A 16 km circuit beside the reservoir to the south of Orlík nad Vltavou

• The Schwarzenberg owned Neo-Gothic chateau at Orlík nad Vltavou is a popular tourist attraction situated on a rocky crag overlooking the scenic Orlík reservoir. There are a couple of good walks available to combine with a visit to the chateau. The first is a loop in the park area to the north of the chateau, where the Schwarzenberg tomb is located. This 6 km easy walk is covered separately.
• A more rugged option is to follow the nature trail that runs the length of the reservoir southwards from the chateau. Various lengths of route are possible as the trail runs for 25 km until reaching the castle at Zvíkov. Set out in the map below is 16 km circular route. This can be shortened if necessary, or extended by a further section above the lake (or by tackling the loop in the park area to the north of the chateau)
• Orlík was originally a Gothic royal castle, probably commissioned by the Přemyslid King Otakar II, in the 13th century. The castle underwent several transformations over the centuries, most recently in the mid 19th century when it obtained its current Neo-Gothic form.
• The chateau was acquired by a branch of the Schwarzenberg noble family in the 18th century. Perhaps the most notable owner was Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg, who commanded the Imperial forces that defeated Napoleon at the decisive battle of Leipzig in 1813. The chateau is normally open for (quite expensive) tours from April to October. It is possible to walk around the outside of the chateau and small garden area for free!
• The nature trail paths are not difficult, although there is one short steep section after crossing a small stream. The trail does undulate quite a bit, dropping down to the water’s edge and then climbing a couple of times. There is a total of nearly 460m of height to ascend/descend on the 16 km suggested route. There is an excellent viewpoint on Krkavčí skála, which is worth the short detour. The nature trail is generally well marked, but there are a couple of junctions appearing to lack trail markers, so this this is best followed with a good map (or the mapz.cz phone application).
• For refreshments, try the interesting new bistro, located in a converted barn next to the chateau. It is only open seasonally but is definitely worth visiting when open.

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

• The village of Orlík nad Vltavou can be reached by bus from the large town of Písek. For drivers there is (paid) parking near the chateau
• From the parking area, join the green nature trail (green-white diagonal stripes) which starts on the side path leading towards the chateau
• The trail keeps to the cliff above the reservoir and continues for 3.5 km until reaching the Pod Žďákovským mostem junction underneath the road bridge
• Continue on the nature trail for a further 1.1 km until reaching the Nad Krkavčí skálou trail junction. Here, if wanting to visit the Krkavčí skála viewpoint (recommended) turn left onto the YELLOW trail
• The viewpoint is reached after 800m – note the last section follow the yellow square trail markings and there is a small sign directing to the viewpoint
• Return back to the Nad Krkavčí skálou junction after visiting the viewpoint and there rejoin the green nature trail heading in the direction of Peklo
• After 4.4 km of undulating trail, reach the Peklo trail junction. Here, turn right onto the RED hiking trail, heading in the direction of Orlík
• Stay on the RED trail for 4.2 km to return back to the car park (take the opportunity to visit the chateau area, and the bistro if it is open)