With summer weather hitting record highs, take advantage and spend an afternoon biking around the beautiful Hradec Králové.
I recently did a biking day trip there myself and wanted to share my experience with you, as it is a great way to spend an afternoon on your own or with friends.
To start off, there is a really nice bike path next to the river, Labe. It begins directly in the city center of Hradec Králové. I have prepared two trips for you in this article. One is easier, which takes approximately 2 hours. The second one is a bit longer.
Bike Rental
First you will need a bike. For those who do not have one, feel free to contact us at hradec@foreigners.cz and we will advise you on where you can rent one. The price is fairly reasonable at about 150 – 200 CZK/day.
Trip # 1 (easier of the two)
Total distance: 40 km
Time: 2:30 (net time)
Map: check the picture at the end of this post (there is a target destination at Josefov)
Don’t get discouraged by the 40 km – you’ll find that the whole road is really nice and flat without hills. The road is also made of asphalt, creating a smooth ride!
You can start in the city center next to the Aqua park, the swimming pool or Aldis. Come to the river Labe and choose a side of the river (it is up to you, I recommend the one closer to the city center).
Follow the river until you come to Jaroměř/Josefov. When you reach the destination, turn around and go back. I told you its easy 🙂
Throughout your journey, you will bike along a road which is only for bikes! There are no cars or trucks, allowing for a very peaceful ride.
On the way, you can also choose to stop at a pub or a restaurant for a beer or lunch. The prices are usually really cheap and you will probably work up quite an appetite biking.
If you like history, there is a really great target destination for this trip. Continue following the river which will eventually take you to Jaroměř (where you will see the crossroad shown on the picture above). Follow the same direction to Josefov (pevnost vchod) where you will come to fortress Josefov, a structure built in the 18th century by Josef II, the emperor of the Austrian Empire. Interestingly, the whole area was built as barracks for Austrian soldiers. Nowadays, all barracks are used as flats but you can see that they are not regular flats. Next to the barracks,there is also fortress Josefov with underground corridors. I recommend that you visit it!
Direction to underground corridors
The underground corridors are opened at various times depending on the month. Please, check the official website.
Entrance to underground corridorsAt the center of Josefov, you can also see a really unique church.
Once you are finished sight-seeing Josefov, you can turn around and use the same road to go back. I hope that you will have a really nice afternoon out in Hradec!
Trip # 2 (The longer ride)
Total distance: 60 km
Time: 3:40 (net time)
Map: check the picture at the end of this post (there is a target destination at Velichovky)
This trip is more or less for the whole day, which is why it’s best to start in the morning. If you take some breaks, lunch on the way, visit the underground corridors etc., it can take you a total of about 6 hours.
I did this trip and really enjoyed it! For this ride, you take small roads instead of paths along the river. There are some cars from time to time but nothing too crazy. The views on this trip are quite scenic, you will come across many quaint villages that are rather picturesque.
To begin, this trip also starts in the city center of Hradec Králové, near to Aldis, Aqua park etc.. You will follow the river Labe until you reach Josefov/Jaroměř. From Josefov you will go to the city center of Jaroměř. When you come to the roundabout you will go straight. At the end of Jaroměř you will still go straight and slightly uphill. At the end of Jaroměř there will be a crossroad (see the picture below) where you turn left, direction to Zaloňov.
When you reach the end of Jaroměř turn left here to Zaloňov, Vestec, golf resortFrom here there will be signs of Golf Nová Amerika (27 holes). If you want to see the resort you can follow those signs. Otherwise, follow the direction to Vestec – Litič – Nouzov – Velichovky and back to Jaroměř – Josefov. From Josefov you will take the road following the river Labe back to Hradec Králové.
If you want to see the golf resort Nová Amerika the best view is from the road between Vestec and Litíč.
Golf resort Nová Amerika (view from the route between Vestec and Litíč)From Litíč you will go to Velichovky. In this small village, there is a well-known spa called Lázně Velichovky. On the way, through the villages, you may also meet some lazy cows 🙂
Here you can see a sign for bike roads. If you are not sure where to go, try to find this yellow sign to make sure that you are choosing the road for bikes.
Bike road signI recommend taking a map printout like the one I have provided below. You don’t have to follow it exactly, as there will be signs along the way! If you like all kinds of bike gadgets, you can use this guide to get acquainted with the GPS tracker. This device will allow you to mark all the main points of your journey
Map of both tripsI hope you will have nice time! Do not forget to let me know about your experience at vojta@foreigners.cz 😉
