Litoměřice - Ústí nad Labem | Elbe cycle route

Litoměřice town can be found by the junction of Ohře and Labe rivers, on the border between the hilly area of the Central Bohemian Highlands and the fertile lowlands of Labe. Litoměřice area is famous as one of the most well-known wine-producing areas of Bohemia and also known as The Garden of Bohemia for its fruit production. The royal town and a nearby Radobýl hill was often visited by Karel Hynek Mácha, a Czech poet, which is also shown in a small museum called Mácha’s room. You can enjoy the view for the lookout tower Kalich or the Stephan’s Cathedral Tower. See also the exposition in The Richard Mine, the gothic Litoměřice castle with a wine-producing exhibition, The Gallery of Marionettes (Sváťovo Dividlo) or the natural heritage sight called Porta Bohemica not far from Litoměřice.

Radobýl hill is 399 metres high. It is a natural heritage sight and its north-south profile has been mined-off. The column separation of basalt stone is clearly visible, as well as the different directions of the basalt columns. On the south and south-west slopes, there are grassy areas in the rock steppes with an abundance of rare and protected plant species, such as purple mullein, milkvetch (Astragalus excapus), and St. Bernard's lily. On the top of Radobýl hill, there is a cross. The one that we see today is the 8th one since 1622. On the slopes of Radobýl, there have been vineyards for many years. The Litoměřice wine trail runs through the area and informs visitors about wine and wine-producing in the Litomeřice region.

Porta Bohemica, or The Gate to Bohemia, is the name of a deep valley of the Labe river, through which Labe enters the Central Bohemian Highlands. It starts about 5 kilometres down the river from Litoměřice. For about 4 kilometres, the banks are bordered by rocky slopes. The Labe river has formed an extraordinary landscape with a deep river valley inside the Central Bohemian Highlands. On the right bank, you can view it from the viewpoints like Kalvárie, Hrádek, Malá Vendule . On the left bank, there is Dobrý hill and the Mlynářův kámen (Miller’s stone) viewpoint. Unforgettable view of Porta Bohemica is from the deck of a cruise boat, sailing the river regularly (throughout the whole tourist season) from Litoměřice, Lovosice, and Velké Žernoseky. In the surrounding area of Porta Bohemica, there are a lot of large vineyards producing Žernoseky wine, one of the best kinds in the Czech Republic.

Calvary hill (Kalvárie) is a part of the Porta Bohemica range on the right bank of the Labe river. There are three crosses on top of it. Because of the erosion caused by the river, the Palaeozoic rocks come to the surface, which is rather rare in the Central Bohemian Highlands. The Natural Reservation Calvary protects especially the steep rocky slopes with the representation of rock-steppes xenophile flora and fauna. For example, you can find there the endangered European green lizard, or the yellow star-of-Bethlehem (Gagea Pratensis), in blossom early in spring.