Journey from Prague, where the Czech Republic reveals itself one village at a time. Quiet farmland. Raw beauty. Earnest people eager to share stories. Cross the Danube and encounter Austria's stark jagged peaks. Find joy in the countryside, the culture and the contrasts of these neighboring European countries.
Day 1 Start your adventure in the Czech Republic with gentle pastoral strolls to picture-perfect villages | After lunch at a secluded farmhouse-turned-inn, walk through rolling pastureland, evergreen forests and roads lined with fruit trees in southern Bohemia.
Day 2 A local guide leads us on a visit of enchanting Český Krumlov, an incredible World Heritage site with cobblestone streets, baroque and Renaissance houses, vaulted passageways and hidden squares | Saunter into the hills for sweeping city views | Rendezvous at a popular pub for a tasting of Czech beers.
Days 3-4 Journey to Austria and ascend by cable car from Traunsee Lake to Feuerkogel peak, where a heavenly hike with stunning vistas awaits | Taste apfelstrudel, the delicious signature highland dish, mid-trek at a cozy alpine hut | Take a walking tour of the tiny World Heritage town of Hallstatt | Keep your eyes peeled for chamois in the beautiful Dachstein Massif | Schuhplattler dancers treat us to a lively performance.
Days 5-6 Gear up for crystal-clear lakes and a historic pilgrimage trail | Ride a cogwheel train from the storybook village of St. Wolfgang up Schafberg Mountain, the setting for scenes in The Sound of Music | Enjoy a leisurely walk around Fuschl, an idyllic lakeside village.
My daughter and I did this trip together. It will be one of the most memorable weeks of our lives! We had such a fun group and our leaders could not have been more pleasant, knowledgeable, and helpful. We hope to do more Backroads trips in the future.- Minneapolis, MN
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception. Read the Straight Talk
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
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Accommodations may vary based on departure date. Any difference from what is listed below can be found by clicking on your desired date on the Dates & Prices tab.
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A former Jesuit monastery from the 16th century, with a perfect location in the town's center. (pool, spa)
An exclusive retreat composed of three historic houses overlooking spectacular Lake Hallstatt in the Salzkammergut region.
Set on a wooded promontory on Lake Fuschl, this castle was built as the country residence of the archbishops of Salzburg in 1450. (pool, spa)
There's no better way to find out about Backroads than by hearing it from the people who have traveled with us. For more about the Backroads Experience, read our Guest Testimonials.
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REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
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Comments about Czech Republic & Austria Walking & Hiking Tour:
My daughter and I did this trip together. It will be one of the most memorable weeks of our lives! We had such a fun group and our leaders could not have been more pleasant, knowledgeable, and helpful.
We hope to do more Backroads trips in the future.
Comments about Czech Republic & Austria Walking & Hiking Tour:
This was my first Backroads trip and you guys have it down to a science. Not a beat was missed but the beauty was that despite the intense preparation and logistics that go into a trip like this, Ce Ce and Martin made it seem effortless. Their enthusiasm and genuine joy and appreciation of what they do is evident every step of the way. Thank you for a wonderful experience.
Comments about Czech Republic & Austria Walking & Hiking Tour:
I have never done any sort of a tour before. I work for a luxury hotel company with great perks so it's hard for me to find value when I have to pay for a vacation. It was so worth every penny! Loved all the hikes. Loved the food and the hotels lived up to their description. Cesky Krumlov is still stuck in my head as the most beautiful city in the world. The tour guides were fantastic! They made even the rainy days fun. Also loved when they invited the locals to talk to us because we got to learn about their culture.
Comments about Czech Republic & Austria Walking & Hiking Tour:
This was not our first experience with BR, but it was our first walking and hiking tour and it was a perfect combination of easy walks sprinkled with a few more challenging hikes. We were particularly taken with Cesky Krumlov and the Czech Republic. Of course, as a World Heritage Site, it is a beneficiary of funds to enable it to not only preserve its historical monuments dating back to the 13th Century, but make the city an almost storybook place for visitors. This did not in any way diminish from our magnificent hikes through Austria, visit to another WHS of Hallstatt, and, of course, trying local beers all along the way.
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Images shared by Dick
Relaxing at top of Schafberg mountain
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The earlier you book, the more choice you'll have and the lower your price. And you can always change your mind—you won't be charged to transfer to a different trip before your final payment is due.
Please click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
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AVAILABLE TO BOOKi GOING FASTi CONTACT USi PRIVATE TRIP - RESERVEDi
Interested in a Private Trip? Check out the Make It Private tab for private dates available, or call us at 800-462-2848.
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next—and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.
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| Daily Route Options | ||||||||||
| Day | EASYGOING | ACTIVE | AVID | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | ||||||
| miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | |
| 1 | 4* | 1000 | 8* | 1600 | ||||||
| 6* | 1000 | |||||||||
| 2 | 4* | 700 | 7 | 800 | 9 | 800 | ||||
| Cesky Krumlov Guided Walk (45 Minutes) | ||||||||||
| 3 | 4 | 700 | 5 | 1400 | 7 | 2200 | ||||
| 4 | 3* | 0 | 8* | 800 | ||||||
| Hallstatt Guided Walk (1 Hour) | ||||||||||
| 5 | 5* | 500 | 7* | 900 | 10* | 1600 | ||||
| Cogwheel Train Ride (1.5 Hours) | ||||||||||
| 6 | 3* | 200 | ||||||||
Note: The terrain on this trip includes a mix of historic village pathways, forested lanes and rugged trails with some steeper sections in the Austrian Alps.
* Includes shuttle.
Learn more about how we determine our activity levels and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources (such as Map My Ride and Garmin devices) may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies. Readings from a Garmin or a smart phone are influenced by other factors such as air pressure.
Close by the spectacular UNESCO-protected castle of Český Krumlov, you descend a set of stone steps into U Dobraka, a traditional Czech restaurant that was a retreat for free-thinkers during the Communist era and remains a well-kept secret. Our local friendships also lead us to the farm of Dagmar Havlova, sister-in-law of late Czech president Vaclav Havel, for an exclusive farm-to-table dinner that’s more authentic than any you’ll find in the local restaurant guide.
On our Czech Republic and Austria trips we have an extra leader supporting you along the trail—for a total of three, compared to the industry standard two. So we can be in more places at once, giving personal attention to guests traveling at their own pace. Here's more on our Trip Leaders.
We design and support our Czech Republic and Austria trips to suit mixed abilities and varied interests—so you can set your own pace, then change things up as the day unfolds. And all guests are free to do the same, traveling together or apart, with no one cramping anyone else's style. Which sounds easy in theory, but it's hard to pull off. Here's more on how we do it.
In Czech Republic and Austria you head off each morning after choosing among several expertly designed routes—all with detailed directions, mileage and shuttle options. Unlike trips with one fixed daily route (or worse, one guide that everyone's obliged to follow), you're free to enjoy the best of the region at your pace, stopping wherever you want to explore further.
In choosing the ideal experts to enrich your travel experience, we look for people with a wealth of local knowledge, but also the ability to convey their insights in English. Too often travelers find themselves smiling politely, not quite understanding what they're being told. Our experts share intriguing facts, anecdotes and inside stories that stay with you forever.
In addition to the ideal balance of comfort and hospitality in our choice of lodgings, this Casual Inns trip includes nearly all of your meals, plus everything from cocktail receptions to the best snacks along the road. So there's rarely a need to reach for your wallet – we've got you covered.
Backroads has been welcoming active travelers to Europe since before the Berlin Wall came down. Today it's virtually our second home. We know the perfect roads and trails, the most scenic valleys and hilltop towns, the hidden churches and gem-like museums, the up-and-coming vintners and celebrated chefs—and, of course, all the best places to stay.
Our Trip Leaders in Czech Republic and Austria live in the area and are deeply engaged in their communities, giving them unique inside knowledge they're happy to share in making your experience that much richer. They'll introduce you to people, customs and parts of town you'd likely never encounter on your own—and teach you a few local phrases to help break the ice.
Thanks to our extensive connections in Czech Republic and Austria, Backroads takes you off the beaten track and deep into the region's culture in ways that traditional travel can never hope to do. We know the people and their customs, the legacy of art and architecture, the complex history and politic—and if we're not sure, our amazing local experts can fill in the blanks.
Under our Book with Confidence policy, your Backroads trip will run even for one or two people (or a family of three or four), subject to a nominal extra fee. Or transfer to another trip, and we'll give you a credit. It's all part of our trademark commitment to treating guests with integrity, transparency and total accountability. Read all the details.
Our Trip Leaders combine deep local expertise with a firm grasp of North American expectations around quality of service. By the same token, we pair experienced Backroads leaders with local guides who know how to cater to your needs while cracking open the culture or natural history in ways that are meaningful, memorable and often magical.
Since 1979, Backroads Founder and President Tom Hale has shown that staying #1 means constantly evaluating our performance using the best possible source of information: our guests. As we systematically analyze your feedback on our trip consultants, leaders, hotels, meals and on-trip activities, we never stop working to make a great company even better.
Backroads has the best-qualified people to lead your trip in Czech Republic and Austria, and our guests back that up, rating our Trip Leaders an average of 9.75 out of 10 for all-around quality of performance. Get the facts (and no fluff) on how we recruit and develop the very best people for your trip.
With Backroads you won't end up with kids on what you thought was an adult trip; we have exclusive departures for families, so they're off having their own adventures. As you browse our unrivaled selection of trips and dates, you can count on finding a trip in Czech Republic and Austria that's geared exclusively to your choice of traveling companions.
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Gather your favorite people to share a Backroads adventure on a ready-to-book Private Trip - featuring all the legendary Backroads hallmarks from expert leaders to unforgettable activities. You can pick from the selection of dates below for your group; some dates are only available for 16 or more guests while other dates are available for 8 or more guests. If your party has fewer than 8 guests, or your preferred date is not available, we'll create a departure just for you. Call or email us to reserve your date.
Click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
8 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 8 OR MORE GUESTS 16 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 16 OR MORE GUESTS RESERVED
Don't see your ideal travel date? Make a Date! i
Invite your family and friends on an adventure that's entirely your own - for your group of 8 or more. Find out more
I simply can't imagine a better way to immerse yourself in the life of a region, to explore hidden corners and appreciate nuances while enjoying the benefits and enormous satisfaction of traveling under your own power. These are experiences you cannot have behind the wheel of a car, or on a train or a tour bus. Active travel is, at its heart, a way of connecting more authentically with the world. Sure, Backroads provides amazing leaders, superb accommodations and meals, and opportunities you could never arrange on your own. But all of our comprehensive planning and support is aimed at something far simpler: bringing you the immediate, highly personal satisfaction of discovering a new world on your own terms.
— Tom Hale, Founder & President
