A guidebook to cycling the 1227km (763 mile) Elbe river through Czechia and Germany from its source to the North Sea coast. Possibly the easiest long-distance cycle route in Europe, being almost flat or entirely downhill, this route is suitable for all levels of cyclists and is best experienced April through to October.
- Presented in 29 stages of 21-69km (13-43 miles)
- Suggested schedules include 13, 15, 17 and 19 day options, making this a perfect 2-3 week cycle tour
- Route passes key areas including Prague, Dresden, Magdeburg, Hamburg
- GPX files available to download
- 1:150, 000 mapping provided for each stage
- Detailed information on planning, facilities and accommodation
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Map key
Overview map
Route summary table
Suggested schedules
Introduction
Historical background
Natural environment
The route
Preparation
Getting there and back
Navigation
Accommodation
Food and drink
Amenities and services
What to take
Safety and emergencies
Using this guide
The route
Bohemia
Prologue Vrchlabí to Elbe spring
Stage 1 Elbe spring to Hostinn&##xe9;
Stage 2 Hostinn&##xe9; to Jarom??
Stage 3 Jarom?? to Pardubice
Stage 4 Pardubice to Kolín
Stage 5 Kolín to Nymburk
Stage 6 Nymburk to Prague
Stage 7 Prague to M?lník
Stage 7A L&##xe1;zn? Touše? to M?lník (avoiding Prague)
Stage 8 M?lník to Litom??ice
Stage 9 Litom??ice to D??ín
Stage 10 D??ín to Bad Schandau
Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt
Stage 11 Bad Schandau to Dresden
Stage 12 Dresden to Meissen
Stage 13 Meissen to Riesa
Stage 14 Riesa to Torgau
Stage 15 Torgau to Wittenberg
Stage 16 Wittenberg to Dessau
Stage 17 Dessau to Barby
Stage 18 Barby to Magdeburg
Stage 19 Magdeburg to Rogätz
Stage 20 Rogätz to Tangermünde
Stage 21 Tangermünde to Havelberg
Stage 22 Havelberg to Wittenberge
Stage 23 Wittenberge to Dömitz
Lower Saxony
Stage 24 Dömitz to Bleckede
Stage 25 Bleckede to Geesthacht
Stage 26 Geesthacht to Hamburg
Stage 27 Hamburg to Stade
Stage 28 Stade to Freiburg
Stage 29 Freiburg to Cuxhaven
Appendix A Facilities summary
Appendix B Tourist information offices
Appendix C Youth hostels
Appendix D Ferries, lifting bridges and chairlifts
Appendix E Useful contacts
Appendix F Language glossary
Über den Autor
Mike Wells is an author of both walking and cycling guides. He has been walking long-distance footpaths for 25 years, after a holiday in New Zealand gave him the long-distance walking bug. Within a few years, he had walked the major British trails, enjoying their range of terrain from straightforward downland tracks through to upland paths and challenging mountain routes. He then ventured into France, walking sections of the Grande Randonnee network (including the GR5 through the Alps from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean), and Italy to explore the Dolomites Alta Via routes. Further afield, he has walked in Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Norway and Patagonia.
Mike has also been a keen cyclist for over 20 years. After completing various UK Sustrans routes, such as Lon Las Cymru in Wales and the C2C route across northern England, he then moved on to cycling long-distance routes in continental Europe and beyond. These include cycling both the Camino and Ruta de la Plata to Santiago de la Compostela, a traverse of Cuba from end to end, a circumnavigation of Iceland and a trip across Lapland to the North Cape. He has written a series of cycling guides for Cicerone following the great rivers of Europe.