Exploring Czechia

Having a folding bike with me in this research trip has been a revelation. A train can get you anywhere major. A bus from there can you get you anywhere minor. And a bike from there can get you anywhere at all. Even places so small they don’t have a pub. Up in ‘Czech Switzerland’ – the rocking and rolling lands aside the Elbe in the far north, on the German border – I’ve been exploring Swiss-ish looking villages, and making my way via train, bus and bike to or at least near to a Czech speciality: lookout towers. If there’s a hilltop or mountain summit with a half-decent view, there’ll probably be a tower of some kind that you can climb for a splendid panorama. There’ll usually be a small charge – if it’s open, which it may or may not be depending on day and time – and a lot of steps. But as they say, no pain, no Instagram pic. Anyway, The last couple of days have been delightful, up in this scenic, quiet and friendly corner of the country. Yesterday, having cycled around the ...

‘Děčín is awesome’, goes the slogan for the city 100km or so north of Prague on the River Elbe/Labe. The guidebook I’m updating is a bit reserved about the place, saying there’s nothing much to do here, but that was in 2006. In the last twenty years, Děčín has reinvented itself as a vibey outdoors place. It’s simple to reach from Prague. Direct trains run hourly or better from the main station (1hr 45min, 120Kč). There are superb views of the Labe valley from the window as the train follows the river. The centre has one of the friendliest tourist infos in the country. It’s a cafe as well as library of useful outdoor info, so you can browse your pile of enticing leaflets and brochures over a coffee and cake while your e-bike is charging outside. Děčín’s photogenic clifftop chateau and glorious rose garden give commanding views over the Labe. Opposite, high above the Labe, towers a sandstone cliff called the Shepherd’s Wall ( Paštýřská stěna ). But I was more interested in t...

Up in the Czech north, a few kilometres west of Děčín, is a little-celebrated scenic delight. Tisá Rocks ( Tiské Stěny ) is a collection of dark brown sandstone pillars whose grotesquely weathered shapes make the area a bizarre sculpture park. It’s easy and cheap to get to Tisá from Děčín by bus – as usual, the IDOS app has the info at your fingertips (432 bus from outside the tourist info in town, then a 452 from Libouchec; 45min). The final leg winds up the hillside to Tisá village, where there are two entrances to the rocks. One is up the steps from the village centre, the other a kilometre or so east up the main road at the top of a hill. Entrance from either is 50czk. It’s best to go clockwise from the village entrance, and anti-clockwise from the eastern entrance, because that way you finish with a grand ridgetop walk giving great views back down over the plains your bus struggled up earlier. There are two circular walks, the longer taking about an hour. It’s worth da...

The Czech Republic is not America, and outside of burger bars, it doesn’t want to be. You can get around here easily by public transport, for instance. But there is one bit of the country that prides itself on being a bit like the US. It’s the ‘Czech Grand Canyon’ of Velká Amerika (‘Great America’), a disused quarry that makes an easy half-day trip from Prague. Getting there from the capital is a straightforward trip of just over an hour: take the metro line B to Zličín, then the (very infrequent: check timetables carefully) 311 bus to Obcodni lom. There’s nothing here, just a car park and bus stop and cubicle toilets: no cafe. There are, however, signs showing you where to walk. A 2km circuit of the Velká Amerika quarry takes about an hour. It’s a flat easy stroll, but best to keep to the marked path. Some YouTubers are fond of going past the warning signs to get dramatic cliff-edge shots, but this isn’t a good idea. Czech medical facilities are very good, but it’s best not to...