SUMMER IN CZECH REPUBLIC: Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland

By: Christyn Chew

The weeklong 30°C summer is finally here! If you’ve had enough of Prague and the influx of tourist flooding the oldtown and Vltava rivers, why not head over to the outskirts of Prague to explore the natural beauty of Czech Republic flora and fauna at the Bohemian Switzerland visiting the famous Pravčická Brána while strolling through shady pine forest! Here’s my day trip experience sharing the least uphill hike possible 😉

Getting there! By train and local bus

Best part of summers is the 4am sunrise giving you the best day trip advantage to catch the morning tram number 9 from VSE dormitory’s Strážní station to the Prague main station (Praha hlavní nádraží), from there upgrade yourself into an EC178 train heading for Berlin or the EC378 train heading to Kiel, both passing through Usti nad Labem and it’s just 6:25am at this moment. Pack your breakfast and have them on board while enjoying the breath-taking view of traveling along the Elbe river for the next 2 hours. You’ll arrive at Děčín hlavní nádraží and right outside the station take the direct bus number 438 to drop off at Hřensko Pravcicka Brana bus station, exact location here. I found great tip for other traveling alternatives from the Bohemian Cottage website and the official Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland website too!

Let the hike begin!

From Hřensko Pravčická Brána bus station it’s a 3km short hike within the lush pine forest and majestic rocky landscapes straight up to the entrance of Pravčická Brána gates. This hike takes about 1.5 hours for photo fanatics who stops every 100m trying to take the most scenic shot. Yet we are just in time as gate opens at 10am and cost 15czk per person, so use your ISIC student card for discounted price and avoid the crowd by arriving slightly earlier, like 9:4am😉 Find the exactly location of Pravčická Archway on Google maps with more details and reviews here.

Entering the Pravčická Brána

Upon entering the ticket counter, there’s a little tourist service sum souvenir shop which you can buy handmade crafts such as colour pencils made from local wood and lucky clay buttons. There are toilets around the corner, also a museum upstairs depicting local history and beautiful photos exhibition of Pravčická Brána in all four seasons. There is a restaurant at the entrance and a snack bar right under the archway with fantastic 180° view. A steep stairway nearby is the entrance towards the Small Prebisch Cone (Malý Pravčický Kužel) showcasing the panorama view of the Pravčická Brána. Mountain range. We continue on to the Pravčický důl trail for an authentic local Czech lunch at the Mezní Louka town!

Lunch time at U Fořta! 

Specializing in modern Czech cuisine homemade from seasonal ingredients sourced from local producers, U Fořta restaurant offers hearty main course such as Moravian sparrow with side of red cabbage and bread dumplings served with Viennese onion for 195czk per dish, or the Boar chop with mashed potatoes topped with onion jam and parsley for 185czk per dish. Grab a slice of freshly baked blueberry crumble cake by the kiosk right opposite for a sweet finishing. U Fořta opens from 11am to 8pm daily for kitchen, you can check their website out for menus at https://www.uforta.cz/en/ or call +420 412 151 163 to speak to the restaurant reception.

River rides!

Well-fed and happy to go on, we followed the green trails for about 30 minutes towards Resort Mezná for a pit-stop rest before heading down a steep flight of trekking stairs towards a T-junction separating the route where we took firstly for 20 minutes of Divoka Wild Gorge river boating for 80 czk per adult, followed by the Edmund’s Gorge (currently closed) for 120 czk per adult to flow downstream back at the Hořensko town.

End station with ice cream!

Kiosek Žába is where the ice cream awaits us right across the bridge 😉 At the end of the little Hořensko town we take the same bus 438 opposite the Hřensko Village Hall (Obecní Úřad) in the direction back to Děčín hlavní nádraží to catch the evening train returning to Prague main station same way as we came before. And, that’s all folks for our adventurous day trip power packed with trekking, snacking, river boating, and lots of nature bathing in the beautiful northern parts of Czech Republic!