Kings & Castles CKC2402
After leaving Vienna we quickly reach the Wachau, probably the most beautiful part of Lower Austria. In order to get to the other side of the river we could easily take a bridge, but why should we if we can take a romantic little ferry? Past Melk and the impressive abbey that is visible on the southern side of the Danube we reach Maria Taferl, where we can marvel at the beautiful baroque church, at the wonderful views down to the Danube, and at our lunch. After Maria Taferl we leave the Danube (and we won't see it again until we get to Budapest) and head north, into the woods of the Waldviertel ("forested quarter"). The border checkpoint at Pyhrabruck is not in use anymore since the Czech Republic joined the Schengen Agreement, but you can still see the buildings. From here it is another 15 miles to Budweis.
After a short stop in Ceský Krumlov we go back to nature. Riding through the Böhmerwald, a huge forest area with mountains up to 4,462 ft., is a lot of fun. Nearly no traffic and a lot of twisties: that is paradise for motorcyclists! But in foggy conditions it can be a little scary, because there are no houses or villages for many miles. The castle of Kaspersky is an option for lunch, but it is a thirty minute walk up there – one way.
Prague is not one of the most visited cities in Europe for nothing and it is a city you should definitely explore.
Tiny roads across the Czech "outback" are on our menu today. Melnik, a small town north of Prague, features a beautiful central square (with some lovely cafes!) and an interesting ossuary. After this "bone chilling" experience we continue north, to the Bohemian Switzerland, a beautiful, mountainous region full of dense forest and rugged rock formations. On the other side of the border, in Germany, the region is named Saxonian Switzerland, and the Elbe Sandstone Mountains are the most interesting part of it. From the rock formation known as "Bastei" we enjoy sweeping views of the Elbe valley before we head down to Dresden.
What Prague is to the Czech Republic, Dresden is to the German state of Saxony. Although the city was almost completely destroyed at the end of the Second World War, it has been restored to its former glory. As all the sights are relatively close to each other, it is ideal for combining a day's driving with sightseeing.
This ride starts with a strech of Autobahn and there are two reasons for that: we get around the countless little villages with their 50 km/h limitation and we get to see Görlitz, Germany's easternmost city and one of the most beautiful ones. It has more listed historic buildings than Dresden! In Görlitz we cross the border to Zgorzelec, which is Polish and means - Görlitz. Yes, this used to be one and the same city, until in 1945 the Allied decided to make the Neisse River the border between Germany and Poland, thereby cutting the town in two halves. We ride through Poland for less than half an hour, then go back to the Czech Republic. The pleasant little town of Frýdlant could be the place for our lunch break, then we head towards the Giant's Mountains. We may not see any giants there but if the weather is right we may be able to spot the Snĕžka, the country's tallest mountain. An optional, curvy loop through the foothills could take us across the border to Poland again, but if you can't wait to get to our hotel in the spa town of Láznĕ Bĕlohrad you could shorten your ride by some 60 miles.
This route offers not much sightseeing but a lot of good riding. It will take you into the Eagle's Mountains, a small but pretty mountain range right on the border to Poland. Narrow curvy roads through dense forest, no traffic, beautiful scenery, that's what you can expect from this ride. Once we've left the mountains behind the land becomes more mellow. We ride along endless wheat fields that cover the softly rolling hills from horizon to horizon. This is Moravia, one of the historical Czech lands, and while riding on the bumpy, tree-lined alleys and looking at the sun-drenched land and the forgotten little villages you can't help to think that not much has changed here during the last couple of hundred years.
Eastern Moravia and south-western Poland are densely populated and very industrial, so there's not much pretty scenery to enjoy. We take the expressway to get to the Polish border and some backroads to get to Oświęcim. Here, the former concentration camp of Auschwitz bears testimony to Nazi terror and the Holocaust. Nothing can prepare you for what you see behind these walls, in fact for many people it turned out to be too much. If you want to experience it please use the rest day for an in-depth visit. The museum in Auschwitz is not on our agenda today, but the actual site of the camp is. In Birkenau, just a few minutes from Auschwitz, you can see railroad tracks and the platform where new arrivals were sorted, some remaining barracks, ruined crematoriums, and a huge Holocaust memorial. From Auschwitz, we head straight to Cracow and you can enjoy the rest of the day in this incredibly beautiful city.
Today we experience Krakow in the best weather. Many of us take a guided tour of this wonderful city. Everyone likes it so much that no one wants to go on a motorcycle tour. So everyone finds their own personal highlights here in the city
This is a long and challenging ride. After looking at the amazing wooden church of Dębno we cross the border to Slovakia and circle around the High Tatras clockwise, enjoying some amazing views as we climb up steadily. Tatra Lomnica is the closest you can get to the Tatra Mountains. Tourism is king around here, the best ski resort in Eastern Europe keeps people busy in winter, in summer it’s all about hiking, climbing, bicycling – and motorcycling. If we limit the number of our stops and keep them short enough we might be able to cover the full length of this route. There’s some great roads ahead, so hurry up!
A fairy-tale castle, a historic mining town, beautiful little roads without any traffic - what a wonderful day. On a hot day you could bring your swimming trunks and dip into one of the small lakes high up in the Štiavnické hills. Later in the afternoon we cross the border into Hungary, country No. 6 on this tour.