Daytrip to Český ráj, The Bohemian Paradise

Český ráj, The Bohemian Paradise – including the Škoda museum, lunch at a castle, and a futuristic view tower

Duration: Approximately 8-10 hours. Starting time is usually 9:00 AM. The tour is available on any day throughout the year.
Aim: To visit the beautiful area known as the Bohemian Paradise (Český ráj) and to enjoy the different landscapes of the Czech Republic plus some old castles and wonderful views.
Focus: Czech nature, Czech castles, views and old cars. All in one day.
Transportation: By car and by foot.
Meeting point: Your address in Prague (if accessible by car)
Food/drinks: Lunch at a castle with fair prices. Coffee break in the view tower and the possibility of a dinner before going back to Prague. Food and drinks are not included.
Group size: 1-6 persons
Price: a total of Czk. 7.000,- (€ 280,- or $ 320,-) for the whole group. Surcharge: Entrance Fee at the Škoda museum. approximately Czk. 100,- (€ 4,- or $ 5,-) per person. Entrance fee at the Trosky castle, should you decide to go inside, approximately Czk. 100,- (€ 4,- or $ 5,-) per person.

 

You can enjoy this on your day trip to Český ráj, The Bohemian Paradise:

This tour will take us through some of the most beautiful nature of the Czech Republic, Český ráj or The Bohemian Paradise. First we’ll drive directly to Mladá Boleslav, home of the best known Czech brand, Škoda cars. On our drive there I’ll tell you a bit about the background and history of the factory, and in Mlada Boleslav we’ll visit the Škoda museum (small entrance fee, not included) and see some of the beautiful old cars. It is not a very big museum, but charming.

Then we’ll continue deeper into the Bohemian Paradise. First stop here is next to the Trosky Castle, which is one of the most famous Czech castles and is situated on the summits of two basalt volcanic plugs. On the lower peak (47 m) is the two-storey structure called Baba (Old Woman), and on the higher outcrop (57 m) is the four-sided structure known as Panna (Virgin). This is the most famous landmark of Český ráj, The Bohemian Paradise – and when you see it from a distance, you’ll understand why! As it is a ruin, we may not investigate the insides of it (I'll leave that up to you) but move on to the castle Hruba Skala, where we’ll have lunch (not included but fair prices). These days the castle serves as a hotel and restaurant, and if the weather is fine, we’ll enjoy our lunch on a large terrace with probably the most impressive views of the areas. If it is a bit cold, we’ll have lunch inside the elegant salons of the castle restaurant and of course still make sure to admire the views outside.

After lunch we head towards the town of Liberec, where we’ll visit the very unique and futuristic view tower, Ještěd. On a clear day the views from here are amazing, and the tower itself is unusual. The interior has been kept in the retro style of the seventies, and it is easy to imagine the top branch of the communist party having had luxurious stays at the hotel, which is still a part of the tower.

On our way back towards Prague we’ll decide if we want to drive directly home or if we should make a stop in the town of Mělník with a beautiful old town square with buildings from several centuries. There’s also a beautiful renaissance style castle – but what’s really interesting is the view from the city centre over vineyards towards the place where Moldau (Vltava) and the Elbe (Labe) meet, before they continue towards Hamburg in Germany. If the guests would like it, we can have dinner in Mělník, before heading back to Prague.