The twin town of Brandýs nad Labem and Stará Boleslav faces itself across the Elbe, and each half carries a different kind of history. Stará Boleslav is where Wenceslas, the duke later venerated as Saint Wenceslas, was murdered by his brother Boleslav in the tenth century. Its basilica became one of the oldest pilgrimage sites in the Czech lands, and on 28 September, the national holiday, pilgrims still arrive in large numbers.
Brandýs, on the other bank, is dominated by its Renaissance château, a favourite hunting seat of the Habsburgs, decorated with sgraffito and surrounded by gardens. The last Austrian emperor, Karl, lived here as a young officer. The old town square, with its arcades and colourful houses, is a lovely place for a break.
The riding nearby is easy-going. The Elbe plain is flat, with long stretches of road between fields and riverside forests. The river is lined with floodplain woods and old meanders, home to herons and beavers, and in summer the air smells of grass and water. Further north, the land rises towards the sandstone country around Mělník and Kokořín, where the roads start to wind among rocks and pine forests.
Traffic can be heavy on the main roads towards Prague, especially at rush hour, and the D10 motorway nearby is a fast but dull option. Prefer the minor roads, but watch for cobbles in the towns and uneven surfaces in villages. The town has plenty of fuel stations, supermarkets and restaurants, as you would expect from a place of almost twenty thousand people. Stop for a coffee on the square in Brandýs, cross the river to the basilica, and then head north towards the rocks and castles.