Bicycle tour Píšťany lake and the Oparno valley by bike
The short trip around Lake Píšt'any is also suitable for less fit cyclists or for families with children.
Start your trip in Litoměřice, taking the Elbe Cycle Route to Píšt'any, where you can swim in the lake and have a cold drink at the marina. Then hop a ferry to Lovosice to visit the U Zámečku lookout. Take alternate route 2A of the Elbe Cycle Route to the ferry crossing in Malé Žernosky, then continue along cycle route 25 into the picturesque Oparno valley. There is a pretty stretch alongside the Milešovský brook and then you can stop for a bite to eat at Černodolský mlýn. Take the same route back to the ferry in Malé Žernosky, crossing the river to the main fork of the Elbe Cycle Route and continue to Velké Žernosky. Here you can make a short detour to the village and maybe pick up a bottle of the local wine. Then it’s just a short ride back to Litoměřice along the Elbe Cycle Route.
This ride is possible in summer months when ferries are running.
Route: Litoměřice – Píšťany – Lovosice – Malé Žernoseky – Oparno – Velké Žernoseky – Litoměřice
Ride distance: 25 km
Elevation profile: ↑ 130 m, ↓ 130 m
Difficulty: Easy
Bike type: Gravel, road, touring
Route on the map here.
Stops
Viewpoint “U Zámečku” – Lovosice
A 7.3-meter-high lookout tower including a gallery at 4 meters was built on an artificial hill, where ice was stored in the past for cooling beer in a nearby restaurant. The structure consisting of 40 twelwe-meter poles in the shape of a hyperboloid is anchored to a reinforced concrete platform.
Near the Café Zámeček and the ferry (across the river Elbe to Píšťany) there is a beautiful lookout tower. It is located on the site of the original wooden gazebo, which was built here in 1865 by a member of the Schwarzenberg family together with a inn. The viewpoint stands on an artificial hill, which consists of a buried two-storey building originally serving as a beer cellar and ice house for the needs of a cruise restaurant.
In the spring of 2019, it was built here by the company Raeder & Falge in cooperation with architect Luboš Hruška. Instead of the original gazebo above, the architect designed a wooden lookout with a steel staircase and a tarpaulin roof visible from afar. The place has a view not only of the river, but also of Porta Bohemica and Radobýl.
A tourist and historical business cards from “Wander Book” can be purchased in the café.