Activity holiday in the Czech Republic

country:	Czech Republic
trip type:	A small group adventure
departures:	2008: 19 Jul, 23 Aug
price:	From £470 (8 days) excluding flights. Single supplement £75. We can arrange flights from the UK. This trip can also be tailormade for groups or individuals, with dates of your choice.

Activity holidays

Czech Republic holidays

the amazing things you'll be doing

Let us take you to the heart of Bohemia, full of historical sites and other natural and cultural treasures. Forget the modern communications and go exploring the ancient pilgrim routes running into the gorgeous valleys along the Sazava River.

We also visit a romantic area situated on the Jizera river. The diversity of natural beauty comes hand in hand with the richness of historical sites - castles, palaces, folk architecture. And this is precisely why, in the 19th century, the guests in the Sedmihorky spa town started calling this part of the country ‘'Cesky Raj'' (Bohemian Paradise).

The beautiful scenery of the Bohemian Paradise is the ideal place to spend an active holiday for all ages. It is an area full of fabulous rock formations, ideal for climbing or admiring on pleasant walks.

Highlights include:

Prague - Royal Route Walk

Kutná Hora UNESCO heritage site - Cathedral of St Barbara

Czech mediaeval dinner

Walking and cycling in the Bohemian Paradise natural reserve

The rock-castle Valecov

The unique ruins of the Trosky castle

The Adrspach-Teplice rocks

Visit at the family brewery Kacov

Boat riding along the Sazava river

Ceský Sternberk castle

Karlstejn Castle

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Prague - Royal Route Walk - Visit to the Staropramen Brewery. In the afternoon we will start our tour with a viewing of Prague situated along the Royal Route. This leads from the Old Town Square to Prague Castle and was once the coronation route of the Bohemian kings. We will visit Prague's biggest brewery, Staropramen (the second largest producer of beer in the Czech Republic), including a tasting and dinner at the brewery restaurant with an extensive menu of traditional Czech cuisine, as well as international cuisine.
Day 2:	Prague - Zehusice game reserve - Kutna Hora. We leave Prague for the Zehusice game reserve, which is formed by 266 hectares of English-style park along the river Doubrava, where a herd of white deer has been bred for more than 150 years. When the tour has finished, we will move to Kutna Hora, a significant historical town offering more than 300 listed pieces of medieval and baroque architecture. We will take a look around the centre with the UNESCO listed St. Barbara cathedral and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church, the Sedlec Ossuary, a graveyard chapel in the former Cistercian monastery known for it being decorated with human bones. In the evening, we will move to the village of Detenice to stay in the 3-star hotel. We will take you to a stylish restaurant where you can experience the authentic atmosphere of a medieval feast.
Day 3:	Walking and cycling in the Prachovske rocks - Valdstejn castle - Valecov rock-castle. We will leave for the Prachovske rocks, the "town" of sandstone rocks situated in the south of the Czech Paradise. In this UNESCO listed protected geological park, we take a 2-hour walk amongst the bizarre rocky formations. The most interesting parts of the rocks are easily accessible by safe marked tourist trails, and a number of wonderful viewpoints will give an excellent sight of the entire Prachovske rocks area. After lunch we will move by minibus to the Hruba skala renaissance palace. From here we cycle along a comfortable path to the Valdstejn castle, the oldest castle in the Czech paradise. After the tour, you can expect a 15km (just under 10 miles) bicycle ride along the picturesque countryside of the Czech paradise all the way to the ruins of the Valecov castle, which was partially carved into the sandstone rocks. Evening return to the hotel by minibus.
Day 4:	The Kost castle - the unique ruins of the Trosky castle - off to Teplice nad Metuji in the evening. We cycle to the medieval castle of Kost, which is situated in a forested valley on a massive rocky point formed of sandstone, about a km away from the prehistoric village of Na porani. After seeing the castle, we will carry on down the picturesque valley to the pond in Nebakov, where we will have lunch in the pre-war Nebákov weekend-house. In the afternoon, we will continue on our bikes for another hour to the mighty ruins of the gothic Trosky castle. After the tour, we will leave for the town of Teplice nad Metuji in the North-East of Bohemia, which is the gateway to the Adrspach-Teplice rocks.
Day 5:	Adrspach-Teplice rocks - Kacov - family brewery. Today we walk around the Adrspach-Teplice rocks, a picturesque formation of sandstone rock towers reaching as high as 100m & covering an area of 20 sqkm, accompanied by experienced guides. You can hire small boats and take a ride on the upper lake. In the evening, we will travel to the village of Kacov for a tour around a local family-run brewery with an evening get-together in the brewery pub.
Day 6:	Boat ride on the Sazava river - Cesky Sternberk castle. We will dedicate today to canoeing or rafting along a 15km section of the Sazava river, graded "ZW C". We tour the mighty Cesky Sternberk castle, ranking high amongst the medieval castles in the Posazavi region not only for its dominant position on a rocky point over the river valley, but mainly for the building itself. We visit the Sazava monastery, a mystical place, in gorgeous countryside over the Sazava river before finishing the day with a get-together in one of the beer gardens on the banks of the Sazava river.
Day 7:	Sv. Jan pod Skalou - Karlstejn castle. We leave for Konepruské caves, the most extensive carst cave system in Czech Republic, famous for primary fossil findings. After the tour we will find ourselves in Srbsko village located on the banks of the Berounka River where we will have a lunch. Then we travel on, past limestone rocks to a picturesque settlement of Svaty Jan pod Skalou, with its baroque church of St. John the Baptist. We continue on foot following the Vojta Naprstek trail, past the flooded limestone quarries of Velka and Mala Amerika, all the way to the gothic castle of Karlštejn. After visiting the castle we will have dinner in one of the themed restaurants.
Day 8:	Prague - departure. Transfer to Prague or Ruzyne Airport in Prague.

small group adventure holiday

Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.

how this holiday makes a difference

On this tour you will travel in varied small group of like-minded people. The smaller the group, the less it interferes in the everyday life of the visited place. Small group also allow our guide to dedicate more time to making your journey more unique and special.

You will spend your holidays not only by sightseeing, but you can also pursue walking or make bike trips amongst the local people in the villages scattered around the beautiful countryside of the Bohemian Paradise or in the gorgeous valleys along the Sazava and Berounka Rivers. Instead of moving through great distances and visiting many places in one day, you will get better idea of how the country feels by exploring its local attractions. You will explore sandstone rock formations and quantity of historical sites - castles, palaces, folk architecture.

By visiting the Zehusice game reserve, where a herd of white deer has been bred for more than 150 years, we will support rangers’ effort to protect these rare animals. The current headcount of the herd is about 130 and it is the highest in the World. You will not eat in international restaurants or fast food chains but rather in local restaurants (we will dine at the medieval pub in Detenice) where traditional food (eg. roasted knuckle of pork served with mustard and horseradish) is served and where you can enjoy regional dishes together with excellent beers and wines the country can offer. You will enjoy visit to the family brewery Kacov with an evening get-together in the brewery pub. We will take you to a stylish restaurant where you can experience the authentic atmosphere of a medieval feast.

In order to maintain maximum authenticity and comfort, we provide accommodation in smaller family run hotels and guesthouses preferably, with local atmosphere and the possibility of an outdoor seating area. You will learn a lot more about the culture of the country by personal experience rather than looking at it through a coach window. This way of travelling has the lowest environmental and cultural impact to the visited country and creates a positive experience for all.

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