Cukrák, Kazín and Berounka viewpoints – an 11 km tour from Černošice

The terrain along the Berounka river (which flows from Plzen to join the Vltava just to the south of Prague) offers walkers some of the most spectacular views anywhere in the country. Steep-sided ridges border the river for much of its 139 km length. Several ancient hillforts were constructed on the terraces, providing prehistoric settlers with far reaching views of the trade routes that followed this important river. Later, medieval lords built their castles on many of the same protected rocky sites.
The final section of the river flows past the town of Černošice where it is overlooked by the beginning of the Hřebeny ridge, which forms part of the Brdy highlands. This ridge is a protected nature zone, famous for its 500 million year old sedimentary rock, which is rich in fossils. The unmarked path along the ridge back towards Černošice is not widely known but reveals several superb viewpoints and skirts the ramparts of two old fortified sites, probably first occupied in the late Stone Age.
The proposed route starts at Černošice railway station (which has regular direct trains from Prague). There are various parking spots in the town (eg the paid car park at the Albert supermarket) and on the opposite side of the river there is a free parking area at Nad Jezem, which is reached on a side road from Zbraslav.
After crossing the Berounka, the route runs alongside the river for a short stretch before climbing up to site of the legendary (prehistoric and medieval) Kazín fortifications, of which nothing really remains, but the view is exceptional. From there the trail climbs to the ‘peak’ of Kopanina (411m) on which the impressive TV transmitter of Cukrák stands proudly, nearly 200m tall.
From Cukrák, the route circles back towards Černošice along the Hřebeny ridge before dropping down to pass below the rocky Kazín promintory. The location is well known for its highly visible sign, first painted on the 500 million year old rock by an enthusiastic 19th century pub landlord, presumably to attract tourists out for a boat cruise.
The overall route is 11 km long, mostly on forest or unpaved tracks, none of which are particularly steep – if the correct path is chosen. A total of 230m height is gained/lost on the route. Note that the viewpoints are all unsecured and generally have steep cliff edges. The return leg is on unmarked trails and requires some route finding skills (or following the route on a mapy.cz phone app). This is a good ‘all season’ walk, with the viewpoints being particularly good when the trees are bare, offering wider views of the river. The return path may, however, be challenging when icy or snow covered.
There are several refreshment options in Černošice town, or the famous Tornado pub near the Kazín rock (passed on both the outbound and return legs) might be open for a quick stop.

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

Starting at Černošice railway station, take the YELLOW hiking trail in the direction of Kazín
Cross the river via the footbridge. Immediately on the far side of the river is the car park of Nad Jezem
Follow the YELLOW TRAIL along the river for 1.6 km to reach the Kazín ferry stop (here is the Tornado pub)
Continue up the hill on the YELLOW trail for 220m. On the left is a side street labelled K Údolí Hvězd. On the right is a small unmarked path that leads into the forest. This is the best route to reach the viewpoint at the site of the Kazín hillfort, which is reached after 200m
After visiting the viewpoint return back to the YELLOW trail and continue up the hill for 2.4 km, first on the side road and then in the forest area. The path steepens and finally reaches the Cukrák trail signpost on the ridge next to the TV transmitter
At Cukrák continue downhill for 700m on the YELLOW trail, in the direction of Jíloviště. As the path levels out, the marked trail continues straight on and the wide forest track bends to the right. Stay on this track to the right – i.e. leave the YELLOW trail at this point
After 180m the forest track meets the red marked cycle track which descends from the hill to the right. Turn left onto the cycle path
After 160m, just before the first building on left side there is a wide farm track to the right which crosses the fields. Take this track
Continue across the fields for 850m until reaching the ridge line with a row of cottages on the right side. Here there is a trail junction and on the tree are small orange waymarks, one of which points to Kazín on the path to the right. Take this path which leads alongside the row of cottages
The path leads along the ridge with excellent views over the Berounka river and the railway bridge. After 1.4 km the trail splits, with the left branch continuing on the ridge line and the right branch starting to descend the hill. This is the corner (and likely entrance point) of the ancient hillfort Humensko. The path to the right follows the bottom of the ditch beneath the ramparts. Take this right hand branch (note – it is possible to continue on the ridge line and descend the hill on the north side of the hillfort, but this exit route is very steep and slippery)
Descend the hill for 400m, crossing a small stream at the bottom of the slope to reach the riverbank.
Turn right alongside the river, passing the Kazín rock sign and return to the Kazín trail signpost after 200m
Return to Černošice on the YELLOW trail -the same as used for the outbound route. The station is reached in 2 km