If you've seen all of Prague's architectural marvels, are bored of visiting museums and are still left with a spare day, then make a day trip to this beautiful natural wonder in the Czech Republic called Bohemian Switzerland for an unforgettable outdoor experience!
Basic facts about Bohemian Switzerland
This is the site of the largest natural arch in Europe called the Pravcická Brána Gate.
This awe-inspiring gate made of natural sandstone rocks will take your breath away with unique natural rock formations!
This 80 square kilometre national park has towering cliffs, thick forests and lusty rivers that cut through the mountains to create steep gorges.
The arch became famous, especially after being featured in the Hollywood film The Chronicles of Narnia.
This national park is located in the Elbe Sandstone Mountain region in the northwestern part of the Czech Republic. The same region spreads adjacently into Germany and is then called Saxon Switzerland as it falls in the state of Saxony near its capital city of Dresden.
Many tour options are available that take you to both the Czech and German sides of the national park although going on your own is also quite simple and much cheaper, of course!
Interestingly, I visited Dresden as a student many years ago and went to Saxon Switzerland from there.
You can click on the link below to learn more about the German part of this beautiful nature park -
Things to do in Bohemian Switzerland
Ideally, one should spend 2 days in this mountainous paradise. There are plenty of options to stay in the nearby village of Hrensko.
If you have 2 days, then you can explore more places in the national park like -
a. Pravcická Brána Gate
b. Kamenice Gorge and Edmund's Gorge
c. Saunstejn Rock Castle
d. Mary's Rock
e. Tisa Rocks
But if you're making a day trip like we did, then there is only one attraction that you will be able to cover in that time.
And that attraction should be Pravcická Brána, the largest natural mountainous arch in Europe!
And now our day trip to Bohemian Switzerland .....
Prague to Dečin
We took an early morning train from Prague Hlavni Nadrazi Railway Station to Dečin.
Dečin is pronounced as De-chin, I think! That's what I heard everyone call it. Train to Dečin runs every hour.
It's 130 km from Prague and takes about 1 hour 40 mins. I think this is the best way to go if you're going by public transport.
Once you reach Dečin, look for the Tourist Information Centre that lies very close to the railway station in the same quarters. It's a good idea to understand the layout of the national park so that you can decide what you need to do and where you can start.
We reached Dečin quite early, there was no queue at all at the information centre. The lady at the counter did not speak fluent English but she was extremely helpful as she charted out our entire walking trip of the day on a map of that area. The important thing is to ensure that you know the time of departure of the last bus from wherever you plan to return.
Since we had just a day at our disposal and we had to catch a train back to Prague, we just stuck to the most important sightseeing in the park, which is the stone arch or Pravcická Brána Gate.
Dečin to Hrensko
We stepped out of the railway station and immediately boarded bus 434 in the direction of Hrensko. The bus runs every hour and you can buy the tickets from the bus driver or from the train station too.
In about 20 to 30 minutes, the bus dropped us in the village of Hrensko which is about 8 kilometres away, at the Pravcicka bus stop. From there, we started walking on the trek leading to Pravcická Brána.
The hike from Hrensko to Pravcická Brána
The hike starts from a road leading into the mountains. In 2022, a devastating fire burnt most of the vegetation in the area. You will see a lot of burnt vegetation and tree stumps lying all around.
As you walk further, the trail becomes mildly steep. The walking track meanders through beautiful mountain scenery. Indications are marked along the way albeit in Czech and German only.
You can enjoy the trek at your own pace as chances of anyone getting lost on the trail are negligible. The trek should last about an hour and a half at a leisurely pace.
As you reach the last leg of the trek, you will see quite a few steps to climb. They will take you to the final viewing point of the arch.
Adjacent to the massive rock wall of the arch is a building with tilted red roofs called the Falcon's Nest. It's constructed in the Swiss Chalet style and is precariously located on the side of the rock. It used to be a royal residence and now has a restaurant.
Finally, at the foot of the arch
I almost gasped in awe the moment this majestic natural formation fell within my line of sight.
The arch is 16 m high and about 26 m wide. There is a small cafe under the arch, it serves a very limited menu but has a lot of seating space. We saw a lot of people eating their packed lunches also.
Toilets in the facility are underground and are free to use.
There are many intriguing pathways and steps leading to a lot of viewing platforms all around. You can get glorious views of the arch from many of them and of the mountainous valley all around.
We tried to cover all of them, some of them have steep steps and some have uneven rocky trails. If you have problems walking, then they are best avoided.
My Tip -
The hike to Pravcická Brána can be done in a loop, that is from Hrensko to Pravcická Brána and back.
This is the simplest way to see the arch in one day, especially if you're planning to come back to Prague the same evening.
The trek is medium steep and can be done by anyone with a good level of fitness.
After the fire of 2022, the ferry boat ride and some more treks were temporarily closed when we visited the park in July 2023.
Please refer to the official website https://www.pbrana.cz/en/ to learn more about any updated information.
Please remember, the signage in Czech or German only. So, try to get a good idea about how and what needs to be done before starting on the trail.
Our last picture before our return journey in front of one of the viewing platforms with Pravcická Brána in the background!
And if you're interested in getting some practical and useful travel tips, click here
Comments