Peklo, Zahrádky u České Lípy

We call this E-bike ride “Around Hell” because it will lead you around natural preserve called Peklo, which in Czech means Hell. If you will have more time, you can walk through that narrow valley following the red mark as we did earlier. The best time to visit this location is during March when itContinue reading “Peklo, Zahrádky u České Lípy”

Buštěhrad, Lidice, Kladno

Very uneventful ride on a nice spring day. Parking was easy next to the playground on a quiet street in Buštěhrad, a nice small town with quite a rich history. If you have never been to Lidice, you should visit the memorial to the victims of the terror of the WWII, especially the children’s memorialContinue reading “Buštěhrad, Lidice, Kladno”

Kvilda Loop – Šumava

This was one of our favorite rides in Šumava. Starting from Kvilda, going through Modrava, along Modravský potok to the top of Šumava and along the border to Knížecí Pláně. Starting from the parking in Kvilda you can join the yellow tourist mark basically following the asphalt road. It is a much bumpier ride, butContinue reading “Kvilda Loop – Šumava”

Šumava – Strážný

Another ride through German side of Šumava.  This time “halb und halb”, half on the Czech side, half in Germany. This time only a short path was really steep uphill but in the end a nice reward of a long ride downhill. A very short part of this trip is on the side of aContinue reading “Šumava – Strážný”

Železná Ruda – Šumava

We have explored Šumava quite thoroughly (see our earlier blogs), but we never crossed to the German side. And, of course, it would not be Šumava but Bayerisher Wald. So, we had to do it. We started from Železná Ruda, the village just on the border with Germany, famous for the large population of beavers,Continue reading “Železná Ruda – Šumava”

Tábor Planá Soběslav

Ride along (sometimes very close to) the river Lužnice with the visit to the town of Soběslav and Tábor. We started this loop ride on the street “Na Černé” in Planá nad Lužnicí where you can find good parking spots along the road everywhere. Our main reason for starting there was to visit our friends,Continue reading “Tábor Planá Soběslav”

Brdy Loop from Kytín

It is this time of the year again when you can stop almost anywhere to pick and taste the blackberries or yellow or red mirabelles. This loop through Brdy will give you many opportunities to binge on these fruits. We started this ride in the tiny parking lot in Kytín, next to the brewery-restaurant Kytín.Continue reading “Brdy Loop from Kytín”

Two rides in Hrubý Jeseník, Moravia-Silesia

For the exploration of Hrubý Jeseník, we selected the village Branná as our base. Our accommodation was in the castle Kolštejn (founded in 1325). The castle has a mix of gothic styles but is chateau-like primarily. It had gone through at least 14 different owners in 600 or so years. Both nights we had dinnerContinue reading “Two rides in Hrubý Jeseník, Moravia-Silesia”

Hradec Králové

Have you ever looked at a picture and wondered what time it was taken? Well, it doesn’t matter because what’s important is the memories you make. And that’s exactly what we did on our bike ride from Hradec Kralove to Jaromer. The journey was smooth sailing, with nothing eventful happening. However, we did stumble uponContinue reading “Hradec Králové”

Varvažov – Orlík dam

We arrived at Varvažov in the late afternoon, so we did have time for only a short ride around. The goal was to see the castle Zvíkov from across the Orlík reservoir, the largest hydroelectric dam in Czechia. The plan to follow the red tourist mark, called Sedláčkova stezka, was not realistic. At point 4Continue reading “Varvažov – Orlík dam”

Mysterious Stone Arrays of Kounov

You probably know everything there is to know about Stonehenge, but I am almost certain that you’ve never heard about the Mysterious stone arrays of Kounov in Czech Republic. According to one of the theories, these arrays could have been used for the same purpose as the structures of Stonehenge. You will be able to exploreContinue reading “Mysterious Stone Arrays of Kounov”

Labské Pískovce and Sněžník

Even though this ride is on the border with Germany, it is not much more than an hour’s drive from Prague. We started at the small village Sněžník, which is ready for a lot of tourists coming from both sides of the border. Parking is abundant at the starting point, but if you don’t wantContinue reading “Labské Pískovce and Sněžník”

Karlova Ves – Crazy ride

We decided to explore the last piece of Křivoklátsko area which was missing from our collection. And from the map, it seemed like a nice short ride with a little questionable piece, which could have been easily avoided. In our experience, when the map says “Entry of bicycles prohibited” it does not mean anything inContinue reading “Karlova Ves – Crazy ride”

Zámky and Bohnice, Winter Walk

We decided to explore the area between Bohnické and Drahanské valley in detail. And going through some of the natural features required to leave the bikes at home. This time we started at the tiny parking lot next to the pet cemetery in Bohnice. A visit to the pet cemetery is definitely worth the trip.Continue reading “Zámky and Bohnice, Winter Walk”

Blansko – Macocha

Very nice ride through Moravský kras (Moravian Karst). This area is a protected landscape to the north of Brno. It encompasses a number of notable geological features, including roughly 1100 caverns and gorges and covers an area of roughly 92 km². We started from the town of Blansko and after climbing up through a pleasantContinue reading “Blansko – Macocha”

Gdansk – All the way to Russian border

Even though there was not exactly beach weather, we went to ride along the one of the longest beaches we ever saw. Well, from the look on the map we expected riding with a nice view of the beach… However, we were for most of the time probably about 30 meters from the beach, butContinue reading “Gdansk – All the way to Russian border”

Nižbor to Křivoklát

Well, this is a new blog about the ride from last year. This means that some of the observations may have possibly changed. This was a quite challenging and enjoyable ride, so we thought that it may deserve a spot here. We started from Nižbor again. You can use a large parking lot at theContinue reading “Nižbor to Křivoklát”

Ládví, Prague

There are still little rides in Prague that we did not completely documented. This one is a combination of perfect bike paths and challenging struggles. We start again from Letná, where finding parking is easy. After riding through Stromovka, you cross the new bridge over Vltava and continue straight to go around the botanical garden.Continue reading “Ládví, Prague”

Davle – Jílové circle

We like this area and we started a couple of our hikes in Davle before we were completely turned into E-bikers. We had our regular bikes before, but this area seemed too challenging for us. However with E-MTB nothing seems out of reach anymore. However, for this particular ride we would not recommend a regularContinue reading “Davle – Jílové circle”

Nové Hutě – Šumava

As soon as we could, we returned to Šumava without hordes of tourists. Our base was an AirBnB at paní Lenka place in Nové Hutě. The problem in Nové Hutě is the lack of willing workers and therefore no open restaurants. Well, not exactly. If the sign in front of restaurant says “Food and drinksContinue reading “Nové Hutě – Šumava”

Mšec and Nové Strašecí

Very relaxing trip through the “hop country”. Convenient point to start the loop is a large parking space in Mšec. We have chosen that village for a nostalgic reasons: Michal worked in Mšec during his high school studies on the “hop picking brigade”. What was happening during these brigades was very well depicted in aContinue reading “Mšec and Nové Strašecí”

Bušohrad or “You may not see any bikers”

If you are tired of riding along “cyklostezky” along with hundreds of your fellow bikers, you may consider this ride. You may not meet anybody, during the workday it is almost guranteed. Besides 1 km on the road just before the end of a trip, you will be on forest roads, none of which isContinue reading “Bušohrad or “You may not see any bikers””

Hlavenec and Lake Lhota

This ride can be called “Mirabelky circle” (“Yellow plum circle”). This is the time when mirabelky (or špendlíky in Czech) are ripe and unbelievably plentiful. They are found everywhere along the roads and paths. And apparently nobody is picking them. It is true that they have relatively large ratio of pit to the meat, butContinue reading “Hlavenec and Lake Lhota”

Around Lhota Lake

We have been to this area several times in summer and in the winter. It is especially rewarding in the summer hot days. We discovered the recreational Lhota lake where you can swim and lay in the sand. We always carried (although not necessary) our bathing suits and towels on the summer rides just inContinue reading “Around Lhota Lake”

Two rides around Český Krumlov

Český Krumlov is one of the most popular destinations in Czech Republic. For that reason we recommend not going there in the high tourist season. But just in case you will go there, May or June may be perfect. If you want to splurge on accommodation, you can stay in a fancy hotel “Růže” (Rose)Continue reading “Two rides around Český Krumlov”

Liběchov Kokořín Houska

This was one of our longer summer rides through Kokořínsko, a very scenic area with a lot of sandstone formations. Sandstone was an ideal material for the local artist Václav Levý, who created many sculptures while he worked on the castle Liběchov. We started the route at the castle and followed part of the circleContinue reading “Liběchov Kokořín Houska”

Brdy, Jince and Plešivec

Our goal on this ride from the last year was to get to the top of Plešivec peak (hill) in the Brdy Mountain range just about an hour drive from Prague. Most of the Brdy range is covered by forests, and it is one of the largest contiguously forested areas in the interior of theContinue reading “Brdy, Jince and Plešivec”

Příchovice – Jizera Mountains

This area is near and dear to Michal’s heart and is where the family mountain cottage is located. In the middle of a ski slope in the protected area of Paseky is where we stayed for a few days to really get a feel for our new electric bikes. The goal of this ride wasContinue reading “Příchovice – Jizera Mountains”

Rožmitál pod Třemšínem

Brdy is probably our favorite destination. It is not far from Prague and there are so many possibilities for a nice not crowded ride. This time we started from Rožmitál pod Třemšínem, a small town at the western edge of Brdy. If you never heard about Jakub Jan Ryba, it probably means that you didContinue reading “Rožmitál pod Třemšínem”

Short ride around Hostivař lake

Police is really checking whether you would be leaving Prague district. That was a reason to turn back at point 13. Újezd u Průhonic is still Prague, Průhonice village is not. So after the restriction will be lifted, you can extend the trip to go around the Průhonice park and through that village. If youContinue reading “Short ride around Hostivař lake”

Around Prague Botanical Garden and ZOO

Quite a short ride in Prague will take you through the largest park Stromovka, across the new bridge over Vltava and around botanical garden and ZOO, which are right now closed to the public. Reasonable starting point is the lot behind Písecká brána, where the parking is free for the weekends. Ride is simple mixContinue reading “Around Prague Botanical Garden and ZOO”

Mšeno – Mácha’s Path

This is the ride from the July last year and it can serve as an example that just following GPX file is not a good idea. Do not try this route without reading our comments. You can easily ride similar circle around Mšeno without getting into troubles we experienced. But it is our motto: “RatherContinue reading “Mšeno – Mácha’s Path”

Kunžak – Česká Kanada

This ride we did quite a while ago, but since this week was pretty lousy weather with up to -15 C and we did not feel like riding. This just means we have time to write about some historical rides. One of them was in the area around Kunžak which is called Česká Kanada. TheContinue reading “Kunžak – Česká Kanada”

Veltrusy – Říp – Mělník Circle

This was one of the longer trips of the summer of 2020. We started from the parking lot in Veltrusy and planned to visit the castle (national cultural heritage site) on the way back. The plan was to follow the red tourist mark “Poutní cesta Blaník – Říp“. This pilgrimage route is connecting two ofContinue reading “Veltrusy – Říp – Mělník Circle”

Lužec – Mělník Circle

We returned to this area to check the new bridge for bikers over Vltava river in the village of Lužec. Last year we took the boat across the river at the same place and the operator told us that we are almost the last people going by boat since the bridge will be opening soon.Continue reading “Lužec – Mělník Circle”

Benátky nad Jizerou

This would be a nice ride if the path would be covered with snow or just mud. However, combination with icy patches made this trip a little treacherous. We had been involuntarily “debiked” several times and came back to the car with a lot of extra mud everywhere. Starting point we found at the villageContinue reading “Benátky nad Jizerou”

Klánovice

A very quick decision this morning to go for a short ride in the neighborhood led us to the town of Klánovice with its well-known natural park. Even though we did just a quick ride through this nice forest, we realized that this area may provide an opportunity for a long ride without actually repeatingContinue reading “Klánovice”

Lázně Toušeň and Káraný

Nice ride to test our new winter gear – gloves, hoods, and shoe covers (see above). And we like to say – yes, they were needed! Parking close to the town center is convenient and not very crowded even in the summer when we did our ride from here the first time. As there isContinue reading “Lázně Toušeň and Káraný”

Amerika Kanada and Mexiko

In the cold and wet weather, this was only for dedicated e-bikers like us. The problem was wet mud from the start up to point 5. At point 4 you will have to climb down a very short but steep and slippery part and another one a little bit further. After point 5 it wasContinue reading “Amerika Kanada and Mexiko”

Dolní Břežany

Dolní Břežany is a village just next to the city limits of Prague. It seems to be an up and coming prosperous area with a lot of very modern and comfortable neighborhoods. Dolní Břežany is the location of world importance due to two super modern laser centers (HiLASE and ELI beamlines) which were funded byContinue reading “Dolní Břežany”

Vítkov

This very comfortable Prague city ride is for any type of weather, however, clear skies will allow you to enjoy several nice viewpoints. I remember ten years ago biking in Prague was considered quite dangerous, but this route really shows how you can stay on dedicated bike paths without interacting with city traffic. After startingContinue reading “Vítkov”

Stará Boleslav – Hlavenec – Lhota

Although this trip is still unique in the actual mapped route, we have been to this area several times in summer. Especially when we discovered the recreational Lhota lake to swim and lay in the sand during the hot days. We always carried (although not necessary) our bathing suits and towels on the summer ridesContinue reading “Stará Boleslav – Hlavenec – Lhota”

Mníšek pod Brdy

This ride starts from the parking lot in front of Mníšek castle. Occasionally medieval battle reenactments are played here… Mníšek is a great starting point to go into the Brdy mountain range for hiking or biking.  However, we started in the opposite direction to visit the crossing at St. Venceslas under Pleš mountain where weContinue reading “Mníšek pod Brdy”

Radotín Circle

A warm November day seemed ideal for just an easy afternoon ride through the autumn forest. It went through the forest, but it was not easy. The first difficult part was a straight uphill trudge on a path used by horseback riders just where the red tourist mark turns to the right from the road.Continue reading “Radotín Circle”

Modřany Prague- Točná

Modřany is a suburb of Prague, south of the city center. The area is full of history and has a few educational trails to hike and read along the way. One such educational trail is called Stezka Svobody (Freedom Trail) which starts and ends in Točná and has 22 stops over 12.5 kilometers. Although weContinue reading “Modřany Prague- Točná”

Bohnice – Pet cemetery

All Saints Day is a perfect time to bike through the Bohnice area and visit the Pet Cemetery or Pietní Park. It is not accepting new “customers” because it has been full for years. Even so, there were lit candles and fresh flowers on pet’s graves that had deceased years ago. The pet owners wereContinue reading “Bohnice – Pet cemetery”

Zbiroh, Křivoklátsko

Zbiroh is a small town in the Plzen region about an hour from Prague. Even though Zbiroh castle is not on our Top 88 Castles in Czech Republic book it does stand out prominently on the hill above the town. The famous painter, Alfons Mucha, lived in the East Wing with his family from 1912-28. Continue reading “Zbiroh, Křivoklátsko”

Jílové to Týnec

A blue sky in Autumn should never be wasted, especially to see the changing colors of the leaves. I’ve never been to the US, East Coast to in fall, but can imagine the beauty may compare to what we rode through in this area. Due to its picturesque setting, the village of Jílové is aContinue reading “Jílové to Týnec”

Obecnice – Brdy

With daylight savings and cooler autumn weather, we are going back to shorter trips from Prague and into the Brdy mountains as there are still so many different routes to explore. Most of the Brdy mountains is covered by forest, and it is one of the largest contiguously forested areas in the interior of theContinue reading “Obecnice – Brdy”

Štěchovice and Slapy

We started this ride in the village of Štěchovice about 30 km from Prague. This area is very pretty as Vltava river cuts through the hillside taking plenty of sharp turns and we highly recommend this for hikers as well. Our trip included views of two major dams (Štěchovicka and Slapska) which are quite impressive.Continue reading “Štěchovice and Slapy”

Kladno

Not far from Prague is Kladno which is somewhat of a commuter town for those who do not live in Prague. Kladno is known as the historical birthplace of heavy industry (steel and mining) and for the past 20 years, Kladno is one of the world’s four Lego manufacturing sites. Its also the birthplace ofContinue reading “Kladno”

Central Bohemia Nature Park

The Central Bohemia Nature Park has an area of ​​4,575 hectare and starts at the southern edge of Prague (near Zbraslav) and goes through forest areas through Závist, Zvolská homola and Zahořanské údolí to Petrov. Through the Zahrádka forest, it reaches the right bank of the Sázava River and continues through Medníky around Krňany along theContinue reading “Central Bohemia Nature Park”

Loučeň and Dětenice

Although we didn’t visit the Loučeň Chateau in the village of Loučeň, it seems we need to go back to see the chateau which is surrounded by a large English park and has recently been enriched by a unique European feature – a set of 12 labyrinths and mazes. However, we did find a perfectContinue reading “Loučeň and Dětenice”

Jetřichovice – Czech Switzerland

This was one of the top ten rides this year! This area is one of the four national parks in Czech Republic and borders with Germany. It is known as Bohemian Switzerland National Park (Národní park České Švýcarsko) on the Czech side and Saxon Switzerland National Park on the German side. This is a greatContinue reading “Jetřichovice – Czech Switzerland”

Manětín

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”

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”

Adršpach, Eastern Bohemia

Adršpach is a small village in the North Eastern part of Czech Republic bordering with Poland. We parked at the Adršpach-Teplice Rocks Nature preserve and paid to walk among these very unusual sandstone rocks. It did not disappoint us with the massive stones. You don’t need more than two hours to visit the park and youContinue reading “Adršpach, Eastern Bohemia”

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”

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”

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”

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