia – Stožec
Stožec peak is only 635 meters and if we weren’t looking for a geocache we might have missed it. As a starting point we selected the parking lot at the top of the Brdy range. You should be there early morning during weekends to get a spot since many bikers and hikers start here. ThisContinue reading “Brdy, Central Bohemia – Stožec”
Králický Sněžník, Northern Moravia
One of the most enjoyable rides was in Králický Sněžník, a natural mountain park in northern Moravia. We found a very small parking lot on the side road in the village of Velká Morava belonging to the penzion and restaurant, Horal. It is advisable to ask them for permission to park, but if you promiseContinue reading “Králický Sněžník, Northern Moravia”
Orlické hory – Northeastern Bohemia
Orlické hory (or Eagle Mountains) are located on the border with Poland and most of the area is designated protected landscape area. The highest point is Velká Deštná (1115 m). We found the accommodation in a village Říčky and our landlord recommended the ride on the top of the range (hřebenovka). We added the visitContinue reading “Orlické hory – Northeastern Bohemia”
Beskydy – Radhošť
In 1973, the Beskydy Mountains were declared a protected nature area, which signified its importance to the country and we were happy we spent a few days there. Our third day in the Beskydy mountains we knew we wanted to go to the top of Radhošť. This mountain is known as a popular destination forContinue reading “Beskydy – Radhošť”
Beskydy – Valašská Bystřice
Not too far from the industrial town of Ostrava lies the Moravian–Silesian Beskyds mountains with a small part reaching Slovakia. It lies on the historical division between Moravia and Silesia, hence the name. Using the site called Amazing Places in Czech Republic (https://www.amazingplaces.cz/en/business) we found a place to stay at the last minute in aContinue reading “Beskydy – Valašská Bystřice”
Beskydy – Šance Dam
The Beskydy Mountains are also known as the Beskid Mountain or Beskids for short. This is a massive mountain range (outer part of the Carpathians) that covers 600 km in length and crosses from Poland to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the Ukraine. The area we wanted to explore is about a 6 hour driveContinue reading “Beskydy – Šance Dam”
Lednice, Southern Moravia
The village of Lednice is one of the most popular destinations in Southern Moravia. It is not permitted to bike through the beautiful park – with a small exception, which of course we utilized. This easy trip will lead you through relatively flat countryside at times following the meandering blind branches of the Dyje river.Continue reading “Lednice, Southern Moravia”
Šumava – Nová Pec
Šumava National Park is one of the four national parks of Czech Republic. The other three are Krkonoše, Podyjí, and Česke Švýcarsko. Characteristics of the natural environment: almost 85% of the area is forested in the central part. At higher altitude locations, there are remnants of primeval forests, abundant wetlands and raised bogs and glacialContinue reading “Šumava – Nová Pec”
Šumava – Kvilda
The Bohemian Forest, known as Šumava is a low mountain range that creates a natural border with Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. This region has a complicated history as part of the Iron Curtain large areas were stripped of human settlement. The unique circumstances led to preservation of this region making it a beautiful placeContinue reading “Šumava – Kvilda”
Kolín to Týnec
Nice flat ride along Labe from a historic town of Kolín to Týnec nad Labem and back. We started at a parking lot of the supermarket Billa at Náměstí Republiky. After crossing the railroad and Labe using an interesting modern bridge at point 2, you will join the Elbe route (Labská cyklostezka). This bike pathContinue reading “Kolín to Týnec”
Krčský les and Hostivař
It is actually surprising how can you avoid riding on the streets and regular roads while biking through Prague. Sometimes we can even imagine we are in a different city. With warm summer weather our main destination was to take a swim in the Hostivař reservoir in Prague, so the question was where to startContinue reading “Krčský les and Hostivař”
Nižbor
Nižbor became one of our favorite ride starting points. Not only because the area around Berounka is magical and full of bike routes, but also because we found an ideal spot for regaining our strength after a long trip – a restaurant Zastávka Nižbor. This establishment has the atmosphere of the beginning of the lastContinue reading “Nižbor”
Doksy, Máchovo Jezero
This is a good ride for a nice summer day. If possible avoid the weekend since Máchovo jezero is a popular destination for all kinds of water sports. This lake was created on the order of Karel IV in 1366. It was only named in 1961 after Karel Hynek Mácha, the famous and controversial Czech poet.Continue reading “Doksy, Máchovo Jezero”
Hrubá Skála – Český Ráj
Český Ráj or Bohemian Paradise is a Protected Landscape Area and a perfect day trip from Prague for hikers and bikers. We typically visit this are at least 3 times a year because it really is paradise. It was declared in 1955, as the first nature reserve in Czechia. At first, it was 95 squareContinue reading “Hrubá Skála – Český Ráj”
Nymburk to Lysá nad Labem
The town of Nymburk, 28 miles east of Prague is worth a visit and a walk around. The main feature of the town is the Gothic brick Saint Giles Church. This church, together with the preserved buildings of the Nymburk fortification, is a unique example of brick Gothic architecture in the Czech lands. The dominantContinue reading “Nymburk to Lysá nad Labem”