Wandering in the Czech Republic

Situated below the highest peaks of the Beskids in Moravia, the Bear’s Footprints are a set of five marked trails taking hikers through the region. The trails are known as Bear’s, Fox’s, Badger’s, Raven’s, and Hare’s.

You can walk along the River Ostravice to its rapids.

Walk to the Beskids' foothills.

Situated in the southeastern part of Šumava, the Boubin Virgin Forest has been a national wildlife refuge since 1858 and is part of the Protected Landscape Area of the Bohemian Forest. It is the largest indigenous forest in Central Europe with several spruces, firs, beeches, and maples at the age of 300-400 years. The forest offers amazing things like twisted tree trunks, entangled roots, and bark wrinkled and full of strange formations.

The interesting point is Lake Boubin, a former water reservoir for floating timber to the glass factory of nearby Leonora.

Situated in Central Bohemia, the Brdy Mountains are an interesting hilly landscape covered with deep forests interwoven with creeks and lakes.

The central part of the Brdy Mountains was once a military training area where you can go for a walk in the forest or hike one of the trails.

 The most visited area in the Broumovské stěnyy is the Baroque chapel of Our Lady of the Snows Hvězda. Its name, Havezda or Star, came in 1670, when a wooden cross was erected on top of the rocks with a gold-plated star on top.

There are marked hiking trails from there, and an interesting place to see is Kovarova rokle, a rocky canyon lined by blocks of rocks.

See Supi hnizdo, or Vulture’s Nest, an observation point on the ridge of Bourmovské stěny offering an amazing view of the Orlické Mountains and surrounding area.

Popular with visitors are the stone mushrooms along a marked path from the village of Slavna. There are oddly formed rock formations that resemble mushrooms, created by the uneven weathering of various layers of rock.

Since the Middle Ages, the historic Golden Trail connects Bohemia with the Danube. (pictured above) The trail was named after the wealth it brought, the white gold rare in Bohemia. There are three main branches, and you can follow these historic trails today to see the unusual sights of the “Green Roof of Europe”—the Sumava Mountains and the adjacent Bavarian forest. The Golden Taril has newly marked hiking trails and is connected to the network of the same name in eastern Bavaria by thirteen cross-border routes.

Palacky’s Trail leads along the River Kamenice in northern Bohemia between Liberec and the Bohemian Paradise. The trail takes hikers through the romantic valley of a mountain river past amazing scenery.

Experienced rafters can navigate River Kamenice in the spring.

The Podyji National Park is the smallest national park in the Czech Republic. It consists of a well-preserved river valley in a rich wooded landscape. It sits on the Austrian border, where it becomes the Thayatal National Park.

Meandering through the reserve is the Dyje River. Along the banks you can see rocks, vineyards, meadows, and sunny orchards. Due to the pleasant climate, innumerable varieties of plants and animals are found here.

Visitors can see rare butterflies on Fladnizke Moor, green lizards on Havranicke Moor, and discover bats at the mysterious ruins of Novy Hradek.

If lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the symbol of the national park, the black stork.

The Soos National Nature Reserve offers visitors vast peat bogs with lakes, mineral springs, and gaseous carbon dioxide springs with a prehistoric landscape. The most interesting places include a nature trail that leads directly above the bogs along meandering wooden walkways. You can see a natural geological park, a museum dedicated to the local nature, the history of the Earth, and an exhibition of life-size models of prehistoric animals.