*From Český Šternberk to Sázava, a one-way walk along the river: 12 km to 15 km*

• The Sázava river is one of the most beautiful waterways in the country and is justly popular with water sports enthusiasts as well as walkers. Much of its 225 km length is navigable in a small boat and there are also many excellent hiking trails close to the river. Conveniently, a railway also runs most of the length of the river, from Žďár nad Sázavou until the Sázava merges with the Vltava just to the south of Prague. There are many regional stations along the track and the trains are reasonably frequent, which creates lots of opportunities for one-way walks along the Sázava.
• Perhaps the most famous landmark along the river is the imposing Gothic castle of Český Šternberk, located 50 km southeast of Prague. Astonishingly, the castle has remained in the same family ownership since its foundation more than 750 years ago – the current owner is the 20th generation since Zdeslav of Divišov created the family seat around 1241. The castle is usually open for guided tours from April to October, and by appointment at other times.
• Český Šternberk is a fine destination or starting point for a one-way walk along the river, either starting or finishing with a visit to the castle.. Heading upstream, there is a nice walk to Kácov (15 km) with the further option of continuing onwards to Zruč nad Sázavou (a 24 km walk from Český Šternberk), where there is a brilliant chateau to visit.
• The alternative is to head downstream, where the next major settlement on the river is Sázava town, famous for its Benedictine monastery, founded in the 11th century. The monastery is usually open for tours between April and October.
• There are at least three potential walking routes to get to Sázava town from Český Šternberk. The longest (18 km or so) follows the right side of the river and is actually part of Blaník-Říp long distance path (usually done on Day 2). Although this is an interesting trail, most of the route is spent in the hills, away from the river.
• For a route that gets as close as possible to the river, follow the 12 km suggestion outlined in the map below. This route has sections directly beside the river on the left bank, but also rises a couple of times into the hills offering some good views of the surrounding, mostly forested landscape. The third option (the shortest, at around 10 km) is the least interesting as it is fully away from the river and mostly follows a side road. It is not included in the guide.
• The basic trail, between the two train stations is 12 km long, with around 230m of height to ascend/descend. A couple of of hill sections are quite steep and the path near Sázava on the terrce above the river is narrow and slightly exposed, so this is not a route to take when it is icy. Also avoid the route after very heavy rain as there is a risk that sections of the riverside path will be flooded! If planning on visiting the castle in Český Šternberk and the monastery in Sázava, this adds around 3 km to the journey length and an extra 100m of ascent.
• There are a couple of good refreshment options in Český Šternberk. The castle courtyard itself has pleasant café, while below the castle, try the Restaurace Pod hradem, which was (hopefully only temporarily) closed on our latest visit in November 2024. In Sázava, try the Sázavská Kozlovna, a new concept pub, serving classic Czech dishes and specializing in beer from the Kozel brewery in Velké Popovice. It is directly next to the train station (in the converted waiting room!)

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

• If travelling by car to Český Šternberk, use the parking area directly below the castle by the river (map point 2). If planning on visiting the castle it is a 300m walk from there, following the RED trail
• From the main square in Český Šternberk, join the GREEN trail which leads directly into Sázava
• Unless planning n visiting the monastery, shortly after reaching the residential area in Sázava at the junction with Na Vápenkách street (map point 6), turn right leaving the GREEN trail and take the side streets to reach the train station directly. Heading into town adds an extra 2 km to the journey!