Castles, viewpoints and magical forests: a 3 day tour in the heart of Křivoklátsko – 90 km

•  Křivoklátsko is a large protected nature area in Central Bohemia, the center of which is located 40km to west of Prague. It has a varied landscape of forested hills, valleys and rocky ridges, split by the picturesque Berounka river that was an important trade route for millennia. Many ancient hillforts and medieval castles line the river and hilltops. Since the Middle Ages Křivoklátsko has been an important hunting area for Czech kings and princes, and the region takes its name from the stunning 13th century castle of Křivoklát.
• Walkers in the Křivoklátsko region are spoilt for choice. There are countless marked trails that explore the magical forests, viewpoints and historical sites. A comprehensive tour of Křivoklátsko needs several days at least. However, the walk described on this page tries to capture some of the main highlights in a three day 90 km circular tour, starting and finishing in the region’s largest town, Beroun.
• The two suggested overnight stops are in Křivoklát village and Žebrák town, which is the site of the famous twin castles of Točník and Žebrák. Beroun itself is worth spending some time in. The historical center is attractive and there are a couple of excellent boutique hotels bear the town square if considering spending a night here at the beginning or end of a tour in the Křivoklátsko hills.
• The tour does not necessarily need to be completed on consecutive days and could be done on separate days. Day 1 (Beroun to Křivoklát – 27 km ) and Day 3 (Žebrák to Beroun – 29 km) are described as standalone day walks on their respective pages. Even the longer link walk between Křivoklát and Žebrák on day 2 could be undertaken separately with some careful transport planning.
• Directions for all three days are outlined below. For a summary of the highlights of day 1 (from Beroun along the Berounka river to Nižbor and then into the hills for the journey to Křivoklát) see the initial comments on the standalone walk page. There are various accommodation options for the first night in Křivoklát village. Two possible recommendations are the Hotel Sýkora and the Penzion v Budech.
• Day 2 is the longest and hardest day, with nearly 900m of climbing over its 33km length. It is a rewarding day on trails that are normally quiet but are very scenic. The route for the second day initially follows the Berounka on its journey westwards to reach the village of Skryje, famous for its trilobite fossil sites discovered by Joachim Barrande. From Skryje the route strikes southwards across the hilly countryside of central Křivoklátsko to reach the twin castles of Točník and Žebrák. For the overnight stop on day 2, the recommended option is the Hotel Žebrák, on the main street of the town. There are refreshment options in Skryje, at the mid point of this day’s walk.
• For a summary of the highlights of day 3 (the journey from Žebrák back to Beroun along the ridges and viewpoints of the eastern section of the Křivoklátsko hills) see the comments on the standalone walk page.

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 – day 1

• 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 center , where the accommodation options are located

Directions – day 2

• From the village center, return back up the hill to the castle area, join the YELLOW trail and return back along the terrace to the Roztoky most junction (the same trail as was used the day before)
• At Roytoky most, join the RED trail in the direction of Skryje. This 13 km trail follows the course of the Berounka to reach Skryje bridge
• Cross the bridge and stay on the RED trail for 1.3 km to reach Skryje village (refreshments available here). This is part of the trilobite trail
• From Skryje, take the GREEN trail in the direction of Točník. The pod hradem trail signpost is reached after 14.6 km
• From the Točník – pod hradem junction, take the BLUE trail for 2 km to reach the village of Žebrák. The Hotel Žebrák is on the far sie of the square

Directions – day 3

• Start at the main square in Žebrák town
• Take the BLUE trail for 2 km to reach the junction at Točník – pod hradem (to the left a short way down the road is the castle of Žebrák – its ‘twin’ castle, Točník, is on the hill above)
• At Točník – pod hradem take the YELLOW trail steeply up the hill to the castle (stopping for a quick visit if desired)
• From castle Točník continue on the YELLOW trail along the Zámecký vrch ridge and then drop down to reach the village of Hředle after 3.2 km
• From Hředle continue on the YELLOW trail for 3.6 km to reach the Vraní skála rocks (note – the viewpoint is a short scramble up the rocks, but is well worth doing)
• From Vraní skála continue on the the YELLOW trail for 4.4 km to reach the forest parking area of Na Vartě (which is below the peak of Krušná hora)
• Here, take the BLUE trail to the summit of the hill and viewing tower, which is reached in 1.7 km
• After climbing the tower traverse the ridge and then descend the hill, still following the BLUE trail in the direction of Hudlice village, which is reached in 3.6 km – in Hudlice there is the option to divert for 500m to climb the Hudlická skála
• From Hudlice take the RED trail in the direction of Beroun, reaching the Děd trail junction in 5.5 km. Here turn onto the GREEN trail to reach viewing tower in 300m
• From the Děd tower, take the BLUE trail in the direction of Beroun, descending the hill and reaching the main town square after 3.8 km
• The train station is 900m from the square, along the GREEN or RED trails