Few cities make a better starting point for a cycling holiday than Prague. Ride south and you cross Bohemia and the Moravian wine country to Vienna. Keep going and the Danube carries you on through Bratislava to Budapest. Head west and the rivers lead you into Bavaria, to Passau, Regensburg and Munich. All of it is reachable on quiet river paths, old trade routes and former border roads, with small historic towns at the end of every stage.
This guide compares our self-guided tours that start in Prague or explore the Czech Republic, grouped by where they take you. All of them move your luggage from hotel to hotel, and most offer trekking bikes, e-bikes and gravel bikes.
Why Cycle the Czech Republic?
River routes with gentle gradients. The Vltava, the Elbe, the Ohře and the Dyje cut valleys through the Bohemian and Moravian hills, and the cycle routes follow them. Most of our Czech tours are rated easy to moderate.
UNESCO towns at walking pace. Kutná Hora, Litomyšl, Olomouc, Kroměříž, Telč, Český Krumlov and the Lednice-Valtice landscape all sit on or near these routes.
Wine, beer and spa water. South Moravia is wine country, with cellar villages and vineyard hills around Mikulov and Znojmo. Pilsen brews beer at the source, and the spa towns of West Bohemia serve mineral water from colonnade springs.
The Iron Curtain, retraced. For forty years the Czech-Austrian border was closed. Today the old patrol roads are cycle routes past bunkers, abandoned villages and the river canyon of Podyjí National Park.
Prague to Vienna: Five Ways to Ride Between Two Capitals
The ride from Prague to Vienna is the classic Czech cycling holiday, and it comes in several versions depending on how much time you have and what you want to see.
Easy Short Tour (8 days)
About 294 km along the Elbe, through UNESCO towns and into the vineyard hills around Mikulov, finishing on quiet border roads in Austria's Weinviertel. The best first choice if you have one week.
Easy Long Tour (11 days)
The same idea with more time: around 508 km through the Elbe valley, the Svitava valley and Moravian wine country, sleeping in small historic towns.
Via Český Krumlov (9 days)
A southern line of about 355 km through Český Krumlov, the Třeboň ponds, Telč and Podyjí National Park, then into the vineyards around Znojmo and Mikulov.
5 UNESCO Towns (9 days)
Around 389 km linking Kutná Hora, Litomyšl, Olomouc, Kroměříž and Lednice-Valtice, with a short crossing into Slovakia before Vienna.
Moravian Wine & Iron Curtain Trail (7 days)
The shortest version, about 244 km. It follows wine roads and former border paths through the Pálava hills and cellar villages, with a view over the Dyje valley from Hardegg.
We also run the Prague to Vienna Greenway in eight days and the Grand Greenway in eleven.
Prague to Budapest: Four Capitals in One Ride
For a real long-distance journey, two tours continue past Vienna along the Danube through Bratislava to Budapest.
Prague to Budapest via Vienna takes 13 days and about 649 km, past South Bohemian ponds and Moravian wine cellars, then along the Danube to the river bend at Visegrád.
The Prague to Budapest Grand Tour rides the whole way in 16 days and around 819 km, with Weinviertel wines, old railway paths into Vienna and the wetlands near Komárno.
For the Danube section east of Vienna, see our guide to cycling the Danube to Bratislava and Budapest.
West to the Danube and Bavaria
Four tours leave Prague towards the west and south-west, crossing the Šumava and Bohemian Forest into Austria or Germany.
Prague to Linz along the Vltava
About 324 km following the Vltava through South Bohemia and the Šumava forest, across the Orlík dam and through the Mühlviertel hills to Linz on the Danube.
Prague to Passau via Lake Lipno
Around 314 km through South Bohemia and the forest trails above Lake Lipno, ending where three rivers meet in Passau.
Prague to Regensburg (7 days)
About 318 km on the medieval trade route between Bohemia and Bavaria, through limestone canyons and Pilsen, across the old Iron Curtain into the Regen valley.
Prague to Munich via Regensburg (10 days)
Around 491 km by the Berounka, Regen, Danube and Isar, past Pilsen, the Danube gorge at Weltenburg and the cathedral hill of Freising.
Passau and Linz are both on the Danube Cycle Path, so these tours connect naturally with our complete guide to cycling Passau to Vienna. Heading north instead? The Elbe takes you from Prague to Dresden or all the way to Berlin.
Borderlands: the Iron Curtain Trail and Three Countries
Iron Curtain Trail to Bratislava is a 9-day, 406 km ride from České Budějovice along the Czech-Austrian border, past bunkers and abandoned villages, through the Podyjí canyon and down the cellar lanes of the Weinviertel.
Three Lands: Znojmo to Olomouc crosses the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia in 8 days and about 304 km, on flat trails between vineyards and chateaux and along the Baťa canal towards Kroměříž.
West Bohemia: Spa Towns and the Eger River
The Bohemian Spa Triangle is a 7-day tour between Karlovy Vary, Františkovy Lázně and Mariánské Lázně, with two nights in each spa town and long descents from the Ore Mountains.
The Eger River Bike Trail follows the Ohře upstream for about 294 km from Litoměřice, past the hop fields of Žatec and the colonnades of Karlovy Vary, to its source in the Fichtelgebirge in Bavaria.
How to Choose
One week, first time: Prague to Vienna Easy Short Tour, or the Moravian Wine & Iron Curtain Trail. Culture first: 5 UNESCO Towns or Via Český Krumlov. The big journey: Prague to Budapest, in 13 or 16 days. Into Bavaria: Regensburg in a week, Munich in ten days. History: the Iron Curtain Trail to Bratislava. Slow and relaxing: the Bohemian Spa Triangle.
When to Go
The season runs from spring to early autumn. May and June are green and fresh, and September brings the grape harvest and wine festivals in South Moravia. July and August are warm, with long evenings in the town squares.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cycling from Prague to Vienna difficult?
No. The easy versions follow river valleys and quiet roads, with moderate daily stages. E-bikes are available on all our Czech tours.
Are these tours guided?
They are self-guided: you ride at your own pace with route notes and GPS tracks, and your luggage is moved between hotels.
Can I ride from Prague all the way to Budapest?
Yes. Two tours do it, in 13 days via Vienna or in 16 days on the Grand Tour.
Plan Your Ride from Prague
Before or after the ride, our tips on things to do in Prague and the city's craft beer scene will help you make the most of the start. Compare dates on our Czech Republic and Austria pages, or browse the full tour catalogue.
