A walk around the South Bohemian town of Bechyně, perched above the Lužnice river: 5 km

• Bechyně is one of the oldest and prettiest towns in South Bohemia, perched on a rocky crag overlooking the Lužnice river. A number of longer walks can be started from the town centre, but if limited for time a simple 5 km tour around the town following the trails on both sides of the river is definitely worth doing.
• Bechyně has a wide variety of architectural styles on display, including remnants of Gothic town walls, bastions and the Franciscan monastery (founded at the end of the 13th century) , an imposing Renaissance chateau that dominates the southern end of town (privately owned and open for limited tours from June to September) and many Baroque and Renaissance buildings lining the attractive main square.
• Bechyně has a long history. The site was clearly occupied in prehistoric times – a Celtic settlement was discovered when the town square was reconstructed in 2011. A Slavic fortified settlement occupied the area of the monastery from at least the 9th century onwards and then in the 13th century Přemysl Otakar II founded a royal castle on the promontory. Several important noble houses held the town in the following centuries, including the Rosenberk and Šternberk families.
• The suggested route starts at the bus or train station and crosses the impressively airy road bridge above the Lužnice river and then follows the trail on a terrace above the left bank of the river. There are several good viewpoints along the trail.
• The route crosses the river again on the second road bridge directly beneath the chateau. From there, the longer route (shown in the map below) follows beside the Lužnice and then the Smutná strem for short sections, before circling around the chateau to enter the old town from its southern end. The shorter route ascends a series of steps and enters the old town close to the monastery, which has a nice garden, with good views over the river.
• The full 5 km route is on a mix of town roads and easy footpaths, but the route is not really suitable for strollers. There is 110m of height to ascend-descend on the route. There are many refreshment options in the town, mostly lining the main square. For some good ice cream, try Cukrárna & Gelateria Veis on the north eastern corner of the square.

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

Directions

• Bechyně has a wide range of bus connections arriving at its bus station, which is close to the regional train station, which has a large car park. There is also paid parking n the main square
• From the train station, join the GREEN trail heading in the direction of Na staré cestě
• Cross the road bridge and then turn right, staying on the GREEN trail following a terrace path above the river
• After 1.2 km re-cross the river using the metal road bridge
• For the shorter route, turn right after crossing the bridge and follow the YELLOW trail up the steps into the old town
• For the longer route, turn left after cross the bridge, still following the GREEN trail for 400m to reach the Smutná – most junction
• At the junction, join the RED trail which leads into the Bechyně main square in 1.1 km
• Take a moment to visit the monastery garden (map point 7) and then follow the RED trail back to the bus-train station area, hich is reached in 1 km