Cycling stops in Czechia

234 places · 12 routes · Czech Republic

Czechia is castle country: ride almost any river valley and something medieval watches you from a hill.

The riding runs from the Moravian wine hills in the south-east to the woods west of Prague, mostly on quiet roads between villages three or four kilometres apart. The point is never the destination. It is what you roll past on the way.

A landscape somebody designed

The corner where Moravia meets Austria is not scenery that happened. Two centuries of Liechtenstein princes shaped the country between Lednice and Valtice into a single composed park, and they built follies across it to be looked at from each other. The Minaret carries a 302-step spiral staircase to three stacked galleries, and from the top the view runs over the whole estate to the Pálava hills and, on a clear day, the White Carpathians. The Tři Grácie pavilion was sited to face a companion building across a pond, one of several staged sightlines built deliberately into the estate.

It is flat, which for once is the point: you can ride the whole composition in an afternoon and the distance between follies is the exhibit.

Pálava, and the wine under it

One limestone ridge rises out of the vineyards above the Nové Mlýny reservoirs and everything in this part of the map arranges itself around it. People have used the Děvín ridge for at least thirty thousand years: the summit carries hillfort earthworks refortified from the Iron Age into the Great Moravian period, and the amber road up the Dyje valley passed close by. Mikulov's castle sits on its own limestone hill at the end of it, held by the Liechtensteins from 1249 and rebuilt in Baroque by the Dietrichsteins; Napoleon stopped there on 12 December 1805.

The wine is not a souvenir here. Sonberk, Gurdau, Lahofer and the U Kapličky cellars all sit on riding roads with tasting rooms open to anyone who arrives, and Šobes is a vineyard inside a national park on a bend of the Dyje.

Brno, and a battlefield you can ride across

Brno holds the one building here that people travel specifically to see: in Vila Tugendhat the two full-height glass walls of the living room retract completely into the floor, opening the room onto the terrace. Fritz and Greta Tugendhat lived in it for eight years before fleeing in 1938.

East of the city the ground is farmland with a monument on it. Austerlitz was fought across these fields in 1805, and the Cairn of Peace exists because a Brno priest, Alois Slovák, spent years walking the battlefield and could not accept that the dead had no grave anyone remembered. It took him over a decade to get a foundation stone, and the monument he got honours no side's victory. Pracký kopec and Žuráň, the rises the commanders used, are a short ride away and read as ordinary hills until you know.

Start here

Vila TugendhatMuseum · BrnoA UNESCO-listed modernist villa designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich.zámek LedniceCastle · LedniceThe centerpiece of the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of Czechia's most visited chateaus.MinaretObservation towerAt 64.8 metres high, this Romantic tower is the second-oldest surviving observation tower in the Czech Republic and the only minaret in the country.Tři GrácieAttractionA neoclassical summerhouse with a colonnade and a thatched roof, featuring a statue group known as the Three Graces.Děvín (peak · 550 m)Peak · 550 mDěvín's two peaks reach 550 metres, making it the highest point in the Pavlov Hills and the Pálava Protected Landscape Area.zámek MikulovCastleA heritage-listed castle whose 1945 fire destroyed key anthropological finds from prehistoric Czech sites.SonberkCaféSonberk is a winery above Popice near Mikulov, its wood-glass-concrete building designed by architect Josef Pleskot.Mohyla míruMonumentThe first peace memorial in Europe, built to honor the fallen in the Battle of Austerlitz.Arcibiskupský zámekCastleSeat of the bishops and archbishops of Olomouc, rebuilt in Baroque style from 1664 after Swedish troops burned it, the palace and its 17th-century Pleasure G…Znojemský hradCastleZnojmo Castle stands in the town center.Šobes VineyardLandmarkŠobes is one of the Czech Republic's oldest and most celebrated vineyards, on a south-facing slope in a bend of the Dyje inside Podyjí National Park.PernštejnCastle · NedvědiceOne of the best-preserved Gothic castles in Central Europe, its marble-framed windows crowning a rock spur above the Svratka valley.

Cafés

AkvárkoCaféThe restaurant at Stupava's ski and leisure area, deep in the Chřiby hills, with a terrace, dedicated space for cyclists, and a small zoo corner of Cameroon …AuGUSTOCaféAuGUSTO is the restaurant and bar of the Hotel Augustiniánský dům spa hotel in Luhačovice.BajkavárnaCaféBajkavárna is a café and cycling boutique in central Zlín, entered from Kvítková street, that pairs a coffee bar with a shop selling cycling apparel from bra…Bukovanský mlýnCaféBukovanský mlýn is a windmill-shaped lookout tower built in 2004 near Kyjov, with a hotel and restaurant complex around it in the Moravian Slovácko style.Café FaraCafé · KlentniceA former Baroque vicarage next to Klentnice's Church of St.Cafelier No. 523Café · Kostelec na HanéA cafe and confectionery in a converted house in Kostelec na Hane, opened by former teacher Marketa Rozsivalova on Friday the 13th, 2018.Chata KohútkaCaféChata Kohútka is a mountain hotel and restaurant on the Javorníky ridge, on the Czech-Slovak border in the Wallachia region, part of the Kohútka ski and bike…CoCo CoffeeCafé · BlanskoSpecialty coffee on Blansko's main square, run by a barista who cut her teeth managing a café in Dublin and now judges international coffee competitions.Cukrárna SukCafé · Česká TřebováA family-run confectionery on Česká Třebová's main square, making classic Czech pastries by hand since 1925.Ella má kávuCafé · ŠtěchoviceA family-run café, bakery and home-décor shop on the bank of the Vltava in Štěchovice, right along the Vltava cycling route.Gurdau WineryCaféGurdau Winery is a boutique winery in Kurdějov, South Moravia, founded in 2012 by Jaromír Gala and Zdeněk Hort, housed since 2022 in a striking curved concre…Hospůdka U KorunkyCaféA plain-fronted pub near Lednice's town square serving hearty Czech dishes, roasted trout, grilled pork sirloin, steak tartare, that ranks as the town's top …Jako DomaCafé · SobotkaA family-run cafe on Sobotka's main square known for homemade pastries and cakes made from Petr Tanecek's grandmother's recipes, popular enough that customer…Kafé 133Café · Nové Město na MoravěA rustic, cottage-style cafe with a picture gallery on the main square of Nové Město na Moravě, known for quality coffee and cake and a courtyard terrace.Kafe z rukyCafé · VeltrusyA specialty coffee window built into the historic main gate of Veltrusy castle park, run by barista and bartender Petr Hübl.Kafe ŽebříkCaféKafe Žebřík is a family-run specialty coffee café on the edge of Sušice, the gateway town to the Šumava foothills.Kavárna klubu CrossCafé · PrahaLook for the enormous scrap-metal sculpture bristling outside a tall yellow warehouse in Holešovice, that oversized industrial artwork marks Cross Club, and …LA VILLA RestaurantCaféLA VILLA is a Michelin-starred restaurant in a 1941 villa built for a Baťa-company director, set in a quiet, green corner of Zlín.Lahofer WineryCaféLahofer Winery, based in Dobšice near Znojmo, is one of the Czech Republic's largest wine producers, farming over 500 hectares of vineyards.Lesní penzion BunčCaféLesní penzion Bunč is a forest guesthouse and restaurant on the main ridge of the Chřiby hills at 479 metres, run since 1924 as a tourist lodge by the Klub č…Levandulová kavárnaCafé · ZábřehA lavender-themed café on Zábřeh's main square, the town outlet of the nearby Bezděkov lavender farm.LongusCafé · KyjovA Viennese-style cafe and pastry shop on Kyjov's main square, in a restored Art Nouveau building, known for in-house cakes and gelato from its own pastry kit…MA:ME KAFECafé · ŠternberkMA:ME KAFE is a specialty coffee spot on Šternberk's historic Horní náměstí, known for rotating single-origin espresso and filter coffee from roasters like K…Mistro BistroCafé · StožecA family bistro in Stožec, deep inside the Šumava national park: homemade daily soups, grilled sausage and cheese, strudel and poppy seed cake from local ing…Monogram Espresso BarCaféMonogram Espresso Bar is a small specialty coffee bar in a historic building on Kapucínské náměstí in central Brno, near the train station.North caféCafé · TepliceNorth café is one of the few specialty coffee stops in Teplice, set right on Zámecké náměstí with castle-square views.Penzion ZikmundovCaféPenzion Zikmundov is a guesthouse and restaurant on a restored farmstead in the Chřiby hills near Staré Hutě, below Buchlov Castle, once owned by the Berchto…Pivovarská Humna (Rožnovský pivovar)CaféPivovarská Humna is the restaurant of Rožnovský pivovar in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, set in the brewery's reconstructed former malthouse within the Rožnovské piv…Restaurant OctárnaCaféRestaurant Octárna is the restaurant of a small hotel set in a former Franciscan monastery in the historic centre of Kroměříž, its name recalling the vinegar…RígrovkaCafé · Kralupy nad VltavouA training café in Kralupy nad Vltavou run by the local charity, staffed by people building the skills to re-enter the job market.SonberkCaféSonberk is a winery above Popice near Mikulov, its wood-glass-concrete building designed by architect Josef Pleskot.Valašská hospůdka HoralCaféValašská hospůdka Horal is the public restaurant at Wellness Hotel Horal in Resort Valachy, Velké Karlovice, in the Beskydy mountains.VčeraCafé · HořoviceThe Czech Republic's first Alzheimer-friendly cafe, run by the nonprofit Dementia to support people with dementia and their caregivers.veloCAFÉCafé · KroměřížveloCAFÉ fills the arcaded ground floor of a 17th-century house on Kroměříž's Grand Square, a family-run café built around top-quality espresso, homemade des…Vinařství U KapličkyCaféVinařství U Kapličky is a family winery in Zaječí, in South Moravia's Velkopavlovická wine sub-region, producing wine from its own vineyards since 2005.

Food

Akciový pivovar DalešiceFood stop · DalešiceBrewery restaurant at the real filming location for Jiří Menzel's 1980 film Postřižiny, based on Bohumil Hrabal's novella.Café ImperialRestaurant · PrahaRiding along Na Poříčí in Prague's Nové Město, look up at the ornate façade of the five-star Hotel Imperial, built in 1913–1914 to designs by architect Jaros…DemínkaRestaurant · Praha 2On the corner of Škrétova and Anglická streets in Vinohrady, this is one of Prague's longest continuously running restaurants, still fitted out with the Art …Hotel RanklFood stop · Horská KvildaA mountain hotel at 1,075 m in Horská Kvilda, the highest-elevation village in Czechia, run by two former racers, with a restaurant serving Czech food in tra…Pekárna a pivovar KvildaFood stop · KvildaThe highest-elevation bakery in the Czech Republic, at a crossroads of cycling routes in the heart of Šumava.TVARGFood stop · Velká BystřiceTVARG pairs a working microbrewery with a tvarůžky (curd cheese) dairy in vaulted 16th-century cellars, six taps pouring unfiltered beer straight from the tank.U větrného mlýnaFood stop · KuželovA traditional Horňácko-style restaurant and guesthouse standing beneath the Kuželov windmill, serving home-style regional cooking such as duck leg confit wit…Únětický pivovarFood stop · ÚněticeA revived 1710 brewery whose garden and taproom are a fixture for cyclists riding out from Prague, pouring Únětice beer straight from the tank alongside hone…Viniční altánRestaurant · PrahaThis elegant wooden pavilion sits on a terraced slope in Havlíčkovy sady park, its view sweeping across the old vineyard down toward Nusle, worth the short d…

Climbs, views & nature

Bílá horaPeak · 381.5 mCresting this broad, grassy plateau (381 m) at Prague's western edge, riders find a stone memorial mound and a clear view over the rooftops below, unremarkab…BrdoPeak · 587 mThe highest peak in the Chřiby range and the entire Central Moravian Carpathians, with a stone lookout tower at its summit.BumbálkaPass · 870 mAt 870 m, this pass on the Czech–Slovak border carries the main European watershed and the E442 road.Buštěhradská haldaPeak · 357 mThe flat-topped hill that dominates the view from the northeast was carried here load by load.CHKO Bílé KarpatyProtected areaThe highest mountain range in the western edge of the Carpathian mountain system.CHKO Litovelské PomoravíProtected areaA naturally meandering river system with floodplain forests that historically protected surrounding towns from flooding.Děvín (peak · 310 m)Peak · 310 mRiders climbing out of Prokopské údolí can spot Děvín's summit crowned by three slender steel cylinders, a 50 m water tower built in 1977 by architect Karel …Děvín (peak · 550 m)Peak · 550 mDěvín's two peaks reach 550 metres, making it the highest point in the Pavlov Hills and the Pálava Protected Landscape Area.HádyPeak · 424.3 mA hill with a radio and TV tower on its summit is one of the few outside Brno visible from the city center.Hora ŘípNature · CtiněvesThe mythical mountain of the Czech founding legend: an extinct volcano rising alone from the Elbe lowland, topped by a Romanesque rotunda rebuilt in 1126.HostýnPeak · 736 mA hill with a pilgrimage church at its summit, the site of a Virgin Mary miracle legend.Jurkovičova rozhlednaObservation towerA steel observation tower built in 2012 on Karlova hora above the Valašské muzeum v přírodě.KalvárieViewpointThree stone crosses and a cave symbolizing the Holy Sepulchre mark the end of the original old pilgrimage route from Pelešany.Kateřinská jeskyněCaveA cave where the Punkva River emerges from underground.Kavčí horyPeak · 266 mRiders on the Vltava's right-bank path through Podolí pass right beneath this outcrop's most striking feature: a sheer quarried cliff of Paleozoic limestone,…Kelčský JavorníkPeak · 864 mAt 864 m, Kelčský Javorník is the highest peak of the Hostýn range, part of the Hostýn-Vsetín Mountains.KlášťovPeak · 753 mThe highest point of the Vizovice Uplands at 753 meters, with a notable view from its southern slope.Klucanina rozhlednaViewpointFrom the platform the Svratka valley spreads out below, framed by the silhouette of Květnice hill.Kozí hrádekViewpointA late-Gothic artillery tower on Kozí vrch, the only surviving structure of a 15th-century fortress complex.Králův stolecViewpoint · ZnojmoKrálův stolec is a wooden viewpoint gazebo perched on a prominent ridge above the Dyje river at the end of the Znojmo reservoir's backwater, within Podyjí Na…Kraví horaPeak · 304 mA planetarium and observatory atop a hill in Brno's central basin.KvětnicePeak · 470 m · TišnovKvětnice is a distinctive double-peaked hill and nature reserve rising to 470 m above the town of Tišnov, protected as part of the Natura 2000 network for it…Macocha AbyssLandmarkThe Macocha Abyss is a collapsed karst sinkhole above Vilémovice, dropping 138.5 metres to become the deepest of its kind in Central Europe.Mariánská vyhlidkaViewpointThis is the best lookout in the whole Hruboskalsko rock city, a 360 m outcrop in the Dračí skály about 1.5 km from Hrubá Skála château, with the Sahara, Dvan…MinaretObservation towerAt 64.8 metres high, this Romantic tower is the second-oldest surviving observation tower in the Czech Republic and the only minaret in the country.Mladějovská horkaPeak · 363 mRiders passing Mladějov will spot this cone-shaped hill rising just southwest of the village, its summit scarred by old stone quarries that carved ravines ac…Mohelenská hadcová stepNature · MohelnoA dwarf-plant steppe on rare serpentinite rock, perched above a sharp bend of the Jihlava river known as the Devil's Tail.národní přírodní památka Barrandovské skályNature reserveA protected natural monument featuring unique rock formations and rare plant species.Plešné jezeroNature · Nová PecA glacial lake in a cirque below Plechý, the highest peak of the Czech Šumava, framed by a 250 m rock wall.Pracký kopecPeak · 324 mThe highest point of the Slavkov battlefield, where the Battle of the Three Emperors took place in 1805.přírodní památka Hostivické rybníkyNature reserveIn the reign of Rudolf II these fishponds supplied water to Prague Castle.přírodní památka Modřanská rokleNature reserveThe Libuš creek cut down far enough here to expose readable geological profiles in the sides of the gully, with riparian forest along the water and warm, dry…přírodní rezervace Prokopské údolíNature reserveA natural reserve formed around a former lime quarry that created a lake and cave.PřivýšinaPeak · 463.8 mPřivýšina is the highest point of the Prachovská pahorkatina at 464 m, and its summit rock, the Vyhlídka Václava Čtvrtka viewpoint, opens a clear view south …Punkevní jeskyněCaveThe Punkva Caves contain the deepest light hole-type sinkhole in Central Europe, at 138.7 meters.Rozhledna Andrlův chlumNature · Ústí nad OrlicíA 50-meter steel lookout tower on the summit above Ústí nad Orlicí, nicknamed 'Stříbrná krasavice' (Silver Beauty) for its slender silver frame.Rozhledna DědObservation towerA squat 12-metre brick tower crowns the forested summit of Děd (492 m) above Beroun, its silhouette breaking the treeline on the climb up from the valley, th…Rozhledna FloriánkaObservation towerA lookout tower named Floriánka, the only one in the region built to honor a local grape variety.Rozhledna Městská HoraObservation towerThe concrete tower crowns the wooded hill just west of Beroun's old town, and the climb to its covered terrace rewards you with a wide view over the town's r…Rozhledna Na PodlužíLandmarkA 30-metre steel lookout tower shaped like an oil derrick, built at the end of 2009 on a rise between Nový Poddvorov and Prušánky to commemorate Podluží's hi…Rozhledna SlunečnáObservation towerA viewing tower on a 225-meter elevation in the Nadzahrady wine trail, located on the Modrá hory cycling route.rozhledna VyšickoObservation tower · MutěniceRozhledna Vyšicko is a wooden observation tower with a triangular ground plan, built in 2018 on the Vyšicko hill above the wine-growing village of Mutěnice.Sloupsko-šošůvské jeskyněCaveA network of underground chambers and passages connected to the largest cave in the Czech Republic, with a 35 km system total.Šobes VineyardLandmarkŠobes is one of the Czech Republic's oldest and most celebrated vineyards, on a south-facing slope in a bend of the Dyje inside Podyjí National Park.Stezka nad vinohradyObservation towerA viewing tower on Kobylí vrch (Homole) at 334 m above sea level, built in 2018 by local residents and designed by Brno-based Keeo4design.Stolová horaPeak · 458 m · KlentniceStolová (Tabulová) hora is a flat-topped limestone ridge in the Pálava hills near Klentnice, part of the rampart linking Mikulov, Děvín, and Turold.Stránská skálaPeak · 310.8 mA protected paleontological site from the Mid-Pleistocene-Cromerian interglacial, one of the most important in Central Europe.Svatý kopečekPeak · MikulovA protected nature reserve featuring a 363-meter hill with Jurassic limestone outcrops and a prominent church tower and chapel complex overlooking Mikulov.TelečekPeak · 397.4 mTeleček (399 m) is Prague's highest point, though technically it lies on the city boundary near Sobín, about 1.2 km south of built-up areas and 0.5 km north …Trubínský vrchPeak · 370 mA protected natural monument with a steep southern slope rising 70 meters above the Trubínský potok, featuring rare thermophilic species on Ordovician basalt.U LiduškyObservation towerA steel observation tower built in 2021, rising above the Svitava Valley and Těsnohlídkový Valley.ÚhošťPeak · 591.5 mA hill in the Doupov Mountains with a recorded elevation of 593 metres, historically associated with the Battle of Wogastisburg in 631 AD.Valdická bránaViewpointValdická brána anchors Jičín's main square, Valdštejnovo náměstí, and the climb up its 156 steps to a viewing platform at 32 metres, inside a tower now 52 me…Vávrova vyhlídkaViewpointThe Vltava's riverside cycle path passes directly below these limestone cliffs, and the two-metre wooden viewing platform crowning them, designed by architec…Velká hůraPeak · 458 mThis steep, forested cone rises abruptly 2 km east of Mladějov and is one of Český ráj's celebrated viewpoints, its rocky summit opening a panorama across th…VidoulePeak · 371 mRising as one of Prague's highest points and one of the city's last undeveloped table-top hills, Vidoule appears suddenly above the rooftops of Jinonice, a g…Vraní skálaViewpointFour quartz-rock towers over twenty metres tall rise from the ridge above Svatá, the largest such formation in the whole northwestern Barrandien and the high…Vyhlídka na KapeluViewpointA rocky viewpoint offering a view over the Kapely rock formations and the Kapelník rock.ZebínPeak · 399.5 mClimb the short, steep path from Jičín and the reward is a wide panorama across the Bohemian Paradise skyline, the Prachov rocks, Trosky's twin towers, and t…ŽuráňViewpointŽuráň (286m) holds a 5th–6th century Germanic tumulus and was the command post from which Napoleon surveyed the Battle of Austerlitz on 2 December 1805.

History & landmarks

Apollonův chrámMonumentA heritage-listed neoclassical temple from the early 19th century in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lednice-Valtice.Archeopark PavlovMuseum · PavlovA museum built into the earth on the site of a Paleolithic settlement, with white concrete skylights mimicking local limestone cliffs.Arcibiskupský zámekCastleSeat of the bishops and archbishops of Olomouc, rebuilt in Baroque style from 1664 after Swedish troops burned it, the palace and its 17th-century Pleasure G…Atom muzeum Javor 51Landmark · BorovnoA former Soviet nuclear warhead depot dug into the Brdy hills, the only one of its kind still standing and open to visitors.Bazilika Nanebevzetí Panny MarieChurchBasilica minor atop Svatý Hostýn, completed 1747.Bazilika Navštívení Panny MarieCathedral · Svatý Kopeček, OlomoucOne of Czech Republic's most-visited pilgrimage churches, a twin-towered Baroque basilica crowning a hill above Olomouc.Bazilika sv. ProkopaLandmark · TřebíčOne of Central Europe's finest Romanesque-Gothic churches: a vaulted crypt borrowed from southern France, a floor plan from southern Germany, and a portal ec…Bazilika VelehradLandmarkThe Basilica of the Assumption of Mary and Saints Cyril and Methodius at Velehrad is the most visited pilgrimage site in the Czech Republic, a Baroque church…BelvederCastlePart of the 283-square-kilometre Lednicko-valtický complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site with Baroque, Neoclassical, and neo-Gothic architecture designed by …Bitva na Bílé hořeBattlefieldRiders crossing this quiet plateau west of Prague are crossing a battlefield where a single hour reshaped Central Europe for two centuries.Bitva na VítkověBattlefieldThe short, steep climb up Vítkov hill rewards riders with one of Prague's best panoramas, and a colossal bronze horseman waiting at the top.BlansekCastleBlansek is a substantial castle ruin overlooking the Punkva valley in the Moravian Karst.Branické ledárnyBuilding · BraníkA late Secession-era industrial complex that once stored natural ice, now a protected monument in decline.BuchlovCastleOne of Moravia's oldest and best-preserved castles, built as a royal hunting seat in the 13th century on a wooded ridge in the Chřiby hills.ČepičkaRuinsA forested hilltop at 391 m just west of Předklášteří, worth the short detour off the bike, since three tiers of ramparts and ditches are still clearly trace…Červený ÚjezdCastle · UnhošťYou'll spot this turreted, moat-ringed castle rising oddly among the fields west of Prague, it looks centuries old but was built entirely in 2001–2002.chrám sv. MořiceChurchSt.Církev Ježíše Krista Svatých posledních dnůPlace of worship · Uherské HradištěA Latter-day Saint church building, one of only a few such congregations in the Czech Republic.DěvičkyCastleA ruin of a 13th-century Gothic castle on a 428-meter-high limestone cliff.Domek T. G. MasarykaMuseum · ČejkoviceDomek T.Františkánský klášterMonasteryRoll into Turnov's main square and the trees on the northeast corner give way to a long convent facade with a squat bell tower, that's the old Franciscan mon…Františkánský KlášterPlace of worshipMonastery with a 15th-century church and vineyard gardens on the Ohře riverbank.Hamousův statekMuseumA state-owned, heritage-listed rural estate from significant historical stature, preserved in exceptional condition.HolštejnCastleA ruined castle, protected as a cultural monument since 1964.Hrad BítovLandmark · BítovOne of Moravia's oldest and largest castles, its neo-Gothic towers crown a rocky promontory above the Vranov Reservoir where the Zeletavka meets the Dyje.Hrad BouzovLandmark · BouzovOne of Moravia's most photographed castles, its Neo-Gothic towers and turrets became the fairytale backdrop for dozens of Czech films and the Italian series …Hrad BrumovCastleA ruin of a 13th-century castle that once guarded the Vlárský Pass into Hungary.Hrad KostLandmark · LibošoviceOne of Bohemia's best-preserved Gothic castles, its pale stone walls rise straight from a rocky spit between two brooks rather than a hillside, crowned by a …hrad KřivoklátCastleRiding into the Křivoklátsko forests, the castle appears suddenly on its rock spur above the Rakovník stream valley, a Gothic silhouette worth the climb up f…hrad MalenoviceCastleHrad Malenovice has held this ground since the second half of the 14th century, at the Malenovice end of Zlín.Hrad ŠpilberkCastleA fortress prison that was the harshest in the Austrian Empire.Hrad SvojanovLandmark · SvojanovOne of Bohemia's oldest stone castles, founded around 1262 by King Přemysl Otakar II to guard the Trstenice trade route.hrad TroskyCastleIts two dark towers crown a pair of basalt volcanic plugs and are visible for miles across Bohemian Paradise, making Trosky the single most recognizable silh…Hradiště sv. HypolitaMuseumA protected medieval hillfort site with archaeological remains from the Great Moravian period.Hraniční zámečekCastleBuilt by the Liechtensteins in the 1820s directly on the border between Moravia and Lower Austria, one half of this classicist château stood in each country.HumprechtCastleClimb the short lane up its basalt hill and the pointy-domed silhouette of Humprecht comes into view above Sobotka, the tower is worth the extra pedal stroke…Jáma EngerthAttractionA quiet forest clearing northeast of Kladno's Ostrovec district hides one of the region's deadliest 19th-century coal mines, worth a slow pass for the memori…Janův hradCastle · PodivínA 19th-century artificial ruin built as part of the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape, preserved as a protected monument.Karlštejn CastleLandmarkA Gothic castle built in 1348 to house the Imperial Regalia and Bohemian crown jewels.klášter HájekBuildingRiders on the pilgrimage path from Prague's Loreta suddenly find a walled Baroque cloister rising out of flat, otherwise treeless farmland, a genuine archite…Klášter Vyšší BrodLandmark · Vyšší BrodOne of only two Cistercian abbeys still standing in the Czech Republic, its Gothic-Baroque complex above the Vltava holds the country's third-largest histori…Klášterní HradiskoBuildingA former Premonstratensian monastery, now a military hospital, located on a hill northeast of Olomouc.Kolektivní dům, kulturní centrum, MŠBuildingThe Kolektivní dům (1945–1950) was Czechoslovakia's first collective housing building: a 12-storey structure with 102 flats, a restaurant, and nursery, desig…Kolonáda na RajstněAttractionA neoclassical colonnade at the highest point of the Lednice-Valtice area, built 1817-1823 as Prince Jan I of Liechtenstein's memorial to his father and brot…Kostel sv. DuchaChurchChurch of the Holy Spirit in Staré Město was designed by Slovenian architect Ivo Goropevšek and began construction in 2002; the interior remains incomplete.Kostel sv. KunhutyPlace of worshipChurch of St.KozlovRuinsReached by a short climb above the hamlet of Košov, Kozlov's overgrown earthworks hide one of the region's odder relics: a passage cut straight into the mela…Krista spasiteleChurchKrista spasitele is a church and community centre in Prague 5's Barrandov neighbourhood, completed in late 2020.Kryt FolimankaMuseum · Praha 2Kryt Folimanka is a Cold War nuclear-fallout shelter dug into the hillside of Folimanka park, its unassuming armoured door on Pod Karlovem street (opposite h…Lánská koněspřežkaRailwayA preserved section of Europe's third-oldest public railway, dating to 1830.Leontýnský zámekCastleA heritage-listed castle on the site of a former estate in Obora.Letohrádek Portz InselCastleThe cycling route between Mikulov and Valtice crosses a 95-metre, 15-arch brick bridge, for centuries the only way onto the island, to a fortified lodge that…Lovecký zámečekMonumentA small classicist hunting lodge in the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape, preserved as a protected monument.lovecký zámeček DřevíčCastleA hunting lodge where politician Karel Schwarzenberg lived from 1991 until his death.Lovecký zámeček PohanskoLandmarkAn Empire-style hunting lodge built 1811-1812 for Prince Jan I of Liechtenstein, standing directly on the rampart of a major Great Moravian stronghold.Mahenovo divadloBuildingThe first public building in the world lit entirely by electric light.Melicharovo muzeumMuseumHoused in the former town hall (house no.MírovCastleA castle repurposed as a prison since the 20th century.Mohyla míruMonumentThe first peace memorial in Europe, built to honor the fallen in the Battle of Austerlitz.Mucha museumMuseum · PrahaJust off Wenceslas Square in Prague's New Town, this Baroque palace holds the world's first museum built entirely around Alphonse Mucha, the Czech artist who…Muzeum Českého krasu v BerouněMuseum · BerounRiders passing through Beroun's main square, Husovo náměstí, go right past this museum's home in the Jenštejnský dům, and can step inside for the geology and…Muzeum Policie ČRMuseum · PrahaThe unmistakable octagonal dome and tower rising above Ke Karlovu belong to one of Prague's most unusual churches, and the courtyard behind it hides a Mi-2 h…Národní důmHistoric siteProstějov built the house for its own cultural and social life, and the city still counts it among its most significant monuments.ObeliskMonumentA 23-metre neoclassical obelisk (locals call it 'Facka') crowned with a six-pointed star symbolizing Enlightenment.palác KinskýchCastleA heritage-listed palace designed by Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer and Anselmo Lurago, now an art museum on Prague's Old Town Square.palác ŽofínCastle · PrahaRiders on Prague's riverside cycle path can't miss this ornate Neo-Renaissance hall on Slovanský ostrov, its balconied facade rising right at the water's edge.Památník Tomáše BatiMuseumFrantišek Lydie Gahura designed it in 1933, a functionalist memorial in Zlín to Tomáš Bata.Památník Velké MoravyMuseumIn 1949 Vilém Hrubý uncovered here the foundations of the first stone building proven to date from Great Moravia, the 9th-century Slavic empire linked to Cyr…PařezCastleA sandstone outcrop in the woods southwest of Pařezská Lhota carries the rock-cut chambers and tower stump of this vanished Gothic stronghold, worth the shor…PernštejnCastle · NedvědiceOne of the best-preserved Gothic castles in Central Europe, its marble-framed windows crowning a rock spur above the Svratka valley.Plzeňská bránaHistoric siteRiders rolling into Beroun's old town from the Plzeň direction pass straight beneath this tall gate tower, one of the two surviving medieval towers of the to…Poutní kostel sv. Jana Nepomuckého na Zelené hořeLandmark · Žďár nad SázavouA UNESCO-listed masterpiece by architect Jan Santini-Aichel, built 1719-1722 in the shape of a five-pointed star.Povýšení svatého KřížeChurchChurch of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Doubravník, built on the site of a vanished Augustinian convent monastery.Přemyslovský palácCastleA heritage-listed castle complex on Wenceslas Hill, the only surviving structure from the original twin-castle layout of Olomouc.PyšolecRuinsThree large ditch foundations are preserved in the core of the ruin, a rare feature among small hilltop castles in the region.Rotunda sv. Jiří na ŘípuLandmark · MnetěšThe Romanesque rotunda crowning Říp, the isolated hill where legend says Forefather Čech chose the land for his people.rotunda sv. KateřinyAttractionContains one of the oldest fresco compositions in the Czech lands, depicting the Přemyslid dynasty and the donor couple Konrad II of Znojmo and Mary of Serbia.Rotunda sv. Petra a Pavla na BudčiLandmark · ZákolanyThe oldest standing building in the Czech Republic: a Romanesque stone rotunda raised around 895 on the hilltop fortress of Budeč, where legend says the youn…Skanzen ŘeporaMuseumThis fenced, arson-scarred medieval village hidden in a patch of Prague woodland is one of the strangest sights a rider will pass on the city's southwestern …Sloup Nejsvětější TrojiceMonumentOlomouc raised this in thanks for the end of a plague that struck Moravia between 1713 and 1715, and made a point of using its own people: every artist and m…sv. VáclavHistoric churchNeogothic cathedral on Wenceslas Square, seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Olomouc.Svatá HoraLandmark · PříbramThe most important Marian pilgrimage site in Bohemia, a fortress-like Baroque basilica and courtyard crowning a hill above Příbram, built by Jesuit architect…Tři GrácieAttractionA neoclassical summerhouse with a colonnade and a thatched roof, featuring a statue group known as the Three Graces.TýřovRuinsLook up from the Berounka valley road and you'll spot this ruin crowning a rocky spur above an old river ford, worth the short climb for the view alone.U Kamenného zvonuCastleOne of the few genuinely Gothic facades left on Old Town Square, its steep gables and corner turret still stand out from the Baroque and Rococo fronts around…Uherský OstrohCastleA Renaissance castle rebuilt from a 14th-century fortress.ValdštejnCastleThis early Gothic fortress crowns three sandstone towers in the Hruboskalsko rock city, and its covered footbridge, lined with Baroque statues added by the J…ValečovLandmark · BoseňOne of Bohemian Paradise's most striking rock castles, its walls and chambers carved straight into sandstone outcrops above Boseň.Velehradský klášterMonastery · VelehradThe oldest Cistercian monastery in Moravia, serving as the country's most significant pilgrimage site due to its connection with the Cyril and Methodius legacy.Vila TugendhatMuseum · BrnoA UNESCO-listed modernist villa designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich.Vojenský historický ústav PrahaMuseumThe only museum in Prague dedicated to military history of the Czech and Czechoslovak armed forces.Vsetínský ZámekCastleA castle with a white majestic tower and a large, exceptionally preserved structure reflecting artistic perfection and craftsmanship.VýpustekAttractionVýpustek Cave in the Moravian Karst's Křtiny Valley offers 600 m public tours (75 minutes) through two ancient underground levels.VyšehradCastleA historic fort on the Vltava River with the oldest surviving rotunda in Prague and the graves of major Czech cultural figures.zámek (castle)CastleZdounky Castle sits in the village of Zdounky, about 10 km southwest of Kroměříž in the Zlín region.zámek (castle)CastleA heritage-listed castle with a clock tower and a prominent colonnaded balcony on its southern facade.Zámek BlanskoCastle · BlanskoRenaissance Zámek Blansko houses the Museum Blanenska, offering local history and collections in the town centre.Zámek BřeclavCastleA 19th-century romantic-style castle ruin with a surviving tower and cellar complex used as a winery.Zámek BuchloviceCastleAn Italian Baroque château built by Domenico Martinelli around 1700, its Baroque garden and English park among the finest in the Czech Republic.Zámek BučoviceCastleRenaissance castle dominating the center of Bučovice.Zámek CetechoviceCastleFrom the road you catch the four-wing baroque block through the trees, a rusticated south front under a steep mansard roof of beaver-tail tiles, but the gate…Zámek HostiviceCastleRiders pass right by its striking Baroque façade on Husovo náměstí, fronted by a 9-metre sandstone Marian column from 1734 ringed with statues of four saints…zámek Hrubá SkálaCastle · Hrubá SkálaIts neo-Gothic turrets crown a sandstone cliff above the Hruboskalsko rock town, the toothy skyline that lines the Turnov–Jičín road as you climb into Bohemi…Zámek JičínCastle · JičínThe vast arcaded façade filling the south side of Valdštejnovo náměstí is the centerpiece of Jičín's baroque townscape and the reason to dismount here rather…zámek JinoniceCastleRiders working up out of Prokopské údolí into Jinonice pass this low Baroque chateau on its knoll above the valley, the old Schwarzenberg coat of arms and su…Zámek Králův DvůrCastleThe three-winged Renaissance château, its ornamental portal still carrying the carved coats of arms of the Lobkowicz and Novohradský families, is worth slowi…Zámek KřtinyCastle · KřtinyA former residence of the Zábrdovice Premonstratensians from the mid-17th century, part of a national cultural monument pilgrimage site since 2008.zámek LedniceCastle · LedniceThe centerpiece of the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of Czechia's most visited chateaus.zámek LomniceCastleThe chateau rises over the small town of Lomnice, its Renaissance arcades and Baroque wings a clear waypoint on the ride through this corner of South Moravia.zámek MikulovCastleA heritage-listed castle whose 1945 fire destroyed key anthropological finds from prehistoric Czech sites.Zámek Moravská TřebováCastle · Moravská TřebováA castle in the center of Moravská Třebová, designated a national cultural monument since 2026.Zámek NelahozevesLandmark · NelahozevesA Renaissance castle above the Vltava holding one of Central Europe's finest private art collections: Old Master paintings by Bruegel, Rubens, Veronese, Cran…zámek NižborCastleA heritage-listed Renaissance and Baroque castle, originally a 13th-century royal fortress.zámek OřechovCastleA heritage-listed castle in the village of Ořechov, originally Renaissance with later Baroque modifications.zámek Rájec nad SvitavouCastleAn aristocratic seat in early Neoclassical dress, known to German speakers as Schloss Raitz.Zámek SlavkovCastle · Slavkov u BrnaBaroque palace built on the site of the Battle of Austerlitz.zámek StrážniceCastleA 16th-century Renaissance castle rebuilt from a 13th-century Gothic fortress, with surviving 19th-century Classicist and Romantic renovations.Zámek ValticeHistoric site · ValticeThe Liechtenstein family's principal seat for nearly four centuries, rebuilt into one of Central Europe's grandest baroque residences and anchoring the UNESC…Zámek VeltrusyLandmark · VeltrusyOne of Bohemia's grandest Baroque chateaux, its cross-shaped wings ringed by a vast English landscape park of pavilions, bridges and a fallow deer enclosure.Zámek VizoviceCastleState-owned castle, a protected national cultural monument since 2001.Zámek Vranov nad DyjíCastleA 13th-century castle with a surviving Gothic core and later Baroque additions.zámek ZbraslavCastleThe last kings of the Přemyslid line were buried here, in the abbey Wenceslaus II founded in 1292 and named Aula Regia, Königsaal in German, the king's hall.Zámek ŽerotínůCastleA heritage-listed castle housing a museum and cultural center since 2014.zámek ZlínCastleA protected monument in the center of Zlín, housing the Živý Zlín cultural and creative center.Znojemský hradCastleZnojmo Castle stands in the town center.ZOO OlomoucZooFew zoos anywhere in Europe breed more South African gemsbok than this one at Svatý Kopeček, which also keeps the studbook for the East Caucasian tur.zřícenina BradaRuinsClimbing the short hill above Brada-Rybníček brings you to fragments of curtain wall and two crumbling semi-circular bastions rising above a still-visible mo…Zřícenina hradu CimburkLandmarkAn extensive Gothic castle ruin crowning a ridge above the Koryčany reservoir, deep in the Chřiby forests.Zřícenina hradu PravdaCastlePravda Castle is a castle ruin on a hill in Pnětluky in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic.ZubštejnRuinsRiding the Svratka valley cycle path from Bystřice nad Pernštejnem, you'll spot Zubštejn's broken walls crowning a narrow rock ridge 682 m above the river, a…

Climbs

Bumbálka (from Horní Bečva)10.2 km · 3.8%Hlína (from Ivančice)3.2 km · 4.5%Kohoutovice (Brno, Libušina třída)2.1 km · 4.4%Kunštát from Sychotín1.9 km · 8.5%Makovský průsmyk (from Velké Karlovice)11.2 km · 2.6%Pálava: Pavlov → Klentnice5.3 km · 2.2%Pindula (from Rožnov pod Radhoštěm)5.9 km · 2.9%Svatý Antonínek (from Blatnice pod Svatým Antonínkem)2.0 km · 6.6%Svatý Hostýn (from Bystřice pod Hostýnem)6.0 km · 6.1%Sýkoř from Prudká14.7 km · 2.3%Tesák (from Chvalčov)7.1 km · 4.3%Zavíravá u Vranova (Adamov → Vranov u Brna)7.1 km · 4.0%
CLIMB

Makovský průsmyk (from Velké Karlovice)

Czechia

Gradient by colour: under 3% 3–6% 6–9% 9%+

Stats computed from OpenStreetMap and satellite elevation data — approximate.

Makovský průsmyk (from Velké Karlovice) is a 11.2 km cycling climb averaging 2.6% (+292 m), rising from 516 m to 806 m in Czechia.

The 801 m border saddle on the Javorníky divide, on what became the area's first asphalt through-road in 1939. A checkpoint of the Vrchařská koruna Valašska, and the summer cyclobus drops riders at the top for the ridge trails.

Makovský průsmyk (from Velké Karlovice)
Ben Skála
Makovský průsmyk (from Velké Karlovice)
Ben Skála
Makovský průsmyk (from Velké Karlovice)
Michal Jakubský
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Where it bites

Steepest 500 m: 6.9% (km 9.5–9.9).

kmtoavg
1523 m0.7%
2535 m1.2%
3547 m1.2%
4561 m1.3%
5582 m2.1%
6598 m1.7%
7612 m1.4%
8643 m3.3%
9680 m3.8%
10749 m6.6%
11796 m5.1%

What it’s like to ride

Makovský průsmyk is the border saddle at 801 m where road II/487 leaves Moravia for Slovakia, and at roughly 2.6% over 11 km from Velké Karlovice it rises like the valley road it is rather than a climb that bites: the same tarmac has already come up the Vsetín valley through Halenkov, Nový Hrozenkov and Karolinka, so you are on the through road to the Makov crossing the whole way. The top sits between Dupačka (928 m) and Beskydok (953 m), on the divide between the Javorníky and the Turzovská vrchovina, with a Slovak National Uprising memorial on the Czech side and a motorest just over the line on the Slovak one. A red ridge trail and the Javorníky-Družba educational path cross at the saddle, and the Javorníky ridge views are why the summer cyclobus from Hranice, Valašské Meziříčí and Vsetín drops riders right here. It counts for the Vrchařská koruna Valašska.

History

The road that climbs from Velké Karlovice to the 801 m pass took its modern form from July 1939, when a complete reconstruction of the 40 km main road from Ústí u Vsetína through Leskové to Makov was pushed through under the German occupation: Organisation Todt moved in steam excavators, rollers and lorries, the result was the first asphalt penetration road in the area, and a new customs station went up at the pass below the Beskydy. Today the summit is a checkpoint of the Vrchařská koruna Valašska, a Wallachian climbing challenge run since 2013 in which riders must photograph themselves at each of the twenty listed peaks between April and November.

Worth stopping near the climb

Valašská hospůdka Horal2 kmBumbálka2 kmChata Kohútka8 km

More climbs in Czechia

Bumbálka (from Horní Bečva)10.2 km · 3.8%Pindula (from Rožnov pod Radhoštěm)5.9 km · 2.9%Tesák (from Chvalčov)7.1 km · 4.3%Svatý Hostýn (from Bystřice pod Hostýnem)6.0 km · 6.1%Svatý Antonínek (from Blatnice pod Svatým Antonínkem)2.0 km · 6.6%

Common questions

How long and steep is Makovský průsmyk (from Velké Karlovice)?
Makovský průsmyk (from Velké Karlovice) is a 11.2 km cycling climb averaging 2.6% (+292 m), rising from 516 m to 806 m in Czechia.
Where is Makovský průsmyk (from Velké Karlovice) steepest?
The steepest 500 m averages 6.9%, between km 9.5 and km 9.9 of the climb.

Checked 13 August 2026

Elevation from SRTM (NASA) · Road line + coordinates © OpenStreetMap contributors · Story adapted from Wikipedia and cycling-media reporting, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited per image

Places / Czechia / Makovský průsmyk (from Velké Karlovice)

11.2 km · +292 m · 2.6% avg · ~6.9% max · 516 → 806 m

1%1%2%2%5%1234567891011km516 m806 m

Photo: Ben Skála · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Sources: OpenStreetMap