Already today you can set out on marked cycling routes near the Jizera River through the Jizera Mountains, the Western Giant Mountains, the Bohemian Paradise and the Polabí Region to Prague. The Greenway Jizera Backbone Cycle Route is now made up of several interconnecting cycle routes. You will ride on newly built sections of the cycle path (e.g. the section Líšný - Turnov, in Semily), on quiet roads or on unpaved roads. Sometimes you will have to go up of the Jizera valley. Don't be discouraged by the more difficult sections and get on the road. You will discover the charm of the six peculiar landscapes, get to know their natural monuments, castles and chateaux, technical sights and folk and religious architecture.
Jizera Mountains
The Greenway Jizera Cycle Route (GWJ) starts in the Jizera Mountains, where there are numerous tourist destinations, easily accessible thanks to a network of marked hiking and cycling trails. The GWJ route passes through the village of Jizerka and go down along the Jizera River into the Martinský Valley. In the old days, a provincial trail connecting Silesia and Bohemia led through these places.
Krkonoše Mountains
The GWJ route turns from the Jizera Mountains to the Krkonoše Mountains at the settlement of Mýto, whose name also confirms the existence of an ancient connecting trade route. After the old stone bridge over the Jizera in Mýto, the recommended route follows an old road called Planýrka, traversing the slope on the right bank of the Jizera to the typical mountain village of Paseky nad Jizerou. It has always been purely Czech, just like the town on our route - Vysoké nad Jizerou. Here begin the remarkable views of the central ridge of the Giant Mountains. Then the trail returns via Škodějov back to Jizera in the village of Loukov (Háje nad Jizerou). Here the Bohemian Paradise region begins.
Bohemian Paradise – North
From the confluence of the Jizera and the Jizerka, which brings water from the western Krkonoše Mountains, the river turns its course into a hilly region of distant vistas and deep valleys, natural and technical attractions and folk architecture. The GWJ follows the river to a section below Semily, where the river cuts through a deep canyon with the Rieger Trail (an attractive pedestrian trail not accesible to bicycles). The Bozkov Dolomite Caves lie above the right bank, while the Kozákov, the guardian mountain of the Bohemian Paradise, rises above the left bank. From Podspálov the GWJ follows the Jizera again to Železný Brod - a town of glass and folk architecture. From there you have to go up to Líšný and then you can follow the new cycle path along the river to Turnov.
At Malá Skála the river enters the sandstones of the Czech Cretaceous basin. Directly from the river rises the rock wall of the Pantheon (Vranov), on the left bank opposite the Malá Skála Drábovna you can see the breathtaking Suché Rocks. Further on lies the area of Sokol, the rock maze Chléviště - Kalich. The Jizera River at Rakousy bends its course for the last time with two powerful curves and under the Betlémské and Klokočské rocks it approaches Turnov with its more open floodplain.
Bohemian Paradise – South
From Turnov - the heart of the Bohemian Paradise with many sights not only from the fields of stonemasonry and jewellery making - the Jizera flows along a mostly landscaped riverbed. The Hrubý Rohozec Chateau rises above the right bank. On the left side of the river you will find the most famous rock towns - Hruboskalsko, Příhrazské rocks, Drábské světničky and also Mužský - a basalt peak with a circular view. At Mnichovo Hradiště, the Jizera leaves the area of sandstone bushes and flows through the Mladá Boleslav region. The Mladá Boleslav region has a number of tourist destinations that should not be overlooked. In the town, which is more than a thousand years old and has been closely linked to the automotive industry for the last hundred years, you will find architectural gems and the interesting Škoda Museum. Along the course of the river, where the GWJ also runs, there are also many other castles, chateaux, ruins and religious buildings (Mnichovo Hradiště Castle, Zvířetice, Michalovická Putna, Loreta in Kosmonosy). These destinations are mostly located on the cycle route along the Jizera River. In the south, the Polabí Mountains are gently connected.
Polabí region
As the flow of the river moves away from Mladá Boleslav the terrain opens up into a region that is favourable to cyclists. The gently undulating landscape is suitable for family trips. The first remarkable sight is the castle in Benátky nad Jizerou (a complex with sculptures by M. B. Braun, a toy museum). On the left bank of the Jizera River is the Jabkenická obora (Bedřich Smetana monument) with numerous ponds, as well as quiet forests in the area of the former military area of Milovice. Before its mouth the river enters the Polabí plains. On the right bank at the lower reaches of the Jizera the forests stretch as far as the ancient twin town of Brandýs nad Labem - Stará Boleslav (the castle of the "three emperors", the church of St. Cosmas and Damian - the murder of St. Wenceslas in 929). Swimming is offered by the Proboštská Lakes, the sand pits at Lhota and Mlékojedy in the direction of Neratovice.
At the confluence of the Jizera and Elbe rivers where our route crosses the Elbe cycle path lies Káraný with a drinking water treatment plant for Prague. The interesting Toušeň Spa is on the other bank of the Elbe where you can cross the footbridge and continue on to Prague.
The length of the marked Greenway Jizera cycle route:
Marking of the backbone cycle route Greenway Jizera:
Thanks to the Central Bohemian and Liberec Region the Greenway Jizera backbone cycle route is marked uniformly along its entire length as a supra-regional long-distance cycle route No. 17.
Mass public transport on the Greenway Jizera cycle route:
The Greenway Jizera cycle route can also start from the train station in Kořenov, Harrachov or Szklarska Poreba in Poland. By train from Prague to Tanvald and after changing trains from Tanvald to Kořenov or Harrachov. Some train connections allow transport of bicycles. For more information visit www.idos.cz. If you start your journey along the Jizera River to Prague from the train station in Kořenov and still want to ride the entire Greenway Jizera route we have a solution for you. From the train station in Kořenov cycle to Jizerka along the marked cycle route No. 22.
