Easy walks along the beautiful Berounka from Srbsko – 3 km to 12 km

• The river Berounka has many beautiful sections along its 140 km eastward course from Pilsen to meet the Vltava on the edge of Prague. None are more dramatic than beneath the cliffs and quarries near the village of Srbsko. The paths along this stretch of river are included a number of times on different walks in this guide!
• Srbsko is best reached by one of the regular trains from the centre of Prague (the 50-minute trip is very scenic, as most of the route follows the Vltava and then Berounka rivers). For drivers, there is a small parking area just next to the bridge, which will be full on sunny weekends and holidays.
• Srbsko is just one train stop away from the tourist filled streets of Karlštejn, but is a much more tranquil spot for an easy walk along the river. A cycle track (mostly asphalt) runs all the way from Srbsko to Beroun, some 6 km upstream, but the most scenic section is the first couple of km, starting at Srbsko.
• Just over one km from Srbsko, the Loděnice stream joins the Berounka. The Loděnice valley offers another easy walk alongside the picturesque stream and is quite different from the Berounka valley. The path beside the stream (suitable for strollers) runs as far as the pilgrimage location of Svatý Jan pod Skalou, which is a good destination for an easy 5 km walk from Srbsko (10 km round trip, with 100m of height to ascend-descend).
• This was the legendary site where in the 9th century, Bohemia’s first Christian hermit, St Ivan, worshipped in a limestone cave. Today, the cave may be visited and is reputed to contain the oldest stone altar in Bohemia. Directly outside the cave, a spring emerges which is strongly mineralized and was viewed as having healing properties (the water takes over 20 years to seep through the surrounding limestone rock before it emerges from St Ivan’s cave).
• An early medieval chapel was believed to have been built on the site, which then became a Benedictine monastery in the mid 11th century. In the 15th century, the Hussite army destroyed the mother monastery on the island near Davle on the Vltava, and the surviving monks relocated to Svatý Jan. The site became increasingly famous as a pilgrimage location, so the church and monastery buildings were enlarged and reconstructed in the 17th and 18th centuries to their current Baroque forms.
• It is also worth continuing along the cycle trail towards Beroun past the junction with the to admire the towering cliffs. If only wanting a very short (flat) walk, then the ‘there and back’ walk along the Berounka cycle trail from Srbsko towards Beroun is a nice option before or after having some refreshments in Srbsko.
• There are now at least three restaurants in Srbsko (sometimes only open seasonally) but a nice option is the riverside terrace at the Restaurant U Berounky, which is usually open year-round. If taking the trail beside the Loděnice stream, the restaurant Hospůdka U Krobiána in Hostim (map point 4) has a nice terrace, open at weekends during the summer months. In Svatý Jan there are also a couple of refreshment options, which tend to only be open at weekends and public holidays.

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

• Starting from the Srbsko train station (direct trains from Prague main station), cross the Berounka river using the road bridge and join the YELLOW hiking trail, heading in the direction of Hostim
• Follow the trail along the river, for 1.4 km until reaching the V Kozle trail signpost. Here the YELLOW trail turns off up the Loděnice valley, while the (asphalt) cycle path continues along the Berounka towards Beroun. Both routes are worth spending some time on.
• The YELLOW trail follows the Loděnice stream for 1.4 km before leaving the stream to follow the main road into Hostim and then on to Svatý Jan pod Skalou. The section along the stream is nicest – there are some information boards on this path at several places. Turn around whenever desired and return back to V Kozle on the same path
• From V Kozle continue along the Berounka on the cycle path for as long as desired – the section under the cliffs lasts for a further 1.2 km, so the end of the cliff section might a good spot to turn around and return back to Srbsko. Using these turning points gives a total walk of 8km, there and back
• On the return to Srbsko, consider stopping for refreshments on the terrace at the Restaurant U Berounky