Bohemian Switzerland – our 3-day hiking trip

On May 28 my boyfriend asked me: ”Lana, what do you think about going to Bohemian Switzerland on June 1?”. And me, with a toothache and without any hiking equipment, said “let’s go” without hesitation. In the next moment I was already looking for accommodation, buying train tickets, rushing to Decathlon to buy climbing shoes and packing my backpack. Three days later, we were on a night train to Bohemian Switzerland National Park ready to start our 3-days hiking trip.

What is Bohemian Switzerland?

Bohemian Switzerland (Czech: České Švýcarsko) is a national park on the Czech border with Germany. Together with Saxon Switzerland (German part of the park), the region is known as Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland. This place is a heaven for hikers and it's been on my bucket list for a long, long time. So it was time to cross it off the list!

My boyfriend and I decided to do a 3-day hiking trip to Bohemian Switzerland. As already mentioned, everything was planned 3 days prior so accommodation offers (in Děčín) were limited and more expensive. There will be a lot of tips and tricks in this blog, but first one is: plan this trip on time!

In Bohemian Switzerland you can enjoy the beautiful natural landscape of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. With more than 700 square kilometers of space, it is one of Europe’s last large wildernesses. It has been a protected area (as Elbe Sandstone Mountains Protected Landscape Area) since 1972. The region along the right side of the Elbe (Bohemian Switzerland) became a national park on 1 January 2000. The park is located 130 km north from Prague and it takes you less than 2h by train to get there (or 1.5h by car). 

In the summer of 2022, Bohemian Switzerland was engulfed by a wildfire that damaged a large part of a park and its ecosystem. The park reopened in the spring of 2023, but some areas (like Kamenice Gorge) are still closed to visitors.

 

Day 1 - Pravčická brána and Hřensko

We traveled the whole night from Brno to Děčín where we took a bus to Mezní Louka and started our hike around 8 am. 

We planned our hiking routes in the app Mapy.cz, but of course things usually don’t go as planned so the routes changed during the day. On the bus to our starting point we met Jan, a Czech guy who works in the park, and he gave us some tips and a map of the park. So we decided to change our route and started our hike from Mezní Louka. Our first goal was to visit Pravčická brána, the main attraction and the symbol of the park Bohemian Switzerland. It is the largest natural sandstone arch in Europe. The entrance fee for Pravčická brána is 2€ for students and 3.5€ for adults. By paying the entrance fee, you get access to several viewpoints and trails. There is also a small museum, a restaurant and tourist info. 

A 16m high and 26m wide span rock is located near the village of Hřensko. If your starting point is Hřensko, you can get to Pravčická brána by walking for 1 hour. Or you can start your hike at Mezní Louka like we did and walk for 3h with beautiful views around you. The shortest way to the top is to get off the bus at Tři prameny bus stop and hike for an hour. A hike is not too hard, but bring enough water and wear sporty clothes. The views from the top are beautiful, but a bit sad because of the wildfire that broke out here in 2022.  

Our next stop was Hřensko, a charming village located on the edge of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park. As it was really hot and we still had 4-5 hours to walk ahead of us, we decided to hitchhike from the Pravčická brána to Hřensko. It only took 5 minutes for someone to stop and help us! Guess we were lucky. In that village, the most famous photo location is Bývalá plynárna Hřensko (Historical building of the former gasworks) which is today a restaurant and a guesthouse. It looks so mystical surrounded by forest.  

After taking a break at this stunning building, we continued our route. We passed villages Janov and Růžová before taking a bus to our accommodation in town Děčín. The views and landscape along the way were beautiful. 

We stayed two nights in Kemp Děčín. As we were looking for accommodation at the last minute, we couldn’t find a better option. But it was actually nice! It had everything we needed and was close to bus stops and supermarkets. It was €36 for one night (tent for 2 people). 

 

This was our route for day 1.

(a map was made in the app Mapy.cz)

But in reality it was: 26.2 km and 38000 steps. Not to forget, we were hiking the whole day with only 2 hours of sleep and backpacks on our backs. Totally worth it tho!

 

Day 2 - Jetřichovice

For the second day, the plan was to visit the Jetřichovice area and the viewpoints along the path, as well as the incredible Narrow Stairs (Úzké Schody). We visited a few breathtaking viewpoints like Mariina vyhlídka and Vilemínina vyhlídka, where we had our coffee break. 

From village Jetřichovice to the Narrow Stairs there’s a 4.5 km hike, but the mentioned viewpoints are on the way, so it takes you about 3 hours to get to the stairs. The best thing was - when we climbed to the top of the Narrow Stairs, we had the whole place to ourselves. People actually don’t hike beyond the famous viewpoints and you can enjoy the beautiful nature in peace.  

Last viewpoint of the day was Rudolfův kámen. At the beginning of the path to the top there was a sign “difficult and dangerous trail”. And it really was, but it was so worth it! When we got there it was already 5 pm so we took time to look up the bus schedule. And good thing we did because at that moment we found out that our last bus to Děčín leaves in 45 minutes, and it takes us an hour to get to the bus… So a quick change of plan and route and we we’re running to the bus… and we made it! Luck again?

Our day 2 route looked like this at the end:

(a map was made in the app Mapy.cz)

But in reality it was an 18.5 km hike with 27500 steps.

 

Day 3 - Tiské stěny and Sněžník

Another popular destinations in “the neighborhood” are Tiské stěny (Tisá Rocks) and Sněžník observation tower. Mentioned locations are not part of Bohemian Switzerland, but once you’re already there, make sure to visit those stunning rocks and views!

First goal of our last day was hiking to the Děčínský Sněžník viewpoint. The bus ride from Děčín to Sněžník takes 30 minutes. You need to get off the bus at Jílové, Sněžník bus stop and then hike for about 50 minutes to the Sněžník observation tower. Along the way there is a beautiful viewpoint called Drážďanská vyhlídka. Take a break there and enjoy the view. 

Děčínský Sněžník is the highest peak of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains at 723 m above sea level. Near the top there is an observation tower that looks straight out of a fairytale! The observation tower is 33 m high and 153 steps lead to the observation deck. The tower offers a panoramic view over Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland, and Lusatian Mountains. A student ticket for climbing the tower is 30 czk (1,25€), 60 czk for adults (2,50€), but you have to leave the deposit of 100 czk (4,16€) for the tower key. Each group gets its own key and you should not share yours with other tourists. 

Next up: Tiské stěny, a beautiful rock formation near Děčín and our last stop of a 3-days hiking trip to Bohemian Switzerland. You can walk from Sněžník directly to the entrance of Tiské stěny, but we took the surrounding path through the village of Ostrov and I would recommend you to do the same. Because if you hike from Ostrov to Tiské stěny you pass through amazing forest and steep, interesting rocks. You’ll see a lot of rock climbers in the whole Tisá area. Also, as it was Saturday when we visited that part of the park, there were many hikers and tourists and we even walked with a trumpet orchestra from neighboring Germany! 

To enter Tiské stěny you have to pay 50 czk (€2). They were the only ones who didn’t offer a student discount, but in winter months the entrance is free. To explore the whole area, you’ll need about 2 hours. Tiské stěny became known to millions of people thanks to the film based on the book The Chronicles of Narnia, in which some scenes were filmed here.

There are many legends about Tiské stěny. One of the legends is about a French nobleman, who brought a treasure there during revolutionary France. He buried the treasure in the rocks, but he never found the place. The rock elves have taken over the guarding of the treasure and they don't want to give it up and that's why they lure the searchers to dangerous places. The other says that the dwarves from the caves created an underground city in Tiské stěny in the search for gems and precious metals. The dwarves were friends with people from the start and bragged about their wealth, but soon they learned how greedy and envious people actually are and decided to hide the treasures deep underground. From that moment, they dealt with people in their own way - the good ones received help and the bad ones received cruel revenge. 

 

Our day 3 route:

(a map was made in the app Mapy.cz)

Day 3 in numbers: 17.3 km and 25500 steps.

At the end of day 3 we were DEAD. We hiked 62 km and took more than 90000 steps in 3 days (and 2 out of 3 days we were carrying our backpacks). But I would do it all over again! 

 

Tips and tricks

Here are some tips if you’re traveling without a car:

•inform yourself about buses; bus stops, bus schedules…

•Google Maps is useless for hiking routes and buses, instead use apps like IDOS or Mapy.cz

•knowledge of the Czech language will help you A LOT

•don’t be afraid to ask people for directions, they will help you even if they don’t speak english

•if you’re a student - always ask for student discounts, the tickets are much cheaper

•when getting on the bus just say your target location to the driver and they’ll sell you the ticket to that place

•Děčín is the main starting point for visiting the park and (almost) all buses go there

•plan your hiking routes in advance

•book your accommodation on time

In general the buses are really very confusing and their schedule is terrible, we had to run to catch the last bus of the day EVERY DAY (and that was usually between 6 and 7pm).

 

Best apps to use while traveling in Czech Republic: 

•IDOS - for directions, how to get from one point to another

•Mapy.cz - for maps and orientation, hiking routes 

•Můj vlak - for traveling by train, great student discounts!

•Flixbus - for traveling by bus, great student discounts for trips within Czechia

Google Maps is useless for hikings, BUT great for finding the most beautiful locations.

I made a map of the best spots in Bohemian Switzerland that you can use in the future: 

Map of Bohemian Switzerland - Lana

 

My firsts

This trip was so special to me for many reasons. It was the first time I hitchhiked, the first time I slept in a tent, I spoke freely to so many random people in Czech and English language, I even surprised myself of how strong and fit I am. And I did all of that with the person I love and respect so much. It really was a great adventure. I hope you’ll enjoy Bohemian Switzerland as much as I did. The nature is stunning, the people are kind and peace is guaranteed. The park is waiting for you to explore. 

 

More info and photos on Instagram profile: @lanamatotek

Text and photos: Lana Matotek