*A circuit of the villages close to Okoř (with optional visit to Zájezd minizoo): 9 km – 12 km*

• The dramatic Gothic ruins of Okoř castle are just a few minutes’ drive to the north of Prague airport. Yet, during the week outside of high season, the village is often deserted. This is partly because the castle only opens at weekends outside the June to September period. But that should not put off those wanting an excellent walk through interesting countryside close to Prague, especially those walkers who want to enjoy a good lunch as part of the trip!
• Okoř might be most famous today for its summer music festival, but its spectacular ruined walls and tower have attracted visitors for centuries. Originally a 13th century wooden fortress, constructed on a rocky outcrop immediately next to the Zákolanský stream, Okoř was reconstructed in a Gothic style in the 14th century, and then remodeled several times from the 15th to 17th centuries. The castle was finally abandoned by the last owners, the Jesuit order, when they left Bohemia in the 18th century, and it slowly fell into its current ruined state, no doubt with the assistance of local housebuilders looking for quality stone.
• There are several options for walks starting in Okoř. One popular walk follows the picturesque Zákolanský stream northwards past several old mills, towards the old Slavic site of Budeč, on which the oldest rotunda chapel in Bohemia is situated. This walk is described here.
• For a gentle (maximum 5 km) walk along the stream to the nearby villages of Malé and Velké Čičovice, where two excellent restaurants are located, see here. For a longer walk in open countryside, which visits the Čičovice restaurants, but also passes through the villages of Libochovičky and (optionally) Zájezd, consider the route shown below. Zájezd is well known as the home of a mini zoo, including some very popular lemurs.
• The route, excluding the extension to Zájezd is 9 km long, with around 140m of height to ascend-descend. The visit to Zájezd adds around 2 km to the trip. The paths are a mix of country road and farm tracks, none of which are difficult.
• There are some great refreshment options on the route. In Okoř, skip those close to the castle, but instead consider the restaurace Okoř (which is also a small family hotel – map point 11), located at the eastern edge of the village. The second restaurant is V Polích, locate d in Malé Čičovice village. The third is the Dvůr Hoffmeister located in Velké Čičovice village. All three have outside seating areas. It is advisable to book a table in advance, especially during peak periods and weekends.

Note: click ‘Show on map’ above to go to a full screen version directly on the mapy.cz site. This can be used for online navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file

Directions

• Start the walk in Okoř (if driving, there is a large paid parking area close to the castle). There are also regular buses from Dejvická, Prague
• After visiting the castle area, take the BLUE hiking trail towards Libochovičky, initially up the road and then across the fields to reach Libochovičky village after 2.7 km
• In Libochovičky take the YELLOW trail towards the Za hájem junction, which is reached after 1.4 km
• At Za háje, if wanting to visit the zoo in Zájezd, take the GREEN trail to the right (note there are two separate section of the zoo, with different entrance points
• Return back to Za háje after visiting the zoo and continue on the YELLOW trail to reach Velké Číčovice after 1.6 km
• Continue on the YELLOW trail for 1 km to reach Malé Číčovice (note the restaurant V Polích is 200m off the hiking trail to the right – there are signs to the restaurant)
• From Malé Číčovice, join the RED trail, heading back to Okoř, which is reached after 1.5 km