Prague to Budapest via smaller towns Itinerary

Overview

Join us for a bicycle adventure to experience three countries (the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary), two major capitals (Prague and Budapest), and several beautiful towns and villages along the way. This tour is meant for those who prefer smaller towns to big cities and would like to experience many diverse environments.

We start our cycling adventure exploring the beautiful region of Southern Bohemia and Moravia. The countryside consists of forests, meadows, and rolling farmland, dotted with charming and fairy-like preserved medieval towns, Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance cathedrals, churches, and monasteries, and dreamlike castles, chateaux, and palaces. In Moravia, the main wine region of the country, we pedal past romantic vineyards and orchards on country lanes lined with fruit trees.

Crossing the border into Austria, we meander south through the fertile vineyards of the renowned wine Weinvertel region towards the Danube River, which we cross at the famous Austrian spa town of Bad Deutsch Altenburg. Continuing in the southeastern direction, we head through the popular recreation area of the Neusiedler See and vineyards of eastern Austria to the Hungarian border.

In Hungary, we ride through pastoral and farmland areas with occasional small wooded hills, passing and visiting on the way the famous Hungarian spa of Mosonmagyarovar, the beautiful historical town of Gyor, and finally arriving in the formal royal Hungarian royal seat of Esztergom. On the last day, we reach a perfect ending to our adventure in the celebrated capital Budapest, which became the main Hungarian city after Esztergom.

We strongly recommend that you arrive in Prague a few days before the tour in order to explore this beautiful city. There is plenty of accommodation available in Prague but for those interested we can reserve a room for you at Pension Alpin, where we stay the first day of our tour. The pension is conveniently located and is walking distance to the historical center of Prague. The staff speak English and are very bike-friendly.

What's Included

• 10 nights lodging in selected 3-star hotels and pensions.
• Hearty breakfasts every morning and 8 wonderful dinners.
• Bilingual tour guide and ride leaders on route.
• Van support with snack stops along the route; luggage transport.
• Walking tours, including sightseeing in Prague and Gyor.
• Excursion fees to selected castles and chateaux, one night of wine tasting or folk music, thermal spa visit.
• Option for extended stay in Prague.

Itinerary*

Day One: Prague - Check-in and Sightseeing

After you check-in (for those who are just arriving), we will regroup at the reception before noon and set out for a three-hour introductory walking tour of Prague with a professional guide. In the evening, we will meet for a welcome dinner and orientation meeting.

Day Two: Prague - Cervena Lhota - Nova Bystrice (47 km / 30 miles)

After a breakfast at our Pension, we load our bikes and board a bus that will take us to beautiful southern Bohemia. We start our day with a visit to the grounds of the romantic chateau of Cervena Lhota with its magnificent grounds and parklands.

We set out on the road, riding on small, curvy, gently rolling country roads until we reach Jindrichuv Hradec, the beautifully preserved Renaissance cultural center of southern Bohemia. We enjoy lunch and some sightseeing here, including its Gothic castle and Renaissance chateau.

After visiting this lively historical town, we set out once again on small country roads, this time through a slightly hilly, magnificent area of pristine Czech countryside nicknamed for its beauty and very low population density as "Czech Canada". Cycling along back roads often lined with birch or apple or cherry trees, we arrive in Nova Bystrice, a small, charming town where time has stood still and where we spend the night.

Day Three: Nova Bystrice - Slavonice - Dacice - Telc (55 km / 35 miles)

Today offers so much to see... There are some climbs on the way but the rewards are more than worth it. First of all, after a short ride from our hotel, we visit the Gothic Landstejn Castle built in the 12th century as a fort. The spectacular views of "Czech Canada" from the top of the castle's watchtower are worth the climb. If we are lucky, we may even be able to shoot some mediaeval crossbows on the castle ground.

Next we ride to Slavonice, one of the best preserved historical towns in Europe and nicknamed the Renaissance Pearl. We visit the town's main Renaissance square and have a coffee in a café whose building dates back to the 1500's. Very famous pieces of local pottery can be seen (and purchased) in the café itself or in the gallery adjoining the café.

Another Renaissance town on the way is the town of Dacice, with its beautifully renovated chateau in the Empire style. We suggest you take a lunch break here and enjoy a delicious meal in one of the restaurants on the town's lively square.

Today's route ends at the remarkable 13^th century town of Telc. We have a guided tour of the splendid local Chateau scheduled for the afternoon. In the evening, you can take a stroll around the magnificent main square and have a beer or glass of wine in one of the charming restaurants or cafes.

Day Four: Telc - Znojmo (83 km / 52 miles)

After breakfast, we cycle through the moderately hilly and picturesque Czech-Moravian Highlands, with many enchanting villages and small towns along the way. For those who like old architecture (from Gothic, through Renaissance, to Baroque) there is plenty to see on the way.

Eventually we enter the major wine region of southern Moravia and arrive in its main town of Znojmo, a royal town, once again with beautiful Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture dating back to the 11th century.

The oldest and most precious of the many cultural monuments of this town is the Rotunda of St. Catherine, decorated with remarkable mural paintings unique in the Czech Republic.

We spend the rest of the afternoon walking through the city and exploring its treasures, then have a delectable meal at our 4-star hotel complete with pool and sauna.

Day Five: Znojmo - Mikulov (74 km / 46 miles)

Today's route is almost completely flat. We leave Znojmo traveling eastwards and into the Dyje River Valley skirting the Czech border. We ride through several charming Moravian villages and small towns, passing vineyards, orchards, and farmland on the way until we reach the enchanting town of Mikulov with its beautiful surroundings, yet another wine center of this region. We take a stroll through this town just before dinner. This town also offers a great opportunity to taste some of the very good local wine. Time permitting, we should also experience some local folk music tonight.

Day Six: Mikulov - Bad Deutsch Altenburg (94 km / 59 miles)

After breakfast we head to Valtice, a small romantic town nearby on the border with the beautiful Valtice Chateau. After a short break here, we continue across the border into Austria. The border region is dotted with vineyards and is therefore a little hilly. However, the terrain eventually flattens as we get closer to the Danube River. As soon as we cross this magnificent river, we arrive in the famous Austrian spa town of Bad Deutsch Altenburg, where we stay overnight. At the hotel you can enjoy the swimming pool, sauna, and a massage for those tired bodies (subject to availability).

Day Seven: Bad Deutsch Altenburg - Mosonmagyarovar (82 km / 51 miles with an option of a longer route of 104 km / 65 miles)

Another longer day but with almost no hills takes us through the popular recreation area of the Neusiedler See and vineyards of Eastern Austria to the Hungarian border. Once in Hungary, we continue east to one of Hungary's most famous spa towns, Mosonmagyarovar. A visit to its thermal spa is planned a couple hours before dinner.

Day Eight: Mosonmagyarovar - Gyor (64 km / 40 miles)

We consider Day Eight a rest day. An easy 64 kilometers through farmland, quaint villages, and wooded areas in a region close to the Danube River leads us to a Hungarian historical jewel, the town of Gyor. A large part of the day's ride is on a recently built bike path along the road. After settling into our hotel, we set out for a guided tour of the town. After the tour, you can enjoy more sightseeing and dinner on your own in one of the many local restaurants offering classic Hungarian dishes.

Day Nine: Gyor - Esztergom (116 km / 72 miles with an option of a longer ride of 141 km / 88 miles)

We continue east today, following the direction of the Danube River. Among others, we visit the historical town of Tata, beautifully sprawled along Old Lake, and (for those taking the longer route) the Pannonhalma Abbey. Just before today's destination, we cross the marvelous hills of the Gerecse Mountain area, descending upon the ancient royal town of Esztergom. Known as the pearl of the Danube bend for its extraordinary views of the river, Esztergom has a rich history dating back to 970 AD. One can easily spend a whole day in Esztergom exploring its Castle Hill, Water Town and the Danube riverbank.

Day Ten: Esztergom - Budapest (transfer)

After a hearty breakfast, we transfer by bus into Budapest. We enjoy most of the day sightseeing on our own before meeting that evening at a sumptuous farewell dinner at our unique botel lodging on the Danube River.

Day Eleven: Budapest

After breakfast, our trip is officially over. Some desiring to spend more time sightseeing this beautiful capital city will stay a few more days.

Trip Difficulty

For full enjoyment of the trip, you should come prepared to complete the 60-110 km / 40-65 mile days comfortably on rolling to moderately hilly terrain. Most of the hilly terrain occurs in the first 4 days of the trip in the Bohemia countryside, then becomes gently rolling as we reach Austria and flatter into Hungary.

We try to design our route along small, quiet, and picturesque roads with little car traffic and/or bike paths that enhance our sightseeing of the local areas. For the most part, road surfaces will be of good quality, however, we are to expect sections, especially in Hungary, where the road is not as well maintained., We therefore suggest a touring/road bike equipped with 25-28mm tires for this tour.

Transportation

Prague is serviced by Ruzyne Airport, located just west of the city center. There is both public transportation and reasonably priced shuttle service available from the airport to Prague. For an extra fee, we also offer a pick-up service from the airport the day before the tour starts and for morning flights of Day One of our tour.

Budapest is serviced by Ferihegy Airport located just southeast of the city center. There is ample, easy and fast public transportation as well as airport run shuttle services.

Your trip Welcome Letter will provide detailed directions to our lodging in Prague and instructions on how to use public transportation or secure a shuttle ride from the airport. We will be providing shuttle service to the Budapest airport the final morning of our trip at a nominal fee.

Bike Rental

If you wish to rent a bike from us, we have the following fully serviced, light, quality, 2006 road/fitness bikes available:

Fuji Absolute 2, 3, and 4

Your rental bike comes with a rear luggage rack, bungie cord, extra tube and levers, water bottle cage, pump, lock, and odometer. The price for renting a bike for this tour is $175.

Additional Information

Please if you should have any additional questions regarding our trips. When you register for the trip, we will send you a Welcome Letter containing lots of pre-trip details including information on airfare, requirements for traveling abroad, useful information on the Czech Republic, how and what to pack, transporting your bike, etc.

You can also check out our Photo Gallery with pictures from 2005 and 2006 trips and get a flavor of our adventures!

* We reserve the right to change the itinerary without notice especially, but not only, for safety reasons.