Hřensko Travel Guide: Sandstone Gorges of Bohemian Switzerland

Hřensko

A small border village where the Kamenice River meets the Elbe, the main gateway into Bohemian Switzerland National Park's sandstone gorges and rock towers.

Hřensko sits at the bottom of a narrow valley, sandstone cliffs rising directly from the roadside on the walk in from the parking areas, with the village itself barely more than a cluster of guesthouses at the river confluence. From here, trails fan out into Bohemian Switzerland National Park, established in 2000 and named for its resemblance to the sandstone country of nearby Saxon Switzerland just across the German border. The signature hike follows the Kamenice River gorge to Pravčická brána, the largest natural sandstone arch in Europe at roughly 16 meters tall and 26.5 meters wide, reached by a trail of about 2 hours each way. A Swiss chalet-style lodge called Sokolí hnízdo (Falcon's Nest), built in 1881 as a guesthouse for visiting aristocrats, still stands beside the arch as a viewpoint restaurant.

‹›

A half-timbered house built directly against a moss-covered sandstone cliff

The other classic way to see the gorge is by water: flat-bottomed boats, punted by a guide along sections of the Kamenice too narrow and shallow for a motor, have carried visitors through Edmund Gorge since the boat trips first opened there in 1890, with the second, Wild Gorge, following in 1898. In July 2022, a major wildfire swept through much of the national park, forcing the evacuation of Hřensko itself and burning roughly 1,000 hectares of forest before it was contained — restoration of trails and boat routes has continued in the years since, and the terrain still bears the marks of it in places. Even so, the core scenery that draws people here — the narrow gorge walls, the moss and fern growing straight out of the rock, the sandstone towers above the tree line — is the same landscape that's made this one of Central Europe's most photographed stretches of forest.

Where to take photos

• Pravčická brána — the largest natural sandstone arch in Europe, reached by a roughly 2-hour trail from the village, with a 19th-century chalet-style lodge and restaurant beside it.
• Edmund Gorge and Wild Gorge — narrow river gorges cut by the Kamenice through sandstone cliffs, toured by flat-bottomed punted boat since 1890 (Edmund Gorge) and 1898 (Wild Gorge).
• The village itself — a handful of guesthouses squeezed into the river confluence, sandstone cliffs rising directly from the roadside.
• Bohemian Switzerland National Park's trail network — pine forest, moss-covered rock and sandstone towers, largely rebuilt in the years since a major 2022 wildfire.

When to go: Late September, when the boat trips are still running, summer crowds have thinned, and the beech forest above the sandstone starts to turn.

Where to stay: One of the small guesthouses in Hřensko itself, at the trailhead for both the Pravčická brána hike and the gorge boat departures.

What to eat: Look for a Czech guesthouse serving svíčková (beef in a creamy root-vegetable sauce) with bread dumplings — hearty, warm food built for a day spent hiking sandstone trails.

Tip: Start the walk to Pravčická brána early in the day — the trail funnels through a single narrow gorge path and gets congested by early afternoon in summer.

More guides to explore

Central Europe

Central Europe: spires, thermal springs, and painted facades

Prague & Bohemia, Czech Republic

Prague & Bohemia: spires, spa towns & Gothic stone

Ulm, Germany

Ulm Travel Guide: The World's Tallest Church Spire