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Season
May
to October.
Level of
Difficulty
Moderate.
You should be able to cycle for up to 60km per day across undulating
hilly terrain in rain or sun. The terrain is gently rolling, mostly on
country roads, not on biking trails. There will often be cars around and
on some sections traffic may be quite heavy. You will find yourself in
countryside where not much English is spoken. Young people generally
understand some, but in the villages especially out of the main summer
season, communication can make this tour a little adventure! You should
also be able to affect basic repairs to your bike, exchanging inner
tubes and so on.
The Bikes
Hire
of 24 speed hybrid bikes is included in the tour price.
Also included are handlebar bags, spare inner tube, air pump and
tool kit, (Panniers are available on request). Locks are supplied but no
mudguards. Helmets are NOT included; they are not obligatory in the
Czech republic but we still advise bringing them with you. Water bottles
are not included. It is recommended that cyclists take out a small
multitool for minor adjustments enroute.
We
need to know your height and inside leg measurements. Bike sizes available are 19 inches and 21 inches (men), 17
and 19 inches (ladies). You have to select a size on your booking form.
Baggage Transfers
Each
day that you move on to new accommodation during the tour your baggage
(normally up to 20kg / 44 pounds per person) will be transferred to
await your arrival at the next night stop. On some days you and the
bikes are also transported with the baggage – see itinerary.
Maps & Route Notes
We
provide specially written route descriptions for each day's cycling,
together with road maps.
General Information
Baths:
it is not normal for your room to have a bath, the main reason being
that it takes up a lot of space, some hotels/guesthouses may have a
separate room in the house where a bath is available to guests, but in
the main it is showers.
Breakfast:
in countries such as Switzerland/Norway/Germany/Austria they are usually
buffet style, please don’t offend your hosts by making up a picnic
lunch from the breakfast buffet unless it has been specifically
organised for you i.e Finse in Norway. It is important for you to tell
us if you have any dietary requirements when you book your holiday so
that we can inform everyone that you are staying with.
Single
Supplements:
are payable on most of our tours. The single supplement
guarantees the privacy of your own room, however, rooms can at times be
small and in some places may not enjoy the same facilities as
double/twin rooms.
Language:
When
travelling in less frequented areas you will not necessarily come
across people speaking English. Remember you have left home to find
things different.
Luggage:
When
staying in hotels, sometimes your luggage will have been taken to you
room awaiting your arrival. However don’t be surprised if your luggage
is waiting for you to take it up to your room.
Accommodation & Meals
Accommodation
is in country hotels and pensions. Bed and breakfasts only are included.
Picnic lunches are not included, but materials for picnics can be
purchased in each of the towns and villages where you stay. Evening
meals are also not included, but you will be able to find places to go
and eat, either at your hotel or elsewhere in the towns where you are
staying. On some days there are also conveniently located restaurants en
route.
q
Night 1:
Vienna. A lovely renovated 4* hotel located near the university, with a
10 minute walk into the centre.
q
Nights 2 and 3:
Hranicni Zamecek. Hotel complex located in the village of Hlohovec, in
the picturesque Lednice-Valtice area, which is rich in attractive
historical monuments for sightseeing.
q
Night 4 and 5: Telc.
We use two hotels: either an elegant small hotel located in a quiet
street just steps away from the town’s beautiful center or a small 3*
hotel located in the main square of UNESCO heritage village.
q
Night 6: Trebon.
We also use two hotels; either a family operated pension, built as part
of the old town fortifications (breakfast only is available at the
pension). Or we stay in a small hotel situated in the central town
square. This is another historic building with a good restaurant and
also serving excellent beer!
q
Night 7: Cesky
Krumlov. At Cesky Krumlov the
pension is a historic building, very well refurbished and family run.
q
Night 8:
Prague. Finally in Prague our first choice hotel is located in a quiet
neighbourhood, 10 minutes walk from Wenceslas Square, on the corner of
Karlovo Namesti and Vodickova Ulice. If this hotel is full at the time
you book your tour, our alternative hotel, also in a quiet neighborhood,
is near the underground station of Namesti Miru, 1 stop away from
Wenceslas Square.
A
word of warning: in Prague always “Czech” out restaurant prices before
you order!
Extend your stay
We
can book extra nights in Vienna or Prague, which are thoroughly
recommended. Details and prices on request. Extra nights elsewhere along
the cycling tour route can also be pre-booked; this will normally entail
a small supplementary cycle hire charge. An optional city tour of Prague
is on offer at $26 approx. per person
Arrival
Scheduled
British Airways flights outbound to Vienna, and return from Prague for
UK full-package clients.
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Itinerary
q
Day 1. Arrive
Vienna. UK-based full-package customers fly Heathrow to Vienna by
British Airways. Go for an early flight so that you have enough time to
look around in Vienna, otherwise why not have an optional extra day
here, so that you can have a really good look around this historic city.
q
Day 2. Vienna
to Hlohovec via Schrick. Distance 43 km approx. Because of the traffic
in the city you will not start the ride in Vienna itself, instead you
will be transferred with the bikes nearly 40 km
(45 mins to an hour) and dropped off to start at the village of
Schrick. Here in Austria you start cycling and (if you want to bike less
on this day it is possible. The driver will simply bring you closer to
the Czech border.
Taking
the road from Schrick to Prinzesdorf and Walterkirchen, you’ll reach
the border crossing with the Czech Republic at Strattenberg, then on to
Valtice. You will end near the picturesque Palava Highlands, a preserved
area with limestone Karst scenery, beautiful flowers and old Gothic
castles. This is a wine-cultivating district and nearby Mikulov has the
largest Jewish cemetery in central Europe.
q
Day 3. Circular
ride from Hlohovec. 50km - but you can do more or less since you are
staying at the same place for another night. You will have the chance to
explore Mikulov and the countryside and vineyards of the Pavlov
Highlands, which typify this attractive day's ride. You can visit the
castles ruins at Klentnice and Lednice also has a castle (chateau).
q
Day 4. Hlohovec
to Telc via Lancov. 55km. You will be driven to a village called Lancov
and you bike via Slavonice to Telc. Both Slavonice and Telc are
historical towns with many valuable Renaissance and Baroque buildings.
Telc has been protected by UNESCO and it reflects the many differing
periods of architecture that have colored the region from Gothic to
modern. Telc boasts a World Heritage Site listing, underlining its
cultural importance, but also indicating that it is on the Eastern
European leg of the champagne set dignitaries from this lavish
organization to visit, before they alight in Prague for the evening
round of drinks and dining.
q
Day 5. Circular
ride from Telc. Around 40km You bike into the pretty Bohemian –
Moravian Highland, stop in Trest and a visit to Hrad Rostjein, with its
hidden old castle. The landscape is a mixture of rolling hills and
forests. Return to Telc for second night.
q
Day 6. Strimlov
toTrebon 47 km.
A Transfer will take you to Strmilov and then you will be rolling
over the Czech Moravian Highlands into Bohemia. Cycle to the Gothic
fortified town of Jindrichuv Hadrec with its castle from 1220 and there
are many baroque and renaissance buildings.
The route continues through Straz nad Nezarkou to Trebon.
q
Day 7.
Trebon to Cesky
Krumlov. 60 km. After maybe
a final walk round in Trebon, visiting the ponds and castle, cycle to
Cesky Krumlov, another town protected by UNESCO.
The castle is the second biggest in the country and the town is
beautifully located on the River Vltava. The town has some great taverns
and restaurants.
q
Day 8.
Cesky Krumlov to Hluboka nad Vltavou via Holasovice and transfer
to Prague 43 km. Today your ride out from your hotel to
Holasovice, and on to Jankov, Cakov, Cejkovice, there are attractive
Bohemian views today with alleys of oaks and ponds and a couple of small
hills. Eventually you get to Hluboka, whose chateau houses one
of the most interesting art collections in Europe. Just outside Hluboka,
you will meet your dirver who will take you onto Prague.
Prague
of course boasts a fairytale quality that reflects the majesty of the
Gothic and Baroque architectural ensemble that perhaps is the finest in
the world. After the Velvet Revolution, a large community of Americans
materialized with additional German and English language teachers.
Prague was exalted as the artisanal centre of Europe and compared to the
Paris of the 1920s. Of course, however, prices shot up, forcing locals
to go out to the suburbs to eat out. Prague certainly can be expensive,
but if you look hard enough you will find a variety of reasonably priced
restaurants. Public transport is excellent and you can escape from the
throngs who patronize the Charles Bridge with a little riverside walk,
or have a panoramic view of the city from the castle where Good King
Wenceslas looked out.... If you are a couple you may find this to be the
most romantic city that you have ever visited.
q
Day 9. In Prague. There
is an optional half day city tour of
'The city of a thousand spires,' (if required this service is
available at $26 extra) There is so much to see: Prague Castle, the
Lesser Town, the Jewish Quarter, the old town square with its famous
mediaeval astronimical clock, the Child of Prague, and Wenceslas square;
the main shopping area where coffee in the beautiful Art Deco Hotel
Europa is de rigueur.
End of Tour
Tour
ends on day 9 after breakfast in Prague. UK-based full-package customers
fly Prague to Heathrow by British Airways.
Included
8
nights in normally 3 star pensions and hotels with breakfast. Hire of
bikes is also included in the tour price, with
handlebar bags, spare tyre (but not helmet and panniers)
Transportation of luggage on hotel change days. On some days transfers
of customers with bikes (as per itinerary). Maps, route notes, other
information, briefing on the morning of the first day.
Not Included
Sightseeing
and entrance fees, lunches and evening meals; helmets, expenses due to
bike problems with road or bad weather conditions, use of bus and taxi.
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