680 miles. 12 days. 60 hours in the saddle. 16,000 feet of climbing. Three countries, three currencies, and 50 different beers.
Follow the Czech Cycle 3, the EuroVelo 7, and the German D2 from the birthplace of the Pilsner through century-old monarchies, logging roads, and grand canals before crossing the Baltic Sea into Denmark’s Nordic capital — Biketown København.
Part One: The Czech Pours
Arrival: Plzeň
The original plan was to fly into Prague and start cycling from there. But the more I read about the Bohemian city of Plzeň and its place in beer history, the more I needed to start where it all began. In 1842, after locals grew tired of the dark, top-fermented ales that had been the norm, the Plzeň brewery recruited Bavarian brewer Josef Groll to try something different. What he produced was the world’s first bottom-fermented pale lager — the Pilsner, named for the city itself.
Rather than backtrack, I flew into Munich and took a train to Plzeň, then planned to cycle forward to Prague. The train was very reasonable — under 50 euro. Despite a four-hour departure delay from the States, I arrived with enough daylight for a walk around the city and a well-earned Pilsner Urquell.
Plzeň has no shortage of things to occupy a traveler — museums, parks, cafés, and the Pilsner Urquell brewery itself. One could spend two days here without effort.
Dinner at Lokál Pod Divadlem: creamy mushroom soup, Prague ham with whipped horseradish, a Pilsner Urquell Hladinka, and a Šnyt of house unfiltered Kozel black.
Foam rules in the Czech Republic. The Czech Beer Pours — worth reading before you order.
Day 1: Do I Really Have a Plan?
Route: Plzeň > Rokycany > Řevnice
52.84 mi | 2,372 ft climbing | 5:07 moving time | Surface: mostly paved, parts forestry road
It was a bit chilly in the morning, so I delayed the start until the temperature reached the low 50s. My hotel sat right on the town square, and as I stood there taking in the surroundings, two cyclists stopped to ask about my journey and wish me well. One of them turned out to be a Trek tour guide who had clocked my setup.
First goal of the day: find the Pilsner Urquell Brewery for a quick visit, then locate Plzeň’s only Pilsner Urquell tankovna — the place to get the limited unfiltered, unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell fresh from the tank, alongside some Czech beef goulash and bread dumplings.
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It was nearing 13:00 when I finished lunch — half a day behind on a trip that was already extended by 50 miles. I wanted an adventure. I was going to get one.
After lunch I headed out of the city over cycleways and shared paths to connect with Cycleway 3 and the Paneuropa Cycle Track. Once clear of the city, I was greeted by yellow fields of rapeseed before entering a forest that gave way to logging roads and more rapeseed. Through Rokycany I passed the Marian Column and the Church of Our Lady of the Snow. From Rokycany, Cycleway 3 headed southeast over forest trails and lightly traveled roads toward Hrádek and on to Dobřív.
A few miles east of Dobřív stands Vodní hamr Dobřív — a water forge built in the early 19th century on the site of older wooden mills dating to 1658 and 1701. A wooden water channel called a Vantroky fed water from the Hutšký pond to drive four wheels that set vast 19th-century machinery into motion, forging pig iron into semi-finished rod products. The forge ran well into the steel age before switching to heavy blacksmith tools, suspending operations in the 1960s. The same pond supplied water to local glass smelters from the 17th to the 19th century.
I continued on Cycleway 3 toward Strážný vrch, the day’s highest point, where the trail cut through more forest before delivering me to a piece of Czech public art I hadn’t expected.
From Strážný vrch to Řevnice was mostly downhill and flat with the occasional small rise. I followed Cycleway 3 until just outside Komárov, where I briefly shared roadway 117 before the cycleway branched off across more rapeseed fields to join roadway 115 into Řevnice. I rolled in around 20:00.
My stay for the night was an old rail station converted into a microbrewery and small hotel, about 17 miles outside central Prague. After a long, cold day, carrot soup was a welcome sight — along with more beef goulash, a fresh Řevnická 10, and a Řevnická APA at the Pivovar Řevnice.
The passing trains bothered me far less than the jet lag.
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The route covered more terrain and elevation than I had expected. One moment I was traversing dirt logging roads deep in the hilly forest; the next I was rolling over paved cycleways that followed lower ridges lined with rapeseed, the landscape blanketed in yellow, church steeples appearing on the horizon. A tough first day — but I felt great, still unaware of the logistical challenges that lay ahead.
Day 2: The Bramborky
Route: Řevnice > Kleneč
51.93 mi | 1,371 ft climbing | 4:58 moving time | 9:10 elapsed time
My stay included breakfast at the associate hotel a few blocks away — a filling European spread before suiting up for the day.
The morning opened with a 15-mile ride along the Berounka River toward central Prague. As the city drew closer, the rural landscape softened into residential streets, and my route blended with local parks and pedestrian ways filled with joggers and rollerbladers. A few miles from the center the bike path merged with city streets before opening onto a wide pedestrian promenade with small cafés and shops tucked inside the brick wall lining the Berounka as it joined the Vltava. Tour boats were anchored along the bank. I was particularly taken by the large circular glass doors on some of the shops — pivoting on a center fulcrum, opening both directions at once.
Prague is a beautiful city, but not on a bike. It is crowded, and I quickly decided I would have to return one day to explore it properly on foot. For now, a few hours and then ride on — I had time to make up after adding the Plzeň leg.
Once into central Prague I took a left across the Charles Bridge, lined with replicas of the original baroque statues that chronicle Prague’s history — the originals having been moved to the city’s museums for safekeeping. I paused to listen to a multi-piece band, the percussionist on the washboard particularly worth stopping for. I wanted to join in.
Across the bridge into the Malá Strana, I ducked out of the crowds down a side street and stumbled into a small outdoor market where I discovered the bramborky — Czech potato pancakes filled with shredded pork and cabbage. After picking up some dried Czech sausages for snacking along the route, I crossed back over the Vltava to find the Astronomical Clock. It was much larger than I had expected — extraordinary craftsmanship for 1410, when the mechanical arts were still finding their limits.
Before leaving Prague I attempted to visit the Jewish Cemetery, but there was nowhere secure to lock the bike. I caught a glimpse of the stacked graves through the back exit. It has to be seen properly someday.
Heading north out of Prague I followed the most direct route, which in hindsight was a mistake in navigation. It delivered a fine view of the city before leading to a rather steep path and a dead end at the top of a downhill footpath — and then onto a single track running along the top of a high wall bordering the Elbe. Eventually the path turned to paved cycleway, after which I took a ferry across the river to join the EV7. I followed the EV7 until it crossed back over, then continued on local roads and cycle paths north toward Kleneč, where I had a small apartment for the night. Dried sausage, cliff bars, nuts, and dried fruit for dinner.
Possible accommodation challenges were starting to make themselves known. But I liked where I was, and the next few days’ route was taking shape.
Day 3: Trailside Taps
Route: Kleneč > Děčín
47.12 mi | 1,266 ft climbing | 4:20 moving time | 8:28 elapsed time
After a 20-mile ride along the Elbe I visited the grounds of the Terezín fortress. I walked the cramped quarters in silence, pausing to acknowledge what happened there. Some places ask nothing of you except your attention. This was one of them.
North of Terezín lies Litoměřice. Komoot’s routing took me up and over the town, delivering a view across high ridges of rapeseed that stretched to the horizon. One of the day’s better surprises was the Cykločep — a coin-operated trailside beer tap where I enjoyed a Bakalar nealko pivo milk pour. Cold beer, no fanfare, right on the trail. Europe knows how to manage a cyclist’s thirst.
I continued on the EV7 to Ústí nad Labem for lunch at the Na Rychtě Brewery — chicken and potatoes in a cream sauce — before pushing on to Děčín, where I found suitable accommodation with secure bike storage at the Restaurace Kocanda Děčín, which also happened to be a Pilsner Urquell tankovna. The restaurant was closed for the evening, so it was cokes and the last of my sausage and snacks for dinner.
Part Two — Germany: Spring Markets, Long Miles, and Bodega Charcuterie — coming next.