*The Cyril & Methodius trail, stage 16: from Vranov u Brna to Křtiny – 16 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 with the Great Moravian Empire, where Methodius became the first Archbishop.
• The Czech Republic has six different Cyril & Methodius trails, all of 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 and Velehrad.
• Stage 16 of the Bohemia-Moravia C&M trail is one of the best (and one of the shortest) in this 20 stage trip. It is mostly spent in the Moravský kras protected landscape area, with a superb mix of natural, prehistoric and more recent historic sites. It is centred on the Josefovská valley, one of the most important sites for the world-famous Moravian limestone caves, which provided periodic shelter to hunter gatherers in the old Stone Age. Apart from the natural caves that line the valley, there are extensive historic iron ore mines. At Stará huť, the valley hosts one of the best preserved and most impressive 18th century blast furnaces in the country.
• Some caves became very special places for our prehistoric ancestors. One such is Býčí skála, located in the middle of the valley. This cave system – the second longest in the Czech Republic – is only accessible very occasionally. The remarkable main hall of the cave system, just inside the entrance way, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country (in addition to being a secret Nazi construction site for aircraft engines in WWII).
• There are several other – more accessible – caves along the valley, including the Kostelík and Jáchymka systems (the latter was temporarily closed due to a nesting falcon, but the restrictions on access seem to have been removed when last visited – August 2026). Just outside the valley (but included as an optional detour on the return route) is Výpustek cave, one of the most remarkable sites in the area. This cave was used as a shelter by Stone Age hunters but also has a more recent military history. It was converted into an underground factory by the Nazis and then repurposed into a nuclear bunker during the Communist era. It is open year-round for guided tours.
• The end point for the route is the town of Křtiny, famous as a Marian pilgrimage site since the Medieval period. The remarkable Baroque basilica was designed by the legendary Czech-Italian architect Jan Blažej Santini and is considered one of his finest works. The impressive adjoining chateau was originally a Premonstratensian monastery, but is now owned by Brno´s Mendel University and provides student and public accommodation. There is a restaurant on site.
• The route begins in Vranov, an important pilgrimage site, which is worthwhile exploring if not done on the previous stage. Vranov is dominated by the majestic Pauline monastery and connected church which were constructed in the early 17th century by the noble Liechtenstein family, who acquired significant estates in Moravia as a consequence of their support for the Habsburg empire during the 30 Years War. The Paulán brothers returned to the monastery in 1992 and began to turn the estate into a Spiritual Center.
• The first part of the stage is a 5 km descent through attractive forest down to Adamov, where the Moravský kras protected landscape area begins. From there, the route is partly on forest footpaths, sometimes on the valley slopes. These are quite narrow and eroded in places, so care and good footwear are needed for this trip. There is 350m of height to ascend and descend over the 16 km length.
• For refreshments, consider a stop in Vranov at the popular Hospůdka Bylo Nebylo (map point 2) which includes its own bakery products on the menu (a Hejlik recommendation). Two kilometers from Křtiny look out for the innovative self-service snack bar (map point 7). The offer also includes superb home made jams and marmalades. There are further options in the town of Křtiny.

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 Vranov, join the YELLOW trail heading to the Adamov – zast. junction, which is reached after 5 km
• At the junction, join the join the BLUE trail which can be followed all the way to Křtiny
• At the Býčí skála cave junction (reached after 5 km), take the alternative GREEN path which runs on the slopes above the road and passes through the Kostelík cave system
• Other than that diversion, remain on the BLUE trail to reach Křtiny