Two days’ ride will take you from the ferry terminal at the Hook of Holland to the Czech Republic via Amsterdam and Hanover. Here the trip really begins. Day one is Prague, a capital that’s among the best for stop-and-stare architecture. Standing on the 14th-century Charles Bridge, spanning the Czech “mother river”, the Vltava, looking up at the city’s castle, is a truly memorable experience.
Wander through Gothic streets around the Old Town Square (Staromestske Namesti) and try the wares of Nota Bene behind the National Museum, where local craft lagers wash down a righteous pork schnitzel (about £4.90). Stay at Hotel Josef (doubles from £110 B&B) five minutes from the Old Town Square, with secure underground parking.
In the morning, tog up at Prague’s Denim Heads, a motorcycle fashion store run by bikers at Konviktská 30. Then take Highways 1 and 3 out of the capital into South Bohemia and the town of Tábor – the old fortress gateway to the region. Today pretty red rooftops tumble down from the town’s quiet market square, but it has a bloody history of resistance. The Hussite museum, with its hand-dug tunnels, tells the story of Tábor’s days as medieval hotbed of revolutionary zeal.
Climb the town tower for a first glimpse of Bohemian countryside, before staying at Hotel Nautilus (from £88 B&B). Its restaurant, Goldie, is one of the best in the country and reason alone for staying here; try the venison with foie gras and elderberries (£15).
On day three, take Highway 3 south, breaking for coffee at Hluboká Castle: once home to Bohemia’s Schwarzenberg family it’s an OTT Gothic-baronial pile modelled on Windsor Castle. Then cut west along Highway 145 into the forested flanks of Šumava national park, where the scenery gets better with every bend. The landscape is straight from a Brothers Grimm fairytale, with pines crowding the side of mountain roads. At the village of Kvilda check in at the Šumava Inn (doubles from £55 B&B) and feast on local trout and wild mushrooms, then trek a couple of hours up a trail to drink from the source of the Vltava river – a spring trickling out of Černá (black) mountain.
After breakfast saddle up and take the 4 and 39 highways through Horní Planá and along its lake to Český Krumlov (top picture). This Unesco world heritage site is one of the most picturesque towns in Europe – a chocolate box mix of baroque and renaissance architecture stacked over the winding Vltava. The castle has wonderful views, as well as a maze of grand rooms, including a preserved baroque theatre.
The town’s Motorcycle Museum is a shrine to classic Czech-made Jawa motorcycles, where custom bikemakers like me can get ideas and inspiration. Follow the Vltava upstream for 20 minutes on Highway 160 to Kemp Branná campsite (tipi £19 a night) on the bend of the river. Unwind under the stars and sink a few beers and pickled sausage (£3) in its little bar, before snuggling into your sleeping bag in a tipi by an open fire.
Day five is about South Bohemia’s capital, České Budějovice or Budweis in German – home to world-famous Budweiser Budvar beer. With a market square and baroque buildings straight out of a Wes Anderson film, the town is an hour’s joyride from Kemp Branná. Park the bike and make the most of the city’s proud, 1,000-year brewing heritage. A tour of the Budvar brewery (£4) culminates in the semi-religious experience of drinking its unrivalled, unpasteurised, 90-day-aged beer deep in the brewery cellars. You’ll never look at lager the same way again.
Then stroll to Masné Krámy – a 13th-century former meat market converted into a bar – for fresh pints of Budvar’s dark lager (70p) with a dish of house speciality goulash (£5). If you can bear to leave the bar stool, catch the sun setting over the town square from a room at Grandhotel Zvon (doubles from £44 B&B).
More information at czechstories.com
Andrew Almond is the owner of London-based Bolt Motorcycles