So far I was writing about urban areas like Prague and some other cities in the Czech Republic. But the country has also a lot of beautiful nature. In fact, because of natural beauty, the Czech Republic has been a movie location for a lot of movies, including big blockbusters like Narnia or other places. So I decided to dedicate one post to the best hiking places in the Czech Republic. Hopefully, it will inspire you to come and try to see some of them.
Hiking in the Czech Republic
Table of Contents
Hiking the highest hill, Sniezska
Sniezska is the highest hill in the Czech Republic. Half of the hill is Czech and the other half is Polish and you can hike it both from the Czech and Polish sides. I don’t know the Polish one, so I will focus on the Czech part. If you want to go hiking Sniezska, you will need to travel about 3 hours from Prague to a village called Pec pod Sněžkou. You can get there by direct bus from Prague, it costs about 9 euros for a ticket. The place is directly under the hill and there are hiking paths to reach the peak of the hill.
The hike lasts a full day, which means that this cannot be a day trip from Prague and you will need to find accommodation in Pec Pod Sněžkou. The prices for accommodation are relatively low, so there is no need to worry about it, and the main season in this village is usually in winter because it is a popular destination for winter sports.
Going upwards
And now, let’s get to hiking itself! Hike to Sniezska takes about a day. The difficulty of the hike is medium, even though in the beginning it is almost for everyone, the last part of the hike can be pretty difficult, mainly because the peak of the hill is also the windiest place in the Czech Republic. And going in the steep hill while fighting with the violent hill is just not for everyone.
There are three main paths to the peak. All of them are from 6 till 8km long. The difficulty is the same, the only difference is that you will see slightly different things – one of them has an old mine on its way. Another one is more in the forest and the third one is through pastures. Either one you choose, all of them are beautiful.
Because the hike is quite popular for many people, there are signs everywhere to make sure that you are going in the right direction. When you are about halfway there, you will see even some pubs and restaurants, where you can rest for a little bit or get more energy on the way.
If you want to reach the peak but don’t feel like hiking, there is a possibility of taking the cable car up there. There are three stops on the cable car, either you take it from the village to midway called Růžová hora. Or you can get to the peak. It is also possible to hike just to the middle and then decide to take the cable car to the top. You can find the prices for the cable car here.
The peak
Sniezska from far
The peak of Sniezska is without any trees around. It is in 1603m above sea levels and the temperatures here are very low, the average is about 0 degrees during the year. From here, you can see both parts of Poland or the Czech mountain around. You can also find here a post office. That is weird, isn’t it? I found it odd as well, but it is working most of the days of the year. Except for the fact, that you can send postcards from here, you can also buy here some food and water. It is not restaurant food, more like a snack, so make sure, you have eaten before.
Once you feel like you have spent enough time on the peak, there are usually several ways of going down. Because there are three ways up, you can also choose one of the three paths to go back down.
Best time to go
Even though it might seem like a difficult hike, it is possible to hike Sniezska every time of the year. The first time I did it, it was November, another time, in the middle of summer. But it is important to know that if you do it in the autumn or winter, it is going to be more difficult. Sometimes the cable car is not working during the wintertime, so you would have to manage to get there and back by yourself. So just make sure to have enough water with you and snacks as well.
Hiking Vydra trail
Banks of river Vydra is another great hiking place in the Czech Republic. The river is closer to the southern border with Germany, so on the opposite end of the country than is Sniezska. The hike difficulty is very easy and it is something that a lot of people are doing with their children. You will get about a 7km trail around the banks of the river. The river isn’t wild at all, so you can also jump on the big stones that are in the middle of the river.
During this 7km trail, you will meet 7 stops. Each stop usually has some sort of place, where you can eat or rest. And on most of the stops, you will find a poster telling you more about the nature around you. If you are really lucky, you can see wild otters. Which is also why the river is called Vydra – in Czech it means otter
How to get to Vydra hiking trail
There is no peak or anything like that, so the trail is straight forward without any difficulties. You can reach the hike either by car, which is probably easiest or by bus. The bus comes from the closest town called Kvilda. I would strongly suggest you find accommodation in Kvilda. It is a great place for hiking around and a lot of hiking paths are close to the village. You can reach Kvilda from Prague, but there is no direct connection, so without a car, it is not a day trip. It is a little bit easier if you are planning to stay in Plzen, from there you can find buses to the village.
Bohemian Paradise
Czech paradise is an area of all kinds of natural beauty about an hour and a half from Prague. It is something that you might want to do as a day trip from Prague. Czech Paradise is very easy to reach. Perhaps the most popular area for hiking here is something called Hruboskalsko. Which is a place with a lot of high rocks around. The place is in the middle of the woods. There are some amazing views, that you can see. In this area, you can find several paths, that are usually made into rings, so you can choose to walk different paths with different difficulty and length. None of the paths are exceeding 10km, so everything here is possible to do in just one day.
How to get to Bohemian paradise
The area is only 90km from Prague. You can reach it by train, the major towns, where you would need to go are either Mladá Boleslav, Jičín, Semily or Turnov. From there, you will need to get to local buses, but in most cases, it is not too far. You can see here both historic castles and a national park full of rocks. As I mentioned before, there are several paths, so you can choose what would you like to see. And depending on your ambition, you can also choose how long trail you would like to take. Most of them are fairly easy and possible to do with kids as well.
Bohemian Switzerland
Let’s get to another Rocky hiking area in the Czech republic. Bohemian Switzerland is on the Northern border with Germany. It is about 2 hours from Prague and 1 from Dresden in Germany. You get to see here rocky canyon with scenic views along with Pravčická archway. Very famous rock that featured in a lot of big movies.
Because Bohemian Switzerland has a river, you can also witness some of the natural beauty via boat. That part is called Kamnitz Gorge, but it is probably better to hike around it and enjoy the small waterfalls and all of the other natural gems.
The hikes here are not difficult, there are some hills but generally, they are not that big. There are several paths that you can choose to hike, with different lengths. If you take the longest one, you can even see most of the rocks in one day. Don’t worry too much about food – there is usually a restaurant on your way.
To get from Prague to Bohemian Switzerland from Prague, you will need to get on a train to Děčín. From Prague that takes about an hour and a half and cost something around 8 euros. From Děčím you will need to hop on a bus to Hřensko. Hřensko is a little village in the middle of the national reserve. And from there it is possible to hike whichever trail you would like.
Černé and Čertovo lake
Another great hiking path in the Czech Republic is between the only who glacier lakes in the country. They are called Černé and Čertovo jezero – in translation Black and Devil lakes. There are two main paths between them. The shorter one is not that difficult and takes about 3km so maybe 2 hours in the rough wilderness.
The other trail is from one lake till a little peak and directly from there to the other lake. That trail takes about 6 km and even though there is significantly more elevation, it is still a very easy hike, since the paths are made for tourists.
Two of these lakes are also located in a national park called Šumava which is very popular to discover on foot. If you have a car, it is possible to take a ride there from Kvilda or Vydra hike. Otherwise, the nearest city, where you can hike it from is called Železná Ruda. Železná ruda is about 140km from Prague and to get there, you would need to go first to the city called Klatovy and from there, jump to another train to the village. In general, it takes about 3,5 hours to get there by train.
Praděd
View this post on Instagram
In translation the name of the hill means Grandpa. Praděd is the highest mountain in the Silesia region of the Czech republic. It has 1492m, so very close to the highest hill in the Czech Republic. Anyway, this hill is too surrounded by a lot of attractions for everyone who loves winter sports. And similarly to Sniezska, it also has a bus going up there, if you don’t feel like walking, you can just pay for the ride.
The hike to Praděd isn’t too difficult, even though there is some elevation, the hike isn’t too steep like it is in some places in Sniezska. The bus should cost about 20 euros there and back. The bus goes to the peak every hour.
How to get to Praděd
There are three hikes to Praděd. Each of them takes approximately 9,5km. One of them goes through another peak. The other one goes through a forest and on the last one you can see some waterfalls.
Once you get there, you would see quite a big building. The building is a TV tower with the possibility of food. But it is also used as a watchtower. If the weather is nice, you can see even Sniezska from that tower.
To get to the peak in the first place, you need to start hiking in the village called Karlova Studánka. Getting there by public transport isn’t a really easy thing to do and it is a one day trip. First, you will need to take a train to Olomouc, from there, you should take a bus or train to a town called Šumperk. And finally, from Šumperk, you should be able to get to Karlova studánka. I would recommend to get a hotel right in that village and stay there overnight, perhaps explore some other hiking places in the surroundings.
Adršpach rocks
Let’s get to last but not least hiking place in the Czech Republic. Adršpach is another national park with a lot of rocks and hikes around them. There are generally several trails around during which you will experience tight streets that were mined into the stones. Tunnels and a couple of mildly elevated hills. That is also how you get an amazing view of these hills.
Like others mentioned hiking places in the Czech Republic, this one also isn’t for a day trip. Mainly because most of the trails are made for a full day of hiking. And to get here from Prague, you would need to take a train to Trutnov and then hop on a bus that would stop in Adršpach village. Just public transportation here can take 3 – 4 hours. But because the area is quite beautiful and there is a lot of trails to hike, I would recommend staying at least two days.
Like it? Pin it for later!
Related Posts
January 14, 2020-
April 9, 2019
-
August 25, 2020
These photos are absolutely gorgeous! I haven’t been to the Czech Republic yet but I’m absolutely dying to go.
– Lily
I am really hoping to go to Czech Republic in the near future and I absolutely love hiking! I hope the chance to check a few of them out thanks for sharing 🙂
I wish I knew about these when I was living in Prague! I was only there a year, but I am sure I would have had time to sneak some of these in!
I’m not the biggest hiker but these views are incredible that I think I might have to get out of my comfort zone!
Wow, all those pictures are stunning! I’m not an avid hiker so I have only heard of Bohemian Switzerland so far, but I really want to focus more on nature trips this year so thank you for the inspiration!
Wow! All of these hikes look stunning. Some do look way out of my league as far as ability, though. LOL! I would love the see the Czech Republic so I will definitely be pinning your post for later.
Very helpful and detailed post:) I especially love the map to an get overview. Im living close to Czech now, so put this on my list!
I live in Poland and have about 40 km to the Czech border, so I often go hiking there. I like the area around the Praděd Mountain the most. Karlova studánka is a hidden gem, don’t you think? I really like this town and its architecture. Have you tried spring water there?
Karlova studánksa is one of my favorite villages. Personally I love how beautiful it is and yet not that many people so you can really relax
I only got to explore Prague when I visited in the winter, but these photos are absolutely gorgeous! I’ll have to go back in the warmer months!
The Bohemian Paradise looks enchanting! Been to Czech but have not ventured out at all. This is a beautiful blog – loving the pictures!
All of these look absolutely beautiful! I really enjoy hiking new places because it doesn’t feel like exercise, it just feels like youre exploring!
Narnia was filmed in Czech Republic? If I had known that I for sure would have sought out the filming sites! I think I would really enjoy the Vydra trail, it looks gorgeous and I’m all about easy hikes. Would love to check out the Pravčická archway. Bohemian paradise also looks gorgeous and I love that there are castles in the area.
Wow the hiking scenery in Czech Republic looks magnificent! Czech Republic is high on my list of places I want to visit. Hope to be able to hike some of these suggestions some day!
It’s nice to read about some nature spots in Czech Republic and not just Prague and some other towns! Each place looks so beautiful and it seems there is a trail to fit every fitness level. Thanks for enlightening me!
Such beautiful hikes and well worth getting out of the city for. Bohemian Switzerland looks amazing. Just wow!
I didn’t even know there was hiking in the Czech Republic. This is so bad of me, but now I know. They look really cool.
Beautiful views! I love hiking and I’m a big nature person so these places on high on my list! Bohemian Switzerland looks especially attractive. Thanks for sharing!
Yeah, you truly inspired me!
Great post! These views look amazing. I’d love to do these hikes when I visit the Czech Republic. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Krystianna @ Volumes and Voyages
This is incredible! Every time I see photos from Czech Republic, I see pictures of Prague. It’s really cool to see the other side of it!
I’m just in love with the Czech Republic and am ready to return there again and again, at least reading your blog about the trip. Thanks for sharing! I am impressed with the winter holiday!
All of these hiking spots look amazing! I need to go back to Czech Republic and explore more. I had an IG friend who did the hike in Bohemia Switzerland. 🙂
I had no idea there were such perfect hiking trails in the Czech Republic. I especially like the Bohemian Switzerland area. So beautiful.
I had never considered hiking in this country, but you have opened my eyes to the possibilities.
I don’t know much about the Czech Republic, so I had no idea there were so many beautiful spots for hiking! Those lakes especially look beautiful!
Czech Republic is still on my bucket list and these hiking spots look great!
Czech Republic looks like a paradise for hikers! Especially the Vydra trail looks pretty mystical. The Bohemian Switzerland looks a lot like the Saxony Switzerland where I was in February. The rock formations there are incredible!
How impressive are those places! I didn’t realize Czech Republic had so much to offer for hiking! Glad you shared those spots with us!
Bohemian Paradise with both historic castles and a national park full of rocks? Officially on my must-visit list! Thanks for the info.