Day 1 (Sat): Arrival in Wroclaw

The capital of Lower Silesia. Your hotel is situated in the centre of the town. If you arrive in good time take a stroll through Wroclaw for your first impressions of the old town centre and its nightlife. Maybe time to see Cathedral Island and the University and Town Square.

Day 2 (Sun): Wroclaw – Polanica Zdroj 19 miles

Through Silesian landscape we go by bus towards the Polish-Czech border. We start the tour in the ski-resort village of Zieleniec and cycle downhill to Polanica – one of the oldest and most famous resorts in the Sudety Mountains, with its 19th century atmosphere. On the way we pass Duszniki Zdroj – a small resort famous for its springs and Chopin Festival. After the cycling you can relax in a comfortable hotel or take a walk in Polanica’s park.

Day 3 (Mon): Polanica Zdroj – Paczkow 40 miles

We ride to Kłodzko through the valley of Nysa Klodzka. Klodzko is the industrial and cultural capital of this region. It is also famous because of its picturesque location, architecture, 18th century fortification and a baroque stone-bridge that is often compared with the Charles Bridge in Prague. Leaving Klodzko we ride along the Nysa Klodzka gorge to Bardo – a popular centre of pilgrimage. Next we go to the castle in Krzemieniec Zabkowicki, which was designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkels. We follow the Nysa Klodzka River to Paczkow.

Day 4 (Tue): Paczkow – Glucholazy 31 miles

We cycle around the old town of Paczkow - the so-called Silesian Carcassonne. Paczkow’s nickname originates from its 14th century city walls. Next we say good-bye to Polish castles and cross the border into the Czech Republic where we visit another castle in Javornik. The 13th century castle was rebuilt in baroque style and used to be a centre of Silesian music life. We cycle from Javornik along the border through forests and grassland, where you can admire romantic ruins and charming chapels. We cross the border again and go to the centre of the Opava Mountains Landscape Park, to our hotel in Glucholazy with its beautiful renaissance and baroque Main Square. The cycle path in the valley leads to the old gold mine.

Day 5 (Wed): Glucholazy – Krnov 34 miles

Today we ride through forests and fields towards the Czech Republic. On our way we pass stone

circles that used to mark the pilgrims way. After stopping in the small town of Osoblaha and after visiting a charming Jewish cemetery we load our bikes onto the narrow gauge railway. This railway takes us up into Tremesna, after which we are back cycling downhill. Many times we cross the bridges on the Opavica stream (border river) cycling first on the Polish and then on the Czech side. Finally we arrive in Krnov, a small, picturesque town where we stay in a hotel converted from a number of 16th century houses. This historic town is situated in a place where the Opavica River falls into the Opava River. In Krnov we recommend a small tour to Cvilin – another pilgrimage centre, where you can admire the view from an observation tower.

Day 6 (Thu): Krnov – Hradec nad Moravici 25 miles

Cycling southeast from Krnov we go downhill through the Opava River valley. Later we pass an interesting fortification and bunkers from the 1930’s. The highlight of the day is Opava, where we stay for a while to visit the town. It is the historic capital of Czech Silesia. In the evening we stay in our hotel in Hradec nad Moravici. Here you can relax in the swimming pool, sauna, and fitness centre. Also the local renaissance palace is worth seeing where composers such as Beethoven, Paganini and Wagner used to be the guests of the local duke.

Day 7 (Fri): Hradec nad Moravici – Raciborz 19 miles

We say good-bye to Silesia and go northwards to Krawarn castle. This impressive building from the 17th century used to be the seat of the Eichendorff family. After passing the border we load our bikes onto the bus and head back towards Wroclaw. On our way back we stay overnight in Raciborz, next to the monument of Eichendorff.

Day 8 (Sat): Departure from Wroclaw.

Individuals can extend their stay in Wroclaw.