You Need to Go Hiking in Bohemian Switzerland National Park

Last Updated:

Bohemian Switzerland National Park is an easy day trip from Prague, and as far away from Prague life as you can imagine. This place is a fantasy world of leafy forests, deep river gorges, and oddly-shaped sandstone arches and towers.

Long-distance view down a valley of the park. Flowers in foreground.

Bohemian Switzerland earned its name thanks to two Swiss painters who lived in nearby Dresden. Thinking that the scenery reminded them of their homeland, they captured the landscapes on canvas.

When their paintings became popular, the name stuck.

hiking path in Bohemian Switzerland

When we originally designed our 3-week Czech road trip, we intended to spend a couple of days driving around the area. Would it remind us of Switzerland? We didn’t know, but we were intrigued. Aside from seeing a couple of the more popular destinations, we had no plans further than hiking wherever the spirit moved us.

Things changed when Czech Tourism put us in touch with Vitek. His company, Northern Hikes, specializes in Bohemian Switzerland hiking tours. Would that interest us?

The chance to see Bohemian Switzerland from a local’s perspective? Priceless!

Getting to Bohemian Switzerland

Our drive from Karlovy Vary wound through towns and very pretty farmland until we found ourselves in Decin. Now we knew why Czech Tourism had advised us not to stay there. “It’s an industrial town and there’s not much to see there except the castle,” they had said.

Well, the castle certainly dominated the town. It looked well-maintained, albeit a bit lonely. I wondered how many people bother to visit every year.

Driving out of town, the scenery quickly changed to verdant greenery as our two-lane highway followed the Labe River north. (You’ve heard of that river. It changes its name at the border and becomes the River Elbe.) Suddenly the views were worth stopping for. A hike down to the water’s edge rewarded Dan with some beautiful shots to remember our drive by.

A family boats on the River Labe.

Hrensko

Fifteen minutes later, we turned a corner and almost felt transported to Germany. We had arrived at Hřensko, gateway town to Bohemian Switzerland National Park.

Hrensko is pretty, but it’s barely more than a few half-timbered buildings. Everything – mostly hotels and shops – is tightly squeezed onto a narrow ledge between high cliff walls and the river.

Hiking is a popular Czech and German pastime, so its big appeal is that people can park here and hike into the surrounding woodlands.

But not us; we continued up the hill to the little town where our hotel was located.

Hotel in Hrensko between river and cliff

Where to stay in Bohemian Switzerland National Park

On the advice of Czech Tourism, we stayed at U Forta. Good choice. It’s not in Hřensko town proper, but rather in a neighborhood further up the hill in the forest. If you’re hiking, it’s more convenient. The hotel offers an on-site restaurant with a terrace, free Wi-Fi, and free private parking.

Despite a few noisy late arriving visitors, it was a very peaceful place to stay. Quiet and cozy. Our only complaint was that their English skills are not top-notch. That’s typical for this area, Vitek said, but their English is better than most.

Vitek met us there for lunch. After greeting our waiter by name, he thoughtfully offered to help us order from the Czech menu. (Bonus tip: Try the raspberry lemonade. It’s delicious!)

Then Vitek told us that there are lots of things to do and see in the national park. Today we would hike to Pravcicka Gate, Bohemian Switzerland’s best-known attraction. Then, tomorrow we would take a boat through Edmund’s Gorge, see Saxon Switzerland, and more.

Water view in Edmunds Gorge

Hiking in Bohemian Switzerland

Bohemian Switzerland is home to, an impressive landmark: the biggest sandstone natural arch in Europe. Once upon a time people used to walk across it but its popularity became its undoing. All the heavy foot traffic created so much stress that they began to fear it would collapse, so they closed it.

And yes, even film studios must yield to that rule. Although Pravcice Gate was a film location in Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the characters who appear to run over the arch were superimposed on it later.

In any event, we hadn’t packed hiking shoes, so Vitek took us on an easier-but-longer hiking trail. Families and mountain bikers passed us here and there. As we walked along, Vitek entertained us with stories about the region, the country, and some of his favorite clients. Vitek pointed out things we might have otherwise missed and thoughtfully made sure we kept well-hydrated. It seemed he was enjoying himself as much as we were.

Linda and Vitek hike on a path in Bohemian Switzerland State Park, Czech Republic

Vitek brought a few snacks for our trip, including this classic Czech hazelnut-chocolate treat for us to try.

Tatranky, a Czech snack

Sokolí hnízdo, the Falcon’s Nest hotel

Finally, we came to a gate where Vitek paid our admission and pointed us to the rest rooms. When we returned, he was waiting for us with cups of Kofola in his hand. “This is a uniquely Czech drink,” he said. “You must try it while you are here.” As best I can figure out, Kofola was a Communist-era attempt to imitate the more successful, capitalist Coca-Cola. At least, that’s what it tasted like to me. Verdict: We don’t think Coke has anything to fear.

We were standing in an 1871 building known as Hotel Sokolí hnízdo (English: Falcon’s nest), built as a holiday chateau right next to the arch. It’s no longer a hotel but the first floor is still open as a photo gallery. (I’m told the ground floor contains a preserved, period restaurant decorated with original paintings, but we didn’t see it.)

Approaching Falcon's Nest chateau
Hotel adjacent to Pravcice arch

Pravčická brána – Pravcice Gate

Vitek urged us out of the gallery to a staircase that led up the rocks. It was a strenuous climb, but every view was better than the last. When we reached the final observation point, we stood in silent awe. Pravcice Gate stood beneath us in the fading light and we had fabulous views to the far horizon in Saxon Germany.

Bohemian Switzerland ends at the border and yields to Saxon Switzerland. “We’ll go there tomorrow,” Vitek promised with a smile. “I want you to see it, even if it’s in Germany.” (Read more about Bastei Rocks here.)

Dan and Linda pose with Vitek, owner of Northern Hikes, at an overlook at Pravcice gate.

“I’m sorry the clouds are in the way,” Vitek apologized. He had no clue as to how thrilled we were by the view. “The gate is incredibly beautiful when the sun hits it at this time of day. You would have had some amazing photos.”

The ones we were getting weren’t too shabby either, but I was too busy to argue.

Pravcice gate sunset

The park closes at sunset, but we weren’t intimidated by hiking back in the dark. After all, we had a guide who knew his way around the park. Vitek smiled and said, “Then we still have a few minutes.”

We waited for as long as we could before heading back down the steps. At the last moment, the sky cleared and the sun broke through the clouds, bathing the rocky arch in a golden light.

Pravcicka brana at sunset

This moment made the entire trip worthwhile. It is one of my favorite memories of our entire road trip through the Czech Republic.

And to think we had originally planned to just drive around the area. I shudder to think what we would have missed.

Plan your trip to Bohemian Switzerland

  • Read more about the national park and Pravcicka gate on the official Czech Tourism website and on the Pravčická brána website.
  • See more beautiful photos of the area in our Bohemian Switzerland photo gallery.
  • Get a virtual tour of Pravcicka brana sandstone arch here.
  • This website shows how to get anywhere by plane, train, bus, ferry and car, but whether you are doing a day trip from Prague or an overnight stay like we did, you should adventure into Bohemian Switzerland National Park with a knowledgeable, English-speaking guide. It’s a safety thing.

On the advice of Czech Tourism, we toured Bohemian Switzerland National Park with Northern Hikes. The company is based in Prague and specializes in tours to Saxon Switzerland and Bohemian Switzerland.

Get Your Guide offers day trips as well, including some that depart from Dresden. See them here.

Setting sun illuminates Pravcice Arch in Bohemian Switzerland.

Share this story with others

Written by Linda

Linda is multilingual and has been to over 50 countries. Her insatiable love of travel, cuisine, and foreign languages inspired her to create As We Saw It, where she documents her trips, shares practical itineraries, and offers insider tips. She’s passionate about helping fellow travelers save time, money, and hassle, and loves to discover new places to explore.

You may also like...

We often link to affiliate products and services that we believe will benefit our readers. As TravelPayouts and Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. Details here.

14 thoughts on “You Need to Go Hiking in Bohemian Switzerland National Park”

  1. Is it suitable for children? are there park entrance fees? can it be made including the river without guide? can you wonder inside the park in a rented car?

    • We saw lots of families on the trail, so we’d say, yes, it’s suitable for children. At least the children who enjoy the outdoors.

      There are no park entrance fees and quite a few roads in the park you can drive through. As to the river, you can get to it without a guide. We go into it more in detail in our other article about Bohemian Switzerland.

  2. Tks Linda, I am planning my trip from Costa Rica, after reading your post definitely I will visit this place, that will be in winter time, I have heard it´s amazing there also in winter and more like Narnia hehehe. tks for the details, had helped me a lot

  3. It does seem like an incredibly nice day out in the nature. I will make sure to pack my hiking shoes and am very intrigued to find out about the more experienced route. I had no idea this arch was actually used in Narnia and that’s like one of my favourite movies. I must return to Chezh Republic to see what’s outside of Prague and what I have seen here has really inspired me!

    • Well, it’s not really a “more experienced” route as much as it’s a “wear good shoes” route. The difference is in the steepness of the grade, I was told, and I was unsure whether my ill-fitting shoes could handle it.

    • Just make sure you get back in time for dinner. They stop serving at 8:00 pm and there’s nowhere else nearby. We learned that the hard way. 🙂

  4. The scenery is just spectacular. I would love to do some hiking here. So nice you got lucky and got to see such a lovely sunset too. I can understand why that would be your favorite moment.

  5. Definitely top of my list for next time in Czech as it just looks incredible and only recently seems to have grown in popularity. Wonderful photos and just makes me want to visit more!

Comments are closed.

As We Saw It