Overview
A seven day, self-guided walking holiday exploring the towering sandstone structures of Bohemian Paradise UNESCO Geopark. Known locally as Český ráj, these are epic landscapes of naturally eroded sandstone rock towers peeping up over forest canopies, all linked by trails through rock labyrinths or ancient rock ‘towns’ such as Hrubá skála. Starting in Jičín, follow trails to Vranov and Kozlov rock castles, along river paths and through beech and spruce forests in this fairytale-like landscape. Stay in three and four-star hotels, with luggage transfers.
- Prachovské skály Rocks
- Hrubá skála Rock Town
- Kozlov rock castle
- Besedické skály Rocks
- Frýdštejn castle
- Jičín
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Jičín
Arrive in Jičín, which is the gateway town to Bohemian Paradise UNESCO Geopark. It has a wide array of historic architecture, including the17th-century Wallenstein Palace, ancient cobbled streets and iconic red Valdice Tower, with superb views over Bohemia.
- Accommodation: Hotel ReSTART or similar in Jičín
Day 2: Prachovské Skály | 17km
Today’s walking trail starts from the hotel and takes you to Valdštejnská Lodžie, a Baroque summer house. Continue with an ascent of Zebín Hill (399m), where you can visit the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene Chapel at the top, as well as taking in panoramic views of the Jičín region. The trail continues towards the village of Prachov, then to the ruins of Brada Castle. The trail comes to a close in the Prachovské Skály rocks area, known for its sandstone formations dating back to the Mesozoic era.
- Walking for the day: 17km, 5h, ↑549m ↓422m
- Accommodation: Parkhotel Skalní Město or similar in Prachovské skály
Day 3: Hrubá Skála | 17km
Start by walking to the village of Mladějov and continue to the ruins of the 14th-century Trosky Castle before arriving in another rocky area of Hrubá Skála, where you also spend the next two nights.
- Walking for the day: 17km, 5-6h, ↑375m ↓428m
- Accommodation: Hotel ŠTEKL or similar in Hrubá Skála
Day 4: Kozlov rock castle circular walk | 17km
On today’s walk, explore some of the landmarks of Hrubá Skála. Follow the trail through the Bukovina Arboretum, the narrow Myší Dírka (Mouse Hole) rock passage to arrive at Mariánská vyhlídka viewpoint, which translates as Mary’s Point, and it has some great views of Bohemian Paradise. Continue another viewpoint at Janova and follow the trail to the ruins of Kozlov rock castle. Walk your way back to the accommodation on a different path.
- Walking for the day: 17km, 5-6h, ↑610m ↓610m
- Accommodation: Hotel ŠTEKL or similar in Hrubá Skála
Day 5: Turnov | 8km
Walk to Valdštejn Castle, built in the middle of the 13th century. Then continue to the end of Hlavatice ridge, at the edge of Hruboskalská Plateau. Walk up some steps to an observation point, with views across Turnov, Ještěd Hill and Bezděz. The trail continues with a descent to Turnov, where we recommend visiting the Museum of Bohemian Paradise.
- Walking for the day: 8km, 3-4h, ↑195m ↓288m
- Accommodation: Bohemia Inn Hotel or similar in Turnov
Day 6: Circular walks around Turnov | 6-24km
Choose between the three circular walks for today:
- Option one: follow the Malá Jizera canal and, after a couple of kilometres, take a turn and cross the bridge over the Jizera River. Continue to the 18th-century farmhouse, Dlaskův statek, now a folk museum. Then head back to Turnov, walking on the opposite side of the Jizera River.
- Option two: walk to Hrubý Rohozec Castle, then to the 18th-century farmhouse, Dlaskův statek. Continue along the Jizera Greenway and cross the Jizera River on a railway bridge. Continue on to the castle ruins of Zbiroh and finally to the Besedické rock formations and Sokol viewpoint. From the viewpoint walk to the ruined castle of Zbiroh, before walking back to Turnov.
- Option three: walk along the Greenway to Malá Skála, leading up the extraordinary Vranov ridge, past the ruins of Vranov and Frýdštejn Castles and returning to Turnov through Drábovna rock formations.
- Walking for the day: option one: 6km, 2-3h, ↑91m ↓91m; option two: 21km, 6-7h, ↑473m ↓473m; option three: 24km, 7-8h, ↑477m ↓477m
- Accommodation: Bohemia Inn Hotel or similar in Turnov
Day 7: Departure
Departure after breakfast.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of mostly small, locally-owned hotels, B&Bs and traditional guesthouses. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to natural adventures. All rooms have en-suite or private bathrooms.
Click to view default hotels
- Hotel ReSTART (Jičín)
- Parkhotel Skalní Město (Prachovské skály)
- Hotel ŠTEKL (Hrubá Skála)
- Bohemia Inn Hotel (Turnov)
Hotels are subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfast is included on all days. When no restaurant location is available en route, lunches and snacks can either be bought from local shops or packed lunches can be pre-ordered from your hotel the night before. Dinner is available either at the accommodation or from restaurants in the local area.
Difficulty and terrain
This holiday is appropriate for experienced walkers (no high mountain experience required) and requires a good level of fitness (read more about difficulty grades). You will walk mostly on forest or meadow roads and through rock labyrinths. All trails are well-marked. We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never try to shorten the path through the unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed road notes and maps, and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your holiday information pack.
When to go
This trip is available from May to the end of October. The weather is best in July – September, and most stable in September. As July and August are the busiest months, we advise you to book a departure in this period as early as possible.
The flexibility of self-guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates and you can start your trip on any date in the season, so please indicate desired beginning date when booking. For more information, see our blog, Best time to go to Czech Republic.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
By plane
Our recommended airport for this tour is Prague Airport (PRG).
By train or bus
From Prague Airport, you can take the 100 Bus Line (Direction: Zličín, 18mins) to Metro Line B (Zličín). From there, take the metro to Černý Most (Metro Line B). The trip is approximately 40mins, you need to buy a single ticket for 90mins, which costs CZK40. It is possible to buy the ticket from a vending machine or from the PID lítačka mobile app. At Černý Most metro station, go to Černý Most bus station and take bus 412 or 405 to Jičín. The journey is approximately 1h 20mins and you can buy the ticket in the PID lítačka mobile app or from the driver; the price is CZK120. For more information check: DPP webpage.
From Turnov bus station, you can take bus line 720 to Černý Most bus station in Prague. The journey takes 1h 10mins and the price is CZK110. You can buy the ticket in the PID lítačka mobile app or from the driver. Alternatively, you can take the train to Prague main train station (Praha hl.n.), approximately a 2h journey. The ticket costs CZK150, you can buy the ticket at the train station or at the PID lítačka mobile app.
Inclusions
Included
- 6 nights in three and four-star hotels (private en-suite rooms)
- 6 breakfasts
- Daily luggage transport to the next accommodation (one bag of up to 20kg per person) as listed in the itinerary
- Detailed pre-departure holiday information pack including GPS-checked and regularly updated route descriptions and road notes; maps with daily routes and optional hikes marked (a digital copy, provided before the tour)
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers
- Lunches, dinners, drinks and snacks
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable on-site)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own.
- This holiday is available for solo travellers. However, a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. Please note that solo travellers are always accommodated in their own room. For logistical reasons, we don’t offer an option for solo travellers to share rooms with other solo travellers.
- Private transfers from/to Prague Airport or the city.
- Extra nights are available upon request.
