Bike trips
If you’re holiday just isn’t complete without a bike by your side, you can’t go wrong by peddling around Pilsen. We’re not trying to say we’re better than places, such as Třeboň or Southern Moravia, however, we can assure cyclists won’t go home disappointed after a trip to Pilsen. You’ll find entertaining bike rides through the city by following the paths along any one of Pilsen’s rivers. At times you might be riding both up and down hill, but that just makes the experience all the better. You can even take part in guided bike tours during the summer months.
Biking around the city
If you prefer exercise to public transportation and your bike is your trusty companion, Pilsen is a beautiful place to cycle around. No need to bring your bike with you, borrow one of the city’s shared bikes. Pilsen’s bike-sharing system, “Kolem Plzně” (Around Pilsen) functions online with the help of SMS messages. You will need to register online before your first use, and then you can borrow any time you like. You will find more detailed information by visiting the bike-sharing website: www.kolemplzne.cz. You can also rent a bike at the city’s main train station, it’s open every day, from April to October.
Where can you go by bike in the city?
You’ll have no trouble following the bike path that runs along the Radbuza River, from the city centre, to where it meets the Mže River at Štruncovy Sady. From there, you can continue towards the Pilsen city limit, in the Hradiště neighbourhood, where you can go for a swim in the pool above the weir during the summer months.
The Úslava riverbank has also been nicely prepared with cyclists in mind. Here you can follow the river all the way from Božkov to the vicinity of the Bolevec Ponds. This area truly is a paradise for both taking a stroll and going for a bike ride. Another favourite bike path is the so-called “Kilometrovka” (The Kilometre), which takes you, quick and easy, from the city centre to the Pilsen Zoo.
Tip for a great bike café
We know of a place in the city centre where cyclists are welcome! You’ll find BikeHeart Centre of Cycling (centrum cyklistiky) in the Štruncovy sady Park. After having put in the work on your bike, you can take a seat here at the café’s outdoor patio with a cup of coffee and other treats, all while your bike remains locked safe and visible to you. If something on your bike breaks while riding, here you’ll find a service area for fixing bikes. The BikeHeart club also regularly holds joint rides and bike trips.
Bike trips outside of Pilsen
True cycling fans are sure to be interested in bike trips of a slightly longer distance than just cruising through the city. Here are some of our favourite, longer bike trips.
Radyně
The hill overlooking Old Pilsen (Starý Plzenec), topped by the Radyně castle ruins, is one of our favourite cycling destinations. You can make your way to Radyně by following the rivers Radbuza and Úhlava from the city centre, through Hradiště and Černice, then up the hill to the castle ruins. It’s up to you whether you want to ride on asphalt or dirt, you don’t have to take the same route both there and back, and the journey from Pilsen to the castle takes about 30 minutes.
Chateau Kozel
If the bike trip to Radyně isn’t quite long enough for you, you could try extending it by continuing on to Chateau Kozel in Šťáhlavy. The ride to Šťáhlavy from Radyně can be particularly difficult, however, there is an alternate route you can take to make things easier. Once arrived, you can take a rest from the road by walking through the chateau park, as bikes are not allowed inside. The round trip from Pilsen to Kozel and back can be as long as anywhere from 30 to 45 km, depending on which path you take.
Krkavec Observation Deck
Many bike paths lead to the Krkavec hilltop, located just past Pilsen’s Severní Předměstí neighbourhood. We would, of course, recommend one of the longer paths for more experienced cyclists. You can head along the Mže River from the city centre, down the bike path toward Radčice. Once there, continue upward and past the hills in Pilsen’s Sylván neighbourhood, until you reach the main road leading to Karlovy Vary (i.e. Carlsbad). Head down the main road, then left toward Chotíkov. Here you can now pick between several different bike paths that will lead you up to Krkavec. Once on top, you can enjoy the view from the observation deck, then simply make your way back down along the asphalt. Upon your return journey, you can ride around the Bolevec Ponds, over the White Mountain (Bílá Hora) and through the Doubravka neighbourhood on your way back to Pilsen.
