Prague to Dresden: Cycling the Elbe from Bohemia to Saxony

Day 1: Arrival in Prague
You will arrive in Prague, the City of a Hundred Spires, and check into your hotel in the historic centre. The rest of the evening is yours to wander across the Charles Bridge at sunset, explore the lanes of Malá Strana, or sit down for a first Czech beer in the Old Town Square. Your tour materials and bicycle will be ready for you at the hotel.

Day 2: Prague – Mělník (53 km)
Your first day in the saddle will take you past the elegantly restored Trója Chateau and its baroque gardens as the route slips under the rock cliffs of the Prague basin. Renaissance sgraffito facades and the vineyards of Veltrusy will mark your path north along the Vltava. By afternoon, you will reach Mělník — a hilltop town perched at the confluence of the Vltava and Elbe rivers, famous for its wine cellars and sweeping views over the Bohemian lowlands.

Day 3: Mělník – Litoměřice (52 km)
Today you will cycle through the most fertile stretch of the Czech Republic — the Elbe lowlands, known locally as the Czech Garden. The volcanic cone of Říp, a mountain sacred in Czech mythology, will guide you through rolling fields and small villages. You will pedal through the ancient town of Roudnice nad Labem and its castle before arriving in Litoměřice, a charming town filled with Renaissance and baroque architecture, one of the oldest in Bohemia.

Day 4: Litoměřice – Děčín (52 km)
The landscape will grow more dramatic as you enter the Czech Central Mountains — an ancient volcanic region where basalt peaks rise sharply above the river valley. Medieval castles will loom from the ridges overhead as you follow the Elbe through narrow gorges. You will pass the fortress town of Ústí nad Labem before reaching Děčín, set at the gateway to Bohemian Switzerland. Adventurous riders can try the via ferrata rock climbing routes just across the river.

Day 5: Děčín – Czech-Saxon Switzerland National Park area (20 km)
A short cycling day — and with good reason. Today you will cross the border into Germany and enter the extraordinary landscape of Czech and Saxon Switzerland National Park. Towering sandstone pillars, deep gorges, and moss-covered forests will surround you. The full afternoon is free to explore on foot, take a boat ride through the gorges, or simply absorb the silence of this sandstone wonderland from a viewpoint.

Day 6: Bad Schandau/Krippen area – Dresden (45 km)
Your final day on the bike will take you past the impregnable fortress of Königstein, perched high on its flat-topped rock above the Elbe. At Bastei, you will ride alongside one of Germany's most famous natural landmarks — a row of sandstone columns rising 194 metres above the river. The vine-covered slopes of the Pillnitz valley will guide you the last kilometres into Dresden, the Florence of the Elbe.

Day 7: Dresden (departure)
The last morning of your tour in Dresden. You will have time to visit the rebuilt Frauenkirche, stroll through the Zwinger Palace gardens, or explore the treasures of the Green Vault before departure. On request, a transfer back to Prague or onward to Berlin can be arranged, or you can extend your stay to cycle a loop to nearby Meissen and Moritzburg.