50.55° N · 15.19° E
Sandstone towers up to 60 metres tall, a hotel castle on the rocks, the ruins of Trosky and Prachovské skály, an hour and a quarter from Prague.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Trail · 2–3 h · free · sandstone towers up to 60 m between Hrubá Skála Castle and Valdštejn
Castle · 1 h · 150 CZK · free visit of the whole site · April to October
Ruined castle · 1 h · 180 CZK · climb to the Baba and Panna towers · seasonal
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
April to October, when Valdštejn and Trosky are open; in May and June the forest is green and in October full of colour. In summer it is busier at weekends. From November to March you can walk the rocks, but the castles close and the steps may ice over.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
The Bohemian Paradise is about 90 km north-east of Prague. You fly to Prague, with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities, and continue by train to Turnov, in about two hours, or by hire car from the airport, in a little over an hour. With a car you reach the castles and Prachov, which the train does not link well.
Without a car, the Bohemian Paradise works well if you stay a night: train to Turnov, the Jičín line as far as Hrubá Skála and, from there, everything on foot through the rock city to Valdštejn. Trosky and Prachov need a bus or car.
By car it is about 95 km along the D10 motorway towards Turnov, around an hour and a quarter. With a car you can fit both rock cities, Hrubá Skála and Prachovské skály, and the castles of Valdštejn and Trosky into one day.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
The Bohemian Paradise is a natural playground: passages between rocks, carved stairs, viewpoints and castles on high. Valdštejn has dramatised tours for children in summer and a family ticket; Prachov has short circuits, some suitable for pushchairs. Trosky, with its two towers, is the photo.
For teenagers, the Bohemian Paradise is a real route: narrow passages, rock stairs and viewpoints from which you can see climbers on the towers. The two towers of Trosky can be climbed, and Valdštejn has a gallery on the history of climbing.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: A four-star hotel in Hrubá Skála Castle, above the rock city, with a restaurant, a terrace on the walls, a lookout tower and a private spa.
Why we like it: A guesthouse in a 1924 Art Nouveau villa in Hrubá Skála, with eight doubles, an apartment for four and breakfast included, a short walk from the castle.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: a Czech dish from the menu or the menu of the day, and in summer a table on the terrace on the walls.
What to order: a soup or something hot with a beer, before continuing towards Hrubá Skála.
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
50.44° N · 14.58° E
By planeBy carCar-free
50.35° N · 14.47° E
By planeCar-freeBy car
49.95° N · 15.27° E
By planeCar-freeBy car
50.51° N · 14.15° E
By planeCar-freeBy car
Tips
Sandstone steps are slippery in the rain.
Follow the signs or your satnav: the village road is closed in 2026.
In the evening the courtyard and the viewpoints are yours.
It helps in the small taverns and at the car parks.
Český ráj, the Bohemian Paradise, was the first protected landscape in Czechia: a region of forests between Turnov and Jičín, about 90 km north-east of Prague, where sandstone forms "rock cities", mazes of towers and gorges, and where every crag has a castle on top. The best-known part is Hruboskalsko, around Hrubá Skála Castle; to the south, the two towers of Trosky can be seen from all over the region, and next to Jičín is the other great rock city, Prachovské skály.
By car, about 95 km along the D10 motorway towards Turnov, around an hour and a quarter; from Turnov, the road towards Jičín passes beneath Hrubá Skála. In 2026 the village road is closed and you enter by a signposted diversion. With a car you can fit the rocks, Valdštejn, Trosky and Prachov into one day.
By train, from Prague's main station to Turnov in about two hours, sometimes with a change at Mladá Boleslav. At Turnov, the line towards Jičín stops at Hrubá Skála, a 20–25 minute walk from the castle. Without a car, the sensible thing is to stay a night.
Start at Hrubá Skála Castle, now a hotel, and enter the rock city along the waymarked trails: the Mariánská, Janova and Zámecká viewpoints, with towers up to 60 metres high and climbers hanging from them. Continue through the forest to Valdštejn Castle, from the thirteenth century, joined to the rocks by bridges, which since 2026 can be visited independently. Go back for lunch at the Hrubá Skála Castle restaurant. In the afternoon, drive up to the towers of Trosky, a few minutes to the south-east, or cross over to Prachovské skály, next to Jičín, if you still have the legs.
From April to October: Valdštejn is open from April to October (daily in summer) and Trosky from spring to autumn. May, June, September and October are the best months; in summer the viewpoints fill up at weekends. In winter the rock cities stay open, Prachov included, but the castles close and the steps ice over.
Yes: it is the destination in this part of Czechia that most rewards a night. Sleeping at Hrubá Skála Castle gives you the courtyard and the viewpoints at sunset, with nobody about, and the next day you do Trosky and Prachov without hurry. If you go by train, the night is almost a must.
The rocks at Hrubá Skála are free. Valdštejn costs 150 CZK; Trosky, 180 CZK; Prachovské skály, 150 to 200 CZK depending on the season. A night at the hotel castle, with breakfast, from about 3,500 CZK for two; at Pension Harmonie, 1,400 CZK.
Questions
An hour and a quarter by car to Hrubá Skála; about two hours by train to Turnov and a short train to the Hrubá Skála stop.
By car, yes. By train it is possible, but with a night you enjoy it far more.
They are similar: Hrubá Skála is free and has castles next to it; Prachov is paid, more compact and has routes for all levels.
Yes: on a lead on the trails, and at Valdštejn and Prachov they charge an entry fee; the hotel castle takes dogs for 500 CZK a night.
Valdštejn and Trosky close; Valdštejn opens in Advent with a Christmas exhibition.
At Hrubá Skála Castle or at Pension Harmonie, ten minutes from it.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/czechia/bohemian-paradise
