My wife and I are beginning to plan a Amsterdam to Athens ride in the Summer of 2018. We are planning on going through Prague. At this stage the easy-planning option is to ride along the Rhine till Mainz, then ride along the Main to Bamberg, then make our way to Prague. Does anyone with experience of riding in Germany think this would be an appealing route? Is there any other route that we should consider. Any advice would be welcome, as would recommendations for paper maps for this part of the ride.
Amsterdam to Prague
Sun, 2017-08-13 05:21
#1
WS Member
Amsterdam to Prague
I used "Fahrradkarte" from "Kompass" as a paper map for Germany. The map is very detailed, and it has marked a lot of recommended cycling routes. You can get maps from Amazon - https://www.amazon.de/Bodensee-Umgebung-Fahrradkarte-detailgenau-recherchiert/dp/3850262790?tag=duc02-21 . Also, you can get a lot of other cycling maps for Germany here - https://www.bike24.de/1.php?mid=0;pgc=0;menu=7,54;content=7 .
For the Czech Republic, you can get those detailed maps with marked bike paths - http://www.shocart.cz/turisticke-a-cykloturisticke-atlasy/
Thanks, Janis. That is excellent information. I do use electronic maps at time but I find there is nothing better than a paper map to give me an overall perspective.
Hi Joe,
I am planning a similar trip for 2018 but backward. I am riding from Prague to Amsterdam following the Elbe to Hamburg and then west to Amsterdam along various bike routes/roads. I am actually doing a grand circle from Amsterdam up the Rhine, switch to down the Danube to Budapest, train to Prague etc.
David
Thanks David. We rode the Danube in 2014 so are looking for an alternative route across Central Germany. We have friends between Bamberg and Nurnberg to call on so we will probably just ride the Rhein and the Main.
You can check out EuroVelo (6?) or Biroto to find bicyles routes across Europe.
I cycled across Germany following some nice bicyles routes but I went to Berlin (clem.travelmap.net)
I like that Biroto site! I have been able to borrow a couple of Bikeline books so will use those to direct us along the Rhein and the Main Rivers. Thanks for your response.
I cycled from Uzhgorod to Amsterdam this summer, and Prague was on my route. From Prague I followed the eurovelo 4 GPX track (downloaded it from the eurovelo website). In fact, eurovelo 4 exists only as a track fo gps, no signs on the cycling roads. I went to Karlovy Vary, then crossed the border near Hohenberg, and followed Main\Rhein radweg (sometimes I made it shorter)
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1Gog9Mz6LNhqUqo9Tm6QgC0wusRg&ll=50.22602289869603%2C13.284057999999959&z=6
Thanks, Oleksandr. We will use the Main and Rhein radwegs but we will also have a look at Eurovelo 4 for the section from Bamberg to Prague.
Hello !
I cycled through Bavaria two years ago, and there were a lot of cycling lanes and country sides roads were also great for cycling... From Amsterdam to Praha, you would be on EV4, check http://www.eurovelo.com/en/eurovelos/eurovelo-4 ... regarding the maps, I would rather use maps.me than a paper map. I used for travelling through Armenia and Iran this summer, and it turned out to be very helpful.
Regards
Thanks Alexandre. You are the second person to recommend EV4. We'll certainly have a look at that. I agree about Maps.Me, I used them in Patagonia this year and will probably consult that app on our ride next year.
Your planned route to Bamburg is a lovely, flat route. There are plenty of camping grounds along that route plus most canoe/kayak clubs are happy to let cycle tourists stay for a nominal fee ( usually includes use of the clubroom showers.) I also did some relaxed camping at the side of the river.
Thanks, Biffy. My wife likes to do 'flat'. It should be a relaxed sort of ride till we get past Bamberg.
sorry -
Hi there,
I rode most of this route on a short tour from Wroclaw to Friedrichshafen a few years back. Most of the route was good, although in the Czech Republic I ran into doable gravel roads.
Here is the route, auf Deutsch
Avoid the hotel in Dobrany, check out the trip advisor reviews...
There is a couple of nice ways to get to Regensburg from Bamberg, like the Main-Donau-Kanal. Regensberg can be a highlight of the trip.
All the best
Robert
Jary Poland via Spokane USA
Thanks, Robert. We agree about Regensburg; we rode through there in 2014 when we rode from Istanbul to Paris, mainly along the Daanube. In fact the World Cup final was taking place the night we were in Regensburg. It has a lot of history and a very nice feel about it. After Bamberg we want to ride across country from Bamberg to Prague before heading south to Austria.
If you pass through rotterdam, you are welcome to stay with us.
Thank you Adrian and Hanneke, for your offer to stay with you in Rotterdam. We have just booked our flight tickets and will arive 11th July. I will soon start some definite planning of our route. Then I will be able to let you know if we are going through Rotterdam.
Regards
Joe