Cycling in Bohemian Switzerland: the best routes for cyclists

Spring is slowly awakening, the sun is gaining strength and the air is beginning to smell of the new season. It’s time to dust off your wheels, pump up your tyres and head out – preferably somewhere where the kilometres are counted by experience rather than the speedometer.

The following article is basically completely unnecessary. If you want perfectly elaborated advice on how to get around the National Park Bohemian Switzerland and its surroundings by bike, open our cycling guide, which we have packed with cycle paths, cycle routes, cycle services, cyclotips, cycloadding and cycloalaska.

Those who don’t believe and read on, probably still need a little push to take the bike and ride it to the region whose landmark is the most monumental river valley in Central Europe. If you think logically and paid a little attention in geography at school, you will get the first good impression that Bohemian Switzerland, cut by the Elbe Canyon, offers cyclists basically two experiences. Or you spit in your pedals and venture up from the Elbe, up a steep climb that in some sections is almost 100% vertical… So either 100% horizontal or 100% vertical? The Elbe Canyon is not a homogeneous mass. There are plenty of branches off it, often very subtle, which you can zigzag through to get to a fabulous, rugged landscape full of hidden treasures.

What is unique about cycling in Bohemian-Saxon Switzerland is the fact that with the right planning it suits everyone. From cyclists who sleep in their jersey to recreational cyclists to families with small children or the elderly. The development of electric bikes, which are nowadays quite common in cycling and can be rented almost everywhere, is a great help in this respect. In Bohemian Switzerland in the direction of the Ore Mountains, for example, right in Tisá in Climb and bike. You can also rent e-bikes all year round in Děčín at main train station or as part of the comprehensive and reliable services of the Active Point in Děčín. In Vysoké Lípa, the largest e-bike rental in Bohemian Switzerland, in Rent your ebike. And on the edge of the Lusatian Mountains, not far from Krásná Lípa in the popular Bohemian Cottage.

For those who are not at all afraid of vertical challenges, either upwards or downwards, and on the contrary seek them out, there are cycling routes with a decent elevation gain. For example, on the route from Hřensko through Mezná, Vysoká Lípa, Na Tokáňi, Jetřichovice, Dolský mlýn, Růžová and Janov and back to Hřensko you will have the feeling that the landscape is playing a joke on you and the hills in front of you are growing with a pathetic laugh, just after you have just climbed one, another one is waiting for you…

Or head from Chřibská via Doubice, Kyjovské údolí, Brtníky, Vlčí hora Dlouhý důl and Krásná Lípa back to Chřibská. The landscape here can close into a narrow valley, only to open up again a few kilometres further on and give you breathtaking views.

Apart from Bohemian Switzerland you can also cut a piece of the Ore Mountains and go from Děčínský Sněžník through Tisá in the direction of Adolfov, Komáří Hůrka (uff!!!) and Krupka, and end up in Teplice, where fortunately they have fine spa treatments, which you will certainly appreciate after this hike.

On the other hand, you can go with the little ones along the Elbe. There are plenty of refreshment options along the way, and you can take the train back in the summer season. Same if you have teenagers who don’t feel like stomping up hills. Lure them to Dresden, or perhaps to join a lazy canoe or (double) kayak trip down the Elbe from Děčín to Bad Schandau and back by bike, which Active Point will gladly take you to the boat drop-off point.

Universal gravel is a good choice for local surfaces. It will take you along the asphalt cycle path along the Elbe like a race, but you can also manage more difficult sections if you decide to go inland. From Děčín, you can also follow the Ploučnice River towards Česká Lípa. All the way you will be chasing the little motor trains, which you can then ride back from Česká Lípa to Děčín, but if you have your little ones with you, you can actually take pity on your children’s little legs at any part of the trip, dismount and go home safely and comfortably by train.

You can also enjoy the cycling trails along the Mandava and Křinice rivers. Both of them are gentle and at the same time offer a lot of interesting sights, cultural monuments and reasons to slow down, stop, have a good meal and a drink or even pray:), that’s if you drive through Rumburk and stop at the northernmost Baroque loreto in the world. Both of these cycle paths lick the border with the neighbouring state of Saxony, Federal Republic of Germany. And while you’re in Czechoslovak Switzerland, you shouldn’t miss the Saxon part of it.

In addition to the most famous direction along the Elbe to the popular spa town of Bad Schandau, which is a good destination for relaxation, fun and wellness, try exploring just beyond the borders of the Šluknov Spur. Here you can connect to the beautiful and well-maintained German cycle paths in the Zittauer Gebirge. The network of cycle paths known as RockHead (after the typical rock formations of sandstone, granite and basalt in this area) basically encircles the entire Šluknov Spur and offers 320 kilometres of sporting challenges, dense forests, distant views and cultural discoveries. You will also encounter steep climbs and descents, so you will need to plan your route well according to your own strength and that of your fellow riders.

And then there’s another chapter that, once you open it, you’ll be tied up in it and won’t want to stop: bike racing. It’s not important to win, but to take part, but it’s still an adrenaline rush, from the mass start over swallowing kilometres somewhere in a half-forgotten landscape to the loud ovation at the finish where everyone, from first to last, celebrates.

Whether you choose the Tour de Zeleňák (September 5, 2026) starting in Rumburk, intended for the general public and traditionally organizing a race for children, or whether you and your team enter the professional four-stage Tour de Feminin (May 14-17, 2026) or dare to ride the Hell of the North (April 25-26, 2026) connecting Výběžek with Lužihory, it will always be an experience you will want to come back for year after year.

Finally, let’s talk about a few things that cycling can’t do without. First of all, it’s joy, enthusiasm and a little bit of willpower, without them you don’t even get on the bike:). And secondly, it is necessary to mention safety, caution and consideration, not only to yourself and your fellow riders, but also to your surroundings, both human and social, as well as the natural. You’ll be driving through several protected areas and a national park, nature here has taken a beating during the long decades of totalitarianism and it would be good to think of it now that it has recovered so beautifully to become one of the wildest and most beautiful places in Europe.

Please follow not only the rules of the road, but also the rules that are clearly laid down for cycling in the countryside by the institutions that protect it for us.

And above all, have a great time!