If you are visiting Saxon Switzerland (Sächsische Schweiz) in Germany, consider hoping across the border to Bohemian Switzerland (Böhmische Schweiz) in the Czech Republic! There is a lot to see, but one iconic hike in particular makes the trips across the border worthwhile.
The combined region owes its name to the wonderful sandstone rock formations that line the moody pine forest and make a perfect backdrop for adventurous hikes. The iconic hike in Bohemian Switzerland that really stood out for us, was the route to Edmundsklamm & Wilde Klamm (Edmundova Soutěska) and the Prebischtor (Pravčická brána). Edmundsklamm & Wilde Klamm form a 150m deep rocky gorge where the River Kamenice runs. Prebischtor is the largest natural rock bridge in Europe.
You can easily see these two iconic landmarks of Bohemian Switzerland in a day, coupled with a nice hike. Here’s how! And if you’re spending time in Saxon Switzerland as well, check out my guide for visiting Bastei Bridge!
Planning your trip to Hřensko
We took the iconic hike to Edmundsklamm & Wilde Klamm and Prebischtor in Bohemian Switzerland as part of a longer stay in Saxon Switzerland. We spent most of the time in Germany and hopped over to the Czech Republc for 2 nights to take this iconic hike in Bohemian Switzerland. Our base and the starting point for the hike was the border town Hřensko. Frankly, there is no reason to stay here 2 nights. Staying one night will set you up for an early start, but a day trip from most places in Saxon or Bohemian Switzerland will work just fine.
I was really looking forward to checking in at our guesthouse, a somewhat spooky building that once serves as a small gas factory. However pretty the building was, I was super disappointed. The service was right out rude and the nights were super noisy (thin walls, drunk people in the bar). That said, Hřensko being a touristy border town with inflated prices, none of the accommodation options we saw really stood out.
How to get to Hřensko
You can make a trip to Hřensko by public transport or by car from Dresden, Prague or Dečín. Going to Hřensko and doing the walk as a day trip from these cities will be a stretch. Instead, I recommend staying in another village in Saxon or Bohemian Switzerland so you can get to Hřensko on a short train ride. Our experience with accommodation was much better everywhere else in Saxony! Check out my one-week itinerary for suggested villages and accommodation options.
Public transport from Dresden or Prague (via Dečín)
Public transport in Germany is excellent and my recommended method for a visit to Bastei Bridge from Dresden. I used trains and buses to get around everywhere in the region and found them to be reliable and comfortable.
From Dresden (any station), take a suburban train to Schöna. You will have to change in Pirna or Bad Schandau. The trip takes around 90 minutes and once you leave the city of Dresden behind, the views are quite nice. Check the schedule on the German railways’ website. There is no need to book the train in advance. Unlike the German long-distance trains, prices of the suburban are always the same and advance booking doesn’t add any benefit. Coming from Prague, the journey is similar, but on the Czech railways. The journey takes around 2 hours and requires a change at Dečín.
In Schöna (Germany), the train station is right next to the River Elbe. At the wrong side. You need to take a ferry to take you across to get to Hřensko (Czech Republic). This shows that Hřensko is quite literally a border town! The ferry takes 5 minutes and it travels back and forth all day. You pay a couple of euros for a ticket. If you have a hotel reservation, you can hop on for free.
Car from Dresden, Prague or Dečín
If you want the flexibility of your own transport, a car is an option. If you don’t have a car, consider renting one via Sunny Cars, who offer all-in formulas. With the car, you can drive straight to Hřensko from Dresden or Prague. There is a car park at the entrance of the gorges. It does fill up during the day, so arriving early is a must. Otherwise you will have to leave the car next to the road, where it will be pretty exposed.
The driving time from Dresden is just an hour. From Prague it is 90 minutes and Dečín is even closer (30 minutes’ drive).
Hřensko is a small village that is not suitable for cars. If you want to look around or go there for a bite to eat, you will be required to park outside the village and walk down the road.
Boat or bike from Dresden or Dečín
There are a couple more transport options that take more time, but are also more fun! If you’re planning to spend a few days or a long weekend in the area, I would recommend trying these.
An easy cycling path runs along the Elbe river both in Germany and the Czech Republic. Lots of companies organise cycle hire and luggage transport along the route, allowing you to progress at your leisure and make stops along the way. We used Bag & Bike for luggage transport during our trip and were very happy. It’s possible to return by train and take the bike with you at a small extra cost.
Furthermore, various hop-on hop-off boats call at the villages along the River Elbe from Dresden to Dečín. They’re a slow way of travel and timetables are a bit restricted, but you get a leisurely journey with nice views.
The iconic hike to the Klammen & Prebischtor
Klammen section
After the noisy night in our guesthouse, we were determined to make our plan a success. We set off early to hike to Edmundsklamm, Wilde Klamm and Prebischtor. The entry to the gorge is less than a kilometre from the centre of Hřensko along the main road. We entered the first part of the gorge (Edmundsklamm) and followed the rocky path for about 20 minutes until we reached a boating station. For 5 euros, you can board a boat (with about 20 other people) to take you across a section with no path. It’s a bit of a gimmick, with a guide telling ghost stories in poor German, but you get nice views.
You can either finish here and follow an uphill path to exit the gorge or continue into Wilde Klamm. We did the latter. The concept is the same: walk for about 20 minutes and pay 5 euros to hop on a boat. Only this boat also takes you back to the midway point as there is no accessible exit at the end of the gorge.
All in all, we had covered around 5 kilometres by the time we started the uphill path to the tiny village of Mezní Louka. The village has some cafés and a small grocery store where we stocked up. We didn’t have a picknick lunch since the people at the guesthouse wouldn’t sell us anything and we could not find a food shop in Hřensko.
Prebischtor section
In Mezní Louka starts the second part of the walk, the stretch to Prebischtor. It’s a nice forest trail with quite some uphill, but not particularly challenging. The Prebischtor is really pretty, but unfortunately tourism is clearly more important than conservation in this region. A restaurant sits against the rocks overlooking Prebischtor and tables are set up underneath the rock bridge, pretty much spoiling the view. Oh and you have to pay 5 euros to access the area and before you can even reach the restaurant. Since we’d come this far, we paid and made a point of exploring each and every viewpoint over the Prebischtor to get our money’s worth!
If you want to challenge yourself and add something else to the walk, there’s another option in Mezní Louka. You can take a trail from Mezní Louka to Little Prebischtor. This is a smaller rock bridge where you will find few people and no gimmicky facilities. You have to walk the trail out and back though. It is not possible to incorporate this part in the loop.
