The royal town of Litoměřice and Radobýl viewpoint – a 10 km walk

• Litoměřice was one of the most important towns in medieval Bohemia. At the confluence of the trade routes along Labe and Ohře rivers, in the warmest and most fertile part of the country, Litoměřice was founded in the early 13th century, but there was an earlier medieval castle on the site of the today’s Baroque cathedral of St Stephen. The town lost its importance during the industrialization of the area in the 19th century, but it remains one of the most attractive towns in northern Bohemia, with a wealth of historical buildings, including the Gothic castle which is now houses an interesting cultural center and wine museum.
• Three kilometers to the west of Litoměřice is the prominent volcanic hill of Radobýl (399m), with its very visible quarrying site, exposing the columns of volcanic rock. There are fine views from the summit. Combining a walk around the old town and a hike to the summit of Radobýl creates a varied short walk in the scenic territory of České středohoří.
• After climbing the 200m to the summit, there are several return options to Litoměřice, including returning on the outbound route on the northern side of the hill. It is also possible to descend on the far side of the hill to the Labe riverbank and take the train from the Žalhostice regional station or take the cycle path back along the river (but this passes the town’s water treatment plant, which can be very smelly). The route to Radobýl and back on the same path, with a short exploration of the town center is around 10km in length.
• Litoměřice can be reached on the regional train line between Mělník and Ústí nad Labem. There are several paid parking areas around town, including on the main square. There are many refreshment options in the town, including the stylish Italian café on the main square, the Leonardo. For good ice cream, try Leonardo or the seasonal ice cream stall in the northeast corner of Mírové náměstí outside the PizzaXXL restaurant.

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

• From the main train station, take the GREEN hiking trail in the direction of Litoměřice – hor. nádraží. The trail skirts the town center passing through the Jiráskovy sady (which was Czech park of the year in 2017) to reach the junction of Pokratice after 1.7 km
• At Pokratice join the YELLOW trail in the direction of Radobýl. The trail junction below the summit is reached after 3.2 km
• From the trail junction take the path to the summit, which is reached in 300, and then return back to the Radobýl  trail junction
• If wanting to return back to Litoměřice using the train line (or Labe cycle path), take the YELLOW trail towards Žalhostice, or return on the outbound route to the town center to explore the historical area around Mírové náměstí.