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.
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