Day 4 Decin to Bad

 

Distance: 25 km / 16 miles biking, 5-15 km hiking 

This day will be almost fully optional but always special! On the way, or after your arrival to Bad Schandau, we recommend to visit the Czech border town of Hřensko. It is situated in the heart of the Czech Switzerland National Park and offers many attractive activities, especially for hikers. Many touristic trails lead through the scenic rock formations, mesas, passes, deep gorges and hillsides. A special reward for exploring is the wonderful Pravčická brána (Pravčice Gate), no doubt the biggest sand stone natural bridge in Europe. Alternately, Spa lovers can visit the local baths in Bad Schandau. For details, look up www.toskanaworld.net. Another option is hiking from Bad Schandau, taking the local historical tram.

In the morning you start by biking back to the river, crossing the bridge over the Elbe and turning right onto the road following the river on the left river bank. Although it’s the lowest place in the Czech Republic, you will feel like being in the mountains the whole time!

(BEGIN PAGE 8) After some kilometers you cross the border to Germany. To access Hřensko (And return to the Czech Republic), we highly recommend crossing the river by ferry (18) for all the hikes in Czech-Saxon Swiss National Park listed below or continue all the way to Bad Schandau. 

To continue biking from Hřensko to Bad Schandau on the calm bike path, return to the left river bank by ferry. No cars here, so just enjoy the views of the river canyon! From here on all the way to Dresden you will change yellow Czech biking signs for white and green German ones (20). When in Bad Schandau, take the ferry (or continue to the bridge) to the right bank to see the town center and to find your hotel. From Bad Schandau you can either take a historical tram and short hike to the Kuhstal outlook, or return to Hřensko/Schmilka by national park bus service or train.

Bus lines number 435,438, 441: Here.

Hrensko – Schöna Ferry: https://www.idecin.cz/en/hrensko-schona-ferry

Note: If you stay in Hotel Erbgericht, it is on the left bank!

Pravčická BránaWith postcard views south to the 619m cone of Růžov hill, this 30m-high natural stone arch is Europe's highest. Nestled improbably in a rocky nook beneath the arch is the Falcon’s Nest, a rustic chateau that now houses a national park museum and restaurant. 

Divoká soutěska(Savage gorge 9am-5pm daily May-Aug, Sat&Sun Sep+Oct) – that has been dammed; here you continue by punt, poled along by a ferryman through a canyon barely 5m wide and 50m to 150m deep. 

HřenskoAlthough the place is not the nicest from visited cities along the way, thanks to its location it is a perfect basecamp for hiking tours to the sandstone rocks formation of the Czech Switzerland National Park. At Hřensko the entire North Bohemian watershed empties into Germany through a slim notch in the rolling hills. In exchange, Germany provides a stream of tourists. Hřensko itself is one of the country’s most kitsch tourist spots and it is worth short walk through.