*Walks along the river Labe between Nymburk and Poděbrady: 8 km to 20 km*

Walks along the river Labe between Nymburk and Poděbrady: 8 km to 20 km

The river Labe (Elbe in Germany) has many scenic and historic stretches on its 1000 + km journey from the Krkonoše mountains in northern Bohemia to the North Sea coastline. Indeed, hiking and cycle trails run alongside many of the Labe’s riverbanks. However, it is extremely rare to find a continuous asphalt path running along both sides on the same stretch of the river!
Nevertheless, this is the case on the 9 km section of river between the historic central Bohemian towns of Nymburk and Poděbrady. As there are footbridges crossing the Labe at both towns (and even a convenient footbridge about halfway between the two towns), this creates a unique opportunity for completely flat circular tours directly beside one of Europe’s most important rivers.
Both Nymburk and Poděbrady are actually worth visiting in their own right, for their architectural and gastronomic riches. Separate short (4 km) walks exploring the areas around both historic towns can be found by clicking the respective links. However, for longer trips the walk along the river between the two towns is definitely recommended. Both town are on a mainline train route from Prague, which not only provides quick access to a starting point in either town, but also enables the route just to be taken in one direction if desired.
If only taking the route in one direction, the trail along the south (left) bank of the river is probably the more scenic as it offers good views of both towns on the opposite bank (but does result in a slightly longer route – around 11 km – as it means crossing the bridges at both ends). There is also a useful snack bar directly on the river halfway along the route near the village of Kovanice.
The full circular route (starting at either of the town’s railway stations) is approximately 20 km. If travelling by car and parking near the river in either town, the route is around 1 km shorter. There are arguments in favour of starting the walk in either location. Poděbrady is probably the more interesting and varied of the two towns and certainly has a richer variety of refreshment options – see the separate walk page for a couple of recommendations. This author’s preference is therefore to start and finish in Poděbrady.
Finally, as there is a road bridge across the Labe situated almost equidistant between the two towns, it is possible to do a shorter circular route along both banks of the Labe, starting in either Nymburk or Poděbrady. Depending on the starting point, this would be an 8 km to 10 km circuit. All of the routes are navigable with a stroller (although there are a couple of short step sections crossing the river or accessing the town center on the route described below).

Note: click ‘Show on Mapy.com’ to go to a full screen version of the route directly on the mapy.com site. This can be used for on line navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file.

Directions

Starting at Poděbrady train station, walk through the pedestrian spa park area directly opposite the station, to reach the main town square and chateau area after 1km
Enter the car park beside the chateau and in the corner descend the steps to the riverbank
Turn left and walk 300m along the river towards the weir and lock system. Cross the Labe on the pedestrian bridge which also forms part of the lock
Immediately after crossing the river, turn right into the asphalt cycle track
Follow this path under the main road heading northwest towards Nymburk
After a further 3. 5 km pass under another main road (there is an option to cross the river at this point – map point 7 – and return to Poděbrady on the opposite bank)
For the full route, continue on the south bank cycle path, after 1.2 km passing the village of Kovanice, which has a ruined small chateau and a snack bar beside the river
Continue towards Nymburk beside the river, reaching the weir and lock system after a further 3.2 km
Cross the river via the footbridge which also forms part of the lock system
If having enough time, visit the town center of Nymburk and especially the restored city walls and guard towers (taking the embankment path to the left)
After exploring Nymburk (note there is an excellent ice cream shop in the center of town), return back along the north (right) bank path
The center of Poděbrady is reached after 8 km,. From there (after exploring the excellent refreshment options) return back through the spa park to the train station