This trip has been designed as a private arrangement. The cycling tour through North Bohemia is essentially always tailor-made. A number of choices therefore need to be made regarding the travel period, luggage transport and comfort level.

Travel dates

You can choose your own travel dates. The best time to travel is between April and October, but in principle the tour can be organised all year round (with some limitations in winter). Some sections can be quite busy at weekends, but this does not cause any problems.

Bicycle transport: not necessary

Because the route is always a circular route, we avoid the costs of transporting the bicycles. If you travel to Prague by public transport and would like us to transport your bicycle(s) to the starting point, we will of course arrange this for you.

Extension and/or upgrade?

You can extend the trip, for example, with an extra overnight stay after the tour in Jičín or Prague. You can also choose to extend your stay at Hrubá Skála Castle Hotel. You can extend the tour with a rest day or, alternatively, an additional circular route. The ultimate route passes through 3 countries: Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland! Let us know your special wishes and we will prepare a tailor-made proposal for you.

Upgrade to ***/**** hotels is possible.

There is also a luxury version with overnight stays in ***/**** accommodation, including stays in **** castle hotels Hrubá Skála, Dětenice, Sychrov and Chateau Mcely!

At, among others, Hrubá Skála Castle Hotel, Sychrov Castle Hotel, Hotel Štekl, Hotel Jičín and Parkhotel Skalní Město, a number of more luxurious **** rooms are available. These are booked if you choose the "luxury version" upgrade. Please contact us to let us know for how many people you would like to receive a price proposal for the upgrade to **** accommodation. We will be happy to prepare a tailor-made proposal.

North Bohemia, roughly the catchment area of the Jizera and Nisa rivers (German: Neiße), has several historic routes whose origins sometimes date back to well before the Middle Ages. It is only in the last hundred years that the Nisa region has also come to be regarded as a true walking and cycling paradise for recreational visitors. Together with the neighbouring regions of Upper Lusatia (D) and Silesia (PL), the area has great appeal for residents of the cities of Prague, Dresden and Berlin. It was precisely here that the most famous and longest "ridge trail" originated at the beginning of the 20th century, the so-called Blue Ridge Trail (also known as long-distance route E3, Modrá hřebenovka E3 or Blauer Kammweg E3), which connects the various mountain ridges of the Ore Mountains and the Jizera Mountains. At its peak, the Blue Ridge Trail connected the eastern ridges of the Ore Mountains with the peaks of the Altvater Mountains (Jesionik Mountains or Hrubý Jeseník, with its highest peak Praděd at an elevation of 1,492 metres), with the Jizera Mountains (Isergebirge) forming the essential heart of the ridge trail.

Today, beautiful, well-marked walking and cycling routes have been established along the historic trails, locally known as the "Jizerská magistrála" routes. In winter, there are many prepared cross-country ski trails to be found along the ridge trail.

The Golden Route or Zlatá stezka.

The Czech name for the Golden Route is Zlatá stezka. The route is used by both walkers and cyclists. Some sections may be more suitable for cycling on fat bikes. This historic route passes all the highlights of the protected landscape area of Český ráj. Bohemian Paradise has been a Protected Landscape Area (CHKO in Czech) since 1995. The term Bohemian Paradise is also used for the entire region situated between the towns of Jičín, Sobotka, Mnichovo Hradiště, Kopanina, Železný Brod and Lomnice nad Popelkou. Bohemian Paradise received its name around 1870 from the often wealthy guests of the then world-famous 'Spa Sedmihorky'. Gradually, the name was adopted by the local population. More information

The Jizera Greenway route

The Jizera, at 165 km long, is the largest river flowing into the Elbe (Labe). The source of the Jizera is located in North Bohemia, in the Jizera Mountains, close to the border between the Czech Republic and Poland. The river connects the areas of Krkonoše (Giant Mountains), the Jizera Mountains and Český ráj (Bohemian Paradise). The entire river basin covers 2,200 km2 and forms the main source of drinking water for Central Bohemia and Prague. More information

Nova hřebenovka, Bohemian-Saxon Ridge Trail (Bohemian Saxon Ridgetrail)

The cycling routes of the Bohemian-Saxon Ridge Trail through the Jizera Mountains mostly follow well-maintained paved roads. The route splits at the Jizerka settlement. Due to its character, the northern route is suitable for cyclists (mountain bikers) and walkers looking for a slightly less challenging ride. The southern section of the route is somewhat more challenging and occasionally includes relatively difficult terrain, including the demanding Ještěd ridge (1012 m). The northern and southern routes cross each other from time to time. Part of the route follows the international Odra-Nisa long-distance cycling route, one of the most important cycling routes in the Neisse Euroregion. Locally, the ridge route is known as Nova hřebenovka or also as Jizerská magistrála. More information .

Oder-Neiße Route

The Neiße originates in Nová Ves in the Czech Republic. The first section of the route follows the Neiße through the Czech Republic. Near Zittau, the river crosses the border. The cycling route then continues northwards, parallel to the Oder and Neisse rivers, along the border between Germany and Poland. More information .

Arrive and check in at a hotel in the centre of the town of Jičín. It is worth exploring the town centre and perhaps climbing the tower if it is open. Make sure you have some cash with you for the entrance ticket.

The town of Jičín is the gateway to the Bohemian Paradise nature area. The town had its "golden age" in the first half of the 17th century during the reign of Albrecht z Valdštejna (Albrecht von Wallenstein, a Czech count and military commander). He had ambitious plans for the development of this area and the town. He built his residence here on the square. His death brought an end to his grand plans.

• Overnight stay: Jičín
• Daily total: 0 km

We cycle from Jičín to the town of Turnov OR to the small settlement of Hrubá Skála, where the beautiful Hrubá Skála Castle is located. The route you choose depends partly on your preferences and partly on the current availability of Hrubá Skála Castle Hotel.

We leave Jičín and cycle to the hill Tábor, with a chapel at the top. From this point, you can enjoy wide-ranging views of the surrounding area. Just before the town of Jičín, you will also pass a large monastery complex built by Count Albrecht z Valdštejna (Albrecht von Wallenstein). From here, a double avenue of lime trees leads towards the town centre. The avenue was also planted by Count Wallenstein; after all, the road to his residence had to be suitably impressive.

You now basically have to choose: either you stay mostly on the eastern side of main road 35, or you take the more western route via, among other places, Prachovské skály and the Trosky Castle ruins.

Route to Hrubá Skála (western route):

Cycle past the Trosky Castle ruins and make a short visit to this beautiful, impressive landmark that you simply cannot miss. Then slowly descend to Hrubá Skála for an overnight stay in a real castle.

First, you cycle in the direction of the town of Turnov, and a few kilometres further on you visit the Valdštejn Castle ruins, situated on a rocky cliff. Only remains of the castle can be seen, but the sandstone church and bridge have been beautifully preserved. The next attraction on the route is Hrubá Skála Castle, which is now a hotel and restaurant. From the castle tower, you can already see the next castle ruins: Trosky. From this castle, with one thick tower (the Old Witch) and one slender tower (the Beautiful Maiden), the rulers of the past controlled the entire region. Today, they are the symbol of the area.

Route to Turnov (eastern route):

The eastern route has considerably more elevation changes, with Kozákov Mountain literally being the highest point in the surrounding area. On the way to Kozákov, you will pass, among other places, the village of Rovensko pod Troskami, where you can see the so-called rebel bells, which hang upside down.

If you enjoy walking as well as cycling, a tip is to take a small detour and cycle as directly as possible to the "stone" town of Prachov, where you can set aside two to three hours for a wonderful walk.

Prachovské skály, or the Prachov Rocks, is a protected nature area featuring sandstone rock formations spread over an area of 190 hectares. It is definitely worth parking your bicycle for a few hours and taking a circular walk through the Prachov Rocks. The entrance fee is around three euros, and the walking routes vary from approximately 2 km to 5 km. You should allow at least 1.5 hours for the short route. There is a small restaurant at the entrance with an excellent buffet.

There are also several small lakes (Oborský rybniky) right along the route, surrounded by forests and rocks. It is a favourite area for campers. If the weather is nice, you can take a swimming break. Plenty of drinks and fast food are available at very reasonable prices.

After your walk through Prachov, you cycle past Trosky and can climb the highest mountain in the area. If you want to reach the highest mountain in Bohemian Paradise, Kozákov (744 m), you will have to pedal hard. Please note: this section of the route is really steep, so bear this in mind. However, the beautiful views stretching dozens of kilometres are definitely worth the effort! Kozákov is also a gemstone discovery site. You then descend towards Turnov, passing the Chléviště rock complex along the way, also known as a rock maze or rock labyrinth. .

From the route, you can see the basalt hill Vysker (464 m), and eventually you reach the pleasant town of Turnov, the heart of Bohemian Paradise. This town was founded in 1250 and is beautifully situated on the Jizera River. The surroundings of Turnov contain numerous semi-precious stone deposits, which led to the development of traditional crafts such as stone cutting and jewellery making. On the central square in Turnov, there is a jeweller where you can browse and buy all kinds of beautiful jewellery made with semi-precious stones. There is also a museum dedicated to semi-precious stones. It is certainly worth taking a look.

• Overnight stay: Turnov or Hrubá Skála
• Distance: 33.86 km
• Ascent: 420 m
• Descent: 430 m
• interactive map

A challenging but beautiful cycling trip takes you past the Dlaskův statek farm museum, with an exhibition about rural life. From here, you have to climb quite steeply up to the Frýdštejn Castle ruins, but that is understandable: the castle was, of course, built in a hard-to-reach location. A few kilometres further on, you can climb the Kopanina observation tower and look down into the deep valley you have just cycled past near the farm. Afterwards, you can descend into the Jizera River valley towards Malá Skála. This picturesque village is surrounded by rocks. From your accommodation, you have a beautiful view of the Pantheon church on the rocky cliff.

• Overnight stay: Malá Skála
• Distance: 17.89 km
• Ascent: 490 m
• Descent: 473 m
• interactive map

The alternative route follows the Jizera Greenway: an easy, pleasant route along the Jizera River, using newly constructed cycling paths.

• Distance: 11.11 km
• Ascent: 100 m
• Descent: 59 m
• interactive map

From Malá Skála to Liberec. We follow part of the Oder-Neiße route. First, you cycle through the Jizera River valley (Jizera Greenway No. 17), passing all kinds of villages and towns. One locally well-known town along the route is Železný Brod, famous as a centre of the glass industry. Only at the point where the Jizera and Kamenice rivers meet do you leave the valley and cycle into the hills towards Liberec. You will ride up and down the ridges of the Jizera Mountains and follow the Ridge Trail for most of the way.

• Overnight stay: Liberec
• Distance: 45.74 km or rest day
• Ascent: 1002 m
• Descent: 1002 m
• interactive map

Today we cycle from Liberec to Zittau (D) or to Mnichovo Hradiště. Zittau is quite a long distance and perhaps a step too far for some people. This is where the flexibility of this tour comes in handy, as we are well prepared for several scenarios.

For those choosing the shorter version, today's destination will ultimately be Mnichovo Hradiště. We will spend the night there. There are good restaurants on the central square.

• Overnight stay: Prachov
• Distance: 35.47 km or rest day
• Ascent: 641 m
• Descent: 518 m
• interactive map

From Mnichovo Hradiště to Jičín. We cycle a short section of the Jizera Greenway. Today you leave the forests and rock formations behind and cycle mostly through open countryside. Along the way, you can visit two castles, where you may even be able to attend a medieval feast. The feast with dinner starts at 19:00 and lasts until 20:00, so if you would like to attend, we will adjust the route to include an overnight stay nearby.

• Overnight stay: Jičín
• Distance: 38 km, shortening the route is possible
• Ascent: 660 m
• Descent: 789 m
• interactive map

After breakfast, depart for home or extend your stay with ... a visit to Prague?

• Overnight stay: none
• Daily total: none

For more specific requests, such as a shorter route, a longer route, rest days, private tour guidance, a support vehicle/sweeper vehicle, a combined trip with other activities, travelling part of the route by train, excursions along the way, etc., we will be happy to prepare a tailor-made proposal.

With this tour, we can easily accommodate the specific wishes of cycling enthusiasts who enjoy the good things in life. Would you like a longer route (in kilometres or duration), a shorter one, a beer tasting at Svijany Brewery , would you like to travel part of the route by taxi, or would you like a special guided tour in one of the beautiful towns? Would you like to attend a medieval feast with a show and dinner at Dětenice Castle ? Would you like to include some fun activities along the way, such as a toboggan run or a visit to the zoo for children? We can arrange it all.

For specific requests such as guided tours, activities and excursions (including a brewery, spa and wellness, toboggan run or medieval feast), we will be happy to prepare a tailor-made proposal.

We use the accommodation listed below. You can choose the room type in the booking form.