Things To Know Before You Take a Motorcycle Trip Through Central Europe

The Bike
I rented our motorcycle from Petr Polansky's Harness Bike, booking it in advance through Czech Motorcycles (Web site coming very soon). Czech Motorcycles has helpful English-speaking staffers and can take reservations and deposits. Contact the company at .

If you're already in the Czech Republic, you may want to contact Harness Bike directly via e-mail () or telephone (02 677 10 847).

Harness Bikes treated us wonderfully. Our point of contact, Olaf (who speaks English), gave us great advice on routes and offered to be available on the phone if we needed him during our trip. (We didn't.) Harness was also exceedingly understanding about some damaging vandalism that occurred on our watch, taking only a tiny amount from our deposit. Olaf also drove us to the airport when we were running late. I recommend this company highly.

Harness has a selection of motorcycles. We rented a Suzuki Bandit GSF 600S for 101 euros (around $125) per day. Additional charges apply if mileage exceeds 250 kilometers (about 155 miles) a day. Book well in advance in the summer, especially if you hope to rent around the time of the Brno Motorcycle Grand Prix in August.

Distances on all road signs and maps in Central Europe are given in kilometers. One kilometer = 0.62 miles.

Getting There
We flew from Paris to Prague on Air France. Travelers already in Europe should search low-cost airlines like Sky Europe (which specializes in connecting Central and Western Europe), Flybe, and Ryanair. (But book early. I always seem to miss the best deals by buying too late.)

Money
Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia each still retain their own currencies—the zloty, the Czech koruna, and the Slovak koruna, respectively. As new members of the European Union, all have committed to adopting the euro. Poland and the Czech Republic are expected to switch in 2010, Slovakia in 2009.

Some high-end hotels in the region already quote prices and accept payment in euros, as does Harness Bikes.

Language
If you don't speak Czech, Slovak, or Polish, German can come in handy. In touristy areas, you can usually find someone who speaks either English or German. In gas stations I found no English spoken whatsoever, but they do sell maps.

Some Places We Slept
We traveled in early June, and found hotels fully booked in Prague and in the Polish cities of Wroclaw and Krakow. In smaller towns, though, there was accommodation to spare. July and August are considered the busiest months, though the winter season is also busy in the Tatras Mountains, where towns like Zakopane, Poland, and Stary Smokovec, Slovakia, fill up with skiers. Most hotels in the Czech Republic and Poland included breakfast in the room price. In the bigger cities, rental companies like Krakow's Old Town Apartments are a good alternative to hotels, even for a night or two.

In Prague, Czech Republic, Unitas Pension and Art Prison Hostel did the job. Its narrow rooms have no private bathrooms, but the place is tidy and pleasant and very centrally located.

In Wroclaw, Poland, we stayed in the four-star Qubus Hotel, part of a Polish chain geared to business travelers. Our room had a bathtub, a balcony, and a window overlooking the Gothic St. Mary Magdalene church. Guests can get same-day foreign newspapers.

In Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, Penzión Expo is a cozy place with televisions and private bathrooms. The owner is very friendly, and it's a short walk to the town square.

Some Places We Ate
In Wroclaw: Lwoska Restaurant, No. 4 Rynek. Fabulous traditional Polish cuisine, heavy on the sausage and dumplings.

In Krakow, Poland: Fabryka Pizzy, E-6, ul. Jozefa 34. A very small, friendly pizza joint in the Kazimierz neighborhood.

In Brno, Czech Republic: Brabander, Jostova 4, 602 00 Brno. A busy candlelit place with dishes like eggplant-wrapped pike.

In Prague: U Zlate Studne, U Zlate studne 166/4, 118 00 Praha 1.Top-notch French-influenced international cuisine, with a gorgeous view of the city. We ate steak, duck, and sorbet. Located on the fourth floor of a hotel by the same name. Tricky to find, but worth it.

Hergetova Cihelna, Cihelna 2b, 118 00 Praha 1. An OK Caesar salad and a great view of the Charles Bridge. Located on the river in a former brick factory.