rambling through the bohemian paradise

TRAVEL AGENCY HOŠKA - TOUR

PHONE NUMBER +420 603 824 497

Let us invite you to the Bohemian Paradise – a picturesque region

situated 90 km north of Prague capital. The name expresses unique

harmony of nature beauty of sandstone rock cities and various lands-

cape with valuable historical sights and folk architecture. The Bohe-

mian Paradise is included in the UNESCO list in category of geo-

parks. It is an excellent opportunity how to spend your holiday disco-

vering beautiful nature and history - you will pass through narrow

corridors of rock cities, interesting rock labyrinths and splendid view-

points and you will also visit the little rock castles ruins. You will go

along well-marked tourist paths. The length of the 1 day route is 10 –

26 km. There is also possibility to modify the route for bikers. The

cozy hotel room and nice stuff prepared to realize your wish will be

award on every day of your stay here in the Bohemian Paradise. The

luggage transfer is ensured during the stay in the Bohemian Paradise.


PHONE NUMBER +420 603 824 497

This route was designed by Lubomír Hoška. He has his own travel

agency and tour operator business.

Michaela Provazníková is a travel agent. She speaks fluent English.


PHONE NUMBER +420 603 824 497


PHONE NUMBER +420 603 824 497

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

If you get in trouble, call english-speaking Michaela on telephone num-

ber +420 603 824 497, please. You will be advised or she will seek for

help.

All tracks are lead along the tourist very well-marked paths. Tourist

mark for hikers has an uniform size of 10 cm x 10 cm. There are used

the following colours in the Czech Republic: red, blue, green and yel-

low. Margins are white. Attention! In case that you loose the tourist

mark, you will have to go back on the place, where you saw it for the

last time. You will also have to take care of disgressions. You will also

see bigger marks, which are for bikers and their edges are yellow.

We are able to change the route on the client wish, e.g. incl. the train or

bus ride.

The luggage transfer is ensured from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All hotels have 3 stars. Rooms are comfortable with bathrooms and TV.

Accommodation is provided incl. continental breakfast. All hotels also

have a wireless Internet connection WIFI.

Accommodation is provided including dinner. You will have dinners

from menu list at the price of 200 CZK per person.

TOWN INFORMATION CENTRES

JIČÍN – Valdštejnovo náměstí 1, tel. +420 493 534 390

SOBOTKA – Náměstí Míru 3, tel. +420 493 571 587

TURNOV – Náměstí Českého ráje 26, tel. +420 481 366 255


PHONE NUMBER +420 603 824 497

PHARMACIES

in towns of Jičín, Sobotka and Turnov

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES – HOSPITALS

JIČÍN – Bolzanova street 512, tel. +420 493 582 111

TURNOV – 28. října street 1000, tel. +420 481 446 111

MORE INFORMATION

Important telephone numbers: Emergency 112, Police 158, Rescueguard

155, Firemen 150

Automatic bank machines are in Jičín,

Sobotka and Turnov.

Post stamp on a postcard

costs 17 CZK.

Exchange rate: 1 £ - 28 CZK

1 € - 25 CZK

Bank-notes are 50, 100, 200, 500,

1 000, 2 000 and 5 000 CZK.

Coins are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 CZK.

Address of the Czech travel agency: HOŠKA - TOUR, nám. K. V. Raise

CZ - 507 81 Lázně Bělohrad

e-mail: [email protected]

tel.: +420 493 792 520

fax: +420 493 792 210


PHONE NUMBER +420 603 824 497

LUGGAGE

TRANSFER

Jičín

TRANSFER


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DAY 1 - ARRIVAL

Arrival at the international airport Prague – Ruzyně according to a flight

schedule during the day. The airport lies about 20 km northwest of Pra-

gue.

Transfer to the Bohemian Paradise (Jičín)

Variant a) City bus No. 100 goes with you from the airport to the final

bus station ZLIČÍN.

In this final bus station you´ll take the underground (Metro) line B and

go to the final underground station ČERNÝ MOST. There is also a bus

station in Černý Most.

After leaving the underground you´ll go to a bus station and go to JI-

ČÍN. Buses leave from bus stops No. 1, 2 and 4. Fare is about 140 CZK.

Timetables are mentioned in your package from the Czech travel agen-

cy.

After getting off the bus in Jičín you will go left up the hill to the

Valdická gate (a tower), which is the characteristic town silhouette seen

from afar. You will turn right and after approx. 50 m you will meet a

motorway – do not cross it and

turn left and there is Havlíčkova

street with your hotel in front of

you. The hotel is about 100 m far

from the Valdická gate.

Variant b) The fastest transport

to the Bohemian Paradise - Jičín,

based on the previously taxi

booking. The driver will wait for

World Walks clients in the air-

port hall when they check in. He

will have the poster with the

name of World Walks in his

hands. Travel time by a taxi

from the Prague airport to Jičín

is about 1,5 – 2 hours.


PHONE NUMBER +420 603 824 497

Accommodation: hotel*** Jičín

The hotel is situated near the

tre of the town. It is a newly built

hotel with a nice restaurant and

comfortable rooms. If clients arri-

ve during the day, there is a time

to visit a picturesque renaissance

town of Jičín.

JIČÍN ~ Freedom of the city sin-

ce the early 14th century. It flou-

rished especially in the first half

of the 17th century when it was owned by Albrecht from Wallenstein.

Jičín was proclaimed a town´s reservation due to its sights. The Baroque

chateau (there are a museum, a town´s gallery, a permanent exposition

of the work of academic painter R. Pilář and Hall of Three Emperors

there) and houses with arcades belong to the nicest buildings of the

town. A battle of the Prussian and Austrian armies took place in the

surroundings in 1866.

THE VALDICKÁ GATE ~ The characteristic silhouette of the town is

formed by the Valdická gate (a three-storey tower from the late Gothic).

Its height of 52 m guarantees an excellent view.

JIČÍN´S CHATEAU ~ Jičín chateau in the north-eastern corner of the

square was originally the residence of Mikuláš Trčka of Lípa, and was

rebuilt after 1608 by Zikmund Smiřický into a two-storey Renaissance

chateau with arcades. In 1620, the chateau was destroyed by an explosi-

on of gunpowder. During the rule of Albrecht of Wallenstein in the

years 1624 -1633, a new early Baroque chateau was built. Today it hou-

ses the district museum and a gallery. The Church of St. James the Elder

standing next to the chateau is the torso of the intended Bishop‘s ca-

thedral, which Albrecht of Wallenstein decided to build in the years

1627-1634. A square with arcades of the ducal Valdická brána (Valdice

Gate).


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DAY 2 JIČÍN - PRACHOVSKÉ SKÁLY ROCKS

Basic route: 11 km + circuit trip through the Prachovské skály rocks.

Shortened route: 7,5 km + circuit trip through the Prachovské skály

rocks 3,5 km.

The route leads in an undulating terrain and ends in a rugged rock

city.

Accommodation:

Hotel*** Prachovské skály

Hotel is situated in a romantic part of a natural reservation of Prachov-

ské skály rocks.

VALDŠTEJNSKÁ LODŽIE ~ A summer house called Valdštejnská

lodžie is one of the most important cultural and architectural sightsee-

ings of the Jičín region. This suburb "entertainment centre" was built by


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Albrecht of Wallenstein between 1630 and 1634. A large preserve and a

park invite to have a walk there.

ZEBÍN ~ A distinctive basalt conical peak above the village of Sedlič-

ky, 600 m W of Valdice, a typical landmark of the Jičín region. Its SW

slope was damaged by quarrying. A chapel of St. Mary Magdalene from

around 1700 with a painting of the saint on its top, the climb is difficult.

From the chapel there is a splendid panoramic view, including the who-

le of the Jičín basin, the Bradlec, Kumburk, Tábor, Kozákov, Veliš hills

and the city of Jičín. Zebín is also a protected natural reserve with rare

thermophilic vegetation. An isolated and very ancient Church of All

Saints stands in a cemetery on the south slope. It received its present

Baroque appearance around 1700 and houses two paintings with Passi-

on themes from 1614, unique Czech art pieces from the Mannerism pe-

riod. A wooden polygonal belfry stands on the slope behind the church.

PRACHOVSKÉ SKÁLY ROCKS ~ A natural place of interest situa-

ted on the northwest margin of the Jičín basin. The rock town was crea-

ted through eroding of the originally compact table of rectangulary sha-

ped sandstones of the latest chalk period with characteristic basaltic

places: Svinčice (415 meters), Velké Hůry (458 meters) and Přivýšiny

(464 meters). It is a real paradise for rock climbers and tourists. There is

a thick net of tourist marked paths leading through the cloughs fringed

with sandstone walls (Čertova kuchyně - Devil´s kitchen, Císařská

chodba - Emperor´s corridor, Na vodách, Na stájích, Točenice) and to

beautiful viewpoints (Pěveckého sboru Křížovský, Pechova, Českého

ráje, Míru, Lepařova, Hakenova, Hlaholka and others).


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DAY 3 PRACHOVSKÉ SKÁLY ROCKS - NEPŘÍVĚC

Basic route: 16 km.

The walk in a mild terrain with

beautiful views.

Accommodation: hotel*** Sobotka

Hotel is situated on the edge of the

village with a view to a picturesque

landscape. It includes double room

with breakfast (the Czech cuisine, specialities of the hotel, fish).

PAŘEZ ~ A ruin of a small Gothic rock castle from the late 14th centu-

ry and early 15th century. It was burned down after it had become a

refuge of robbers. Only remnants of rooms cut in the rock, a stone tower

and the peripheral walls were preserved. Groschen of Wenceslaus IV.

were found here.

MLADĚJOV ~ A classical chateau from 1769 which was rebuilt to

gain a Neo - Baroque appearancce in 1913. Nowadays it is used for

economic purposes. An originally Gothic church from the 14th century,

that was rebuilt in the Baroque style, has been preserved. A wooden

belfry from the 18th century.

SOBOTKA ~ A town founded in 1498 from an original market village.

The Renaissance town hall with a

tower that was reconstructed in

the Empire style, a Gothic-

Renaissance church of St. Mary

Magdalene and one or two-storey

houses belong to the town´s zone

of sights. Sobotka is the birthplace

of the poets V. Šolc and F. Šrá-

mek. There is a permanent exposi-

tion in Šrámek ´s house.


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HUMPRECHT ~ A small Baroque hun-

ters‘ chateau from 1666 -1672 on a basalt

hill at Sobotka. It was built as an imitati-

on of the Galata tower in Istanbul with an

elliptical floor plan. Černínský oval hall is

noteworthy for its acoustics - in it, sound

resonates with multiplied power. Wall

paintings noting the life of Heřman and

Humprecht Černín of Chudenice. Exhibi-

tion of the noble Černín family and the

museum of the Soboka region.

DAY 4 NEPŘÍVĚC – HRUBÁ SKÁLA

Basic route: 26 km (24 km).

Shortened route: 18 km.

The route runs in the undulating terrain of enchanting valleys with

nice views and romantic castles.

Accommodation: Hotel*** Hrubá Skála

Hotel is situated in a former cha teau standing on the rock blocks with

an unique view.


PHONE NUMBER +420 603 824 497

VESEC ~ A small village situated between the Humprecht and Kost

castles. There are timber cottages at the village. It was proclaimed a

village conservation area in 1995. Vesec is a popular place to film

crews, who filmed many movies here, mostly fairy tales.

PLAKÁNEK ~ A romantic valley of Klenice stream flanked by sand-

stone rocks and pine forests between Kost castle and Střehom. The 1,5

ha Obora lake overgrown with rushes adds charm to the place. It was a

favorite spot of poet F. Šrámek.

KOST ~ The best preserved Gothic castle in Bohemia was built in the

turn of the 14th and 15th centuries on a sandstone rock in the middle of

three valleys. The core of the castle was formed by an old palace, a resi-

dential tower and a chapel. The castle was burned down several times.

New parts of the castle were built in the 15th and 16th centuries. After

the Thirty Years´ War it was used for economic purposes only. The ex-

position has been formed from the property of the Kinský family. There

is a Renaissance kitchen and an exhibition of historical weapons from

the military museum.


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PODTROSECKÁ VALLEYS ~ An unusually attractive tourist

and holiday area of the Bohemi-

an Paradise. Here in the 16th

century, people built a system of

ponds from the valley floodplain

and the marshes to utilise the

territory economically and to-

day, it forms a space of extraor-

dinary scenic and natural value.

The unique canyon valley is bordered by sandstone cliffs and these also

often form the shores of the ponds. We count eight of them: Vidlák with

a restaurant, parking lot and campsite; Krčák; Rokytnický and Hrůdka;

the shallow Dolský, Podsemín and two of the most sought after „swim-

ming holes“ - Nebák and Věžák. The pond Věžák is located in an exqui-

site valley and thanks to this appealing location it has been selected se-

veral times as the backdrop for family film shoots (e.g. „Jak dostat ta-

tínka do polepšovny“ [How to Get Dad into an Approved School]). A

nature preserve Podtrosecká Valleys protects the most extensive com-

plex of marsh isotopes in CHKO Český ráj (The Bohemian Paradise

Protected Scenic District).

TROSKY ~ Remnants of a castle of the Vartenberk family that was

built in the 14th century on a steep basalt volcanic rock massif which is

divided into two towers. The higher tetragonal one is called The Maiden

and the lower and more robust is named The Old Woman. The core of

the castle was formed by a castle

palace and a courtyard with farm

buildings. Thanks to its defensi-

ve stone wall and advantageous

strategic position the castle sto-

od well against all military at-

tacks. Since the Thirty

Years´War the castle has beco-

me desolate. A nice view to a

big distance.


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HRUBÁ SKÁLA ~ On the site of

the original castle from the 14th

century, built on a monumentally

high cliff, stands the Hrubá Skála

chateau. Reconstruction of the

castle changed it into a more com-

fortable noble Renaissance resi-

dence in the second half of the

16th century and in the middle of

the 19th century it was again re-

Gothicised. In the same region of the sandstone plateau stands a church

built in romantic Gothic, from which a connecting bridge with valuable

Baroque statues leads to the chateau. The chateau is a private hotel to-

day, but visitors may enter the courtyard and the tower with its wonder-

ful view. The nearest vicinity of the chateau provides tours in a rock

city, the arboretum in Bukovina, the rock passage called Myší díra (the

Mouse Hole) or a visit to the cave called Adamovo lože (Adam‘s Bed).

You will obtain the most beautiful view of the chateau as well as one of

the most beautiful views of Český ráj itself from the nearby Mariánská

vyhlídka (a viewpoint).

DAY 5 HRUBÁ SKÁLA – MALÁ SKÁLA

Basic route: 20 km (22 km).

Shortened route: 15,5 km (17,5 km).

The trail leads in a rock city in a hilly terrain with nice views and

little rock castles.

Accommodation: hotel Malá Skála

You will sleep 2 nights in this hotel. It is situated near the train station.

It offers comfortable rooms with unique views to Vranov and Suché

skály rocks, a nice restaurant.


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HRUBÁ SKÁLA ROCK CITY ~ A plateau with a rock city of the

same name (called „Skalák“ by the rock climbers). Hrubá Skála rock

city consists of about 400 sandstone towers. Some of them are 60 me-

ters high (380 meters above the sea level). This rock city is divided in

four major areas: Dračí skály (Dragon´s rocks) and Zámecká rokle (the

Chateau gorge), Kapelník (Conductor), Maják (Lighthouse) and Údo-

líčka (Valleys). Below the Mariánská viewpoint there is a symbolic ce-

metery of dead climbers (Expedition Peru and others). Vyskeř hill (465

meters) and the surroundings of Hrubá Skála (424 meters) dominate

above the rock blocks. The Golden path of the Bohemian Paradise and a

4 km long instructive path with a number of viewpoints lead along the

way in the upper part of the plateau.

VALDŠTEJN ~ It was founded in the middle of the 13th century by the

Markvartic family. Albrecht of Valdštejn ( Wallenstein ) , a famous

military leader , came of this family later on. The castle became desolate

in the 16th century. In the Baroque period it became a well known place

of pilgrimage. Romantic changes from the 19th century complete the

appearance of the area . A stone bridge with Baroque statues and a cha-

pel of St. John from Nepomuk are of extraordinary value.

HLAVATICE ~ A lonely rock located at the edge of Hruboskalská

plošina (the Hruboskalská Plateau), as if created as an observation point.

We ascend to the top along stairs with railings, from whence there is a

wonderful view on Turnov, Ještěd and also in the direction of Bezděz.

The observation point is continuously open. Access along the red-

marked hiking trail from Turnov or Hrubá Skála (Valdštejn).


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TURNOV ~ The town was founded in the 13th century by Jaroslav and

Havel from the Markvartic family on a headland above Jizera river. It

developed to an important center of trade and crafts. Cuting of precious

stones and unique production of jewels from the Bohemian garnets ma-

de Turnov world-wide known. In 1884 Secondary school of Applied

Arts was founded here as the only one of this kind in the whole Europe.

Several times reconstructed Renaissance town hall from 1526 has been

preserved. Gothic church of St. Nicholas from the 14th century was

reconstructed in the Renaissance style and finally in the Baroque style

in 1722. Neo-Gothic church of the Virgin Mary from the 19th century

with an unfinished tower is the dominant of the town. Church of St.

Francis from Assissi from the 17th century was burnt down several ti-

mes and finally reconstructed at the beginning of the 19th century. The

town´s theatre from 1872- 1874 is a reduced -size copy of the Prozatim-

ní theatre in Prague. There is a huge exposition of precious stones,

jewels, geology, archeology, history and ethnography in the Museum of

the Bohemian Paradise and also a

seat of the administration of the

Bohemia Paradise.

MUSEUM ~ In this museum we

find a unique collection of preci-

ous stones from Czech and inter-

national sites, exhibitions about

the past and present of gem pro-

cessing in Turnov, including gold-


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smith work. The museum has collected documents about the mineral

and cultural wealth of the region since 1886. There is a jewel case of

Czech garnet, an exhibition of significant personalities of the region and

folk culture of central Jizera river. Arranged in the gallery are exhibiti-

ons of creative arts, regional history, ethnography, mineralogy and stone

masonry. The most famous exhibit is certainly the panoramic painting

„Pobití Sasíků pod Hrubou Skálou“ (The Massacre of the Saxons under

Hrubá Skála) - one

of the largest oil paintings in Europe. The painting is 10 x 8.5 metres in

dimensions and was painted by M. Aleš, V. Jansa, V. Mašek and V.

Bartoněk. The museum is the organizer of many traditional folk ce-

lebrations and events enlivening the craft tradition of the region.

DOLÁNKY ~ There is a Dlask´s farm - one of the most beautiful and

most typical gems of half-timbered architecture in the region. The origi-

nal building from 1716 was brought to the banks of Jizera river at the

end of the 18th century to a site that has never been threatened by the

almost regular flooding of Jizera river. In this one-storey residential

building with its wonderfully decorated gable and porch, the graphic

designer Josef Dlask, who also wrote a history of the farmstead, was

born and lived here. Entry to the object is through a stone gate with Ba-

roque wooden bell tower. The exhibition of the farmstead displays how

our predecessors lived, including their agricultural and craft tools. There

is also the Rakoušův sroubek (the Rakouš little log cabin) from 1807,

brought here in 1959 from Hrubý Rohozec. A national ethnographic

celebration is held in the area (fair, feast, festival).


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DRÁBOVNA ~ A small rock town with modest remnants of a medieval

castle.

FRÝDŠTEJN ~ A ruin of a castle from the Middle Ages (14 th centu-

ry) out of which a big tower has been preserved (diameter 9 meters) . It

is the dominant of the Vranovský ridge. There are also remnants of

walls of the inner castle as well as those of rooms which were cut in the

rock. In the course of the Hussite Wars the castle was besieged but wi-

thout success. A century later it became desolate.

DAY 6 TOUR AROUND MALÁ SKÁLA

Basic route: 16 km.

A diverse track with a hill climbing and passing through a rock la-

byrinth.


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VRANOV ~ This castle on a narrow and steep rock ridge is also called

Skála and was built around the year 1425. The core of the castle is com-

posed of a multi-storey palace surrounded on three sides by rock blocks.

Legends and some Medieval depictions support the idea that there were

windmills on the rocks. The deteriorating castle exchanged owners and

in 1803 came into the hands of F. Z. Romisch, a failed, excited, slightly

mad romantic. He turned Vranov into a Pantheon, covering the rock

with a great number of memorial inscriptions and monuments, noting

various heroic acts and personalities and busts of the three emperors,

victors over Napoleon, were installed in the Hall of Heroes. On the sun-

ny slopes of the Pantheon, he ultimately established a vineyard (the nor-

thernmost in Bohemia). The neo-Gothic chapel, a small path carved in

the cliff, caves and various memorial plaques have been preserved.

MALÁ SKÁLA ~ The first records about this summer resort in the

valley of Jizera river date from 1432. On the rock ridge above the right

bank of Jizera there is a romantic Pantheon and a chateau from 1700

that was later given an Empire appearance. Nowadays it is used for eco-

nomic purposes. There are many folk timbered buildings in the village.

A huge two-storey house with a vault on the first storey called the Bou-

ček´s farm is accessible to public.

BOUČKŮV STATEK FARMHOUSE ~ A typical display of half-

timbered folk architecture of the central Jizera river region. Located

here is a permanent exhibition of the history of Malá Skála region, a

gallery of creative art, wooden Nativities from the workshop of an aca-

demic painter Josef Jíra and a style restaurant.


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SUCHÉ SKÁLY ROCKS ~ They used to be called the Teacher´s or-

gan. They are also named the Czech Dolomites. A natural place of inte-

rest (23 hectars, proclaimed in 1965) situated 1,5 km from Malá skála.

In the landscape it is a really attractive sandstone sharply broken ridge.

BESEDICKÉ SKÁLY ROCKS ~ A rock labyrinth at Besedice. In the

middle of five gorges there is a grotto with a symbolic chapel of the

church of the Moravian brothers. In the course of counterreformation

these rocks were used as a refuge by persecuted non-Catholics.

KOZÁKOV ~ The highest peak (744 m) in the area, a part of the Ještěd

and Kozákov hills ridge, a 162,83 ha national natural monument esta-

blished in 1985. The hill is made of three types of rocks – melaphyre

(S and SE crown with precious stones findings – in the Votrubcov quar-

ry ), sandstone (SW slope, for example Babí and Kudrnáčova pec) and

basalt (N slopes with quarries ). The Riegrova chata chalet was built on

the top between 1926 and 1928, enlarged in 1939, partially burnt down

in 1962 and reopen in 1966. A 40 m viewing tower was opened in 1994

a few steps from the chalet. The view from its accessible gallery is

magnificent. You can see in all directions with nothing obstructing the

view of Krkonoše, Jizerské a Orlické Mountains, Bohemian Paradise,

Bezděz castle, Říp, Milešovka, Ralsko, Klíč and Ještěd hills. Kozákov

hill is notorious for paragliders.


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DAY 7 - DEPARTURE

Departure to Prague during the day according to a bus schedule. The

bus stop is on the main motorway in Malá Skála. It is about 200 m

across Jizera river. Buses go to a bus station Praha - Černý Most. Cli-

ents who have the accommodation booking in Prague hotel, they will

receive the Voucher from the Czech travel agency.

You will go by underground (metro) line B from ČERNÝ MOST to a

changing MUSTEK station and you will

change the underground line A and go only

1 station to MUSEUM station.

After leaving the underground you will go

down along Wenceslas Square (Václavské

náměstí) and turn left to the second street

(Ve Smečkách).

Accommodation:

Hotel*** Praha

All rooms are equipped with private ba-

throom, satellite TV, telephone and well

stocked mini-bar. Rich breakfast buffet.

Restaurant offers a daily menu with its tra-

ditional Czech cuisine and specialities of a regional cuisine.

rambling through the bohemian paradise

Documents

czech travel

travel agent

lubomr hoka

bohemian paradise

tourist mark

czk banknotes

day route

tour operator business