*A remarkably varied 17 km circular walk through the countryside near Prague airport*

• The relatively flat landscape northwest of Prague, near the main airport, offers a number of objectives for walkers in this surprisingly attractive terrain. The best known site is the poignant memorial to the village of Lidice, annihilated by the Nazis in 1942 in reprisal for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. The short (3 km) walk around the memorial area is a very worthwhile trip in its own right – the details are covered here.
• It is possible to combine a walk through the Lidice memorial area with other objectives on a longer circular trip, including the once mighty medieval castle of Buštěhrad and the attractive villages of Zájezd and Číčovice. Zájezd has an interesting open-air mini zoo, and the Číčovice villages host two excellent restaurants, for those wanting quality refreshments on their trip.
• The suggested route also passes close to the unique late Stone Age archaeological site of Makotřasy. This was discovered in 1961 during the construction of the D7 highway, which unfortunately runs straight though the site. The excavations revealed an almost square enclosure with 300m x 300m dimensions, numerous burial remains and the earliest known examples of copper metal-working in Bohemia, dating from nearly 6000 years ago. Makotřasy is considered to be one of the more important eneolithic cult/ceremonial sites in Central Europe. Sadly, it has not (yet) been made easily accessible to the public.
• The farming countryside between Zájezd and Černovičky villages is particularly attractive during the summer, passing through poppy-lined fields of wheat and barley. Interestingly, the crops grown today are remarkably similar to those discovered in the Makotřasy archaeological excavations. The climate was presumably quite similar 6000 years ago. The trail also passes the unusual Čičovický kamýk, which stands out like an island of trees amongst the wheat fields. This rocky hill was indeed once an island, lapped by waves in the tropical Cretaceous sea which filled the Bohemian basin nearly 100 million years ago.
• The circular route can, theoretically, be started at any point. Lidice has good bus connections and parking areas, but if visiting the zoo in Zájezd, then this might be the best starting point as following the route anticlockwise allows the final destination to be Číčovice villages, where the two excellent restaurants are located. The first restaurant is V Polích, located in Malé Čičovice. The second is the Dvůr Hoffmeister located in Velké Čičovice just 850m walk from V Polích. Both have outside seating areas. It is advisable to book a table in advance if visiting at a weekend or during a holiday period.
• None of the paths are difficult, and more than half the route is on asphalt pavements or roads. The sections across the fields to and from the Číčovice villages are not particularly suitable for strollers, however. The total height gained-lost on the 17km route is 190m.
• If wanting an even longer walk then consider taking an optional detour to the famous ruined medieval castle of Okoř, which is just an additional 2km detour along flat paths beside the stream from Malé Číčovice. This excursion is discussed in the Gastronomic walk from Okoř page. Okoř is also a potential starting point for the walk as it has a large (paid) parking area and good bus connections. The walk, if starting and finishing in Okoř, is 21 km long.

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

• If starting at the Zájezd zoo parking area, after visiting the zoo (there are two separate enclosures and a short nature trail connecting them), Take the GREEN hiking trail westwards towards Buštěhrad
• The path follows a quiet public road for 3 km before reaching the town. In the town the marked trail winds up into the old castle area, where there are several information panels describing important buildings located in the former fortress area
• From Buštěhrad continue on the GREEN trail to reach the Lidice memorial area in 1.8 km
• Explore the memorial at leisure, including the rose garden and the separate monuments to the killed men, women and children
• Leave the memorial area on the far side of the park area, still following the GREEN trail
• Continue on the GREEN trail for 4.6 km through the villages of Makotřasy, Běloky and Středoluky to reach the highway underpass
• Continue under the highway on the GREEN trail for 1 km until the path turns sharply right towards the village of Černovičky. Here, turn left and instead follow the cycle path towards the church
• The cycle path passes the hill of Čičovický kamýk on the left before reaching the village of Malé Čičovice in 1.8 km. Here there are signs to the recommended restaurant-pension of V Polích
• If taking taking the normal 17 km route, turn LEFT onto YELLOW trail in Malé Čičovice and then reach Velké Čičovice (where the Dvůr Hoffmeister hotel-restaurant is located)
• If taking the detour to Okoř, turn RIGHT onto the YELLOW trail and then after 300m join the RED trail to Okoř. Return back the same path after visiting Okoř
• From Velké Čičovice follow the YELLOW trail for 1.8 km to reach the trail junction of Za hájem. Here, turn onto the GREEN trail which leads back to Zájezd in 1 km