In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
From Liberec below Ještěd via the Jizera Mountains, the Bohemian Paradise and Jičín into the Giant Mountains, on to the rock towns of Adršpach and Teplice and via Broumov and Náchod to the baroque hospital of Kuks: around 380 kilometres on which you spend more time on rock stairways and ridge paths than behind the wheel.
The spirit of the route
Northern Bohemia is a land of silhouettes. Above Liberec, Ještěd stands like a needle on the horizon; near Turnov, sandstone towers grow out of the pine forest; and above the Bohemian Paradise rise the two basalt towers of Trosky Castle, visible from every other hilltop. In the morning it smells of damp sand and resin, in the evening of woodsmoke from the mountain chalets. Further east the Giant Mountains rise up with their bare ridges, fields of dwarf pine and Sněžka, where the weather changes three times a day. From the sliding door you look out on ponds, farmhouses with wooden shingles and the border range with Poland. The route is short but dense: rock towns where paths squeeze through crevices, baroque monasteries in the Broumov region and, at the end, the Virtues and Vices of Kuks. Travelling here means parking a lot, walking a lot – and spending the night at kemps rather than in the national park.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Liberec to Liberec (Ještěd) (approx. 25 km)
- The drive
- A city stage with a detour: from the centre of Liberec south-west to Horní Hanychov at the foot of Ještěd and up the narrow, winding mountain road towards the summit. The roads on the mountain are tight, have no passing places in the forest and are full of cyclists at weekends; you are better off leaving large motorhomes down below. Only just over half an hour of pure driving time in total.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Ještěd (1,012 m): transmitter tower and mountain hotel by Karel Hubáček, completed in 1973, a hyperboloid that has become the city’s landmark; in clear weather the view reaches from the Lusatian Mountains to the Giant Mountains. The climb on foot from Horní Hanychov takes around an hour and a half. The cable car has been out of service since an accident in October 2021, and a new one is planned; as a replacement, a bus has been set up from the Horní Hanychov tram terminus to just below the summit – check operating days in advance.
- Liberec Town Hall on Dr. E. Beneše Square (náměstí Dr. E. Beneše), a neo-Renaissance building with a tower reminiscent of Vienna’s City Hall.
- The district of cloth manufacturers’ villas on the edge of the centre, and Zoo Liberec, one of the oldest zoos in the country.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Autokemp Liberec within the city, with pitches for motorhomes; ask the operator in advance about facilities, season dates and service points. For travellers coming from Germany via Zittau, Liberec is the first sizeable town across the border and a good place to shop and change money.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Liberec is not a town for wild parking: overnight stays are frowned upon in residential areas and at the car parks on Ještěd, and the slopes of Ještěd belong to the Ještěd Nature Park, with forest in which parking away from surfaced car parks is prohibited. During the day you can park for a fee at the valley station of the disused cable car in Horní Hanychov.
- Insider tip for campers
- Sort out koruna, vignette and gas before setting off into the mountains: Liberec has large supermarkets and filling stations with LPG on the arterial roads. The city centre has many one-way streets and tram tracks – with a large vehicle, park outside and take the tram into the centre.
2Stage 2: Liberec to Turnov (via Bedřichov and Jablonec) (approx. 50 km)
- The drive
- From Liberec via Rudolfov, steep and winding, up into the Jizera Mountains to Bedřichov at around 800 m, with high plateaus of spruce forest and bogs at the top. The mountain road via Rudolfov is narrow; with large motorhomes you are better off going up via Jablonec nad Nisou and Janov nad Nisou and coming back the same way – follow the signs. Down via Janov nad Nisou to Jablonec nad Nisou, then via Rychnov u Jablonce nad Nisou onto the four-lane I/35 south to Turnov. The mountain section is narrow and parked up in Bedřichov village at weekends; the rest is well built. Around 1.5 hours of driving.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Bedřichov: starting point of the Jizera Mountains Trail (Jizerská magistrála), in summer a network of wide forest roads for walkers and cyclists; an easy walk leads to the Bedřichov reservoir (Bedřichovská přehrada).
- Jizera Mountains beech forests (Jizerskohorské bučiny) on the northern slopes of the range, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the ancient beech forests of Europe – reachable only on foot, from the north via Hejnice or Bílý Potok.
- Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou: glass beads, jewellery and the history of a region that supplied costume jewellery to the whole world.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Kemp Dolánky on the bank of the Jizera near Turnov, a simple site for tents and motorhomes with toilets and showers, with canoe traffic on the river in season; ask in advance about electricity and waste disposal. More comfortable, but 6 km further on, is Autocamp Sedmihorky on the edge of the Bohemian Paradise (see stage 3).
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Jizera Mountains are a protected landscape area (CHKO Jizerské hory) with nature reserves on the plateaus. The forest roads above Bedřichov are closed to motor vehicles; camping and overnight stays outside designated sites are prohibited in the protected zones. The large car parks in Bedřichov are paid day car parks for walkers and skiers, not overnight spots.
- Insider tip for campers
- Go to Bedřichov early: on fine weekends the car parks are full by late morning, and the returning traffic then comes towards you on the mountain road from Rudolfov. The section of the I/35 between Liberec and Turnov is four-lane; whether a stretch requires a vignette is shown by the signs and the route map on edalnice.cz. In Turnov it is worth looking into the garnet and jewellery craft; the town calls itself the centre of Bohemian garnet for good reason.
3Stage 3: Turnov to Sedmihorky (Hruboskalsko and Valdštejn) (approx. 15 km)
- The drive
- A short stage on minor roads: out of Turnov south-east on the I/35 and off at Karlovice to Sedmihorky, then on narrow roads through pine forest to Valdštejn Castle and Hrubá Skála. The access roads to the castles are tight and end at car parks; you do the rest on foot. More a walking day than a driving day.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Valdštejn Castle from the 13th century, ancestral seat of the Waldstein family, reached across a stone bridge with baroque statues of saints – rooms and a chapel carved into the sandstone.
- Hruboskalsko: a rock town with dozens of sandstone towers; Mariánská vyhlídka and other viewpoints on the edge of the rocks look out over the towers and Hrubá Skála Château on the rock ridge.
- Circular walk Sedmihorky – Hrubá Skála – Valdštejn – Sedmihorky (around 10 km) on the red-marked “Zlatá stezka Českého ráje”, the Golden Trail of the Bohemian Paradise.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Autocamp Sedmihorky in the forest on the edge of the Bohemian Paradise, with a swimming pond, pitches for motorhomes, electricity, toilets and showers – one of the best-known sites in the region and a starting point for walks straight from the site. Book for July and August. Plan two nights.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Bohemian Paradise is a protected landscape area (CHKO Český ráj), and the rock towns are nature reserves. Camping, overnight stays and open fires outside designated sites are prohibited, and the car parks below Hrubá Skála and Valdštejn are day car parks. CHKO rangers carry out checks in season.
- Insider tip for campers
- Sandstone is slippery when wet, and many paths have ladders and steps: wear sturdy shoes with good tread rather than sandals. Climbing on the towers is only permitted for climbers experienced on soft sandstone (no metal protection devices, no chalk) and in certain areas. Shop in Turnov – Sedmihorky has only a kiosk and places to eat.
4Stage 4: Sedmihorky to Jinolice near Jičín (via Trosky and Prachovské skály) (approx. 40 km)
- The drive
- On minor roads through hilly country with ponds and fruit trees south-east to Troskovice below Trosky Castle, on via Ktová and Libuň to Prachov and the Prachov Rocks, and down to Jinolice and Jičín. Winding, narrow and often without a centre line, but well surfaced. Around an hour of driving.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Trosky Castle: two towers on basalt volcanic plugs, the taller “Panna” (Maiden) and the lower “Baba” (Old Woman) – a ten-minute climb from the car park, with a wide view over the whole Bohemian Paradise from the courtyard.
- Prachovské skály: the most rugged rock town in the region, with narrow passages such as the Emperor’s Corridor (Císařská chodba) and viewpoints over rock towers; admission charged, several circular trails of one to three hours.
- Jičín: Valdštejn Square with arcaded houses, the Valdice Gate tower with a panoramic view, and the lime avenue to the loggia in Libosad park, laid out under Albrecht von Wallenstein.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Kemp Jinolice (Chatový tábor Jinolice) by the swimming pond in Jinolice, not far from the Prachov Rocks, with pitches, toilets and showers, a seasonal site; check electricity and opening times in advance. Several smaller kemps are also located around the Jinolice ponds.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Prachov Rocks and the area around Trosky belong to CHKO Český ráj – no overnight stays at the rock-town car parks. On the edge of Jičín, car parks are conceivable for one night in the vehicle if no prohibition is signposted and you do not camp; a kemp is the more relaxed choice here, though.
- Insider tip for campers
- The car park below Trosky is tight and fills early at weekends; with a large vehicle, arrive in the morning. In Jičín, motorhomes are best parked outside the old town, then walk to the square; the narrow lanes around the château are unsuitable for campers. If you have children with you: Jičín is the town of Rumcajs the robber from the Czech children’s book, with figures and a fairy-tale festival.
5Stage 5: Jičín to Vrchlabí (with a detour to Špindlerův Mlýn) (approx. 75 km)
- The drive
- On the I/16 to Nová Paka, then north via Lánov into the foothills of the Giant Mountains to Vrchlabí, the gateway to the mountains. From there along the road through the narrow Elbe valley up to Špindlerův Mlýn and back. Wide country roads with lorry traffic as far as Vrchlabí, winding in the Elbe valley with rocks close to the carriageway. Around 2 hours of driving.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Giant Mountains Museum in the former Augustinian monastery of Vrchlabí, seat of the national park administration: nature, mining, mountain chalets and glassmaking, plus the Renaissance château in the park opposite.
- Labský důl, the Elbe valley above Špindlerův Mlýn: a walk along the river past the Labský vodopád waterfall to the source of the Elbe on the ridge – a long day’s hike with a good 700 metres of ascent.
- Chairlift up Medvědín near Špindlerův Mlýn, with paths across the ridge meadows, as a shorter alternative with a view into the Elbe valley.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Holiday Park Vrchlabí – Liščí farma on the southern edge of Vrchlabí (municipality of Dolní Branná): a large campsite open all year with electric hook-ups at the pitches, toilets and showers, a base for day trips into the Giant Mountains; ask on site about service points. In Špindlerův Mlýn itself, Base Camp Medvědín lies on the edge of the village, smaller and right on the trails.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the Giant Mountains National Park (KRNAP), camping, overnight stays in a vehicle outside designated sites and open fires are prohibited everywhere. In Špindlerův Mlýn the large car parks are paid and intended for day visitors; motorhomes are not meant to stay there overnight. For the night, use the sites in Vrchlabí or in the village.
- Insider tip for campers
- The roads above the villages in the national park are closed to general traffic; the administration records number plates with cameras at the access points and penalises unauthorised entry. Only those with a legal right or an exemption permit may drive in. With a camper, then, you drive to the village car park and continue from there on foot, by lift or by bus. Fill up and shop in Vrchlabí; everything is more expensive in Špindlerův Mlýn.
6Stage 6: Vrchlabí to Adršpach (via Janské Lázně and Pec pod Sněžkou) (approx. 80 km)
- The drive
- Via Černý Důl to Janské Lázně, then via Svoboda nad Úpou into the Úpa valley to Pec pod Sněžkou. Back to Svoboda, through Trutnov and on the country road via Libná to Adršpach. Winding with climbs in the mountains, heavy traffic in Trutnov, open hill country beyond. Around 2 hours of pure driving time – a full day with the cable car.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Sněžka (1,603 m), the highest mountain in the Czech Republic, on the border with Poland: cable car from Pec via the Růžová hora middle station with four-seater cabins; at the top, St Lawrence’s Chapel and the Polish observatory. On foot through the Giant’s Valley (Obří důl), around 3 hours’ ascent.
- Treetop walk Stezka korunami stromů in Janské Lázně: a wooden boardwalk through the canopy of a mountain forest and a tower with a spiral ramp; plus the spa colonnade and the cable car up Černá hora.
- Giant’s Valley (Obří důl) from Pec: a valley walk to the old mine adits and beneath the rock faces of Sněžka, a worthwhile half day even without the summit.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: The sites are in Teplice nad Metují, a few kilometres south-east of the Adršpach Rocks and close to the entrance to the Teplice Rocks: the year-round motorhome stopover Caravanparking Adršpach at the station, with electricity, water and waste disposal – the regional train runs from there to Adršpach – plus Camp Kamenec and the larger Autokemp Bučnice with electricity, toilets and showers; ask there in advance about service points. In high season, arrive early or book.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Pec pod Sněžkou lies in the national park: the large car parks at the village entrance are paid and for day visitors, overnight stays are not intended, and the mountain roads above the village are closed. The area around Adršpach is the Broumovsko protected landscape area with the national nature reserve of the rock towns – no wild parking here either.
- Insider tip for campers
- The Sněžka cable car has limited capacity, and long queues form during the holidays; take the first ride up and allow for the summit wind – at the top it can be foggy, stormy and below 10 °C even in summer. Operation is suspended in strong winds. Trutnov has the cheapest filling stations and supermarkets on this stage.
7Stage 7: Adršpach to Náchod (via Teplice nad Metují and Broumov) (approx. 50 km)
- The drive
- In the morning, on foot through the rock town, then east via Teplice nad Metují and via Hlavňov past the Broumov Walls (Broumovské stěny) to Broumov. On through the Metuje valley via Police nad Metují and Hronov to Náchod. Quiet, partly narrow country roads, winding along the Walls; about 1.5 hours of driving.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Adršpach and Teplice Rocks: circular trail through the Adršpach rock town with the Gothic Gate, the large waterfall and the small lake with boat trip; in Teplice the “Temple”, the narrow Sibiř gorge and the ruins of Střmen Castle on a rock tower.
- Broumov Benedictine Monastery, a baroque building by the Dientzenhofers with a library and a copy of the Shroud of Turin; at the cemetery, the wooden Church of the Virgin Mary, one of the oldest wooden churches in Central Europe.
- Hvězda (Star) Chapel on the Broumov Walls, a star-shaped baroque building with a panoramic view over the Broumov region as far as Poland’s Table Mountains.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Autokemp Náchod in the Běloves district near the Polish border, with pitches for motorhomes, toilets and showers; check the season and electricity in advance. Larger and well equipped is Autocamping Rozkoš on the Rozkoš reservoir near Česká Skalice, with electricity, toilets, showers and a bathing beach; on the southern shore of the reservoir is the Stellplatz Rozkoš motorhome stopover.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The rock towns are a national nature reserve within CHKO Broumovsko: overnight stays at the car parks, camping and fires are prohibited. In the Broumov region, remote village car parks are no problem during the day; for the night, as everywhere in the Czech Republic, parking may be tolerated but camping is not.
- Insider tip for campers
- For the Adršpach rock town, it is best to buy your admission ticket online for a time slot: the municipality uses this to manage visitor numbers, only a remaining quota is sold at the ticket office, and on peak days the entrance is full by midday. Prices depend on the time of day and how you buy. The car parks at the entrance are paid, and motorhomes pay more than cars. The route through the rocks is a one-way circuit with many steps.
8Stage 8: Náchod to Kuks (via Nové Město nad Metují) (approx. 45 km)
- The drive
- From Náchod on the I/14 to Nové Město nad Metují, then west via Česká Skalice and past the Rozkoš reservoir to Jaroměř and up the Elbe valley to Kuks. Well-built country roads, with through traffic towards Poland in Náchod. Around an hour of driving.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Náchod Château above the town, with the Piccolomini state rooms and a bear moat; in Nové Město nad Metují, the Renaissance square with arcades and the château remodelled by Dušan Jurkovič, with a covered wooden bridge in the garden.
- Babiččino údolí (“Grandmother’s Valley”) near Ratibořice, the setting of Božena Němcová’s novel “The Grandmother”, with a château, a mill and meadows along the Úpa.
- Kuks baroque hospital, founded by Count Franz Anton Sporck: pharmacy, church and the statues of the Virtues and Vices by Matthias Bernhard Braun; a few kilometres west in the forest, Braun’s “Bethlehem”, figures carved into sandstone rocks.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Safari Kemp at the Safari Park Dvůr Králové nad Labem, around 8 km from Kuks: pitches for motorhomes, electricity, toilets and showers, and animal calls from the park in the evening. Alternatively, head back to the reservoir and Autocamping Rozkoš.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Elbe valley around Kuks is no place for wild camping: fields, forest and riverbanks are either private or woodland in which driving and parking motor vehicles is prohibited. At the hospital there is a paid visitor car park for the day.
- Insider tip for campers
- The originals of the Braun statues are in the lapidarium inside the hospital; outside are copies – the guided tour is worthwhile. For the journey home to the west, the D11 motorway towards Hradec Králové and Prague is quickly reached (vignette required); to the north, the way into Poland leads via Trutnov and the Královec–Lubawka border crossing or via Náchod–Kudowa-Zdrój.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- There is no right to wild camping in the Czech Republic. One night in the vehicle at a public car park where parking is permitted is tolerated in many places, as long as it does not turn into camping – no awning, no furniture, no levelling jacks, no grey water. Municipalities can ban overnight stays and camping by ordinance and signage; expect this in tourist villages in the Giant Mountains and at the rock towns.
- In the Giant Mountains National Park (KRNAP), camping, bivouacking, overnight stays in a vehicle outside designated sites and fires are prohibited. Access by motor vehicle to the roads above the villages is permitted only to those entitled, such as residents and delivery traffic; the administration records number plates with cameras at the access points and penalises unauthorised entry. Those entitled register their vehicle via the vjezd.krnap.cz portal or at the administration’s information centres; anyone without a legal right of entry needs an exemption permit.
- In the protected landscape areas (CHKO) Jizerské hory, Český ráj and Broumovsko, and in nature reserves such as the rock towns of Hruboskalsko, Prachov and Adršpach-Teplice, the rule is: no tents or camping outside designated sites, no fires, and do not leave the paths where signposted. Under the Forest Act, driving and parking motor vehicles in the forest is generally prohibited.
- The region has a dense network of autokemps and kemps, many simple and open only from May to September, plus a few motorhome stopovers with electricity and waste disposal (for example in Teplice nad Metují near Adršpach and at the Rozkoš reservoir). Tábořiště are tent meadows, often without electricity. You can find sites in park4night, Campercontact and stopover directories such as stellplatz.cz; current information from the national park and CHKO administrations takes precedence.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Service points are scarce outside campsites. Plan to empty your tanks at the sites in Liberec, Sedmihorky, Teplice nad Metují and at the Rozkoš reservoir; many small kemps have no station of their own for cassettes, so ask.
- Tap water is drinkable; at campsites look for the sign “pitná voda” (drinking water) or “není pitná voda” / “nepitná voda” (not drinking water). Springs along mountain trails are not tested.
- Gas: German and Austrian exchange cylinders are not swapped, and Czech cylinders have different connections. Arrive with full cylinders or use a refillable tank cylinder; LPG (autoplyn) is available at many filling stations in Liberec, Turnov, Jičín, Trutnov and Náchod – check the right adapter in advance.
- Shop and fill up in the towns at the edge of the mountains – Liberec, Turnov, Jičín, Vrchlabí, Trutnov, Náchod. In mountain resorts such as Špindlerův Mlýn and Pec pod Sněžkou, food and fuel are considerably more expensive; at small kemps and at parking meters in the countryside, cash in koruna (CZK) is still useful.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Speed: motorhomes up to 3.5 t 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 outside them, 130 on motorways and usually 110 on expressways. Over 3.5 t and with a caravan, 80 km/h outside built-up areas and on motorways and expressways. Lower limits are often signposted in mountain resorts and villages, and mobile speed checks are frequent.
- Vignette: for vehicles up to 3.5 t, the electronic vignette (dálniční známka) applies on motorways and marked expressways; it is linked to the number plate and available as a one-day, 10-day, 30-day or annual vignette. Buy only via the official portal edalnice.cz or official sales points, not from third-party sellers charging a mark-up. On this route it mainly affects the approach via the D10 and D11; which sections are tolled is shown by the signs and the route map on edalnice.cz. Ordinary country roads are free. With a car and trailer, only the towing vehicle needs a vignette. Vehicles over 3.5 t pay distance-based electronic tolls with an on-board unit (Myto CZ) and must be registered before travelling.
- Alcohol: 0.0 per mille with no tolerance, cyclists included. Dipped headlights or daytime running lights all year round, phone only hands-free; a high-visibility vest, warning triangle and first-aid kit belong in the vehicle.
- Winter: from 1 November to 31 March, winter tyres are compulsory in wintry road conditions and on signposted routes; snow chains may be required in the Giant Mountains and Jizera Mountains, and snow is possible on the mountain roads as early as October. There are currently no low-emission zones in the Czech Republic (as of 2026-10).
- Rear racks: number plate and lights must remain visible, otherwise use a light board with a repeat number plate. The borders with Poland and Germany lie within the Schengen area without fixed checks; carry ID. Main crossings: Hrádek nad Nisou–Zittau, Harrachov–Jakuszyce, Královec–Lubawka and Náchod–Kudowa-Zdrój. Poland has its own rules, such as 0.2 per mille, motorway tolls on certain sections and, for vehicles over 3.5 t, the e-TOLL electronic toll system.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Walking boots with grippy soles and a head torch: in the rock towns, paths lead over ladders, wet sandstone steps and through dark rock crevices, and in the Giant’s Valley over scree.
- A windproof jacket, hat and gloves even in summer for the ridge and Sněžka – up there it is often foggy and stormy while the sun shines down in Pec.
- Bicycles with a lock: the Jizera Mountains Trail around Bedřichov and the path network in the Bohemian Paradise are good for cycling, and the camper stays on the site.
- A smartphone with mobile data and saved online tickets for the Adršpach rock town, plus the official vignette confirmation with your number plate.
- Cash in koruna in small notes and coins for parking meters at castles and rock towns, admission to small castles and simple kemps.
- A refillable tank cylinder or two full gas cylinders with a suitable LPG adapter – Czech exchange cylinders do not fit German systems.
As of 2026-10. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
