Czech Republic

Unfortunately just a short seven days but we managed to cram in 3 towns, 2 castles and 3 days walking in nature on top of quite a bit of driving. 

Our Route: Brno – Olomouc – Bouzov – Krkonose National Park – Cesky raj – Bohemian Switzerland – Prague – Karlstejn castle – Pilsen

Nature

Krkonose – Translates to ‘Giant Mountains’. This (I would say hilly) national park borders Poland, so much so we walked into Poland without realising, as the border runs along the mountain ridge. We walked from Pecpod Snezkou up to Sniezka which is Czechs highest peak at 1603 meters. The day started with very low cloud and equally low energy levels but somehow we managed to lug ourselves up the hill. Just before the top we stopped for lunch in very thick cloud and strong wind, but over the course of eating our hummus wraps the wind blew the clouds away and revealed the peak. Once we climbed the last 100 meters to the top we were rewarded with a great view. On one side of the ridge we looked down through clear skies onto Poland. On the other side Czech Republic was hidden by a blanket of fluffy clouds. It was a totally awesome feeling to have walked above the clouds.

Casky Raj – A very fun place to go walking. We spent the day exploring the tall sandstone pillars which they call ‘rock cities’. The hiking path started by scrambling over rocks, we then squeezed in between large rock columns, and ducked underneath rock tunnels. The path travelled down steeply to the base of a small “canyon”. After walking at the base of the pillars we travelled back up the other side to look down onto the crazy rock city.

Bohemian Switzerland – ‘Bohemian’, because it is situated in an area called Bohemia. ‘Switzerland’, because back in the 18^th century it reminded some Swiss artists of their homeland. There are two main attractions here, Kamenice Gorge and Pravcicka Archway. We did a nice big loop walk covering both. The gorge was really nice with a path running alongside for the most part, with one section where you have to get a boat (which only cost €3 and was really fun). The archway was disappointing. One of those things that looks so much more impressive in a photo from a drone.  As a geographer I should have been more inspired by this natural rock arch but really it wasn’t a patch on Durdle Door.

Towns

Brno, Olomouc & Pilsen – All three were nice towns with some interesting old buildings, town squares and churches. Brno & Olomouc are both university towns and had really nice vibes, lots of quirky shops and cafes. Pilsen is the home of Pilsner, and it smelt like brewing which isn’t everyone’s cuppa tea, but I like it as it reminds me of my home town. The vibe in Pilsner when we went, was mainly lots and lots of football fans and some riot police.

Prague – We had a great day in sunny Prague sampling the food, well mainly drink on offer. We started our day on the quieter west side of the river; fuelling the day ahead by seeking out a vegan chimney cake, which was delicious! We wandered around the cathedral, palace and monastery areas before stopping for our first beer in a craft beer place. We manged a whole 20 meters before stopping again to enjoy an incredible view of Prague while sipping a beer made at the monastery. We then hit the hoards of tourist on the chain bridge. Wow a lot of people visit Prague! We slowly made it to the very pretty town hall square and wandered around the old town. Once away from the tourist pinch points it wasn’t too busy and you can easily be distracted from the amount of people by the lovely architecture. Our legs needed a rest so we stopped for a Pilsner before wandering around the new town. We had a dinner of sides (Czech food isn’t very vegetable heavy) and sampled a beer tasting menu in a great beer hall that had 10 different themed rooms. Our final stop of the day was in a traditional beer hall. They served one type of dark beer and two short drinks (a mead and a herby shot). No bars and no menus; waiters wander around with trays of the 3 options and keep a running tab at the end of your table. It was a great place full of atmosphere, lots of people, live music and tasty booze.

Going to Prague in October might have been key to our enjoyment; the sun was out, it wasn’t as busy as it could be, and we only experienced 5 stag-dos.