Along the Berounka to Křivoklát, a 27 km route from Beroun via Nižbor

The picturesque royal castle of Křivoklát, first constructed by the Přemyslid rulers of the 13th century and then a favourite hunting residence for several Bohemian kings, is today a popular tourist destination. There are many ways to get to Křivoklát, including the scenic train journey from Beroun along the Berounka river and several cycle routes.
Walkers also have several possible routes to Křivoklát. The best short route starts from Zbečno, following the terrace on the north side of the Berounka river. For a longer trip the classic route is from Beroun – a good starting point due to its mainline train station (and large Park & Ride car park). Most of the routes starting from Beroun follow paths entirely in the hills. All these involve over 700m of climbing. A somewhat less strenuous (and actually more varied) option is to follow the flat cycle paths along the southern bank of Berounka for half the journey, and then strike into the hills for the remainder of the route. This creates a 27 km trip with slightly less than 500m of climbing. The return journey can be made back to Beroun on the train from Křivoklát, following the northern bank of the river.
Beroun center, which is traversed at the start of the walk, has an attractive main square with several historical buildings, some well preserved 14th century town walls, an interesting town museum, a number of good restaurants and even a new Italian gelaterie.
The initial route crosses the Berounka river twice and follows the scenic river to the historic town of Nižbor, situated on the river, just below the famous hill fort of Stradonice, which was one of the largest Celtic oppida (fortified villages) in the country, created towards the end of the first millennium BC. Stradonice is famous for the wealth of finds on the site, including large numbers of ancient coins, some of which were minted at the site. The tour of the Stradonice hillfort is best undertaken as a standalone circular walk from Nižbor.
Nižbor has its own Baroque chateau, housing an excellent Celtic museum, for those with the time to stop. After Nižbor there follows a long section in the beautiful mixed forests of the Křivoklátsko Protected Landscape Area. The Křivoklátsko forests are exceptional for the variety of trees on display: up to 20 different species of tree can be found in the forests. There are also some super viewpoints, including a famous view along the Berounka towards Křivoklát (see below).
The route descends from the hills at Roztoky village on the Berounka, then crosses the river and then ascends to a terrace above the Berounka for the final section of the walk, which offers some excellent views of Křivoklát castle. After a visit to the castle area, the path descends to the village below to catch the train back to Beroun.
The paths are good, a mix of forest tracks and quiet lanes. The terrain in the hills, however has a few steeper sections to navigate. Various refreshment options are available in Nižbor, but there are no other options in the forest areas, until reaching Roztoky so sufficient water should be carried on this long route. After finishing the walk, while waiting for the train, there are several restaurants along the main street of Křivoklát.
Note – this is walk is the first ‘leg’ of the 3 day ‘highlights of Křivoklátsko’ tour. For more information on this super 90km route see here.

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

Directions

Start the walk at the trail junction next to Beroun main train station and take the RED trail into the center of town. The main square is reached after 600m
In the main square, turn right onto the BLUE trail in the direction of Lhotka U Berouna
Pass through the Prague gate (the excellent ice cream shop is on the left), cross the canal and then the Berounka using the footbridge
Continue along the BLUE trail on the north bank of the river for 1.6 km until reaching another footbridge across the river. The BLUE trail continues right, while the cycle trail crosses the bridge. Leave the BLUE trail and take the cycle route across the bridge
Follow the cycle route on the south side of the river for 6.4 km until reaching the road bridge at Nižbor
Do no cross the bridge but head into the village – there are various refreshment options – and join the RED trail at the trail junction Nižbor – u lípy, heading up the steps in the direction of Roztoky
After 400m reach the chateau (and Celtic museum). Continue on the RED trail for 2.2 km to reach the trail junction of Čerchov. Here it is possible to take a short (150m) diversion to the famous viewpoint over the river – note it is quite a steep slope down to the viewpoint
Continue on the RED trail through the forest areas for 11.3 km until finally reaching the village of Roztoky
Stay on the RED trail descending through the village and cross the road bridge to reach the Roztoky – most trail signpost
At the Roztoky-most junction turn right onto the YELLOW trail in the direction of Křivoklát
Follow the YELLOW trail initially along the public road for 400m and then after crossing the stream, climb up to the terrace which leads along to Křivoklát castle after 1.8 km
From the castle descend on the YELLOW trail down to the village and then on to the train station