A tranquil walk along the Ohře cycle path from Karlovy Vary towards Kyselka: 11 km to 16 km
- There are many walks in this guide which include a section along the Ohře river (the country’s 4th longest) as it flows for over 300 km from the Bavarian Fichtelgebirge mountains to meet the Labe at Litoměřice. Some of the hiking trails along this pretty river double up with the long distance cycle path (marked 6 on maps and signs). Occasionally, the best trail to walk beside the Ohře is actually the cycle path rather than the marked hiking route which can sometimes veer into the hills and away from the river.
- A case in point is the section of cycle path heading east from Karlovy Vary. There is an 11 km stretch shown in the map below, which follows the river closely on a mix of gravel and forest tracks. Arguably this section is even better for walkers than cyclists! Walked midweek in summer it is surprisingly quiet and tranquil. The first part of the route starts at Karlovy Vary lower train station and stops at the Šemnice bus stop (map point 4) – if finishing here, note the bus times before setting off, as buses are quite infrequent.
- It is possible to carry on along the cycle path beyond Šemnice towards Kyselka (which is a very interesting spot, with a variety of walking options) but this involves either a walk along a busy road for 4 km, or a diversion into the hills (the route is shown in the map and involves an unmarked footpath).
- Assuming finishing at Šemnice, this is a completely flat walk and can be managed with a stroller. For refreshments on the route, in summer there is a snack bar at the forest camp Hubertus (map point 3).
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 Karlovy Vary dolní train station head east initially beside the railway on the pavement to cross the Teplá river after 500m and join the YELLOW hiking trail
- Stay on the YELLOW trail for 1 km until crossing the Ohře at the Drahovice bridge. There, join the cycle path heading east
- Stay on the cycle trail (marked 6) for 9.4 km until recrossing the river at Šemnice.
- If continuing on the trail to Kyselka (note – not suitable for strollers), cross over the main road and take the side street which soon becomes an unmarked track through the forest
- After 700m reach a crossroads and turn left onto the side road. This leads after 800m to the RED marked hiking path
- Turn left onto the hiking path and remain on this for 3.7 km until reach Kyselka
- Catch the bus back to Karlovy Vary from Kyselka