Day 1
Stockerau - Drnholec (64 km / 40 miles)
The beginning of the route is the town Stockerau, lying on the
Danube cycle trails
roughly
18 km from Vienna (individual transport
is possible by bike train or bus).
Our own route
leads through 'Lower Austria' around the
start of the cycle trail 'Leiserbergweg' along
undulating landscape to Ernstbrunn (Leiser
Berge Naturalpark) and further through the
border crossing to Hevlin in South Moravia, where there are just
13 km left to Drnholec.
Overnight in Drnholec.
Day
2
Drnholec - Brno (55 km / 34 miles)
The cycle route goes through the wine-making region of South
Moravia and around the
contraversial dam 'Nove Mlyny' at the
base of the communism in the spirit of the saying
-
“we
control the wind and rain”. The Palava Hills – a Protected
Landscape Area and
Biosphere Reserve,
will
serve as the main panorama during the trip. You will pass the
town
of
Zidlochovice with a chateau, which till the present
day serves as a representative place
for famous national meetings.
Before arriving in Brno the journey goes through less
relaxed
landscape around hypermarkets and mega-parking
lots that represent a change in social
priorities.
Overnight
in Brno.
Day 3
Brno - Moravsky Kras (45 km / 28 miles)
The journey through Brno demands concentration and caution (Brno
tries to look similar to
Vienna but unfortunately this is not
apparent from the cycle trails). Despite this, the first
village
outside of Brno is the delightful Bilovice nad Svitavou, the
scene of a famous Czech
opera ‘Lisky Bystrousky’ by Leos Janacek.
At the end of this stage is the famous cave
system – the
Moravian Karst, a popular nature destination in the Czech Republic.
Today’s
short ride could finish in a journey down the underground
river Punkva in one of the caves
along with a trip to the bottom
of the deepest Czech abyss called Macocha (depth 187,5
m).
Overnight in Moravsky Kras area.
Day 4
Moravsky Kras - Olomouc (63 km / 39 miles)
This part of the trip is the most demanding not only in length
but also hills (550 m) due to
the Drahan Hills. Our reward
will be a visit to Plumlov, a small town with a dominant but
unfinished, baroque castle on a rocky outcrop and the opportunity
to bathe in the cool,
refreshing Plumlov reservoir. Through Prostejov
we get to Olomouc, the second most
famous town for monuments
in the Czech Republic, after Prague. A trip to Premysl palace
or St. Wenceslas Cathedral is an experience not to be missed
as is seeing the Trinity
Column in the square, which was designated
a world
heritage
site
by UNESCO.
Overnight in Olomouc.
Day 5
Olomouc - Teplice nad Becvou (48 km / 30 miles)
After sightseeing around Olomouc the trail brings you along the
Amber Trail to Prerov and
from there straight to Lipnik nad
Becvou (jewish cemetery and synagogue). In Lipnika nad
Becvou,
a short trip takes you up to the imposing Helfstyn Castle, which
is unique not only
in terms of area but also in its rich cultural
calendar, dominated by the annual event of the
meeting of artistic
blacksmiths – Hefaiston, at the end of September. After the
uphill
journey to Helfstyn we ride on to the spa town of Teplice
nad Becvou, where you have
the opportunity to visit the Zbrasovska
aragonite cave.
Overnight in Teplice nad Becvou.
Day 6
Teplice nad Becvou - Stramberk (41 km / 25 miles)
From the mineral rich spas of Teplice you travel on to Stary
Jicin with its ancient ruins of
the same name, on to Novy Jicin
with its arcade and renaissance chateau. From here you
journey
just a short distance to the destination Stramberk, a small town
especially famous
for its tower, part of a gothic castle ruin.
From this tower you have a beautiful view of the
surroundings.
You could taste the local specialities – the so-called Stramberk
ears! You
also have the opportunity to visit the museum of Zdenek
Burian – a famous painter whose
paintings depict the Stone Age.
Overnight
in Stramberk.
Day 7
Stramberk - Cesky Tesin/Polsky Cieszyn (62
km / 39 miles)
This day on the Czech part of this route brings you to Koprivnice,
where it is possible to
visit the Technical museum of the old
Czech car maker - Tatra, displaying many interesting,
antique
cars. Hukvaldy is another delightful stop on the route, which
is famous for its
ruined castle of the same name
and also
as being the birthplace of the composer Leos
Janacek.
His original home, now a protected monument, houses an exhibition.
The route
takes you through Frydek-Mistek to Tesin, where the
Czech - Polish border separates
Cesky Tesin and Polsky Cieszyn.
Overnight in Tesin/Cieszyn.
Day 8
Cesky Tesin/Polsky Cieszyn – Jasienica (42 km / 26 miles)
The cycle route on the Polish stage leads through farmland and
forests to the town of
Jasienica. Transfer by car from Jasienica
to Oswiecim (Auschwitz), the famous yet terrible
concentration
camp
of WWII.
Overnight in Oswiecim.
Day 9
Cycling Oswiecim – Babice – Krakow (25 km/ 15 miles)
This day allows you to spend more time in Oswiecim.
The short ride is mainly flat and
finishes in Babice at
an interesting outdoor museum of traditional Polish
architecture
and
crafts.
Transfer
by car
from Babice to Krakow.
Overnight in Krakow.
Day
10 - Krakow
In Krakow you will probably want to spend more than just
one day: Wawel Castle, the Old
Market Square, the Kazimierz Jewish
quarter, or the town walls and Royal Way could easily
take a
day. To really soak up the atmosphere of this vibrant
city you must get into cafes
or pubs, theatres or clubs and
that takes more than a day too...
Just outside of Krakow you could visit the salt mine in Wieliczka,
which has been in
constant operation since the Middle Ages. It
includes vast chambers ornately carved out
of rock salt.
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