Sibelius

Has anyone taken a bike tour in Prague or elsewhere in the Czech Republic? There is a bike tour to Karlstejn Castle from Prague that looks intriguing. Although I have heard mixed opinions about the interior of the castle, it sounds like the surrounding countryside is gorgeous.

travel2live2

Although I have not taken a bike tour in the Czech Republic I can tell you that the scenery around the castle is just lovely. It would definitely be worth going there in my opinion. I have seen better castles on the interior but the surroundings make it worth the trip if only for the outside.

My favourite castle in the Czech Republic are Zvikov (pretty quiet and off the tourist trail) and Pernstejn - absolutely fairy-tale like and huge. Both are located in gorgeous countryside.

Bouzov in Olomouc is nice, too, but slightly lower on my list as is Hluboka nad Vlatavou. They are still worth going to for the exteriors, though, but not as much wow factor as those above.

tomboy

The interior at Hluboka nad Vlatavou is interesting, if you're willing to cross the palm of a tour guide with a few thousand koruna to see what is normally not shown to tourists.

Sunnyshine

We took a train from Prague to Karlstejn Castle in 2006. It is about two mile walk from train station to the castle, passing thru a little village on the way there. The view around is breathtaking!!! The view from the top of Karlsteijn is absolutely gorgeous.

Our friends in CZ hired an English speaking tour guide for us. It was an okay tour, nothing spectacular, but interesting.

Kristina

I also cannot comment about the bike tour option, but wanted to say I very much enjoyed our trip to Karlstejn castle as a day trip from Prague via train last year.

If you want to see pictures as well as where to buy the best apple strudel in 3 countries (in Karlstejn!), it's all on my blog, starting with this page:
http://wired2theworld.blogspot.com/2...countries.html

CptDondo

I haven't taken a tour but I've ridden my bike to Karlstejn many times.

From Prague it would be about 40 KM give or take. But... The hills have hills. 8 to 10% grades are not uncommon, and there are lots of them. It's not a Sunday cruiser ride.

In the flats I can maintain 20 MPH; riding around Karlstejn I'm lucky to do half that.

It's an absolutely gorgeous ride. Depending on how you go, you get different views. I like to approach via Liten, cross the river and make the climb to the castle, but you have to get there early as the main road is closed to all wheeled traffic after 9am.

You can also approach from the other side by way of Morina and Morinka and ride down to the castle. Much less dramatic but easier.

There are no bikes allowed in the castle itself, so you will have to walk up. Someone has to stay and watch the bikes below.

amp322

There is a bike tour where you ride there, see the sights, and then get a van ride back. Is that what you are asking about? I've never done it, but know people who did & it worked out well.

Been to the castle. As others have said, the castle itself is not super memorable, but the environs are beautiful. I think it is worth the excursion, if you have an extra day for a trip of that nature.

Proenza_Preschooler

There is almost nothing inside of Karlstein Castle. There is an interesting table display with cutlery and glassware on view, a few paintings, and a room with a couple of vitrines filled with silver objet d'art.

The crown of a former king (Wenceslas?) that is on display is a replica.

The town is kind of cute. The area around the town is very bucolic and scenic.

I prefer Cesky Krumlov.

Thingorjus

adrienne

Kristina - great photos! Very crisp and clear. I'm salivating looking at the strudel photo! Not fair of you!

What camera are you using?

amp322

Cesky Krumlov is a great town, as Thingorjus said. There are actually lots of possibilities for being active there, many involving water sports. If you are specifically looking for some physical activity, that might be an option to explore. I've seen paddle boats, canoes, etc, out there.

As far as biking in Prague, that would be limited to the river area. The surrounding areas are hilly, and I've never seen bikes there (I'm talking about the most central area. Outskirts are different, but you're probably staying downtown, right?).

You can take great walks/hikes, though, in Petrin Park and Letna Park, and around Vysehrad.

Kristina

Adrienne-
Thanks!
Those photos were taken with my old Nikon 7900 point and shoot. It really was the best strudel ever!

I now use a Nikon D40x DSLR. You can see photos taken with that camera at my main website (not the blog) www.wired2theworld.com.
Look at the Rome 2008 trip for pix taken with the new camera.

Sibelius

Kristina, Thanks for the blog and photos of your Karlstejn trip. The cafe will be easily recognizable now that we know what it looks like. Sorry you had to stand on the train but it sounds like you met more people that way. AMP322, you are correct. This is an organized bike tour where you are provided stops at pubs along the way, lunch when you get there, and a train ticket and schedule so you can hang around the town and castle at your leisure and return to Prague when you want. However, that strudel looks good and I am thinking of taking the train both ways!