Welcome to Prague—a city that greets you with an effortless charm. In late Spring, the days are long and golden, perfect for leisurely walks through royal gardens or quiet mornings on castle terraces overlooking the Vltava River.

On embark day we’ll wrap up an optional PreTour, retrieve the final arrivals at PRG Airport, and find our ship at the perfect spot in Prague. An early afternoon tandem assembly session hosted by our pro mechanics precedes an easy 18-mile warmup ride where we’ll use segments of riverside bike path while racing our ship downriver through Rostoky to Kralupy.

Day 2 – Imagine beginning your ride in Mělník as the castle’s morning shadow slips across the vineyards. Climbing from the port into Mělník’s picture-perfect town square, the pastel buildings and lively cafes give the moment a gentle, old-world charm. A few steps away from a morning latté, the castle overlook opens like a scene from a story: two rivers—the Vltava and the Elbe—meeting below the vineyards in a graceful swirl of silver. From this height, with the square behind you and the countryside stretching out ahead, Mělník feels every bit the fairytale hill town it always has been.

Routes glide into the dappled forest light of Kokořínský Důl — a valley prized for its tranquility and gentle beauty. As the sandstone towers tighten around the gorge, the silhouette of Hrad Kokořín suddenly rises above the pines like something from a storybook. After a ¼ mile walk, we’ll take in that victorious “we earned this view” feeling from the castle ramparts as we gaze across one of the most spectacular national parks in the Czech Republic.

Deeper in the valley, the forest opens to reveal Pokličky, a cluster of sandstone “mushroom rocks” standing atop slender pillars. The ¼ mile path to the viewpoint is short, and the formations feel almost magical—strange shapes sculpted by time and weather into something that looks imagined rather than natural.

The spin back toward Mělník drifts gently downhill, returning you to the comfort of the waiting ship for a bountiful late-lunch. This afternoon our routes trace the idyllic and tranquil Elbe all the way to Roudnice—a stretch of cycling so smooth and scenic it feels like a cooldown lap after a winning climb. The riverside trail unspools smoothly beneath your wheels, its gentle curves lined with meadows, quiet gardens, and classic Czech farmsteads. As we approach the end of our afternoon ride, Roudnice’s Baroque landmarks and riverside promenade appear like a final, graceful note to an unhurried afternoon.

Day 3 – Today’s ride begins in the layered streets of Litoměřice, a town whose colorful facades conceal centuries of trade and conflict along the Elbe. We’ll start with a quiet spin across the flat plain to Terezín, a short ride that feels deceptively simple given the weight of what awaits. At the Terezín Memorial, we’ll take a break from cycling for a guided visit.

With a guided program focused on key locations, you’ll tour the small fortress, courtyards, and preserved barracks while absorbing details, reading original inscriptions, and appreciating the careful work that went into preserving this site of remembrance.

Back on the bike, the real fun begins. You rejoin the Labská Stezka, the Elbe Cycle Route, which connects Bohemia’s prime towns and villages. As you ride along the narrowing valley of Porta Bohemica, you’re following a corridor that has carried merchants, armies, and ideas for centuries—now reclaimed by cyclists and riverboats. Vineyards climb the slopes where fortifications once stood guard, and you’ll glide past on a smooth, low-gradient path that would have amazed the medieval traders.

By midday, the story moves from history to hospitality in Sebuzín, where the ship is moored alongside the bike path, waiting for you with an abundant lunch.

Refueled, you’ll continue to pedal along the riverside path toward Ústí nad Labem. The route remains friendly, smoothly paved and mildly undulating.

Your optional “hero’s moment” arrives at the base of Střekov Castle. Riders who want a little extra challenge can take on the short climb up to the fortress, gaining just enough altitude to feel it in the legs. At the top, you get the payoff—a commanding view over the Elbe, the town, and your ship below—plus the satisfaction of knowing you earned it.

Prefer to keep it mellow? No problem. You can skip the climb, stay down by the river, and still finish at the ship with plenty of stories and zero regrets.

Day 4 – Today’s ride unfolds like a perfectly composed overture inspired by “Saxon Switzerland.” We ease out of Děčin after breakfast, settling into the quiet rhythm of the Elbe Cycle Path as the river opens its arms to the morning light.

Mist drapes the river as we follow its curves and pass out of Czech’s Bohemia and into Germany’s Saxony.

Soon we’ll reach the spa town of Bad Schandau, where the warm scent of coffee mixes with the sweetness of fresh pastries and the laughter of cyclists finding their stride.

The spin to Konigstein “King Castle” is short and scenic as the surrounding terrain shifts from mellow to monumental. Stronger riders will take the short climb to the fortress plateau to stand where kings and generals have surveyed the same valley since the 12th century. A quick tour of the ramparts delivers jaw-dropping panoramas in every direction, and testament to why this fortress has never been taken by force.

Back on the bikes, the riverside path carries us effortlessly to Rathen, where our ship awaits with lunch and a comfortable reset.

The afternoon is pure Elbe magic: a gentle ascent through the Saxon forest to the Bastei plateau, rewarded by a short stroll to the famous bridge and sweeping canyon views.

The glide down into Stadt Wehlen is smooth, scenic, and grin-inducing. By the time you roll into the riverside square, you’ll feel like you’ve conquered the region’s greatest hits in a single incredible arc.

Day 5 – Dresden wakes slowly behind you as you follow the Elbe downstream, the river carrying a soft shimmer across the morning. The path keeps you close to the water’s edge, where fishing boats, stone embankments, and tidy gardens mark your gentle progress toward the countryside.

Your first pause is Altkaditz, a tiny historic enclave tucked neatly into Dresden’s northwest edge. Here, a 13th-century chapel anchors a cluster of cobbled lanes that feel suspended in time. It’s a gentle, quiet moment to stretch, sip water, and enjoy the tranquility before continuing upriver.

Then the river guides you onward, and soon Meissen comes into view: terraced vineyards, steep rooftops, and the unmistakable silhouette of Albrechtsburg Castle rising above the town. This is your mid-day world — porcelain workshops humming with tradition, courtyards echoing with history, and sunlit cafés ready with soups, salads, and Saxon desserts. The pace is gentle, the experience rich.

In the afternoon you return toward Dresden, stopping at storied vineyard where the vines curl up the hillside and the valley feels open and warm. Here a small winery welcomes you for a tasting — crisp whites, floral Goldriesling, and the unmistakable minerality of the Saxon terroir. It’s the kind of stop that makes the day linger pleasantly.

The final miles roll by quickly, bringing the group back to Dresden with plenty of energy left and the satisfaction of an easy, scenic loop along one of Europe’s best cycling corridors.

Day 6 – Today’s ride begins along the Elbe, where Dresden’s storied architecture—its reconstructed Frauenkirche, its palace complex, its riverside promenade—creates a regal send-off.

The route leads into Radebeul, a community born from winemaking and shaped by centuries of trade along the river valley. Its villa-lined streets give way to quiet forest lanes that have served as local travel corridors since Saxon electors built their country estates here.

The approach to Moritzburg Castle is pure theater: a baroque palace rising from its mirror-still pond, framed by tall pines and broad sky. Riders can circle the water for photos or linger on the causeway for classic views of towers, turrets, and reflections. Constructed as a hunting lodge and expanded into a masterpiece of Saxon baroque architecture, the castle sits perfectly upon its symmetrical pond, as if engineered for both royal procession and centuries of photography to come.

The return to Dresden follows a direct set of flat cycleways, giving most riders more than enough time to view or ride the steam-powered Lossnitzgrundbahn before an onboard lunch and tandem repacking session. Stronger riders can return by way of the Friedewald Forest, a shaded ride that feels like a whispered secret between cyclists and the trees.

By the time you glide back into Dresden, the rest of the day is yours to enjoy, pack your bikes, and wander before tonight’s farewell dinner.

On disembark morning, bike-capable shuttles will take participants to Dresden’s DRS Airport.

Dresden is an exciting city with plenty of interesting museums and culinary delights if you’d like to extend your stay in Germany. Also host to the largest train station in Germany if you’d like to explore other destinations in Europe.

Santana Adventures is proud to announce that we have chartered the Elbe Princesse for our 2027 Prague to Dresden Cycling Cruise.

For the past ten years Santana has chartered various river and ocean ships from CroisiEurope, a family-owned company based in France. Since day one we’ve attempted to charter one of their most exclusive ships. Exclusive? Because of the Elbe’s heritage, landscape and castles, the German and Czech governments prohibited modernization, dams, locks and channels are still the petite dimensions used before modern river ships. Long segments of this narrow river are barely three feet deep — far too shallow for a classic river cruise ship.

A few years ago, CroisiEurope announced the construction of the Elbe Princesse—the first-ever cruise ship to be custom designed for the locks and shallow waters of the Elbe and Vltava Rivers. Designed with the secret help of a French University and avante-garde constructeur, the Elbe Princesse is uniquely proportioned to suit the challenges of these historic rivers. Instead of vulnerable props below a pointed keel, the Elbe Princesse’s stern-wheel propulsion sits above the ship’s flat bottom. Unlike other river cruisers, the roomier Elbe Princesse draws less than 30 inches of water.

As on most modern cruise ships, two full-width twin beds convert to a king-width double. In most staterooms the beds face the window for a scenic view of the river. All of the upper deck staterooms have french balconies.

All staterooms are soundproofed. Those who book earliest obtain the staterooms farthest away from the paddle wheels. On our scouting cruise Jan and I had a lower deck stateroom nearest the paddlewheel, and were not bothered by the slight vibration and sleep-inducing white noise.

With one less deck than most ships we’ve chartered, this very special charter will have a third fewer rooms (39 vs. ~72). The ship’s upper deck lounge and lower deck dining areas are spacious and will have ample seating for all of us. The sun-deck is huge, and our bike parking and service areas will take up less than half the area.