This area of Czech Republic is famous for it's huge sandstone formations protected as a national nature reserve. We decided to escape the city once again, and spent 3 days in this amazing area. Want to know how we passed the time? Keep reading!

Teplice nad Metují is a town located in the north of Czech Republic. We reached it by taking a train from Prague. We decided to give up on our tent this time, as we visited in the end of October, the weather was rainy and cold, and in addition it is illegal to camp in national reserves all over Czech Republic. We rented out a house in the town instead and planned round-trip hikes that will start and end in the town. I will present the hikes by the order we did them, but I do not think the order matters. The national reserve is well maintained and the hikes are not hard, but if you don't like to get wet you better check the weather! The times of the hikes are pure walking time, we took our time looking around.

Day 1 - Adršpach | 16km | 5.5hr

The hike starts on the outskirt of the town, where you have to pay a small fee for entering the national reserve. The first part from the entrance is a beautiful forest, in which you gradually will see more and more stones popping up the more you keep walking, until you reach Adršpach. From there we walked back to our base on a cycling road, which was less impressive than the way there bus still fun, as you'll be able to see the very old train that operates between the two towns in action. make sure you stop to look at every view point, every rock formation and every water source, the are all just amazing!

The highlights:

• The big waterfall (Velký Adršpašský vodopád) - In between the rocks and trees you'll be able to find the river Metuje, after which the town we were staying in was named. There are a few waterfalls along the way but there is on big one (hence the name), the more correct the season in which you are hiking the more water the waterfall will have, but in any case a beautiful

• Adršpach-Teplice Rocks & Ostrov - The main attraction in this area, a huge area with castle ruins, viewpoints, and many sandstone formations, each named after what they look like and represents the attention to detail and imagination of the people that are taking care of the reserve. Be sure to walk around and see al of them!

• Pískovna lake - Very close to the town of Adršpach, there is a lake, which has a circular hike around it, the view is very nice, and us being there in a misty weather made it so much more beautiful as it was looking extra misterious

Day 2 - Teplické skály | 14km | 5.5hrs

The start of the the hike is the same as the hike to Adršpach, beginning from the entrance to the national reserve and into the forest, until a fork in the road that will take you south instead of north. The views around are again foresty and rocky, but this time the rocks are higher which means that you walk up and down a bit more.

The highlights:

• Teplické skály - Another area full of sandstone formations, caves, and narrow passages. It has less rocks that look like other things, but a much more impressive stone walls that just go on and on.

• Kraví hora - A low mountain (hill?) from which you can see all the views around the area, there are steel ladders installed to help you go up. The place closes during bad weather so make sure it is accessible before you go.

Day 3 - Jiráskovy skály | 9km | 3hr

This hike is the shortest one, and has the least rocky surroundings. It does not involve going in the national reserve and part of the hike is hiking on a road, instead it offers some ruins of a rocky castle. We chose to do it because we had only half a day and then we had a train to catch, that is why the hike also ends at the train station.

Highlights:

• Bischofstein castle - Ruins of a castle that was made out of the sandstone in the 14th century and stood there for around 250 years. The castle is also strategically elevated so you can once again see the views around

Final thoughts

There are many more hikes around Teplice nad Metuji and plenty of sights to see around that area, we wanted a relaxing getaway from the city and enjoyed our fresh air, and the results of our relaxation are in this post. I hope you find this helpful and you will not let a bit of rain stop you from walking around the area. Want to see more easy hikes like that? Tell us!