A circular route along the Labe between Čelákovice and Lázně Toušeň: 9 km to 11 km

• There are many hiking and cycling tracks beside the famous Labe river (Elbe in Germany) as it winds its way from the Czech Krkonoše mountains towards the German border and beyond, on its 1000 km journey to the North Sea coast. One of the easiest ways to reach the river from Prague is to take one of the regular trains to the historic town of Čelákovice, located directly on the river. From Čelákovice there are hiking and cycling trails both up and downstream.
• For a mid length upstream walk partly along the river, partly in the wetland areas, see the following page. This route on this page heads downstream towards Brandýs nad Labem, using the footbridges in Čelákovice and the next village, Lázně Toušeň, to create a circular route.
• Lázně Toušeň is a small spa town known for its ferrous (iron) springs. There is an attractive small park area that can be visited on a short extension form the circular route. The park was the site of a now vanished medieval fortress, likely to have been surrounded by a canal moat system. The village has actually been settled since at least the late Stone Age – there is a small hillfort located above the Malvíny pond where a 5000 year old gold earring was discovered, the oldest known object made from gold in Central Europe.
• Čelákovice also has a long history and the old fortress (tvrz) now houses the town museum which includes a small archaeological section. There are also a number of good places for refreshment in the town, including the café and sweet shop Cukrářství U Vocásků, on the main street. On the opposite side of the river, just a short walk from the end of the footbridge is the popular pub Grado, with its outdoor seating areas.
• The route is almost completely flat and can be navigated with a stroller – although if doing so, it may be better to take the (asphalt) cycle path beside the Labe rather than follow the BLUE hiking trail on the section from Čelákovice to Lázně Toušeň. If starting at the train station the route is 11.4 km long, including the optional 1.7 km (there and back) extension to the Lázně Toušeň spa area. If driving, there are some parking areas in the center of Čelákovice. The train station is nearly 1 km out of town, so parking in town will reduce the trip length somewhat.

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 at Čelákovice train station, take the YELLOW hiking trail to the main town square which is reached after 700m
• Leave the YELLOW trail and continue on the main street for 300 to reach the roundabout. Here, turn right onto U Kapličky street
• Continue down the street for 300m until reaching the tennis courts. Here turn left onto the BLUE hiking trail
• Continue on the BLUE trail through the ponds complex to reach the sports area beside the river at Lázně Toušeň
• Here if wanting to visit the spa area, continue for 800m on the BLUE trail beside the river to reach the park and then return back the same way to cross the Labe on the footbridge, joining the YELLOW trail at this point
• After crossing the Labe, continue on the YELLOW trail for 1 km to reach the junction in the village of Káraný. Here, turn right onto the BLUE trail
• Follow the BLUE trail initially through the village and then beside the river to reach the Grado pub after 2.4 km
• Continue on the BLUE trail for 500m crossing the Labe again using the Čelákovice footbridge
• After crossing the river take the YELLOW hiking path back into the center of Čelákovice, passing the fortress-town museum on the way