*A fine circular route from Budyně nad Ohří through Lázně Mšené: 21 km*

• There are several fine walks that start or pass through the attractive and historical town of Budyně nad Ohří, best known today for its ‘water castle’, one of the nicest complete Renaissance castles within easy reach of Prague. The following circular route is one of the nicest in the area with a variety of scenery, views and historical buildings on the route.
• The route begins at the water castle, which has a very colorful history. Originally an early medieval wooden royal castle built in the Přemyslid era, it was reconstructed several times over the following centuries, taking on its current Renaissance appearance in the 16th century, when owned by Jan Zbyněk Zajíc of Hazmburk.
• Zajíc was a keen alchemist and a friend of Tycho Brahe. He invested vast sums on the reconstruction of his castles and his alchemical pursuits, leaving him severely in debt, finally having to sell Budyně to his creditors. The castle is open for visits from April. The museum in the grounds has an interesting exhibition of a Renaissance era alchemical workshop.
• From Budyně, the route follows a farm track that crosses the meadows next to the Ohře river, passing below the Dvůr Perlová Voda in Kostelec nad Ohří . This large converted farm is now a fine hotel with a restaurant and microbrewery. It is worth a visit.
• From Kostalec, the trail climbs into the low hills that border the Ohře. There are fine views looking towards the volcanic hills of the České středohoří region. The dominant profile is the castle ruin on Hazmburk hill -which is worth a visit on a separate trip!
• The route continues over the undulating plain, through the village of Brníkov (which has a nicely reconstructed Baroque granary) and on to reach the town of Lázně Mšené.
• Lázně Mšené has a relatively unknown but interesting spa resort, dating from the end of the 18th century. Many of the buildings in the park area were constructed or reconstructed in an art deco style at the beginning of the 20th century. The spa is still in use, specializing in musculoskeletal issues.
• The last section of the route, returning from Lázně Mšené to Budyně nad Ohří (along green hiking trail), is a newly (2022) created path through Martiněves. This follows the old postal route from Prague to Dresden. Note the nicely reconstructed old coaching inn at map point 8.
• Back in Budyně, if in search of refreshments, try the Caffe Terra which serves excellent crispy homemade pizza. The total circular route is around 21 km long, with 270m of height to ascend-descend. The route is on a mix of asphalt road and footpaths, some of which can be muddy. There are no particularly difficult sections.

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

• Start at the castle of Budyně nad Ohří. Budyně can be reached by direct bus connection from Prague or, if driving, there is a small parking area behind the church, close to the castle
• Take the RED trail in the direction of Libochovice, reaching the Kostelec nad Ohří junction after 3.5 km
• If planning to visit the Dvůr Perlová Voda restaurant continue on the RED trail for a further 200m and then leavce the RED, taking the footpath up the slope to the left, which leads to the restaurant
• If not planning on visiting the restaurant at the Kostelec nad Ohří junction, turn left onto the GREEN trail in the direction of Lázně Mšené (the GREEN trail can be reached from the restaurant by following the road for 200m)
• Continue on the GREEN trail for 2.9 km to reach the village of Brníkov and from there stay on the GREEN for a further 4.9 km to reach the spa area in Lázně Mšené
• At the spa, join the YELLOW trail, heading in the direction of Martiněves. This is slightly longer than staying on the GREEN, but is nicer route through the forest
• After 3. 6 km, reach Martiněves village and there rejoin the GREEN trail, heading in the direction of Budyně nad Ohří
• Budyně is reached after 5.9 km