Prague to Austria
The Prague to Vienna cycleway follows the Vltava river (Moldau) river which starts near Austria and ends at the river mouth north of Prague where it meets the River Elbe. Routes lead from Kvilda to Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, Týn nad Vltavou, Orlík and Štěchovice to Prague and further through Kralupy and Vltavou to Mělník. The cycleway is part of EuroVelo 7.
At the southern end of this cycleway you can connect to the Danube Cycleway. The Danube cycleway connects nine Danube countries, is 2857 km long, beginning in Donaueshcingen in Germany, and in theory, ends at the Black Sea, in Romania. The Danube cycleway does not really exist much beyond Belgrade. Thousands of cyclists ride parts of the cycleway, and is a popular holiday cycleway in Europe. This cycleway is also EuroVelo 6.
The northern end of this cycleway connects to the Elbe cycleway which begins near Prague and travels first along the Vltava to Melník, where it flows into the Elbe. The Elbe cycleway ends at the North Sea at the North German lowlands near Cuxhaven. The river landscape of the Elbe is famous for its fauna and flora and is largely protected. Bikeline has a guide for this cycleway.
Guides, Maps and Other Information
Friends of Czech Greenways Good overview of routes and useful links.
Prague to Vienna Greenway Has detailed online maps with a description of the route and touristic information along the way. Four map brochures are available and are hard to find on the site so here they are: Prague to Vienna 1 Prague to Vienna 2 Prague to Vienna 3 Prague to Vienna 4.
Greenways in the Czech Republic including the Prague to Vienna Greenway.
EuroVelo 6 follows the Danube in Austria and can be used to connect to other areas including the Inn cycleway in Austria.
Vltava Cycleway. A description of the Vltava route with lots of information about other areas. Lipno is a great area for cycling, has dedicated paths and is very scenic.
Vltava Cycleway. Verlag Esterbauer has a map book for the Vltava, although the route is easy to follow without detailed maps, this guide covers the western portion of the cycleway which is not described elsewhere.
Böhmerwald Site for the riding in the Böhmerwald which covers much of the border near the Czech Republic and Austria.
See the Maps and Guides page for more mapping information.
Map information
There are many cycling apps with maps available for iphone/ android. Here are a couple of the better offline apps.
Can be used to follow this and other routes. Click here for KML files that can be loaded into the app. Prague to Austria, Danube: Passau to Vienna. Place the file in the maps.me bookmarks folder (MapsWithMe/bookmarks or alternately, email/text it to your device and open the file with maps.me. Total Commander works great for managing and opening files.
Guru Maps has the ability to show maps other than OpenStreetMap, in particular OpenCycleMap. KML files can be imported by "opening" the file with Guru. Place the file in a folder or email/text it to your device, press and hold and open with the app. The route will appear in "collections." A user manual is available.
Map brochures for Prague to Vienna: Prague to Vienna 1 Prague to Vienna 2 Prague to Vienna 3 Prague to Vienna 4.
What it is Like
This cycleway starts in Prague at the freeway park in central Prague and quickly becomes rural as you leave Prague and head south. Eventually you reach some wonderful cities to visit such as Budweiser and Czesky Krumlov .
The Prague Vienna greenway starts here under the freeway in Prague on the western side of the Vltava.
At the start of the cycleway.
- Best Season
Late spring into early fall. This area definitely can get a lot of snow in the winter and will have snow into early spring.
- Elevation Changes
The cycleway follows the Vltava through mostly rolling hills and agricultural areas. The cycleway does not closely follow the river but in general the route is not steep and there is not much automobile activity to contend with.
- Ride Quality
The majority of the Vltava cycleway is on well paved quiet roads, and overall is good. But there are sections that are gravel which may be rough but passable on a hybrid bike. The beginning the Vltava cycleway leads to well graveled paths through the Bohemian Forest. The city sections are often on well-developed bike paths, but there are also unpaved sections. Since the cycleway is not always near the river there are long climbs on country roads. The Vltava cycleway is not a typical river cycle path, but a moderately challenging ride through Bohemia.
Riding near Rožmberk Pond which is north of Třeboň. The gravel roads are well compacted and no problem for a sturdy bike with moderately wide tires. This is and interesting historical area, well worth the time to visit.
Near Budweiser. In the urban areas you may find well developed cycle paths.
Riding through the Böhmerwald after leaving Frymburg.
- Travel Tips
On your way from Prague follow the Vltava Cycleways to the reservoir that marks the beginning of the Vltava, this is an excellent area for cycling. Look for Lipno nad Vltavou on the map. There are dedicated bike paths and excellent scenery around the lake. Take the ferry across the lake to continue your ride on the small forest roads into Austria. The Schwarzenberg Canal is crossed on this route. Here is how to do it:
Frymburk, Czech to Rohrbach, Austria
To avoid backtracking to the Vltava route, travel from Frymbruk to Rohrbach in Austria and ride the Mühltalradweg to the Danube. Here is a brochure describing the route and an excellent Internet site for the Böhmerwald which includes the Mühltalradweg. Link to a Frymbruk_Rohrbach KML file showing the route to Rohrbach which has places to stay.