Take a walk through the majestic sandstone rocks and fairytale landscapes of Bohemia on this self-guided walking holiday in Czechia. Most people have heard of Prague, the city of a hundred spires, known for its famous astronomical clock, baroque architecture, Wenceslas Square and various museums. But not many know about the hidden gem located just a short distance away.
Prague is one of my favourite places in the world, yet I have never ventured further than the city… This all changed with a walking trip around 90km North-East of Prague in the Bohemia region.
Picture a landscape with beautiful castles, sandstone rock formations and enchanting woodland.
We first explored the local town of Jicín, known as the ‘gateway to Bohemian Paradise’, where even the pavements you walk on are a work of art – with black and white stones creating patterns which line the streets and town square.
Here, we climbed up the stone and wooden steps of the Valdice gate where we were greeted with lovely views of the colourful town square below and miles of countryside reaching far to the hills on the horizon.
Jicín is where I experienced a true first – a church with a juke box! Yes, you read that right. Inside the Church of St James the Greater, there is a box on the wall to the right behind the pews. Pop in a Czech Koruna coin, choose the music you’d like to hear, and the church fills with the dramatic notes of an organ playing.
Jicín is a great place to stock up for your walking adventure, with lots of cafés, ice cream shops and a cash point – make sure to take out some money before heading to the more rural locations.
The walking trails starting from Jicín to the Prachovské Skály Rock Park are amazing, combining tree-lined paths, countryside, sandstone rock towers, and vast forests.
When you first reach the trees, you are greeted by the soft smell of pine, sandy paths and crispy brown leaves. The trees, which can reach up to 80m high, sway in the wind, the sunlight piercing through the canopies, creating light patterns that dance around on the path in front of you. All you can hear is the sound of bird song; we didn’t cross a single person.
We continued our journey through the rocky woodland until we reached our first rock park – Prachovské Skály.
I was in shock when I first saw the sandstone rocks with my own eyes. I’ve seen many pictures online but the photos truly don’t do them justice. The scale of them is just incredible. They can tower up to 60 metres high and have stood in their place for over 60 million years! It’s crazy to think of all of the historic events these rocks have existed through.
In the park, there are numerous walking routes where you can see the rocks from up high or on lower ground, each offering incredible views at different angles.
The next part of our journey was Hrubá Skála. My first word when I arrived was “WOW.” Seeing these rock formations in a different setting was just magical. This rock park also had several routes and viewpoints to explore.
We watched rock climbers scale the towers with hands over our mouths in pure amazement. Seeing a person stand on top of these rocks just amplified their dramatic scale. On the top of some of the rocks, there was a small box, which we were told is where climbers can put their names when they reach the top as a way of saying they’ve accomplished it.
One of the iconic views in Hrubá Skála and one I think sums up Bohemian Paradise very well features the castle hotel, sandstone rocks, pine trees and Trosky castle all at once.
This small village boasts stunning sights, including the Jizera river, Suché Skály rocks known as the ‘Czech Dolomites’ and Vranov castle (castle in the rock).
From the Pizzeria Natural Farma shop, a steep incline takes you up to the Zahrádka view point on top of a sandstone tower looking over the village. From here, you get 360 degree views of Suché Skály rocks, canoers on the river and the traditional Czech buildings below.
Further up the same woodland trail, is Castle Vranov. Here you can take a look inside the castle itself or explore the rocks even higher up from within the courtyard.
The walking trails that join Malá Skála and Turnov are so idyllic its as though they have come straight from a fairytale book – soft ground underfoot, moss covered rocks and tall pine trees. There are various viewpoints along this walk where you can look back on Castle Vranov from a distance. These take you slightly off the main path but they’re well worth the extra steps!
Now, it wouldn’t be right to not give a special mention to the many castles dotted across Bohemian Paradise. Each has its own uniqueness and character. You could spend weeks just visiting castles, but here are the ones we visited.
The most famous and iconic is the Trosky Castle. The castle ruins are the symbol of Bohemia and can be seen for miles. It is built on two volcanic tops dating back to the 14th Century. You can visit the top of each tower, which overlook the surrounding countryside. From here, you can see the mountains in the distance, with snow coating them like icing sugar.
Humprecht is completely unmistakable by its contrast from other castles in the area with its spherical shape. It was built by the Italian architect Carlo Lurago in the years 1666 – 1668.
Originally a castle from the 14th Century, this hotel stands on huge sandstone rocks. You can climb the spiral staircase to the top of the tower where you can see many of the rocks and Trosky castle in the distance. A famous fairytale called Bajaja was shot here.
Kost castle is one of the biggest castles in the Czech Republic. It has been sought-after by film crews with it’s beautiful exterior and surrounding valleys and ponds.
Regular tours run at the castle, our guide spoke in Czech but you can download an English audio tour. Our guide kindly gave us a printed English booklet so we could read about the history of the castle when we reached each of the rooms.
Frýdštejn is a castle ruin from the 14th Century. You can climb the huge cylindrical tower all the way to the top – note, this is definitely not for people with vertigo. I am usually absolutely fine with heights but this one got my knees wobbling for sure. Again, the photos don’t capture the height of this.
The food in this region is very hearty and filling. Think of what your comfort food would be on a cold day. My diet here consisted mainly of dumplings, there’s a range of them – meat filled dumplings, bread dumplings and potato dumplings.
Other staples in this region are pork, fried cheese, goulash, braised red cabbage, duck, Trdelnik (chimney cake), Klobasa sausage and gingerbread.
All of the walking routes are marked by different coloured way marks.
I was really impressed by how clear these are and how easy these paths are to follow – with the guidance of the Headwater Navigation App I felt comfortable walking and admiring the views knowing that when I needed to turn left or right I would get a verbal prompt and if I wandered off path I would get a ‘ding’ to tell me.
We were extremely lucky with the weather we had in April with one overcast cloudy day and the rest sunny, around 17 / 18 degrees.
We were hot, then cold, then hot again. With walking up and down hills, being on low grounds and then viewpoints, being exposed and then under tree canopies its good to bring lots of layers.
At one point I had my fleece, puffer coat, beanie hat and gloves on and then not long after I’d stripped back down to my t-shirt. It got quite windy at the viewpoints, hot in the sunshine and then cold when the sun hid behind the clouds.
I would recommend taking sun cream and sunglasses as well as hat and gloves – just bring everything!
I recommend bringing a power bank with you so that you have enough battery to last each of the walks directed by Headwater Navigation app as well as being able to take pictures along the way.
Wood tick spray – wood ticks are most active during the warmer months and are found in woodland and grass.
Cash is needed for the small kiosks along the way, entrance fees at various castles and public toilets.
I have to mention a very interesting Easter tradition in Czechia which dates back to the 14th Century.
Men will get willow branches, braid them together into whips called the Pomlázka and decorate them with ribbons. They then use these to gently whip women, which is supposed to give them luck and fertility. They sing a chant which translates to “give me a painted egg, if you don’t give me a painted one give me at least white one, the hen will give you another.”
Each town we passed through was decorated for Easter – with hand painted eggs, ribbons hanging from trees and stalls selling the Pomlázka whips.
In my opinion, Czechia and more specifically Bohemian Paradise is such an underrated destination, but I guess that’s where its beauty lies: in its peaceful, untouched environments. I have never been anywhere else where I have experienced this character, culture and charm.
Bohemian paradise is truly a walkers’ dream and absolutely lives up to its name.
If you want to experience the true magic of Bohemian Paradise in Czechia follow the link to find out more – https://www.headwater.com/holidays/walking/czechia/W07CZ.htm
