Bohemian Switzerland, the unknown paradise in the Czech Republic

Hello everyone! Today I want to talk to you about a paradise located in the Czech Republic, in the northeast, just where you will find the border with Germany. It is a national park known as Bohemian Switzerland, which the river Elba goes through. My friends and I love nature, hiking and picturesque scenery, so we planned a trip to visit this region.

How to get there

We went from Bratislava, in a rented car at 7.30 am, and it took us around 6 hours to get there, because we got caught in traffic. If not, it would have taken less time. We parked in a town called Hrensko, which is located just where the park starts. Just here, you can already see the most characteristic features of this landscape: cities with really high rocks and the green colour of the wood. You should leave your car here and start your route by foot, it is the only way of getting there and getting to know Bohemian Switzerland. We left the car in a car park and we had to pay 5 euros, or 120 Korunas. A women appeared with a card machine to charge us. It was an anecdotal moment because she didn't speak English (and we don't speak Czech) so we had to try and speak in broken German.

Finally, we started the route. Now, I have to tell you everything that you should do if you want to enjoy your time in this place as much as you can.

1. Kamenice river

It is a boat trip through the Kamenice river, or more specifically through the Edmund canyon. It took about 20 minutes to get to the place where they keep the small boats, going over the mountain. The journey cost us 3.50 euros and lasted approximately 20 minutes. Something that surprised us was that dogs were allowed on these boats and they also had to pay 1.50 euros for their ticket.

During the journey, a man moved the boat with a really big mast, which reached to the bottom of the river and drags it so that the boat can move. This man is a tour guide who told us interesting things about these canyons which where surrounded by the characteristic rocks of this park and other big surprises. Despite the fact that the guide talked in Czech and German, we could understand what he was describing about the different shapes of the rocks, which had an average of 15 metres height. Moby Dick, an elephant, a dolphin, a tyrannosaurus rex, up to the house of Gaudi which we could see from this gorge. In addition to the shapes of the rocks, along the river you can see different wooden shapes such as a virgin, a dragon and a man smoking a pipe, holding one of his shoes in his hands.

When you realise all of the surprises at the river, suddenly, in complete tranquility, a squirt of water comes from the highest point and falls really near to you. It is the funniest moment of the trip. The guide activates a kind of level through a rope and wham! A shoot of water appears as if it was a waterfall. Now getting to the end of the journey, the guy takes charge of shaking the boat, creating waves. The boat honestly moves a lot and being so small and not very stable, it seems like you are going to fall into the water. It is a really special and quite intimate trip, since the boat, which is a light green colour, only fits in 20 people. You buy the ticket there directly so you don't need to reserve it, but watch out because the last one leaves at 5.30 pm so you better not rock up there late.

2. Pravĉicka brána

After the boat trip through the Edmund gorges, you can do several hikes. One of them takes you to a different gorge called the Wild Gorge where you can take another small boat and go on another peaceful trip, but we decided to go to the main attraction of this park which is the Pravĉicka brána. It is the biggest stone arch in Europe. And by the way, they filmed a scene of the film The Chronicles of Narnia at this archway.

Before arriving, we walked for an hour and a half at a very fast pace and we came across a town with little houses, restaurants and a children's park where there was this strange totem. The route through the bridge had steep areas, in zigzags, but most of it was flat and easy. Now in the last bit, it seemed like we were in the very same Forbidden Forest from Harry Potter. There was lots of mist, but this made it even more charming.

Finally, we arrived at the stone archway and the ticket costs 1 euro per person if you are a student. We were a group of 4 and there were only 3 tickets left, so we only paid 3 euros. It is a nominal price to maintain the park so it is fair. To the side of Pravĉicka brána, there is a hotel-restaurant which is red and green, where it must be incredible to spend a night and wake up before this marvel of nature in the morning. The best thing about this place is not just the stone arch, but the whole environment itself. There are several "balconies" from which you can see these stone cities which are very high above sea level, and the panoramic view is simply incredible.

Also, we went there at the start of September and the tree leaves had started changing colour to orange, giving a warm touch to the scenery. Without a doubt, it is a place that you cannot miss out on visiting. Paloma, Pilar, Angel and I were practically alone and despite there being a bit of snow in the distance, this just added to the charm. With a sunny or cloudy sky, or with the occasional downpour, this place is incredible either way.

3. Hrensko and river Elba

We did the return journey and we went back to the car which we had left in Hrensko, a quite unique town, with restaurants that have water mills, hotels which maintain the aesthetic of the whole natural park, decorated with garden figures and always painted with the same colours. The hotels are almost encrusted with these enormous rocks. And by the way, here you can also find some shops which sell all the equipment you need for hiking. Just in front of Hrensko is the river Elba. In this area, the river Elba separates the Czech Republic with Germany, functioning as a border. On one side of the river you find one country and on the other, well, you find the other. As it was now becoming dark, we went to the town where we were staying.

4. Deĉin.

It is a small town, very pretty and well cared for, with different coloured houses and a castle on a hill, presiding over the city. It has views of the River Elba, which makes it even more special. If you have time, the town of Decin also has a big wall that you can climb. Sleeping here was the best decision that we could have made because it is only 20 minutes away from Hrensko and if you have a car, there is no problem. Sleeping here is a lot cheaper than in Hrensko because it is further out, but it is worth it. We slept in a hostel which cost us 10 euros for the night with a shared kitchen and bathroom, but we were practically alone so everything was just for us. We bought our own dinner and breakfast, but if you want, you can pay 2.80 euros to have the hostel's breakfast, although we didn't think that it looked very appetising. The hostel is called Hotel Decin. It is a peaceful place with a strategic location to spend the night, sleep and get up early to continue on with our route.

5. Going towards Germany.

As I told you, to get to Germany all you have to do is cross the river. We made the most of the opportunity to visit the nature in this part of the country. Specifically, Bastei in Lohmen. In our case, we visited this one because it was near to us and we thought it was incredible, but from here I would tell you that you should investigate the map for yourself, especially if you have more time to hand.

6. Bastei.

We got up at 6 in the morning, it was already light and a bit chilly. It was a 50 minute drive to reach Bastei. Parking wasn't difficult because there are quite a lot of car parks but you have to ask for the ticket in the tourist office and leave it on your windscreen. and it costs 4.50 euros. It is a special permission to be able to park in this area. We left the car in the town, which quite far away from Bastei, but if you want, you can park it in a different car park which is a lot nearer to the tourist attraction, but you have to pay extra.

They don't speak a lot of English, so you have to do a bit of sign language. Going below, there are two options to get to the famous bridge situated in the city of rocks. The first route takes 40 minutes and it is a short but intense route since you have to go up 850 stairs and it is difficult. The second one is larger and surrounds the whole mountain. It takes two and a half hours but it is less difficult. We wanted to make the most of the day so we chose to do the short route.

Now there, you should know that the entry to the bridge is free, but the exposition of the area where a castle was previously built you have to pay for. It cost us 1 euro because not all of the area was open to the public, so normally it would cost 2.50 euros when you are able to see everything. I don't know whether to tell you that it is worth paying for, since the most interesting things you can already see for free. In the exposition you can feel like you are in the old passageways of the castle, the places where the towers, catapults and the tanker where they store the water. There is also an archaeological exhibition, but the best bit of this place is the bridge that crosses the city of stone and the views from it. Here I will leave you some photos so that you can judge for yourselves.

Again there was fog, but it still maintained its charm. This place reminded me of Rivendell or even of Avatar. These incredibly high rocks make you feel small. We had never seen anything like this, a landscape like this that gives off such immensity, peace and silence. The rocks had different shapes: a train, a lamb or hands with four fingers. One of the most famous ones is one that has a monk on the top, a sculpture. Don't think that we imagined all of this up, as everything was explained. Here there were also several bits with a viewpoint of the river Elba, which has a very slow current, to the point that it seemed like it wasn't moving. You can also admire the villages in the surrounding areas.

7. Going towards Dresden.

After spending the whole morning here, we took the car and went towards Dresden and in 50 minutes we found ourselves in the city centre. I will dedicate another post to Dresden itself since it is a city that has a lot to offer. If you have time, I would even recommend going to Leipzig, which isn't far away either.

Advice

• Get up early. The best thing to do is to go to these places early. You will avoid big groups of tourists and enjoy the nature the most you possibly can. The atmosphere that was in Bastei was very familiar. There were locals running or taking their dog for a walk.
• Bring tupperware because the restaurants aren't very cheap.
• Comfy footwear and a raincoat.
• Also a coat because during the evening you can feel the cold, if you go at the same time of year as we did.
• Water! You will be walking a lot so you need to keep yourself hydrated.
• If you have vertigo, some of these places will be perfect for overcoming your fears.

As for money exchange, we changed euros for Korunas at the border of Slovakia with the Czech Republic at a petrol station. They didn't charge us comission so it was good. If you just go to visit this natural park, you don't need to change up too much money. There are places that you can pay with euros, despite being in the Czech Republic. The disadvantage of this is that they always round the costs up.

• To travel around Czech Republic you need a tax, which costs 13.50 euros and you can buy it in petrol stations.
• In terms of the toll in Germany, we don't have any idea of how it works. There was no tax or toll charges. We went and returned to Dresden and we didn't have any inkling of anything. We think that they are managing it because they want to put the toll in Germany too, although we are not sure. We searched it on the internet and we didn't find any useful information there either. If you know how it works, you can leave it in the comments for our future trips.
• If you have time, you can visit cities in Czech Republic like Prague or Brno, although for this you need to have a trip of at least a week.

And that is everything I wanted to tell you! This is definitely one of the most incredible landscapes that I have ever seen. Bohemian Switzerland, a name that romantic artists gave it, and Bastei, in Germany, are places that you have to visit once in your life, in my opinion. At every moment it seems like there is a reference to Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter or Avatar, whether it be for the nature, the passages between the rocks or the atmosphere of the area. I hope that you have enjoyed the photos and that you feel inspired to travel. See you soon and thanks for reading.

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