Easygoing E-Bike Tour: Berlin to Prague

The tour is 6 days long with all 6 days being cycling days.

Every trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. The tour operator knows your pace may vary from one day to the next—and your traveling companions may differ somewhat from yours. So they present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

Easygoing daily routes are typically 2-4 hours of biking per day, approximately 10-30 miles (16-48km) and vary from level to rolling with a few steeper climbs. The custom e-bikes allow you to pedal effortlessly or if you prefer to pedal without power then regular road bikes are available by request.

Each of your Trip Leaders plays many roles during your vacation: guide, host, caretaker, naturalist, chef, historian, troubleshooter, interpreter. These remarkable individuals have highly developed instincts for making people comfortable, for seamlessly handling the logistics of travel and for successfully navigating a wide range of unexpected situations.

They're passionately committed to ensuring you enjoy an exceptional vacation—smooth, flexible and tailored to your needs. With their knowledge, professionalism, enthusiasm and service ethic, they're the number-one reason people return to travel with the tour operator again and again.

Gratuities for most services during your trip are included in the price. While the tour operator has thought about including a Trip Leader tip as part of the overall trip cost, they acknowledge that gratuities are often customary as a way to recognize excellent service on a more personal level. They offer specific Trip Leader tip recommendations because guests have consistently asked for them.

The recommended gratuity for this trip is $200 per guest. While cash gratuities are always preferred, PayPal is also an available option. At the beginning of the trip you'll receive a contact list with your leaders' email addresses, which also serve as their PayPal IDs. Regardless of the number of leaders on your trip, you can pay the full amount to any one of them. All gratuities are then divided among your leaders.

Cell phone and data service are available in nearly all of the areas you will visit on this trip. Internet access is available at all of the hotels, although wireless connectivity is not always available in your room.

Hotel Zur Bleiche Resort & Spa offers guest computers, as wireless internet is not available.

Food is an important part of the tour experience. For lunch, the tour operator looks for the best way to capture the essence of the region. It may be a Grand Picnic, where your Trip Leaders prepare the freshest and healthiest local fare at a carefully chosen setting along the day's route; a boxed lunch; a packed lunch; a meal together at a favorite restaurant; or the opportunity to have lunch on your own.

Dinners feature regional specialties at gourmet restaurants, frequently with specially prepared limited menus. While food choices on this trip include well-known hearty, traditional fare such as schnitzel, bratwurst and sauerkraut, contemporary German cuisine will surprise you with its modern and French influences. Traditional Czech dishes have their roots in rural cuisine and tend to center around meat and starch, with favorites like goulash and schnitzel.

All breakfasts, five lunches and four dinners are included in the trip price. One dinner is on your own. Be aware that vegetarian/vegan, gluten-free and low-carb dishes are not always available. If you have special dietary requirements, please let us know on booking.

Alcoholic beverages at meals are not included in the trip price.

Sophisticated-casual attire is appropriate at the restaurants on this trip. For men, the tour operator recommends collared shirts and slacks. For women, they suggest dresses, skirts or dressy pants.

Nice jeans are fine, but please do not wear shorts or athletic shoes to dinner.

Germany and the Czech Republic have a temperate climate with moderate rainfall throughout the year. Summer temperatures are warm during the day and chilly at night, while spring and fall are generally cooler. On most days you'll be comfortable biking in a short-sleeved jersey or T-shirt although when you head out in the morning, you might want to wear a lightweight jacket or vest, arm warmers and knee or leg warmers. Rain is possible year-round—don't forget to bring waterproof breathable rain gear.

The more you know about your destination before you go, the more you'll appreciate all that you'll see when you get there. The tour operator has selected a few of their favorite books to help capture the essence of the region.-

–Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945, Frederick Taylor

–Before the Deluge: A Portrait of Berlin in the 1920s, Otto Friedrich

–Berlin Diaries: 1940–1945, Marie Vassiltchikov

–The Coasts of Bohemia: A Czech History, Derek Sayer

–The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera

–Prague: A Traveler's Literary Companion, Paul  Wilson

Yes, on this trip, most travelers choose to ride one of the custom titanium e-bikes. If you prefer to enjoy the daily rides without electric assistance, you can select another bike.

If you'd prefer to have your own pedals, helmet or seat, feel free to bring these along. Your own gear can help to make your time on the bike as comfortable as possible, especially if you're someone who likes to log a lot of miles. Your leaders will be happy to put on your pedals and seat for you at the beginning of the trip.

The following items are included with all titanium bikes. Trip Leaders also have full tool kits on hand and are available to do mechanical repairs.

• bike helmet

• two water bottles

• safety triangle

• lock and cable

• tube and patch kit with tire levers

• pedals (with toe clips/straps, if requested)

• rear rack and reflective trunk bag

• map case

• wide range of gears

• GPS device

The Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 declared by the World Health Organization and the US Department of Health and Human Services expired May 11, 2023.

Effective June 1, should a guest choose to travel when positive or symptomatic with COVID-19, they will be required to wear a mask indoors and in vehicles, and to dine separately from the group.

Additionally, traveling unvaccinated may cause trip disruption. Backroads will not offer refunds or expense reimbursement to those unable to join a trip or take part in certain activities due to not meeting requirements. We ask that all guests carry a mask, as local regulations or vendors may require them in certain settings.

Travel Insurance: In the event a physician recommends you discontinue travel or not join your Backroads trip due to COVID-19 or other illnesses, consider trip insurance to help protect your travel investment.

Regional Entry Requirements: Please note that some regions (especially international destinations) have COVID-19 requirements and/or documents needed for entry.

Last update: Oct 2023