Elbe Cycle Path and R1: Prague to Berlin

This 13-day self-guided tour links Prague to Berlin. After two days in Prague, riders follow the Vltava and Elbe to Mělník, then via Roudnice and the fortress town of Terezín to Litoměřice, and on through Ústí nad Labem to Děčín. Crossing into Germany, the route passes the rock formations of Saxon Switzerland, the Bastei, Königstein Fortress and Pillnitz Castle to Dresden.

From Dresden, riders continue past Meissen's porcelain town to Riesa, then through rural villages to Torgau and on to Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Here the route leaves the Elbe for the European Cycle Route R1, passing through the Hoher Fläming nature reserve to Bad Belzig, then via Beelitz's asparagus country to Potsdam and its palaces, before a final stage into central Berlin via the Glienicke Bridge and Wannsee.

Highlights:

• Mělník, where the Vltava meets the Elbe, in Bohemia's wine country
• Saxon Switzerland's rock formations, the Bastei and Königstein Fortress
• Baroque Dresden and porcelain town Meissen
• UNESCO-listed Lutherstadt Wittenberg, tied to Martin Luther
• Hoher Fläming nature reserve and Bad Belzig's spa
• Potsdam's Sanssouci Castle and a Glienicke Bridge crossing into Berlin

Surface and terrain:
Mostly paved Elbe Cycle Path and R1 route riding, with light country-road sections in the Czech stages. Rated "easy to average" difficulty. Not suitable for riders with mobility impairments.

Suitable for:
Riders of easy to average fitness wanting a long, flat, self-guided journey between two capitals, with daily distances of 35-70 km. Bookable from a single traveller.