*Aš to Františkovy Lázně: Stage 2 of the Via Czechia long distance trail – 23 km*

• The excellent 23 km long second stage of the Via Czechia (Central route) runs from the historic town of Aš to the UNESCO World Heritage spa town of Františkovy Lázně. This superb 1036 km long-distance trail crosses the country from west to east and is split into 47 stages. The North and South versions of this trail actually overlap with (most of) this stage as well – so walkers almost get three segments for the price of one!
• This stage can conveniently be done as a standalone day walk, using the two mainline stations in Aš and Františkovy Lázně as start/finish points. This is how the route plan in the map below has been created.
• There are several highlights of this walk, starting with the attractive forest trails to the southeast of Aš. These colourful mixed forests are often filled with edible mushrooms (and mushroom-hunters) in the autumn months. The trails pass the remarkably picturesque 400m long quartzite rock ridge called Goethovy skály (after frequent visits by the famous German author).
• After traversing the village of Hazlov, which dates from the 13th century, the trail continues on to reach Seeberg castle in the village of Ostroh. Dating from the 12th century, Seeberg is one of the oldest and most interesting restored castles in western Bohemia, notable for its blend of Romanesque, Gothic and early Renaissance architecture. The castle houses a museum, run by the town of Františkovy Lázně, which owns the castle.
• From Ostrov, the trail continues through the extremely pretty fishpond area to the south of Františkovy Lázně, before finally arriving in the impressive and relatively compact spa town, which is definitely worth exploring for its colourful 18th and 19th century architecture.
• Apart from the section in the forest sotheast of Aš, the 23 km route is mostly flat (with only around 140 m of height to ascend), on a mix of country lanes and easy forest footpaths. For refreshments on the route, try the restaurant Seeberg in Ostruh (map point 4). There are many options in Františkovy Lázně, but for good coffee and ice cream, consider JL Gelato & Caffe (at map point 8).

Note: click ‘Show on map’ above to go to a full screen version directly on the mapy.com site. This can be used for online navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file

Directions

• Assuming a start at Aš train station, join the BLUE trail heading towards Hazlov
• The BLUE trail lerads all the way to Ostroh/Seeberg castle, passing Goetova skalka on the way
• From Seeberg, continue on the BLUE trail for a further 3.4 km until reaching the Lužná junction. There, turn left onto the GREEN trail which leads into the spa area after 4 km
• Follow the RED trail from the spa area to reach Františkovy Lázně train station