Best places to run in Czechia

Central Europe's largest sandstone rock city, a maze of soaring pillars, ladders and a hidden lake along marked trails.

A striking Gothic castle on a twin volcanic hill, a short sharp climb rewarded by far-reaching lakeland views.

One of Europe's oldest virgin forests, an ancient mossy woodland explored on a short marked nature trail.

The largest and deepest glacial lake in Czechia, ringed by dark forest and reached by a quiet trail from Špičácké sedlo.

A wild glacial lake in a forested cirque near Black Lake, joined to it by a peaceful Šumava walking circuit.

A limestone landscape of wooded gorges, caves and dry meadows near Prague, with quiet marked valley trails.

The 549 m high point of the Pálava hills, crowned by the Děvičky castle ruin with sweeping views over South Moravia.

A rocky wooded valley with a stream, cliffs and a swimming pool within Prague, offering surprisingly wild trail running.

A famous sandstone rock town of slender towers in the Bohemian Paradise, ringed by a panoramic ridge trail past viewpoints.

A landmark 1,012 m peak topped by a futuristic hotel-tower, climbed on steep forest trails above Liberec.

A grand Gothic castle on a wooded ridge, reached by walks through the Český kras karst valleys from the river.

A romantic castle in a sandstone valley of cliffs and meadows, the heart of the Kokořínsko walking area.

A royal hunting castle deep in the forested Křivoklátsko biosphere, surrounded by long woodland walking routes.

A long flat riverside greenway following the Elbe, perfect for easy long-distance running and walking.

A UNESCO landscape park of chateaux, follies, ponds and avenues laced with flat, scenic walking and running paths.

A vast reservoir in southern Šumava with long flat lakeshore paths and a treetop walkway, ideal for easy runs and walks.

The highest peak of the Moravian-Silesian Beskydy at 1,323 m, a steady forest climb to one of the region's best views.

A popular forest-fringed lake immortalised by the poet Mácha, ringed by flat, easy lakeshore walking paths.

A 138 m deep collapsed-cave abyss in the Moravian Karst, viewed from rim platforms reached by walks through wooded valleys.

The highest peak of the volcanic Central Bohemian Uplands at 837 m, a steep cone climb to a sweeping summit panorama.

A karst landscape of limestone gorges, sinkholes and caves laced with shaded valley trails like the Punkva canyon.

A powerful 10 m waterfall, the highest-volume in the Krkonoše, an easy riverside walk above Harrachov.

A national park of dramatic sandstone gorges, tunnels and viewpoints with the famous Edmundova soutěska river canyon to walk.

A sun-baked 20 km limestone ridge above vineyards and lakes, with a fine open-grassland ridge walk to castle ruins.

The tallest waterfall in Czechia at around 148 m, dropping off the Labská louka plateau on a high mountain trail.

A 327 m wooded hill above the Vltava with rose gardens, orchards and a lookout tower, Prague's favourite uphill walk.

The highest peak of the Czech Šumava at 1,378 m, a forested climb above the glacial Plešné jezero.

A classic Bohemian Paradise rock city with narrow stairways and lookout points among pine-clad sandstone pinnacles.

The highest peak of Moravia at 1,491 m, topped by a tall tower and reached on long climbs past waterfalls from the spa town.

The symbolic source of the Elbe river on the open Krkonoše ridge, a scenic high-meadow walk along the Czech-Polish border.

Europe's largest natural sandstone arch, the iconic climax of a forest-and-sandstone hike from Hřensko.

A mountain saddle of folk-style wooden lodges and the Sky Walk, a scenic gateway to the Radhošť ridge walks.

A legendary Beskydy ridge with a chapel and the Radegast statue, walked along an easy panoramic crest from Pustevny.

A lone volcanic hill steeped in Czech founding legend, a short steep climb to a rotunda and wide lowland views.

A mountain crossroads in the Jizera Mountains amid peat bogs and streams, a hub for boggy-plateau walking trails.

At 1,603 m the highest mountain in Czechia, a windswept pyramid on the Polish border reached by steep, exposed ridge trails.

Prague's largest park, a flat, leafy expanse of meadows, ponds and tree-lined avenues popular with runners.

A twin-towered ruined castle on volcanic crags, the emblem of Český ráj and a steep but short hike for huge views.

The highest peak of the White Carpathians at 970 m, a flower-rich meadow summit on the Czech-Slovak border.

A cone-shaped extinct volcano above the Slezská Harta reservoir, a short climb to broad water-and-hills views.

A historic clifftop fortress above the Vltava with ramparts and parkland, a short scenic loop with river views.