50.87° N · 14.24° E
Sandstone towers and arches above the Elbe: the Pravčická brána, the Kamenice gorges by boat and Saxon Switzerland across the river, two hours from Prague.
Part of Elbe Sandstone MountainsFilm locations
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Trail · 3 km climb from Tři prameny · 125 CZK · 26.5 m arch and the Sokolí hnízdo chateau
Boat · 450 m between rock walls · 200 CZK · April to October
Boat and trail · groups of 25 with a guide · 350 CZK · reopened in June 2026
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 the gorge boats run; September and October bring fewer people and colourful forests. In summer it is busy and the car parks fill early. From November to March the boats are closed and the arch opens only Friday to Sunday.
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.
Bohemian Switzerland is about two hours from Prague, the gateway from Spain, with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other cities. Dresden, across the border, is even closer, an hour by train. From neither do you need a car: train to Děčín or Bad Schandau and buses or the ferry to Hřensko.
Without a car you get around better than with one: there is no parking to look for, the park buses run every half hour in season and the classic routes start at one stop and end at another. The Elbe-Labe ticket combines train, bus and ferry.
By car it is about 140 km from Prague, around an hour and three quarters along the D8 motorway towards Dresden and Děčín. The problem is parking: only in the marked car parks, paid and full early in summer. With a car you can link Hřensko, Mezní Louka and Jetřichovice in a 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 gorge boats are what children like best: a boatman, towering rock walls and green water. The climb to the Pravčická brána is manageable for children who walk, with a reward at the end. And crossing the Elbe on the ferry to be in Germany in five minutes seems an adventure to them.
For teenagers, Bohemian Switzerland is a real route: climbing to the Pravčická brána, where Narnia was filmed, going down the gorges by boat and, if they have the stamina, crossing to the Bastei, in Germany. It is a long day, with buses, boats and a ferry, which can be done without a car.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: A 20-room hotel at Mezní Louka, inside the national park, with a restaurant and parking; the routes to the arch and the gorges start from here.
Why we like it: A six-room guesthouse in a half-timbered house from 1761 in Hřensko, beside the Kamenice river, with a restaurant and at the foot of the gorges and the trail to the arch.
Why we like it: A three-star family hotel at Janov, above Hřensko, in the oldest guest house in the village, with family rooms and dogs welcome.
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 simple Czech meal and a beer on the terrace, with the arch beside you.
What to order: a dish of the day with fresh produce and, in the morning, the buffet breakfast.
What to order: Czech cooking from the menu on the terrace, beside the river.
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.
50.92° N · 14.15° E
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50.53° N · 14.13° E
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51.05° N · 13.74° E
Car-freeBy plane
50.51° N · 14.15° E
By planeCar-freeBy car
Tips
Climb first thing; at midday in summer there is a queue on the stairs.
On the boats you can pay either way, but there are no cash machines in the forest.
The 441 links Mezní Louka, Tři prameny and Hřensko: there is no need to retrace your route.
The municipality announces on social media when tickets sell out.
Bohemian Switzerland (České Švýcarsko) is the Czech side of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains: a national park of towers, plateaus and gorges in soft rock that the river and ice carved over millions of years, on the border with Germany. Its two best-known images are the Pravčická brána, the largest natural stone arch in continental Europe, and the Kamenice gorges, which you tour by boat. Across the Elbe the same landscape continues under another name: Saxon Switzerland, with the Bastei.
By train and bus, from Prague's main station to Děčín, in an hour and a half along the Elbe valley. At Děčín you take bus 434 or 438 towards Hřensko or Mezní Louka; you can also continue by train along the German bank to Schöna and cross to Hřensko on the ferry. Allow about two and a quarter hours door to door. The Elbe-Labe day ticket is valid on trains, buses and the ferry in both countries.
By car it is about 140 km, around an hour and three quarters along the D8 motorway. Inside and on the edge of the park you can only park in marked, paid areas (150 to 300 CZK a day), in Hřensko and in Mezní Louka. In summer, arrive before 9:00.
With a guide, Northern Hikes picks you up at your accommodation in Prague and brings you by minibus, in groups of eight with lunch included.
The classic route starts from Hřensko, the border village at the lowest point in Czechia. Climb by the red trail marks, or from the Tři prameny stop, to the Pravčická brána: about 3 km and an hour's climb, with the Sokolí hnízdo (Falcon's Nest) chateau of 1881 next to the arch. Have lunch at the Sokolí hnízdo and go down to Hřensko for the Edmundova soutěska, which since 2026 is toured with a guide, entering and leaving through the village (last group at 15:00). If you have the legs and the time, first continue along the Gabrielina trail to Mezní Louka and go down to the Divoká soutěska, the other gorge by boat, and return to Hřensko on bus 441. The two gorges and the arch in a single day is a lot: with a night you do them well.
The boats run from April to early November. The Edmundova reopened on 18 June 2026 after the 2022 fire and is now visited with a guide, in groups of 25 leaving every hour: some days it sells out. In September and October there are fewer people and the forest changes colour. From November to March there are no boats and the arch site opens only Friday to Sunday, with limited services; the trails stay open, but may be icy.
Yes, if you want to take it slowly. With a night in Hřensko, Mezní Louka or Janov you reach the arch before the groups from Prague, do the gorges the next day and cross over to the Bastei. If you sleep two nights at a participating accommodation, the DÚKpass gives you free public transport in the region.
The arch costs 125 CZK; the Divoká soutěska, 200 CZK, and the Edmundova, 350 CZK per adult. The train and bus from Prague are cheap. The guided excursion from Prague, from €159 per person.
Questions
About two and a quarter hours by train and bus, via Děčín; an hour and three quarters by car.
No: the arch has become fragile and is viewed from the terraces of the site.
From April to early November. In 2026 the season has already ended; it returns in 2027.
The boat is not booked, but tickets are sold online and at the gate, and some days they sell out.
Yes: on a lead on the trails and muzzled on the boats, where it pays 50 CZK.
It is the same sandstone massif, split by the border. From Hřensko you cross the Elbe in five minutes and by train you reach the Bastei.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/czechia/bohemian-switzerland
