*The Blaník to Říp pilgrimage trail via the Sázava and Labe rivers: 190 km*

• The classic Blaník to Říp ‘pilgrimage’ walk between the two legendary Czech mountains runs for some 190 km across the heart of Bohemia. On the official website the route is split into seven (day) stages, which are usually completed in a single trip, but by using public transport can be done in separate trips if desired. However, as noted below, the second day of the official walk is a relatively short 18 km and fit walkers may wish to combine days 2 and 3 together, aiming to complete the hike in six days, with an average of just over 30 km walking each day. The last stage is (in this author’s view) the most interesting and varied of the six stages. It is given a ‘Top Walk’ recommendation and a standalone page in this guide.
• Day 1 starts in Louňovice pod Blaníkem, traverses the legendary hill of Velký Blaník (638m) from the southwest before descending on the northeast slopes before heading north to reach the old town of Vlaším. The fine Renaissance chateau and park area in Vlaším are well worth a detour. This is around the mid point of the trail. There are several cafés and restaurants in town for a break. The final section of the trail closely follows the Blanice river as it flows northwards to reach the Sázava river, near Český Šternberk. The day ends in Český Šternberk, famous for its imposing 14th century castle, which is also worth a visit on this (or a future) trip. There are various accommodation options in Český Šternberk, but try either Penzion Čtyřlístek or Penzion na Zastávce. This is a moderately long day of around 30 km, with 500m of ascent. The trails are relatively easy, although the ascent and descent from Blaník are quite steep.
• Day 2 is (in the author’s preferred version of the walk) a long one! In the ´official´ walking guide, day 2 is a relatively easy stroll of around 18 km finishing in the famous monastery town of Sázava, situated on a horseshoe bend of the Sázava river. However, fit and fast walkers may prefer to combine days 2 and 3 from the ´official´ guide and continue on from Sázava to reach Kouřim, resulting in a long (but not impossibly long) day with 39 km of trails to cover and around 800m of height to ascend. The route follows the course of the Sázava river as it heads north, passing through the medieval town of Rataje nad Sazavou. The monastery in Sázava is worth a visit before continuing northwards to reach historic Kouřim, which is worth exploring. For accommodation, there are a couple of well regarded pensions in the town centre.
• Day 3 – the journey from Kouřim to Sadská on the banks of the river Labe – is the easiest and shortest day of the trip at just 24 km, with just 100m of ascent. This potentially gives time to explore Kouřim or get to Sadská early enough to visit the swimming lake 1 km north of the suggested accommodation, which is the hotel modrá hvězda ( probably the only accommodation on the route near to Sadská).
• Day 4 is essentially a westwards 30 km journey along the Labe river from Sadská to reach the dual town of Brandýs nad Labem/Stará Boleslav. The flat trail passes through the interesting old towns of Čelákovice and Přerov nad Labem (where there is an excellent open-air folk architecture museum). In Čelákovice a choice needs to be made whether to follow the trail along the left bank of the Labe directly into Brandýs or cross the river to take one of the paths on the right bank to reach the pilgrimage town of Stará Boleslav (this is the official route). The Brandýs option is, however, shorter and Brandýs probably has more accommodation options.
• Day 5 continues the journey along the Labe, heading northwest from Brandýs to reach the famous royal town of Mělník after around 30 km (the official trail diverts occasionally from the cycle path along the Labe, but staying on the czcle path is shorter and avoids an extra hill!) Note: in the second half of 2023 repairs are scheduled for the cycle path near Neratovice. It is worth checking on mapy.cz if the route is open if walking in this period. A diversion around this section might be needed. Mělník is dominated by its fine Renaissance chateau, owned today the Lobkowicz family. The old town is definitely worth exploring and there are a number of good accommodation options directly in the centre, including Penyion U Zámku and Hotel U Rytíře.
• Day 6 is the culmination of the trip finishing with the dramatic traverse of Říp mountain. The day starts in Mělník old town, with sections along the famous Hořín canal and then the Vltava river, before heading north towards Říp through some old wine villages. The official Blaník-Říp path finishes at Říp summit, but it is still necessary to descend the hill and find some public transport home! A nice option is actually to continue from Říp a few extra kilometers on a super trail to reach the town of Roudnice nad Labem. This attractive town is also dominated by a Lobkowicz-owned Renaissance chateau. Roudnice has good public transport or accommodation options for those staying overnight. This final stage is 32 km long and involves 350m of climbing – mostly the ascent of Říp!

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

• There are detailed directions for each stage included in the official guide, so these are not repeated here. The directions for stage 6 are, however, included in the standalone page for this final day.