Stage 3 of the Cyril & Methodius route – Průhonice to Pyšely (with an optional stop in Nebřenice): 26 km

• The Cyril & Methodius route is a series of interlinked hiking trails connected with the life and mission of the 9th century Byzantine missionaries, Saints Cyril and Methodius. The route was established by the Council of Europe in 2021 and now comprises over 5,000 km of trails, spanning 10 countries. The Saints – who were brothers – are most famous for helping bring Christianity to the Slavic lands. They are most closely associated Great Moravian Empire, where Methodius became the first Archbishop.
• The Czech Republic has six different Cyril & Methodius trails, all which end at the pilgrimage site of Velehrad, in the eastern Moravian Zlín region. Velehrad was (in folk tradition) the seat of Methodius after he became archbishop. It is also the site of Moravia’s first Cistercian monastery. The Bohemian-Moravian trail runs for approximately 420 km between the site of the first Bohemian church, at Levý Hradec (10 km to the north of Prague) and Velehrad. The church was established by the first historically documented Bohemian duke, Bořivoj I, who was probably baptised by Methodius in Velehrad.
• The third stage of the route starts in Průhonice (the location of country’s most spectacular landscaped castle park) and finishes in the ancient town of Pyšely, nestled in the forests overlooking the Sázava river valley. The meandering Sázava will guide the route for the next several days, but for this stage the route stays in the hills and forests to the southeast of Prague.
• As a standalone day trip starting from Prague, this is not a particularly easy route, as the public transport logistics of getting to and from the start and finish points are a bit tricky. However, if completed as part of the overall long distance C&M route it is a varied segment, started by following the trail on the outside of Průhonice park (note: traversing the park and accessing the exit at the southern end, near Jesenice, requires a prepaid chip – only available to season ticket holders).
• A highlight of this segment is a stop in the brewery town of Velké Popovice, famous for its Kozel beer. One option for refreshments en route is a visit to the excellent Kozlovna brewery pub (map point 4). On the corner opposite the brewery, a nice ice cream stand operates in the summer months.
• An interesting side trip on this segment is a visit to the village of Nebřenice, for a stop at approximately the halfway point. Here, an up-market residential development – Oaks Prague – centered around a world class golf course, has slowly been evolving since 2016. The Oaks development includes a beautifully reconstructed Neo-classicist 19th century chateau – which now houses the golf club’s restaurant (a sister restaurant of Prague’s La Finestra). Also on site is the stylish La Bottega Oaks Deli Bistro, part of the same chain as La Finestra (and also a Hejlík recommendation).
• Once past Jesenice and the Prague ringroad, the landscape becomes more rugged and rural. This is where the trail enters the attractive (and surprisingly hilly) Posázavi region. There are some great trails in this hiking region, within easy reach of Prague. The final section of the stage traverses the forested area to the south of Velké Popovice before arriving in the historic town of Pyšely, whose origins date from at least the 12th century. The townś most notable feature is the attractive Renaissance-Baroque chateau, which is now a Seniors home.
• The 26 km route is mostly on easy farm or forest tracks. There are 340m of height to ascend and 270m of descent, none of which is steep. If not satisfied with the refreshment options in Nebřenice or Velké Popovice, the restuarace Sokolvna in Pyšely is worth a try.

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

• Starting in Průhonice, join the RED trail heading towards Osnice
• After 7.9 km at the Údolí Botiče junction, join the YELLOW trail, which leads all the way to Pyšely
• If planning on diverting to to see Nebřenice chateau and the Oaks resort, it is best to follow the unmarked trails using the mapy.com phone application