From Prague to Berlin - premium cycle paths and Elbe landscapes
The hills are now behind us
After Prague, the Vltava Cycle Path runs directly along the river again and is largely flat - only one noteworthy incline had to be mastered on the way to the mouth of the Elbe at Mělník. The Elbe Cycle Path is then a real “premium cycle route”: from Mělník downstream to Meissen almost always along the river, tarred and flat. We made good progress here. On top of that, we had a substantial tailwind on the Elbe for three days - it really couldn't be easier then that...
Through the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
The passage through the Elbe Sandstone Mountains was also very energy-saving, because in contrast to the Bohemian Forest and the hills between Budweis and Prague, the cycle path strictly follows the course of the river here, so that you can only see all the mountains from the side and never from above. This also applies to the sights along the way - Schrammsteine, Königstein Fortress and the Bastei Bridge.
Via Lutherstadt Wittenberg to Brandenburg
From Pirna the surrounding landscape became very flat again. The Elbe Cycle Path always remained very pleasant to drive on, but ran from Meissen to Lutherstadt Wittenberg more on side roads that connect the villages near the Elbe. We only rarely got to see the river itself here, as the Elbe remained hidden behind dykes. After Lutherstadt Wittenberg with its famous castle church, the Fläming continued a little hilly. Here we followed the European Cycle Path R1, which in Saxony-Anhalt still sometimes leads over unpaved forest paths, but in the district of Potsdam-Mittelmark it has been developed as an absolute "premium cycle path" - here tarred cycle paths sometimes even run parallel to forest paths, just so that you don't have to cycle those old forest roads... After a family visit in Fichtenwalde we stopped briefly at the treetop path in Beelitz-Heilstätten. A high path leads over the ruins of a former tuberculosis clinic, which offers very exciting photo opportunities! Then we drove to Kleinmachnow on the outskirts of Berlin, where we stayed with Matthias' mom for a few days.