Natural Wonders # 3 - Czech Paradise Rock Towns, Czech Republic

The Czech Paradise (Český Raj) is a region to the north-east of Prague which features unusual sandstone rock formations among its dense forests. Many castles are scattered among these 'rock towns', as well as small villages full of traditional wooden folk architecture. There are at least five different interesting routes for hiking in the Czech Paradise that can be made as day trips from Prague with public transport.

One of the best choices is a hike that includes the ruin of Trosky castle, Hrubá Skála rock town and Valdštejn castle. From Prague's central station take the train to Turnov and then change to a local train which goes east to the village of Ktová (the total travel time from Prague is about 2 hours and 20 minutes). A green-marked trail starts from the train station in Ktová which leads straight up to Trosky castle. After visiting the castle you can follow the red-marked trail north to Hrubá Skála chateau and then into the rock city area on the yellow trail until you reach the ruins of Valdštejn castle. This is a nice place to take a rest, since there is a small restaurant with drinks and food available in front of the castle entrance. From there it's an easy downhill walk into the town of Turnov on the red trail, where you can take a train back to Prague.

The most impressive castle in the Český Raj region is Kost castle, to the south of the Hrubá Skála area. It's possible to include a visit to this castle in a nice day hike starting from the small town of Sobotka, which has an interesting chateau called Humprecht on a nearby hill and some examples of traditional wooden folk architecture. The most convenient way to get to Sobotka is by bus from outside Prague's Černý Most metro station, it takes about one hour and ten minutes. A red-marked trail from Sobotka leads to Kost castle along a picturesque river valley. It's also worth making a detour to the nearby village of Vesec u Sobotky which has some beautiful wooden folk cottages.

One of the highlights of the Czech Paradise is Prachovské Skály rock town, near the town of Jičín (which is a much more interesting and historical town than Turnov). To get there take the bus to Jičín from outside Prague Černý Most metro station, then get a local bus from the bus station in Jičín to the bus stop called Holín Skalní Město which is at the edge of the rock city. The main valley where the rock city is located is small, but a web of trails go over, under and through the rock formations and it's worth spending a full afternoon exploring them.

Suché Skály rock town is found near the pretty little town of Malá Skála, which makes a nice destination together with the nearby Frýdštejn castle ruin. To get there take the train from Prague's main station to the town of Turnov, then change to a local train to get to Malá Skála. A red-marked path leads up the hill to the Suché Skály formations. On the opposite side of the river from Malá Skála the castle of Frýdštejn sits on top of a rocky pillar. The red-marked path leads along the river to the south from there, offering great views back towards the castle.

Another option to try is the Přihrazké Skály rock town with its impressive Valečov castle ruin. To get there take the train from Prague's main station to the town of Mnichovo Hradiště and then walk east along the red trail to reach the rock town. There are two other smaller castle ruins among the rocks to the north of Valečov along the red-marked trail, while the finest formations in the rock town are further east along the blue trail.

These are a few interesting options, but there are many more worthwhile hikes to make in the Czech Paradise and public transport connections from Prague are generally good, at least to the towns in the region. Many shops in Prague sell hiking maps of the Czech Paradise region which show the trail routes and distances. If you want to check any bus or train times in the Czech Republic or Slovakia, use the website www.vlak-bus.cz (you can change the language to English in the lower-right corner of the page).

The photos displayed in this post show, from top to bottom: Rock climbers in Hrubá Skála rock town; a view from the top of a rock outcrop in Hrubá Skála rock town; Rock pillars in Hrubá Skála rock town; Kost castle; Humprecht chateau on a hill near Sobotka; Views over Hrubá Skála; Part of the main valley of Prachovské Skály rock town; A traditional folk cottage near Sobotka; The main entrance to Humprecht chateau.

Day Trips from Prague, Czech Republic - The Top 50 Destinations

Prague's central location in the Czech Republic and role as the capital means that all transport connections lead to and from the city, making it possible to reach many destinations around the country as a day trip and even a few across the border in Germany. For the purposes of a day trip I've limited the options to places that can be reached in less than 3 hours of travel by public transport; many travellers prefer short day trips of around one hour of travel and I've included many in that category, but for those who are short on time in the Czech Republic and staying in Prague it can be worth the effort of making longer day trips to see top attractions like Český Krumlov or the Bohemian Switzerland National Park. I've given each destination a star rating out of 5 and grouped them into destinations of one hour of travel or less, two hours or less, and three hours or less. I've included details on how to reach each place using public transport and where the buses/trains depart from in Prague. For more details about things to see in each of these destinations, see the post Top 100 Destinations in the Czech Republic. The photos included in this post show, from top to bottom, Loket, Kolín, Jičín, Jindřichův Hradec and Nelahozeves.

Destinations Within One Hour of Prague:

***** Karlštejn castle - (40 minutes) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station to Karlštejn village

**** Konopiště castle - (45 minutes) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station to Benešov, then walk 1.5 km west through Konopiště park to reach the castle

**** Kutná Hora - (50 min to 1 hour) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station

*** Terezín - (50 min to 1 hour) Bus from outside Prague Holešovice train station

** Mělník - (35 min to 45 min) Bus from outside Prague Holešovice train station

** Nelahozeves - (50 min) Train from Prague Masarykovo nádraží station

** Veltrusy - (35 min) Bus from outside Prague Holešovice train station

** Litoměřice - (1 hour) Bus from outside Prague Holešovice train station

** Pardubice - (1 hour) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station

** Lidice - (20 min) Bus from outside Prague Dejvická metro station

** Lány - (50 min to 1 hour) Bus from outside Prague Hradčanská metro station

* Kolín - (40 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station

Destinations Within Two Hours of Prague:

**** Křivoklát Castle - (1 hour 20 min to 2 hours) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station, change to a second train in Beroun

*** Tábor - (1 hour 35 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station

*** Plzeň - (1 hour 40 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station

*** Hradec Králové - (1 hour 40 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station

*** Kokořín Castle - (1 hour 10 min to 1 hour 30 min) Bus from outside Prague Holešovice train station, change to a second bus in Melník

*** Sobotka & Kost Castle - (1 hour 10 min) Bus from outside Prague Černý Most metro station to Sobotka, a hiking trail leads from there through the forest to Kost castle

** Liberec & the Ještěd Tower - (1 hour 15 min) Bus with the company Student Agency which departs from outside Prague Černý Most metro station, take a local tram from outside Liberec train station to reach the Ještěd Tower

** Český Šternberk Castle - (1 hour 45 min to 2 hours) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station, change to a second train in Čerčany

** Jičín - (1 hour 25 min) Bus from outside Prague Černý Most metro station

* Říp Hill - (1 hour 20 min) Train from Prague Masarykovo Nádraží station, change to a second train in Vraňany, then get out in Ctiněves village and walk 1 km along a hiking trail to reach the hill

* Sázava - (1 hour 20 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží, change to a second train in Čerčany

* Blatná Castle - (1 hour 45 min) Bus from outside Prague Anděl metro station

* Jihlava - (1 hour 45 min) Bus from Prague Florenc bus station

* Žatec - (1 hour 20 min) bus from outside Prague Zličín metro station

Destinations Within Three Hours of Prague:

***** Český Krumlov - (2 hours 55 min) Bus with the company Student Agency which departs outside Prague Anděl metro station. Buy tickets in advance for this bus, especially in summer

**** Karlovy Vary - (2 hours to 2 hours 15 min) Bus from Prague Florenc bus station

**** Dresden (Germany) - (2 hours 15 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station

**** Saxon Switzerland National Park & Bastei Bridge (Germany) - (2 hours 20 min to 2 hours 30 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station to Bad Schandau, then change to a second train to reach Kurort Rathen. Take the local ferry across the river to beneath the Bastei Bridge, where many hiking trails lead into the park

**** Brno - (2 hours 40 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station

**** Olomouc - (2 hours 20 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station

**** Telč - (3 hours) Bus from Prague Florenc bus station to Jihlava, change to a second bus to Telč

**** Loket - (3 hours) Bus from Prague Florenc bus station to Karlovy Vary, change to a second bus to Loket

**** Nové Město nad Metují - (2 hours 30 min) Bus from Prague Florenc bus station

**** Litomyšl - (2 hours 20 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží to Česká Třebová, change to a local bus outside the train station to reach Litomyšl

**** Jindřichův Hradec - (3 hours) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station to Veselí nad Lužnicí, then change to a second train to reach Jindřichův Hradec

**** Bohemian Switzerland National Park - (2 hours 50 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station to Děčín, then outside the train station take a local bus to Mezní Louka, where hiking trails begin in the park

**** Czech Paradise National Park - (2 hours 20 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station to Turnov, then change to a second train to reach Hrubá Skála, where hiking trails lead into the park

**** Hluboká nad Vltavou Castle - (2 hours 45 min to 3 hours) Bus from outside Prague Anděl metro station to Strakonice or Tábor, then change to a second bus to reach Hluboká nad Vltavou

**** Mariánské Lázně - (3 hours) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží station

*** Kuks - (2 hours 25 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží to Jaroměř, then change to a second train to reach Kuks

*** Třeboň - (2 hours 50 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží to Veselí nad Lužnicí, then change to a second train to Třeboň

*** Orlík Castle - (2 hours 30 min to 3 hours) Bus from outside Prague Anděl metro station to Písek or Mirovice, then change to a second bus to reach the village of Orlík nad Vltavou where the castle is

*** Zvíkov Castle - (2 hours to 3 hours) Bus from outside Prague Anděl metro station to Písek, then change to a local bus to reach the village of Zvíkovské Podhradí where the castle is

*** Červená Lhota Castle - (2 hours 45 min to 3 hours) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží to Soběslav, then outside the station take a local bus to Červená Lhota (this local bus only operates from Monday to Friday, not on Saturday or Sunday)

** Bezděz Castle - (2 hours 50 min to 3 hours) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží to Bakov nad Jizerou, then change to a second train to reach Bezděz village

** Prachatice - (2 hours 45 min) Bus from outside Prague Anděl metro station

* Pelhřimov - (2 hours 10 min) Bus from outside Prague Roztyly metro station

* Písek - (2 hours 20 min) Train from Prague Hlavní Nádraží

Relics of Communism # 3 - Prague, Czech Republic

In the Royal Garden next to Prague Castle, not far from the Royal Summer Residence, you will find the Royal Ball Game Hall. This building dates from the 16th century and was used by the king's courtiers for sporting activities. The structure was damaged by fire in May 1945 during the last stages of World War Two, but it was fully rebuilt in the 1950's. Along with the many mythological deities that were carefully restored on the facade, a small addition was made that remains as a quirky reminder of the communist period. A figure unfurling a scroll meant to be a five-year plan with a hammer and sickle was included in the design, together with the letters 'ČSR', for Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. This is a detail that you have to look closely to find (it's along the top row of the facade near the roof), so be sure to stop and take a closer look if you are visiting Prague Castle.