Why this ride
Out of Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav, one way: 400 km, roughly 5 h 37 in the saddle. The stops in between: Lovosice, near Rakovník, near Dobříš and Modřany. Much of it runs through woodland.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Karlštejn and Berounka River · short arc
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 400 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 37
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fuel stop near Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav
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.
Read the complete Fuel stop near Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Karlštejn and Berounka River is where the day begins. Next is Prague / Bohemia return.
2. Near Lovosice, on the way back
On 1 October 1756, on the fields around Lovosice, Frederick the Great's Prussian army fought an Austrian force in the first battle of the Seven Years' War, a conflict that would spread across Europe and around the world. The battle was indecisive, but the Austrians withdrew, and the war went on for seven long years. Today the battlefield is farmland and vineyards, with a few memorials, and the town of Lovosice is a modest industrial place on the Elbe.
Read the complete Near Lovosice, on the way back write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Prague / Bohemia return comes up about 83 km into the recorded legs. Next is Food stop near Rakovník.
3. Food stop near Rakovník
Rakovník guards its old centre with a pair of Gothic gate towers, and the taller of them, the Prague Gate, looks as if it has been borrowed from the capital's skyline. The town is the centre of a rural district west of Prague, known for its hops and beer, and the surrounding countryside is a gentle mix of fields, orchards and wooded hills. It has a calm, slightly sleepy atmosphere that suits a lunch stop well.
Read the complete Food stop near Rakovník write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
A break here. Next is Photo stop near Dobříš.
4. Photo stop near Dobříš
Dobříš is a small town in Central Bohemia, about forty kilometres south-west of Prague, set on the edge of the Brdy, a long range of forested hills. The town is best known for its Rococo chateau, built in the eighteenth century for the Colloredo-Mansfeld family, with formal French gardens and an English-style park. After the Second World War, the chateau served for decades as a retreat for Czechoslovak writers, and it is now open to visitors again.
Read the complete Photo stop near Dobříš write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Photo stop near Dobříš, about halfway. Next is Karlštejn and Berounka River checkpoint 8.
5. Near Modřany
South of Prague, the Vltava leaves the city through a deep, wooded valley, and the suburbs give way to villages, orchards and cliffs. It is a place of transition: the city's traffic behind you, the Bohemian countryside ahead.
Read the complete Near Modřany write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Finish at Karlštejn and Berounka River checkpoint 8. That is the ride. Next is High point near Sázava.
6. High point near Sázava
Sázava is a small town on the river of the same name, east of Prague, best known for its monastery, one of the oldest in Bohemia. The Benedictine abbey was founded in the eleventh century by Saint Procopius, a hermit, and for a time it was a centre of Slavonic liturgy before Latin replaced it. Today, the monastery is a museum, with a Gothic church, Romanesque remains and medieval frescoes.
Read the complete High point near Sázava write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
High point near Sázava comes up about 371 km into the recorded legs. Next is Scenic stretch near Český Brod.
7. Scenic stretch near Český Brod
Český Brod means Czech Ford, and the name tells you why the town exists: a crossing on the old trade road running east from Prague towards Kolín and the Elbe lowlands. Merchants, armies and pilgrims all came this way, and the town grew fat enough on the traffic to build walls. A stretch of fortification and a stout gate tower survive, and the long square, with its church and arcaded houses, is a calm place to sit for ten minutes at the end of a ride.
Read the complete Scenic stretch near Český Brod write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Scenic stretch near Český Brod closes the day.
Leg by leg
Fuel stop near Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav to Near Lovosice, on the way back
Fuel stop near Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav → Near Lovosice, on the way back is 83 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Food stop near Rakovník to Photo stop near Dobříš
Food stop near Rakovník → Photo stop near Dobříš is 104 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Photo stop near Dobříš to Near Modřany
Photo stop near Dobříš → Near Modřany is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
High point near Sázava to Scenic stretch near Český Brod
High point near Sázava → Scenic stretch near Český Brod is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
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