Elbe Cycle Route

www.labska-stezka.cz Elbe Cycle Trail – Ústí nad Labem: 89 km from Prague

by train from Prague 1 h 10 min by bus from Prague 1 h 5 min by car from Prague 1 h

Target group: Pleasure seekers: families with children

One of the most attractive European long-distance cycle paths begins on Czech soil and offers 370 beautiful kilometres from the sources of the Elbe to the border with Saxony. Thanks to its undemanding character, stunning landscape, wide range of accompanying attractions and perfect facilities and services, it is also one of the most popular. 1,300 Kilometres Full of Surprises The awards held by the Elbe Cycle Route speak volumes - for the fourteenth time it has become the most popular and most visited cycle route in Germany, while the Czech section is the ninth most popular in Germany. In the prestigious Tourism Grand Prix, it was named the best tourist product (2017/2018), and it is part of the EURO VELO network of European long-distance routes. Why so? The Czech section of the Elbe Route is simply beautiful. More than 80% of the surface is covered by the cycle route. Services are offered by 160 certified partners in the programme Cyclists Welcome and there are around 600 certified accommodation and catering services. More important, however, is where cyclists go and what they experience. Starting from the frontiers and heading upstream to the springs, the first impression is extremely strong – Bohemian Switzerland with its national park; the Kamenice River gorge and the Pravčice Gate; the entire Elbe Sandstone protected landscape area; the Elbe Canyon; the Děčín Château and, opposite it, the country’s sole urban via ferrata and a charming zoo. This is followed by the picturesque Central Bohemian Uplands protected landscape area with a historical railway and open-air museum of traditional folk architecture in Zubrnice (there are other open-air museums later in Ostrá and Přerov nad Labem); the Empirical Velké Březno Château; medieval Střekov Castle; the dominating town of Ústí nad Labem, surrounded by waterfalls; the attractive Porta Bohemica canyon; hillsides covered by vineyards in Velké Žernoseky; the historical – and winegrowing – towns of Litoměřice and Roudnice nad Labem; the opportunity to use frequent ferries to get to the other bank, for example to the unique fortress town of Terezín and the local memorial, Small Fortress, and town ghetto; the mythical mountain of all Bohemia – Říp; Mělník –

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Destination Manual 2020 | Active Tourism

a historical town surrounded by vineyards; and the wholly original Gallery of Painted Easter Eggs in Libotenice.

Castles, Chateaux, Towns and Mountains There are impressive chateaux in Ploskovice, Libochovice or Veltrusy, and castles and ruins – e.g. Košťálov or Házmburk with fantastic views of the Central Bohemian Uplands, other vantage points and lookout towers; historical towns – Brandýs nad Labem – Stará Boleslav with a château and the Romanesque St. Wenceslas Basilica, the country’s oldest Christian pilgrimage site; Nymburk or Kolín; and, above all, one of the country’s most valuable medieval pearls – Kutná Hora with two cathedrals and a centre protected by UNESCO. There are also fortresses in Čelákovice and Týnec nad Labem. We pass by spa towns – Poděbrady, Toušeň or Bohdaneč, natural swimming pools and water parks. We are now in East Bohemia with the historical towns of Hradec Králové, the Salon of the Republic, with a planetarium or Pardubice – the capital city of horses. We will see the Kunětická hora Castle, the National Stud in Kladruby, Josefov Fortress or a popular safari in Dvůr Králové. Ahead of us is the highest Czech mountain range – Krkonoše with a national park, the towns of Vrchlabí and Špindlerův Mlýn with typical mountain chalets and the sources of the Elbe, our destination. It’s a long journey from the North Sea – and the Czech conclusion is a dignified crown on an extraordinary journey.

www.labska-stezka.cz Hřensko: www.hrensko.cz Pravčice Gate: www.pbrana.cz Děčín: www.mmdecin.cz ZOO Děčín: www.zoodecin.cz Open-air museum Zubrnice: www.skanzen-zubrnice.cz Open-air museum Přerov nad Labem: www.polabskemuzeum.cz/mista/ polabske-narodopisne-muzeum Litoměřice: www.litomerice.cz Říp Mountain: www.hora-rip.cz Ústí nad Labem region: www.gatetobohemia.com Central Bohemia region: www.centralbohemia.cz