Understand

History

?esky Raj (Bohemian Paradise) earned its name in the nineteenth century due to its picturesque location in the foothills of the Giant Mountains, and its many castles and chateaus. In 1955 it was made the first protected area in Czechoslovakia. The distinctive sandstone formations of ?esky Raj were formed by volcanic activity, which also produced many of the precious stones for which the region is also famous.

Get in

By Bus

All buses to ?esky Raj leave from Ji?in. To get to Ji?in from Prague, take a bus from ''?erny Most'' bus station (the last stop of the Metro B). They leave roughly every hour and cost 89K?. It takes 1.5 hours to get to Ji?in from Prague.

Buses leave Ji?in roughly every hour to ?esky Raj and cost 11K?. The bus ride takes less than twenty minutes and it is also possible to walk the 6km to the park.

A note from a naive traveller from Britain who, having read the above, unsuccessfully attempted the suggested trip last Saturday (in early May 2009):

Although at 6km away ?esky Raj is indeed in walkable distance of Ji?in, you will be walking along fairly busy roads, and in many sections there is no footpath on either side. The local buses from Ji?in do not run - AT ALL - on Satudays, and if you don't have a car, to avoid being stranded in the Czech countryside you would be well advised to hire a taxi to go there (if you can actually find a taxi for hire in the deserted ghost-town that is Ji?in bus station on Saturdays) and ask the driver to meet you later on for the return journey.

I was informed when I was Ji?in, and contrary to the content of the original Wikipedia article, that at the time of writing there is not any such thing as an 'hourly bus that goes to ?esky Raj'. You will need to know exactly where in the - fairly large - Park you want to go - there are a couple of different small towns / villages inside or adjacent to the Park boundaries that are served by local buses (though not on Satrudays) which would serve as a base from which the Park can be visited. None of these places are, however, called '?esky Raj'. You might for example try Jinolice, a charming village on the boundary of the park (which is as far as our party got), though the sandstone formations appear to be a very long walk along busy, busy, largely pavement-free roads from there.

Please note that although buses from Prague to Ji?in leave every hour, buses back to Prague are rather less frequent, and as these don't start off from Ji?in, they are often close to full-capacity by the time they reach that town. As it is not always possible to book return bus-seats in advance at Ji?in (as the bus station kiosk sometimes shuts), at busy times of year if the bus is full you may find yourself stranded there on the return leg of your journey to Prague. There is however a train station within 5-10 minutes walk of the bus station where you may be able to catch a local train to Prague (the last train leaves around 7.30-8pm at weekends as of May 2009 and the journey takes about 2.5 hours). Head up the road on the left side of the conspicuous 'Lidl' supermarket that you can see opposite the bus station and ask for directions from there. Catching a train from Ji?in involves crossing between the actual (un-fenced) railway lines to get on, so please take additional care.

In my recent experience of trying to get to ?esky Raj on a day trip from Prague (on a Satruday), in practical terms this can only be achieved if you have your own transport - i.e. a car. The park is not well served by public transport and if you don't know the area, it is not clear where the famous sandstone formations (which we didn't manage to get to) are to be found. Your best bet if you go would be to try and rely on local knowledge and to try and find a taxi that will take you close to the best area(s). Personally I would advise any potential day-trippers from Prague against attempting to get to and from ?esky Raj on the same day as the lack of local public - and private taxi - transport is a real problem. The original Wikipedia article here implies that ?esky Raj is easy to get to from Prague. Without your own car, indeed it is not!

Fees/Permits

Entrance to the park is free.

Get around

The park's trails are not suitable for anything except walking. There are numerous different colour-coded trails which provide hikes as short as one hour or as long as an entire day. Sections of the trail include steep stairs.

See

  • '''Sandstone rock formations'''. Twenty minutes of hiking along almost any of the trails from the bus stop will bring you to the stunning sandstone formations of Prachovske skaly. These can be admired from the bottom of the valley or from numerous lookouts atop the formations.
  • Do

    Buy

    The nearest shops are in Ji?in.

    Lodging

    The nearest hostels are in Ji?in; ?esky Raj is also near enough to Prague that it can be done as a day trip.

    Camping

    Camping is not allowed in the park.