The most beautiful natural sites to discover Czech Republic

This vast reserve extends from Děčín to the north to Louny to the south, passing between Litoměřice and Ústí Nad Labem. It covers 1,063 km ², making it the second largest reserve, behind that of Beskydy. The altitude is modest despite its name, between 122 m and 837 m. The particular landscapes of the region are thus preserved: basaltic hills, flora and fauna of steppe.

News: hiking or cycling cards in all tourist offices around the city.

The information centre on the reserve of the Elbe sandstone rocks.

The major attractions of the region lies in the park of Průhonice, attached to the village of the same name. The small village is now joined by the urban tentacles of Prague, but still has a little its village character. It is in any case a great idea of excursion from the capital. The castle was rebuilt many times in the most eclectic styles. It does not visit himself unfortunately. But the adorning one park in very good way. Its towers and turrets of various shapes are reflected in the ponds. These varied colours, its frescoes and sgraffito are remarkable. The park, with English, is beautiful. It houses the Institute of botany of Prague is delivered on these places to research on the plants, but also the birds, insects and other birds that inhabit the park!

Among the most remarkable achievements of this natural reserve, on the UNESCO World Heritage since 2010, we can mention rockery, created artificially and covering 3 hectares where the typical flora in the mountains and forests grows, the rose garden, which has more than 900 varieties of roses, as well as the collection of water lilies, worthy of the most beautiful paintings by Monet. It is therefore an afternoon of relaxation that is offered if you leave the capital to come here. The park is huge and its rhododendrons, azaleas its along all roads allow irresistible especially in early summer. There are various kinds of them so that bloom extends more possible for a long time and that all colours are there. Thus, the greenery of the trees is complemented by the pink, red, purple, white or yellow throughout the shades and all tones. The park was badly damaged by the floods of 2002, but it is again superb today. In summer, the botanical garden of Chotobuzi (Botanická zahrada) is open to the public until 17:00. The castle is only open for events and exhibitions.

The road continues on Dobřejovice, then crosses the highway to Říčany. From there, you go down to the south by the village of Mnichovice, from which the no. 335 road leads to the banks of Sázava.

Here you'll find the country's tallest sandstone giants. They are concentrated and easily accessible. Maps showing the region's well-marked trails are available. The two circuits on offer take you along the lakes and up close to the rocks. In particular, it's possible to walk through the Wolf Gorge and reach the Teplice rocks. You can also climb to the top of Mount Starozámecký (681 m) and reach the ruins of Ardšpach Castle.

The CHKO Orlické hory nature reserve consists of gentle mountains covered with forests or crops. They offer great skiing opportunities in winter:

Deštné v Orlických Horách offers 6.5 km of downhill ski trails and 40 km of cross-country ski trails (www.skicentrumdestne.cz).

Řícky v Orlických Horách offers 36 km of beautiful cross-country ski trails and 4 km for downhill skiing (www.skiricky.cz).

In Čenkovice there is mostly cross-country skiing, on 45 km of trails (www.skicenkovice.cz).

This lake is the only alum lake on the planet. It was created when old alum and soufre mines were used between the th and th centuries. It is now a great leisure area.

The city has the largest Bohemian zoological park: Zoopark Chomutov. It covers 120 ha at the foot of the Krušné Mountains. Nearly 600 animals of 120 species are grouped here, local or exotic. Small safaris can be made by car and even by train.

Vlašim was born from the union of two villages located on two banks of the Blanice river. The city has a small castle (Zámek) and a romantic garden. It won fame in 1935, when an important company of production of starters (one of the oldest in the world) settled there. To the South of the city the natural reserve of Blaník, perfect for pleasant walks (information at the entrance of the park stretches in the courtyard of the castle. Open weekdays from 8:30 to noon and 12:30 to 16:30, weekend (only in July and August) from 9:00 pm to 16:00 pm.

Park (Vlašimský park) dates back to 1755 and is surprising with its romantic ornaments: Chinese pavilion, ornate and colourful doors…

Museum of the castle (Muzeum Podblanická Vlašim). The castle is built starting from 1303; it changed well and unfortunately does not visit itself. It shelters a regional tiny museum with some historic, archaeological collections...

The gallery of the park (Podblanická gallery presents the work of local artists.

Inaugurated in 1902, in the heart of the city, this park incorporates both urban (part of the city walls and the Jewish Gate) and natural (rocks and a branch of the Morava River) elements. The paths are lined with chestnut, lime, ash, maple and beech trees, as well as many flowers. The park is divided into several gardens. In the alpine garden, for example, you will find a dwarf Japanese white pine and other rare species.

This vast expanse of water, north of Mikulov, is a popular recreation area for the locals. It is an artificial construction from the 1960s, an ambitious project of the local Communist Party that wanted to prove the know-how of Moravian engineers. A dam was built, and a village that was in the way of the project had to give in to the will of the party. Thus, the village of Mušov no longer exists today; it was swallowed by the waters when the dam was inaugurated. The only thing that remains is the village church, which is nowadays located on a small island in the center of the lake.

You are immersed in a romantic nature with deep forests, valleys and sandstone cliffs. You can choose between easy or difficult marked trails for the more athletic or natural pools. From the heights you can see vineyards, steep cliffs, reed covered marshes and this dark forest in the distance... amazing contrast! You can also visit Kokořín Castle, which stands majestically on top of a hill.

The city has two springs that have become the goal of walks for both curists and visitors.

The spring of François. In the southern part of the town, one can quickly recognize the round pavilion from 1832 that houses the spring. Nearby is a colonnade from 1914 (Nová kolonáda), guarded by a sphinx.

The Glauber Spring. In the park, just south of Františkův pramen (Františkův pramen), one will reach Glauber spring (Glauberuv pramen) protected by a majestic pavilion.

The Sloup cave system is considered to be the largest in the Moravian Karst: here the visitor can walk over 1,670 m on two levels. The rooms, from the smallest to the most gigantic, are very spectacular: walk through the concretions, giant stalactites and stalagmites - before crossing a deep underground chasm. Don't miss the "fairy room" either, with its ceiling that seems to want to collapse at any moment. Be careful, it is really deep and sometimes narrow, the visit is not recommended for claustrophobic people.

The interest of these caves is the beautiful range of colors of the walls of the domes and their narrow passages forming a real labyrinth appreciated by geologists from all over the world. The visitable part of the cave is easily accessible to all and will delight children. Also to be discovered: the immense "rotunda", formed by a dome of rocks, and many small underground lakes which punctuate the course.

We go down to a depth of more than 700 m, we walk in various caves all as beautiful as the others. Admire these unique rock formations like the Romeo stalactite and the Juliet stalagmite, which are no longer fed by water and are therefore destined never to touch. You can travel the underground river by boat, fun... but freezing! At the end of the route, we reach the bottom of the Macocha chasm (Propast Macocha), 138 m deep.

If you want to be scared, you can access the middle of the swamp by a wooden footbridge of about 300 m long. From the end of the footbridge, you will have a view on a marshy lake whose peat reaches 7 m thickness! This path, practicable from May to September, allows a very original intrusion in the natural park. Another, less impressive, swamp is accessible about 3 km from Kvilda, called the Jezerní stat lake swamp.

This path will take you through the valley of the Vydra River, from Čenkova Pila to Antýgl. It is 7 km long, one of the most beautiful trails in the region, and also one of the easiest. It can be walked both in summer and winter (in winter, only for the very brave), and allows you to admire all the flora and fauna of the region. The rocks falling from the surrounding hills form vertiginous waterfalls. On the left bank of the Vydra river, one should not miss the very surprising rock formations named Baba (old), Panna (virgin) and Mnich (monk).

7 km east of Tábor (take the train to Chýnov and then 3 km on a marked road), the Chýnov cave will delight stalactite and stalagmite lovers. The passage is narrow, but the visit is easy. It is very beautiful! As is often the case when visiting caves in the Czech Republic, the times we indicate are only indicative and can change depending on the weather or the breeding season of the bats. Please check the website for more information.

It was named after the last bear killed in the Šumava on November 14, 1856. A commemorative plaque has been placed at the crime scene. The trail starts near the village of Ovesná. It is 15 km long and passes through two beautiful forests. At the foot of the first one, surprising rock and vegetation formations have been given evocative names. Halfway along, there is a magnificent view of the Šumava Mountains. From here you can admire the Deer Lake and the Schwarzenberg Canal.