Czech Repulic >>>

[alstevens]

Checked the threads - planning a trip to Czech , any recommendations on campsites etc ?

thanks

al

 

[Velma's Dad]

Poor Al never got an answer to his 2006 post, but we've just come back from a few days in Czech so bumping this for anyone thinking of going there this year. (We were actually aiming for the Alps but the weather there looked very iffy so we swung northwards instead!).

Prague would be a whole trip on its own (and we'd been there anyway) so we pottered around a few bits of southern and northern Bohemia.. that's the wedge-shaped bit that sticks out 'into' Germany, so easiest to reach from UK.

Places visited:

1. Cesky Krumlov. Gorgeous Bohemian town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with remarkable castle and tower. Very touristy but that's to be expected.

Camped at: http://www.camping-paradijs.eu/. Sweet little site right on bank of Vltava River. Very informal, basic facilities only. We loved it.

2. Castle Hluboka, near Cesky Budejovice. We just looked at outside, didn't stay around (after polite discussion with a Czech policeman about traffic regs - don't drive up the hill to the castle, there is a sign apparently although well camouflaged). Then drove north to...

3. Kutna Hora. Very interesting and lovely old town with stunning Gothic cathedral.

Camped at: https://www.autocamp-kutnahora.eu/cs/home. It's just someone's (large) garden turned into a campsite, but very pleasant and quiet - okay trains nearby by they didn't bother us.

4. Sedlec Ossuary. A charnel house with 60,000 skeletons turned into fantastical structures in the crypt, including a chandelier of bones. We got there first thing, before the coach parties from Prague.

5. Cesky Raj area ('Bohemian Paradise'). Lovely walks through deep canyons with sandstone towers. Then onwards Velma, to the Hrensko area.

Camped at: http://u-ferdinanda.cz/. Couldn't recommend it! It's a holiday chalet camp with a distinctly pre-1989 feel, that's happy space to take vans and MHs. First time I've ever upped sticks and moved our van in the middle of the night (long story!). Probably would have been better to try the 'Mosquito Camp' a few miles on.

6. 'Bohemian Switzerland' area, centred on Hrensko. Walks to view the awesome natural arch overlooking the Elbe valley, and along the Kamnitz Gorge.

7. Karlovy Vary. Stunning spa town in far west of Bohemia. Gorgeous colourful Belle Epoque buildings, like Cheltenham on acid.

Camped at: Autocamping Karlovy Vary. U Spořitelny 10, 360 05 Karlovy Vary. +420 604 872 622. Very rudimentary 'campsite' in the town run by an old geezer in his back yard, with 'facilities' you probably won't want to use! But it's a case of location, location, location as it's only ten minutes walk from the spa town centre, which is a superb place for a meal and watching the residents and tourists (75% of them Russian in both cases, I gathered).

8. On way back homewards we stopped for an hour at Frantiskovy Lasne, a much smaller spa town which is also quite lovely.

Campsite prices (early May) were around £9 to £10 - apart from the one in Karlovy Vary where the old bloke cheerfully trousered a very cheeky 20 euros but we were still happy campers after a great evening a few steps down the hill in town.

Would deffo go back and see more of Czech Rep (or Chechia as they now tend to call it). I'm guessing most of the camping is similar to what we experienced, which I'd describe as 'lightly developed' and might not suit everyone even though we were fine with it. But maybe one of our Czech members can say more at a general level?

Oh, and the beer is epic, of course!

 

[sidepod]

Quality Intel

 

[Amarillo]

Useful information. We will be there within the next few weeks.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

 

[Velma's Dad]

Useful information. We will be there within the next few weeks.

Hope you enjoy it Tom. I think you'll already know you have to get a vignette for the Czech motorways (and some motor roads I think) but you can buy one from a petrol station for as few as 10 days' coverage.

There were quite a few road closures in Czech, eg motor road on-ramps, that confused our traffic-enabled Tom-Tom (it does seem to confuse easily but I know how it feels) so we found monitoring Google Maps also was really useful.

I've just been catching up on your Balkans travels. Croatia looks stunning (I've only been to Dubrovnik myself although they were filming Game of Thrones there that day which added to the atmos). Croatia now definitely a near-future Cali destination for us.

Safe travels.

 

[alstevens]

Thanks a lot. ...have now been to Prague a few times the boring way but will set about following your trail! !
Al

 

[Velma's Dad]

Thanks a lot. ...have now been to Prague a few times the boring way but will set about following your trail! !
Al

I'd certainly recommend it, provided you're content with fairly basic campsites. During five days in Czechia we didn't see any other British-registered vehicle, which was nice. But outside Prague, don't expect very much English to be spoken. It helps if you have a bit of German, although of course you'll manage with smiles and sign language anyway.

Although we pottered around a bit on the way out from UK (ended up in Passau in SE Germany then headed up into southern Bohemia on little roads), on the way homewards we split the journey with a stop-off in the Mosel valley, which is roughly half way between Czech border and Calais.

 

[Bramco]

Nice one - thanks for the info. We might try to fit some of this in on our trip down to Transylvania. So many places to see....