Czech Republic has4 national parks(Krkonoše, Šumava, České Švýcarsko, Podyjí) and25 protected landscape areas. A total of 16% of the country's area is protected. Height: from 115 m (over the Swan) to 1603 m (Snowka).
Krkonose — Giant Mountains
The oldest Czech National Park (1963), shared with the Polish Krkonoše National Park (UNESCO Biosphere Reserve). The highest mountains of the Czech Republic and Sudeten:Snow (Sněžka) 1603 m.
Main routes
- Sněžka from Pec pod Sněžkou:4 hours up + cableway down (390 Kč). Panorama to Wrocław, on good days Tatras
- Pramen Labe → Špindlereva bouda: mild, 2 hours, source of the Elbe ( Symbolic Bridge)
- Kozí hřbety: Pass overlooking both slopes, 3 hours.
Accommodation base
Špindlerův Mlýn(the most famous ski resort),Pec pod Sněžkou,Harrachov(old glassworks),Rokytnice n. Jizerou.
Fauna
Alpine goats (reintroduction 1961), muflons, deafness, gerbils. Vegetable endemites: the bell of the Krkonoše, the narcissated.
Šumava — Bavarian Forest
The largest Czech National Park (68 000 ha), shared with the German Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald. "Green heart of Europe". Peat bogs, original spruce burrows, glacial lakes.
Main attractions
- Jezera: Černé, Čertovo, Plešné, Prášilské — glacial, up to 40 m deep
- Boubín(1362 m): one of the last original boroughs of Central Europe, 400-year-old spruce
- Vydra and Otava: wild mountain rivers, canyoning
- Wilga (Kvilda): highest situated village Czech (1065 m), Arctic temperatures in winter
- Karl's Triangulation(Troymezí): CZ-DE-AT border
Thematic Paths
Naučná stezka Modrava(12 km, peat bogs),Naučná stezka Šumavou(wooden bridges over swamps). Bicycle:Šumavská magistrála(150 km).
České Švýcarsko — Czech Switzerland
The youngest park (2000), 79 km2 of rock sandstone formations. The name was given in the 18th century by Swiss painters Franz Zink and Adrian Zingg, whose landscape resembled his homeland.
Pravčická brána
Europe's largest natural sandstone gate— 26 m wide, 16 m high, 3 m thick. Route 1 hour up, entrance 150 Kč. Next door: hotelSokolí hnízdo(Falcon's Nest, 1881, Prussian architecture).
Edmundova soutěska + Divoká soutěska
Two canyon gorges of the Kamenice River — a boat route carried by the carrier (150 Kč each). Total route 4 hours back to Hřensk.NOTE:closed after the fire of 2022, opened from 2024.
Tiske stěny
A maze of sandstone blocks 30–40 m, one of Europe's largest climbing reserves. Tisá Town is a small accommodation base.
Podyjí — the smallest, most wild
63 km2 Dyje River canyons on the border with Austria. Vineyards, beaver colony, unique fauna:mantidThe esculapa snake. CastleVranov nad Dyjí— Baroque, on the rock by the river (preface 260 Kč).
Practical Tips
- Winter season:Krkonoše (skirts), Šumava (walks 500 km of routes)
- Summer season:all May-October parks
- Climate:weather in the mountains changes quickly — always jacket and map
- Marking:red = main trail, blue = connector, yellow = local, green = forest
- Application:"Maps.cz" — best for Czech, off-line, all trails