CKC1801: Kings and Castles

Day 13 - Budapest to Vienna Sadly all good things must come to an end, and so the first Kings and Castles tour of 2018 must too. It's been a great two weeks for all - we started this tour as motorcyclists, and we leave it as friends! Best of luck to everyone for their next endeavours, and we hope to see you on tour again sometime soon! Day 12 - Budapest Day 11 - Rajecke Teplice to Budapest Another day, another country. After a quick stop in the beautiful village Cicmany we head into the hills and mountains of southern Slovakia for spirited ride, stop for a coffee at a castle hidden in the forest and finally make our way across the river Danube and into Hungary. Day 10 - Krakow to Rajecke Teplice Day 09 - Krakow It's a glorious day in Krakow, Poland's most beautiful city, and it's a perfect day to go exploring.  Walking through the old town we discover some of the most interesting sights so far. St. Mary's Basilica, the Cloth Hall and Wawel Castle are just some of the many attractions Krakow is famous for. An excellent traditional lunch is followed by some fantastic ice cream on the town square. We reconvene in the evening and head out for dinner in the heart of the Jewish quarter. Another great day on our tour.   Day 08 - Stary Jicin to Krakow Today takes us out of the Czech Republic and into Poland, the fourth country of our tour. A quick blast on the motorway and we reach the border where our route takes us onto small country roads heading further East.  Along the route lies the infamous concentration camp of Auschwitz, a memorial to one of the darkest chapters in human history.  We take a guided tour of of the camp and pay our respects to the over 1.1 million people murdered here. From here we tackle the last few miles towards Krakow, our home for the next two nights.   Day 07 - Lazne Belohrad to Stary Jicin Day 06 - Dresden to Lazne Belohrad It is another beautiful day as we leave Dresden behind and head back towards the Czech Republic. Our first stop is on the beautiful little town of Stolpen to visit an old stage coach marker, then on we rode through the sandstone hills of the Zittau mountains. After crossing the border we the ride up the Jeschken moutain, the highest point of today, and take in the sweeping views of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.  Day 05 - Dresden Day 04 - Prague to Dresden Day 03 - Prague Day 02 - Budweis to Prague  Our first full day riding in the Czech Republic and it is a beautiful one. Heading south we visit the UNESCO Wolrd Heritage Site of Cesky Krumlov, then dive deep into the dense woodlands of the Sumava National Park. The roads are tight, twisty and, for the most part, in excellent condition. A true backcountry dream. Heading into Prague our loose group of riders turns into a well-oiled machine and we make it to our hotel in the heart of the city in record time, where the bar is open and serving some excellent local beverages. Day 01 - Vienna to Budweis A very sincere welcome to all the guests for the first Kings and Castles Tour of 2018. We've had a great start to the tour and are really excited for the 13 days on the road. Vienna to Budweiss today, and tomorrow Prague!