Tips for trips

Zvičina (11 km)

With an altitude of 671 metres above sea level, this is the highest hill and a dominant feature of the Podkrkonoší region. At the top there is the small Baroque church of St. John of Nepomuk and Rais’s Hut, which includes a unique lookout tower with a revolving dome. But you don’t have to go upstairs to enjoy a 360° view of the entire Krkonoše Mountains, Bezděz, Jizera Mountains or the Lusatian Mountains. Zvičina is a natural born place for hiking or a challenging bike tour. From both sides (Horní Brusnice and Třebihoště), a new asphalt road leads to the top of the hill, so you can quickly get there by car. Have lunch at Rais’s Hut, or a glass of beer or lemonade at the outdoor kiosk.

More information at www.zvicina.eu

Grandmother’s Valley (24 km)

The unusual name comes from Božena Němcová’s 19th century classic novel Grandmother, which was set in this very landscape. All of the novel’s locations are to be found here: Viktorka’s Weir, the Old Bleachery, Rudr’s Mill, and Ratibořice Chateau. There is a lot to see in Grandmother’s Valley, not just these powerfully evocative settings. The valley is rightly considered one of the most picturesque places in Eastern Bohemia. At the same time, it is a fascinating natural site with many endangered species for you to spot. You may be lucky enough to see a western barbastelle bat or the rare goosander. Grandmother’s Valley is a great tip for a bike trip from Dvůr Králové.

More information at www.ratiborice-babiccinoudoli.cz

Treetop trail (35 km)

Great place for a one-day family trip. Since 2017, the Krkonoše Mountains also have a trail that winds up between the treetops. It is located at the foot of Černá Mountain in Janské Lázně. The trail measures a kilometre and a half, culminating in the ascent to the 45-metre high observation tower. Along the way you’ll learn a lot of interesting information about the Krkonoše forest and its inhabitants. Do not miss the underground cave with its learning centre, where you can see the intricate root system of trees up close. The whole trail is barrier-free. If a walk along the treetop path is not enough for you, go down to the centre of Janské Lázně and let yourself be taken by cable car to Černá hora and set off to the Krkonoše ridges.

More information at www.stezkakrkonose.cz

Adršpach Rocks (40 km)

The wildest “rock town” in Central Europe has enchanted tourists since the 18th century with its serried towers, and it’s almost the duty of every Czech to visit Adršpach. Avoid Polish holidays and the summer holidays, when the rock formation bursts at the seams, and you’ll enjoy a walk among these sublime sandstone rocks. You’ll never get tired of views of the Lovers, the Mayor and Mayoress, or the Sugar Loaf. The reward for climbing the ladders and a claustrophobic crawl through the Mouse Hole will be a romantic punt across a rock rimmed lake. Adršpach is open all year round. Try it in winter and you’ll be almost alone here.

More information at www.skalyadrspach.cz

Pecka Play Landscape (42 km)

In 2018, a unique playground with wooden statues of Krkonoše animals became a first-class attraction in the eastern Krkonoše Mountains. It’s located a thousand metres above sea level at the upper station of the Portášky chair lift in Velká Úpa. The sculptures also serve as climbing frames and ingenious game elements. Your children will love this giant open-air playground. Putting your head in the lynx’s mouth, riding in the antler of a deer, or climbing to the stork’s nest are all fun for adults too. And there’s always something good to eat at the Portáška mountain hut.

More information at www.pec-ka.cz

Cycling

Dvůr Králové lies on the route of the long-distance Elbe Trail, which begins at the source of the Elbe in the Krkonoše Mountains and after almost 1,200 kilometres ends in Cuxhaven, Germany. Two years ago, a two-kilometre-long continuous section connecting the centre and the zoo was made in the town. Follow the marked route to Kuks, eight kilometres away, where you’ll connect to one of the longest asphalt sections of the Elbe Cycling Route in our country. It’s 26 kilometres long and leads all the way to Hradec Králové. You can manage this relaxing ride even with small children. The journey along the meandering Elbe is breathtaking.

The surroundings of Dvůr Králové are naturally created for short rides and all-day marathons on both mountain and road bikes. Local experts swear by the forest routes below Zvičina, near Čertovy kameny (Devil’s Stones), and between Kocbeře, Kohoutov and Choustníkovo Hradiště, or the dense network of trails above the Forest Kingdom Dam. It would take you many weeks to try them all. But don’t let that put you off. We’re here to show you the best routes that you won’t read about in the guides. We’ll be happy to organize cycle trips of varying difficulties according to your wishes and, with early booking, we’ll provide you with a quality guide.

Conditions for road cycling in the Králův Dvůr district have significantly improved in recent years. Take the new asphalt road to the Forest Kingdom Dam, see the windmill in Horní Brusnice, climb up Zvičina, taste the traditional ‘modlitbičky’ (‘prayers’) in Miletín, continue to the town of Hořice and its beautiful stonework, or go and see the giants at the town hall in Hostinné. There is a plethora of possibilities. Again, we’ll be happy to recommend a route that suits you, or our guide will accompany you in person.

Also, the surrounding towns have a lot to offer to cyclists. The more than 30 kilometre-long network of one-way off-road mountain bike trails at Čížkovy Stones behind Trutnov has already become highly popular. There are several trails of varying difficulty, with the new Floutek Trail offering a first-class experience (detailed information at www.trutnovtrails.cz). Children and adults can mess around on the playful pump track in Hostinné.

Hiking

All the attractive destinations around Dvůr Králové are easily accessible by hiking trails. The climb up to Zvičina from Dolní Brusnice around Lázně pod Zvičinou is moderately difficult. Following the nature trail In the footsteps of Karel Václav Rais, you can continue from here to Lázně Bělohrad. The Karel Jaromír Erben Trail connects Dvůr Králové with Miletín; be sure to stop for a picnic at the former stronghold and pond Zátluky. The blue-marked route will take you from Dvůr to the settlement of Záboří, its main attraction being the iconic U Šulců Inn. Order a head cheese or ‘tlačenka’ and pickled sausages or ‘utopenci’, wash them down with a cold beer from Silver, the head waiter, and enjoy capturing the genius loci of this remote spot. From here you can venture off to explore the former Sudetenland and extinct villages. The walk to the Forest Kingdom Dam is very pleasant and at the same time undemanding. When you’ve seen enough of the charming dam, have a beer and hamburger in the kiosks at Štěrba’s Villa.

Water sports

The 10-kilometre-long section of the Elbe from Dvůr Králové via Žireč and Šporkův Mlýn in Stanovice to Kuks is described by paddlers as simply the most beautiful and romantic navigable part of the Elbe. The route, which will take you about three hours, is easy and even a complete beginner can handle it. With a little bit of luck you’ll see a heron or kingfisher. A hireshop for renting canoes and rafts for up to six people is located at the end of Luční Street near the wastewater treatment plant in Dvůr Králové. We’ll be happy to help you organize the trip.

More information at www.jedulabe.cz.

Yachting, windsurfing, kitesurfing or relaxing pedal boat rides. All this you can do on the East Bohemian Sea – the Rozkoš Reservoir with an area of 800 hectares. It’s less than 30 kilometres from Dvůr Králové. You can rent everything you need at the U Milana Surf Centre on the south side of the reservoir. It also offers a kitesurfing and windsurfing school.

In-line sports

There is a small skate park right next to the sports stadium in Dvůr Králové. You can stretch your muscles along the Elbe Cycling Route in the town centre, and you’ll meet most in-line skaters in Žirečská Podstráň, three kilometres south of Dvůr Králové. The two-kilometre-long road leading around the field is wide enough and almost no cars drive on it. Skaters and cyclists are at home here. Leave your car at the beginning of the ‘trail’; when you get tired of training, you can relax on the benches provided.

Fishing

The number one choice is the Forest Kingdom Dam. The trout-free area stretches from the dam itself to the end of the backwater. The main reason to come here is the big carp fishing. But you can also catch predatory fish, including catfish. Of the commercial fisheries, we recommend the pond in Vítězná, five kilometres away. Here, in addition to carp, grass carp, pike and zander, you can catch sturgeons, even a beluga, from out of the pond. An amazing experience is winter fishing for trout and grayling through holes in the ice.

Mushroom picking

The mushroom season in Podkrkonoší starts a little later, but don’t let that put you off. The forests here are so beautiful that you won’t mind if you don’t come home with a full basket every time. It takes a while to discover the right territory. You don’t have to go too far: attractive stretches of forest stretch right above the Dvůr Králové hospital. The forests between Kohoutov and Kocbeře provide an excellent location, but you can count on them being quite busy.

And so we could continue our list of activities. But suffice to say, the surroundings of our Dvůr Králové are very diverse and offer a lot of opportunities for outdoor activities. We guarantee you’ll take home an unforgettable experience.

Winter sports

The indoor stadium, where public skating takes place several times a week in winter, is a five-minute walk from the hostel. If you’re lucky enough to have a good winter, in Dolní Brusnice, seven kilometres away, you can carve turns with your children on the 400-metre-long Severka ski slope. Thanks to artificial lighting it’s always in operation in the evening. The nearest winter resort in the Krkonoše Mountains – the family resort Mladé Buky u Trutnov – is half an hour away by car from Dvůr Králové. From there it’s only a short distance to Janské Lázně with more demanding slopes and a chair lift to Černá hora. We recommend trying the less well-known ski resorts in the Jestřebí Mountains: Petříkovice and Radvanice in the Trutnov district. Thanks to the technical snow there are usually excellent conditions here, but best of all you’ll have the slopes to yourself. If the winter is a good one, a machine-groomed cross-country trail leads to Zvičina. But snow in the Krkonoše Mountains is a certainty. The nearest place is Černá hora; in the 35 km range, Vrchlabí is the only cross-country circuit with technical snow and artificial lighting in Eastern Bohemia.