All entries about Czech Switzerland:
Czech Switzerland- a beautiful corner of nature in the north-west of the Czech Republic. The area adjoins the German Saxon Switzerland and is famous for its unusually shaped limestone cliffs, gorges and dense forests located in the Elbe River basin. In 2000, an area of 79 km2 officially became a national park and came under state protection. On the territory of this park there are several small settlements - starting points from where you can follow tourist routes, getting acquainted with the beautiful nature of this reserve. And Grzensko is the best of them.
Hřensko is a very nice and hospitable border town located near the border with Germany on the banks of the river Elbe. This picturesque village with half-timbered houses is considered the gateway to the Czech Switzerland National Nature Reserve and, at the same time, the place where the Elbe River says goodbye to the Czech Republic.
How we got there:
1. from Prague railway station by train to Děčín - ticket price 159 CZK;
2. by bus from Decin to Hřensko - ticket price 27 CZK.
All information on transport in the Czech Republic can be found.
We buy tickets to the side Decin, we take the train and go to Decin. By the way, the tickets are not tied to any train in time, the purchased ticket is valid for two days and the more people there are, the cheaper the tickets; for four of us we got 501 CZK. An even bigger discount comes when purchasing tickets in both directions at once.
In Decin we board 434 bus, which will take us to Grzhensko. There is a stop right opposite the station, but to be sure, we got to the bus station. The bus does not travel often - once every 2 hours (every hour on weekends), so we had time to take a walk and have a little snack.
We buy tickets right on the bus and go to Grzhensko.
And here is the sign “Hrensko” (you should read not “Hrensko”, but “Hrensko” or, at worst, “Hrensko”).
The Czech water slowly flows along the road Laba from the German side it is called more familiar to us - Elbe.
From Grzensko there is a ferry to the other bank of the Elbe (Laba), where Germany is already located. And a steamboat runs from Decin to Grzensko. Also, many come here by car. Previously, the border was closed. But after the Czech Republic joined the European Union, everything changed. Now this is a border crossing.
A beautiful view of the most beautiful wooded cliffs of amazing shapes and sizes opens up as you approach the Czech border.
These rocks are a real miracle of nature.
The entire small town of Grzhensko stretches out on both sides of the river Kamenitsa, which originates in the mountains, and here flows into the Elbe.
Along the edges of the gorge, like entrance towers, stand the information center and the Labe Hotel.
“Labe” looks especially impressive - it seems as if a rock is leaning against it.
The history of the region in which the village of Grzhensko is located began in the 15th century. Near the mouth of the Kamenice River there was a timber storage facility, and a mill also operated. Already in the 18th century there were four sawmills here, there were also several places for raft tying, and wood was rafted to remote places. A special feature was the powerful hundred-year-old trunks supplied to naval shipyards for the masts of large sailing ships. The next important industry was the extraction and processing of sandstone, which was transported even to Dresden. People also made a living by smuggling (Podloudnice trail). Salt, tobacco, cloth and other goods were transported here. In the 19th century, tourism began to develop in Grzensko, supported by the owner of the lordship, Edmund Clary-Aldringen. In the 30s of the 19th century, the path from Hřensko to the Pravčicka Gate was improved, hotels, boarding houses and inns arose.
And this is the main city square, as miniature as the whole city. On it, built in 1786-87, is the Baroque Church of St. John of Nepomuk, in front of which stands his sculpture created in 1756.
To please the Germans, rows of Vietnamese merchants with cheap (compared to Germany) prices stretched across the city.
An unusual phenomenon in the town is a lively trade in gnomes and statues for vegetable gardens. This unusual item of trade creates a very cute and funny picture, a feeling of some kind of magic. A wide variety of gnomes and other fairy-tale characters are waiting for their new owners.
Due to its position at the confluence of the rivers Labe and Kamenice, Hřensko, with its 150 m above sea level, is the lowest located place in the Czech Republic. Despite the very low altitude above sea level, the surrounding nature creates a very interesting effect, thanks to which you will feel as if you are in the mountains.
A little advice for tourists: life in Grzensko ends at 20.00 local time. So you need to have time to eat and drink beer before this time. And shops and shopping arcades close even earlier.
The rocky areas around the town of Decin (80 km northwest of Prague) received the figurative name “Czech Switzerland” (Ceske Svycarsko, www.npcs.cz). These regions received their rather unusual name not from the country of Switzerland, but in honor of two Swiss artists - Adrian Zing and Anton Graff, who worked on the reconstruction of the Dresden Gallery and in their free time went plein air to small villages near the Saxon-Czech border. They liked these places so much that both masters decided not to return home under the pretext that they had already found their Switzerland.
This poetic name, however, poorly reflects the real landscapes of the region - the massifs of the Elbe Sandstone, Decin and Central Bohemian mountains are low here (the maximum point is Decinski Sneznik, 722 m) and are heavily destroyed, and the more well-preserved ancient volcanic massifs are cut by canyons and river valleys and crevices. But the general charm of these places more than compensates for some discrepancy in names, and the most beautiful territories became part of the national park of the same name.
Attractions
The decoration of these places is a geological phenomenon Panska Skala(Panska skala, Herrnhausfelsen) - a massive cliff made of polygonal columns of basalt. It was formed millions of years ago during the invasion of hot magma into the thickness of the earth's crust. In fact, these polygonal columns, somewhat reminiscent of organ pipes, are, so to speak, basalt crystals, exposed by erosion processes and human activity (the massif “appeared” during quarrying at the end of the 19th century). Unlike its famous counterpart in Northern Ireland, the 12-metre high Panska Skala is easily accessible and lies just 500 meters south of Route 13, near the village of Prachen (18 km east of Decin).
The second point of attraction in the region is the picturesque Kamenice gorge. From the village of Mezna (12 km northeast of Decin), a “green” hiking trail descends into the cool canyon of the Kamenice River, flowing from the east, from the slopes of the Lusatian Mountains, and breaking through the cliffs of the Cinsky Mountains in this area. . Having crossed the thirty-meter gorge on a wooden bridge (Mezni mustek), you can go down to the piers, from where mini-excursions on punts begin down the river to the Quiet (Ticha souteska) and Wild (Divoka souteska) gorges, to the picturesque village of Mezni Louka (Mezni Louka, it’s better to climb here on foot along the “blue” trail, although there is a river here too), the village of Hrensko (where the river flows into the Elbe) or climb 5 km up the river, to the village of Jetrichovice, where the canyon becomes shallow and turns into a picturesque valley, or another 8 kilometers south, to the picturesque town of Ceska Kamenice (Ceska Kamenice, Bohmisch Kamnitz, 18 km east of Decin on highway No. 13) with its beautiful pilgrimage church.
The massifs of the Elbe Sandstone, Decin and Central Bohemian Mountains are low here (the maximum point is Decinski Sneznik, 722 m) and heavily destroyed, while the more well-preserved ancient volcanic massifs are cut by canyons, river valleys and chasms. In total, 79 square meters are allocated for the protected area. km, however, in such a small territory at first glance, a lot of interesting things are concentrated - the geological phenomenon of Panska Skala (Panska skala, Herrnhausfelsen), made of polygonal columns of basalt, the picturesque gorges of Kamenice, Sucha Kamenice, Tichoe (Edmundovo) and Dikoe, a rock arched bridge " Pravcicka Gate" (Pravcicka Brana), colorful mountain settlements (about 36 towns and villages in total), 15 hiking and cycling trails with a total length of about 110 km, the castle-hotel "Falcon's Nest" (1881, now it houses a reserve museum and a restaurant ), castles in Decin (X-XVII centuries, one of the oldest in Europe) and Binovec, excellent viewing platforms of the Capital Mountain (Stolicna Hora), Snezicka (Snezicka vyhlidka) and Belveder, “Czech Fuji” - Mount Ruzovsky Vrch (619 m), as well as picturesque forests and many clean rivers.
How to get there
You can get to the national park through the towns of Decin, Hřensko, Krasna Lipa and Jetřichovice from Prague by train (Hlavniho Nadrazi station) or by bus to Decin (about an hour and a half), then transferring to local buses (from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the final destination). points). It is also easy to travel from Dresden via Sebnitz and Mikulasovice to Krasna Lipa.
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The Bohemian Switzerland National Park (also known as the Bohemian Switzerland People's Park) was founded on January 1, 2000 and covers an area of almost 80 sq. km. The park is located on the northern border with Germany and continues on German territory (where it is called “Saxon Switzerland”) The purpose of creating the park is to preserve the natural beauty of these places, so that human intervention is strictly limited here.
The main wealth of the park is the unique sandstone rock formations, covered with green islands of well-preserved old forests and rare plants. These rocks once rose from the seabed, where sand accumulated over 10 million years to reach a thickness of more than 1 km today. The most important geological processes took place here in the Mesozoic.
The modern amazing landscape of the national park consists of these deposits, compressed into cliffs, which cracked and split under the influence of wind, rivers, temperature changes, etc., forming stunningly picturesque cliffs, rock towers, canyons, arches and windows to this day. The most famous of them is the Rose Hill, the highest in Czech Switzerland.
The main wealth of the park is the unique sandstone rock formations, covered with green islands of well-preserved old forests.
Czech Switzerland is a real forest kingdom. Forest covers almost its entire territory. Mostly coniferous and birch forests grow here, the oldest of which can be found in inaccessible gorges and on high cliffs. Since the soil in the latter is either poor or absent, very resilient representatives of the flora grow here, creating very picturesque pictures with their curved trunks. The fauna of the national park is also rich: the landscape creates ideal conditions for nesting of many species of birds, colonies of bats live in rock cracks, and shy and nocturnal animals such as deer live in the forests.
History of Czech Switzerland
The first inhabitants of Bohemian Switzerland were probably hunters, fishermen and gatherers - as was natural for that time, more than 10 thousand years ago. They roamed around the area, establishing settlements near water streams. Tools, pieces of coal and dishes are still found here. Much later, Bohemian Switzerland was partially settled by farmers. From time to time, a fortified fort was erected here and there, and trade caravans passed through the territory of the national park.
Hiking in Bohemian Switzerland
In the 13th and 14th centuries, Bohemian kings invited colonialists here from the territory of modern Germany. The latter built villas, stone castles, started logging, and began producing glass and coal. But, since the forests were dense, and there were no wide plains in Czech Switzerland, the life of these communities had a specific character. The architecture was also specific: in the national park, ancient half-timbered houses of a typical design are still preserved (in particular, in Kamenicka Strana and Vysoka Lipa). In the second half of the 20th century. Many of these settlements, abandoned, have fallen into disrepair, and here and there in the park you can find the most picturesque ruins.
The tourism development of the region began quite early, around the second half of the 18th century. Romantic artists living in Dresden began their first travels through what was later called Saxon Switzerland (the name was adapted in the Czech version). The systematic development of tourism began in the 19th century, when landowners from local estates (the Kinski and Clary-Aldringen families), as well as the first tourist societies (the Mountain Society of Bohemian Switzerland and the Mountain Society of Northern Bohemia) began to gradually increase the attractiveness of the region for travelers. The first walking trails, restaurants, hotels, observation decks and observation towers began to appear here. Water sports enthusiasts increasingly came here to sail on the Elbe, and the gorges in Kamenica were full of punts.
Tourism in Czech Switzerland
Today, there are dozens of well-marked hiking trails throughout the park. Here you can ride a bicycle, go horseback riding and rock climbing in designated areas, and stay overnight in official camp sites. You can even come here with pets.
But what you can’t do is leave the marked trail in zone I of the park.
Today, on the territory of the national park there are several extremely interesting places, which tourists come from all over Europe to see. This is a natural stone arch 26 by 16 m, which is called the Pravchitsky Gate; gorges of the Kamenice River; Krynica river valley; the famous Pink Hill rock; town of Vysokaya-Lipa; Dolskaya mill; Dittersbacher peaks; waterfalls near Brtniki... We can list them further, but it’s already obvious: spending a day or two in Czech Switzerland is not enough. It’s worth coming here as if you were on a full-fledged vacation.
Practical information
Tourist centers are located in different parts of the national park. The main one is located in Krasnaya Lipa. Information centers - in Saul, Jetrichovica, Srpska Kamenica, Hrensko.
Opening hours of the tourist center in Krasnaya Lipa: daily from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 12:30 to 17:00, in January - February - until 16:00, in June - August - until 18:00.
You can get to Krasnaya Lipa by car in about two hours, if you drive strictly north through Melnik and Ceska Lipa. Another option is to take the train to Germany, to Bad Schandau, which is in the German part of the national park (Saxon Switzerland). This trip will take about two hours.
On the border with Germany, I just want to write, in the dense forests there is the Czech Switzerland National Park. It seems that in Europe all the places where beautiful nature is called Switzerland, only the adjectives change. So in the north of the Czech Republic they did not deviate from traditions. The national park “České Švýcarsko” (as it looks like in Czech) is famous for its extraordinary beauty of high steep cliffs and babbling streams. Against the backdrop of such beauty, one natural monument stands out, which is the calling card of this area. We are talking about the Pravchitsa Gate. This is a rock hole, as we would call it, the largest natural gate made of rock on our continent. Hundreds of thousands of tourists come here for their sake.
Of course, when so many people gather in one place, it would be a sin not to organize walking routes and attractions with which you can earn money.
Boating along the gorge with helmsmen steering the vessel using poles is another entertainment that attracts tourists.
According to those who have passed this route, it is better to start it from the village of Mezni Louka. Along the route marked in blue (marks on the trees are blue) we descend to the Divoká Soutěska canyon. The markers start right behind the Mezní Louka Hotel. This option is convenient because most of the road will go downhill. We took the more difficult route.
It began for us in the village of Hrensko. Before he even had time to park the car at the entrance to the settlement, his mouth opened randomly from the beauty he saw. High cliffs hung directly above the road. At their foot, wherever possible, houses with restaurants have been built. There was a parking lot under one of these rocks, where the car was left.
Before starting the route, let's look around and enjoy the moment. Next we will have a walk along the Kamenice River. To get your bearings correctly, let’s remember the film The Diamond Arm. The action will take place near the toilet. On the map marked with the letters M and ZO. Everything is very similar here. Near a huge rock there is a low building with the same letters. If you go to the left of the rock, then you will meet the Pravchitsa Gate, and if you go to the right along the river, then you will sail on a boat with a guy who has a big pole.
Since the guys swim only until six, and we arrived after lunch, we decided to start with them.
The first part of the gorge is pedestrian. About twenty minutes along the path, sometimes just above the river, sometimes going straight down to it. The rocks are so close that your hands are reaching out to them. Pedestrian tunnels have been made somewhere for convenience. Children enjoy such a neighborhood. Together with adults, they play echo, screaming loudly inside. So, with jokes and jokes, they didn’t notice how they plowed two kilometers. As soon as a dam appears ahead, you can relax and slowly walk to board the boat. This part of the rides is called Edmund's Gorge (Edmundova soutěska). The riding session will last approximately 15-20 minutes. A lot of interesting features made for tourists can fit into this short period. It’s a pity that fluent Czech is not entirely, or rather completely incomprehensible to the Russian ear. Based on the stories of linguists, the boatman leads his unhurried story about the route and history of this place. In the most unexpected places, a dragon's head comes out, a boletus man sits on a rubble, a rock in the shape of an open mouth, and much more. For convenience, the places where you need to look at the strange rocks are painted yellow. And the crown of this story is a waterfall that suddenly turns on “by itself” (for this purpose, a wire is stretched at the top).
The freebie ended quickly and I need to work with my legs again. First, in light mode along the river to the bridge. On the way, right after the boat landing, there is a small cafe where you can have a snack. I really don’t recommend doing this, as the hardest part lies ahead. It starts immediately after the bridge.
Before continuing, I will make a short digression. The difficult section after the bridge begins for those who want to shorten the route. If you go as far as possible to the end, then after the bridge you need to move further along the river until the next boat landing. The boat trip will take you through the Wild Gorge (Divoká Soutěska). Then you will need to climb up the mountain from the gorge and reach the village of Mezni Louka. Then, along the yellow tourist road called Gabriela's path, you need to climb the road along the rocks to see the rock massifs: Great Pravcicka Cone, Homole Sahara, Křidelní Wall. Ultimately, this trail will lead us to the Pravchitsa Gate.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have that much time and from the bridge we started the most difficult part of our journey. From the very bottom of the gorge, a steep climb uphill awaited us. For those who are not physically fit, the trail is made in the form of a serpentine. We went ahead. The twenty-minute climb ends at the hotel-restaurant. Here you can take a break and drink a cup (of beer). This small settlement is called Mezna.
Then you need to strictly follow a straight line to the road leading down to highway 25861. This part of the route is marked in yellow. The road will first go through a field and you can see a rocky ridge along which a longer route goes. If you got there correctly, you will go straight to the bus stop, from which another ascent to the Pravchitsa Gate begins.
The climb itself is initially not very interesting until you reach the section along the rocks. The giants soaring up to a height of 30-40 meters hang over you. You are so small compared to them, you move further and further. When they end, you think everyone has arrived. However, no, this is only half, because after going around the stone you begin to move in the opposite direction. How long is it short, but after about ten minutes there is a final push and there is a huge rock ahead with a hole inside. This is not just a gate, this is a whole overpass across the gorge, but no, it will be cooler than the bridge across the Bosphorus Strait. Of course, taking into account the fact that nature did it itself.
Next to the gate is the Falcon's Nest castle, built in 1881 in the Alpine style. Previously, local hosts accommodated their guests here. Now there is a restaurant on the first floor, and a national park museum on the second. To get to the gate you need to bypass the castle and pay money. We didn't have time. The gate slammed in our faces. All that remains is to admire the gate and take a few pictures.
The way back was no longer pleasant. By this time, fatigue from the route and the morning race distance had taken its toll. The route ended in a cozy restaurant near a water mill in the village of Grzhensko.
There is in the north-west of the Czech Republic in the Usti region, on the very border with Germany, an amazingly beautiful protected place, which is called nothing less than Czech-Saxon Switzerland. This is a corner of almost untouched wild nature, a magical protected park that simultaneously covers the territory of two countries - the Czech Republic and Germany.
Many tourists from all over the country and beyond come here every day to enjoy the cleanest air and the wild beauty of the reserve, which is called the Czech Switzerland Park. It is interesting that part of the protected lands that ended up on the territory of neighboring Germany is called Saxon Switzerland.
Why are these places so attractive for those who are tired of civilization?
Czech Switzerland - brief description
It all started many thousands of years ago - it was then that amazingly beautiful canyons, crevices, gorges, sandstone rocks unusual in their shape and structure, as if endowed with a human soul, were formed from volcanic rocks on the lands of the current national park...
Dozens of centuries passed, and by 2000, a national park with an area of 80 sq. km appeared on the map of the country of beer and dumplings. - Czech paradise or Czech Switzerland. But long before this, a small urban village - Grzhensk - became a real tourist center, a pier for everyone who wanted to relax away from noisy cities. The tourist infrastructure here is well developed and, despite its modest size, in this town, always filled with tourists, there is always a place to stay for the night or just have an inexpensive and tasty snack.
Most often, guests come from the capital to admire the protected paradise, and the trip can take only one day. But if you want to have a full and quality rest, it is best to book accommodation in a boarding house or a hotel room for at least 2-3 days, since there is really something to catch the eye of even a very experienced traveler.
Attention! In Grzhensk you can buy cute souvenirs in the form of gnomes and other fairy-tale characters for children or just as a good memory.
Sights of Czech Switzerland
So, you are eager to see with your own eyes what other guests of this magical place are enthusiastically talking about. Then let's together make a list of attractions in the reserve that are simply prohibited by the law of conscience and honor to miss!
Advice! If you want to fully enjoy the bright colors of the luxurious nature of these places, go to Czech Switzerland in the fall, in September or October.
Thanks to numerous signs scattered throughout the protected park, you can choose for your company both more complex, longer, 15-25 km long, and simple routes in Czech Switzerland, 8-12 km long.
Pravcicka Gate
There is a special rock in Czech Switzerland, which is proudly called the symbol of the entire reserve. This is “Pravchitsky brana”, which in Russian sounds like “Pravchitsky gate”. The unique rock is the highest in all of Europe and looks like a monumental sandstone arch created by Mother Nature, 16 meters high and as much as 26 meters long. The width of the rock structure is more than 4 meters
Getting to the Gate will not be difficult - from Grzhensk, where you can leave your car, there is a walking trail about 4 km long. to get closer to the attraction, you will have to pay entrance tickets for 75 CZK and although you are not allowed to climb the Gate, it is worth admiring it up close. Entrance ticket for children costs 25 CZK.
From the grandiose Pravchitsky Gate you can easily reach its smaller copy with a height of only 2 meters - this is the so-called Small Pravchitsky Gate. There is a fairly wide path leading to them, suitable for cycling.
Advice! Do not confuse this trail with the narrow path marked in red on the maps of the area, otherwise you will have to wander through the mountains for about an hour, although in the end you will still be able to reach the Small Pravchitsky Gate.
Schaunstein Castle
Near the Small Gate you can see a sign leading to the rock castle - this is the robber castle of Shunstein, shrouded in secrets. The road to it is quite difficult, about a kilometer long, you will have to climb steep steps and even squeeze through tunnels between the rocks. But, believe me, the views of extraordinary beauty and scale that open from the observation deck of the castle are worth the effort!
Castle "Falcon's Nest"
Very close to the Pravchitsky Gate, right in the rock in 1882, a castle with the romantic name “Falcon's Nest” was built, more reminiscent of a large hunting lodge. It has been surprisingly well preserved to this day, and today, within the walls of the ancient castle - the family estate of the Clary-Aldringens, you can enjoy dinner in a magnificently decorated restaurant overlooking the whole of Czech Switzerland. Also in the Falcon's Nest it is worth visiting a museum dedicated to this region.
Mill "Dolsky Mlyn"
This once very popular mill has now turned into ruins, but even today residents of these areas remember how many years ago the fairy tale “The Arrogant Princess” was filmed here. It’s hard to believe that the building, lost in the green forests, was once a very busy place and a crossroads center for several centuries in a row.
Village "Hrzypska"
The colorful authentic village was loved by guests of this region because it was where an ancient glass workshop once functioned, whose glassblowers produced “Bohemian glass” back in the 15th century. It seems incredible, but the workshop still cordially opens its doors to tourists today: here you can intelligently read account books of past centuries, see live how the most famous glass in the Czech Republic is blown, and at the same time buy your favorite glasses, vases or figurines made of crystal or Bohemian glass
Abandoned silver mines
In Czech Switzerland they also organize very interesting excursions to ancient mines where silver was once mined. You can personally feel like a real miner by putting on a safety helmet and descending into the depths of the mine under the supervision of a guide.
Falkenstein Castle
Those tourists who take the time to climb higher into the mountains will be amazed by an unforgettable sight - the unusual Falkenstein Castle, located right among the rocks. The views from here, especially if you climb higher, are fabulous!
Panska Skala
This geological phenomenon is a huge 12-meter cliff, which was skillfully assembled by nature from polygonal basalt slabs. There is a similar giant in Northern Ireland, but the Czech stone relative is quite accessible to tourists and is located 500 meters south of highway No. 13, the landmark is the village of Prachen, located 18 km from Decin.
Kamenice Gorge
To visit this picturesque gorge, you need to follow the hiking trail, marked in green on the map, from the village of Mezna to the canyon of the Kamenice river. In these marvelous lands, you will cross a wooden bridge across a 30-meter-long gorge, and then you can go down to the piers, from where gondola excursions along the Dikoe and Quiet gorges are held. If tourists follow the path marked in blue on the map, they will come to the authentic village of Mezni-Luka.
Gorges Wild and Quiet
Let's take a closer look at these gorges. Once on the steep canyon of the Kamenitsa River, travelers find themselves in places where the river is blocked by dams. Between these dams you can raft on a flat-bottomed boat led by a local gondolier. First, guests of the reserve will sail through the Wild Gorge (“Divoka Souteska”), 250 meters long, romantic and calm. But then the Quiet Gorge (“Tikha Souteska”), almost 500 meters long and “decorated” with a picturesque waterfall, the waters of which noisily flow out of the rock, awaits them.
Suha Kamenica
In early spring and autumn months, the canyon of a small stream flowing into the Laba (arm of the Elbe) fills with water and dozens of miniature waterfalls gurgle merrily between the rocks over a scattering of huge boulders. In summer, the waters dry up, and Suha Kamenica is filled with mystery and cozy silence.
Gazebo
It was once possible to reach the spectacular Belvedere observation deck, hanging over the Elbe River canyon, along a perfectly straight road coming from the castle in the town of Binovce. Tourists at the Belvedere are treated to amazing views of the curving river and bizarre sandstone rocks reminiscent of petrified giants.
Ružovsky Vrh
For those who are not afraid of steep climbs, something awaits! In the thickets of the beech forest that densely covers Mount Ruzovsky Vrch, there are many unique viewing platforms. And although there are no special attractions here, the views are worth the effort spent on climbing.
Wolf board
Having passed along the road through the canyon of the Krinitsa River, called Kiyovske Udoli and known for its unbridled beauty, tourists will come to another attraction. This is a stone slab; in the 17th century, a story was carved on it about a hunter who was able to kill two wolves at once.
From Prague to Czech Switzerland: what tourists need to know
It is worth noting that the excursion from Prague to Czech Switzerland is very popular, since the journey does not take very much time, but the pleasure received is worth it!
The reserve is open to visitors all year round: from April to October you can be on its territory from 10-00 to 18-00, and from November to March - only on weekends from 10-00 to 16-00.
How to get from Prague to Czech Switzerland
Let's consider all the options:
- Public transport: in Prague itself we take the train to the town of Decin. Here we change to shuttle bus No. 434, which will take us to Khrzhensko.
- Own or rented car: we drive along the intercity highway to the town of Decin, then from there we go to Khrzhensko. Here you can leave your car in paid parking lots and continue exploring the reserve on foot.
- Steamboat: first you will have to take a train to Decin, from Decin you will need to walk about a kilometer to the pier, and from there, on a steamship plying along the Labe River (aka Elbe), swim to the final stop, which is also located about 800 meters from Grzhenska.
Where to stay
Despite the fact that Grzhensk is a rather small town, there are no problems with accommodation here.
Relatively affordable hotels are:
- Hotel “Labe”, where bus number 434 stops. The cost of daily accommodation in a room starts from 660 CZK, and in the season (from April to the end of October) - from 730 CZK (breakfast is included in the price). Hotel website: www.labehotel.cz
- Hotel U Lipy offers accommodation in double or triple rooms, which cost 1,100 and 1,650 CZK per night respectively. Hotel website: www.hotelulipy.zaridi.to/lipa.htm
Cost of entrance ticket and excursions
The entrance ticket to the territory of the Czech Switzerland Nature Reserve costs 50 CZK. Excursions are paid separately. For example, the favorite excursion of all tourists - canoeing along the Edmund's Gorge - lasts about 15-20 minutes and costs 80 crowns for adults and half as much for children.
Other excursions vary in price and number of attractions visited. In principle, you can get a map of the territory at the entrance to the reserve and independently go around those interesting places that most attract you.
