Short walks to Olomouc’s pilgrimage church and zoo on Svatý Kopeček – 2 km to 4 km

• If visiting Olomouc, or travelling in the area, take a moment to visit the impressively situated Baroque basilica on Svatý Kopeček, just 6 km from the city. This Moravian landmark has been an important pilgrimage site since the 17th century. There are excellent views from the terraces.
• Also on the hill is the Olomouc zoo and a short walk to and around the Basilica can easily be combined with a visit to this well known and popular zoo, which also has a large observation tower. There are parking areas on the hilltop, but for a more memorable experience, take the bus to the foot of the hill and walk up towards the Basilica on the pilgrimage route along the ‘Way of the Cross’.
• The walk up/down the hill and circling around the Basilica area, passing by the zoo entrance, is approximately 4 km (with 150m of height difference) and can be managed with a stroller. There are longer walks available in the forest around the zoo, if desired.
• There are various good refreshment options on Svatý Kopeček. The doughnuts from the Daniel´s Donuts near to the zoo entrance come highly recommended (!) and the café in the basilica complex, Kavárna Na kopečku, serves excellent coffee and homemade cakes.

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

• To walk the ‘Way of the Cross’, take the bus to the Samotišky stop and then follow the RED trail staright up the hill for 900m to reach the Basilica
• Continue around the hill top, following one of the short educational trails clockwise towards the zoo area and then return back to the Basica along a side street. There are several route possibilities on the hill top – the one shown in the map is just one of the options