Adršpach – visiting the City of Rocks and practical information

While looking for beautiful places nearby Polish border, it’s worth to think about Czech Republix and exploring Stolowe Mointains. It’s the area where one of the most picturesque attractions is located – City of Rocks in Adršpach.

Location and access

The Rock City is located in the National Nature Reserve in Adršpašskoteplice Skály (cz: Národní Přírodní Rezervace Adršpašsko-Teplické Skály). It’s located only around 110 km from Wrocław, Poland. There are several ways to get to the attractions, with the car being the most comfortable one.

By car

A large parking lot is available to visitors, but due to the popularity of this attraction, it is worth booking and paying for a parking ticket in advance (just like in case of buying the entrance tickets). It is not possible to park outside the designated areas. Examples of routes from Wrocław are presented on the map below.

By train

The train station is at the very entrance to the Adršpašskoteplice Skály and the road passes through picturesque landscapes and is definitely a mode of transport worth considering. Rail connections and ticket prices can be found on the website of Czech Railways (available in Czech and English).

By bike

Depending on the starting point, you can also reach the City of Rocks by bike using one of the four routes. However, you should remember that these are mountain areas and such an expedition will definitely be physically demanding. You will need equipment and proper preparation. I’m presenting maps of bicycle routes below.

By bus

The City of Rocks can be also reached by bus. Bus station is located nearby the main entrance. Bus lines that stop in the nearby are:

• 377 in direction to Broumov;
• 640360 in direction to Police nad Metují;
• 371 in direction to Broumov;
• 360 in direction to Police nad Metují.

Admission and tickets

Ticket prices vary depending on the time of visit. They are different during main season (1/04-31/10) and outside main season (1/11-31/03). Besides that, there’s discount for children from 6 years old, students until 26 years of age, seniors over 65 years of age and people with disabilities with an ID card or certificate of disability. Children below 6 years of age enter the City of Rocks free of charge. Parking prices are valid for the entire day of parking.

There is an additional fee for a boat trip on the rocky lake (from May to October, in April when the weather is good). The admission fee is 50Kč per person (Note! Card payments are not available in the ticket office!). Attraction is open from 9am to 5pm.

Hiking routes

There are three sightseeing routes available to visitors, which can be completed in one day if you arrive in the morning and have sufficient energy reserves.

Starting from the main entrance, we can choose to start the main route (green route) or the loop around Lake Pískovna (blue route). At the moment, it’s not possible to swim through this lake, but according to the information on the official website, it can be available in the future.

The main route is about 3,8 km long and the first part (until it connects with the yellow route that leads to boats on a rocky lake) is not very demanding. It consists mainly of flattening and gentle approaches. It’s also marked as a part of the route suitable for walking with prams.

In the place where the yellow and green routes connect, you can choose whether you want to visit the Great Waterfall and the Goethe monument, take a boat cruise or continue the tour along the main route. I recommend that you first visit the waterfall and the monument (it is a part of the “there-and-back” route, the whole route is several hundred meters long), and then go on a boat (if the attraction is open). You’ll leave the cruise at the point where the green and yellow routes connect, where you can continue the trip along the main route.

From that moment on, the sightseeing route becomes much more demanding. It mainly consists of quite steep stairs of various dimensions (not at all suited to the average step) and you should be very careful with your feet here, and use the rest areas wisely. The views reward the effort, but for those who rarely hike in the mountains, the route will be quite a challenge. The road gets easier after passing the rock formation called Mysia Dziura (narrowing of the width of approx. 50 cm) – the level of difficulty returns to the one we know from the beginning of the route.

Along the route, just before the start of the biggest ascents, there is a so-called “emergency route”, which allows wheelchairs and prams to bypass the most difficult part of the trek. It connects the last pram-friendly section of the route with the next section that can be covered in this way. It is a shortcut and the last moment to withdraw from climbing hundreds of stairs, but also means giving up admiring the most interesting rock formations.

There are two exits – we can leave the route at an earlier stage and visit the castle in Adršpach, or continue the route and exit near the main entrance, where a restaurant and a few more souvenir stands await us.

Additional attractions

Earlier I mentioned two noteworthy additional attractions. The first is a boat trip on the rocky lake, the second is a visit to the castle in Adršpach.

A cruise on a rocky lake

Boat trips on the rock lake are available on the yellow route from May to October (in good weather, April cruises are also possible). Admission fee is 50Kč per person – no card payment possible. Right after the ticket office, the ascent begins with a very steep and narrow staircase – we have to cover a similar route at the exit of the attraction (we make a loop).

The ticket office is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. – this means that if you start your tour in the afternoon, I recommend that you enter the Rock City at 3:00 p.m. at the latest and skip the blue route (or postpone it for later).

Personally, I think it’s definitely worth it. The cruise takes place with a Czech speaking guide with a Polish translation – you can also get information brochures in English or German. The views are beautiful, and at the same time it is an opportunity to rest on the route.

Adršpach castle

The castle was opened to the public in 2014, a year after it was taken over by the municipality of Adršpach, which carried out a major renovation of the building. Originally, in the 15th century, it was a fortress built by the Berek family of Dubá, then expanded by the Nádherný family in 1866. The castle served various functions – including an archive or a boarding house for students of a textile school.

Many cultural events take place in the castle, there is an escape room in the atmosphere of the movie “The Third Prince”, which was filmed in Adršpašskoteplice Skály, as well as a café where you can relax with a coffee and cake.

The castle can be visited on all days except Mondays.

Tips for planning a trip

• Be sure to buy tickets through the official website of the City of Rocks. Tourist traffic is considerable and often in the morning there are no tickets left, especially when it comes to parking, which is bought for the whole day. Do it well in advance!
• If you are planning a boat trip and complete the main route, try to enter the City of Rocks by 3:30 p.m. at the latest – this time will allow you to complete the first part of the route at a leisurely pace and reach the boat ticket office before closing it.
• Choose a comfortable outfit for mountain hiking, paying special attention to shoes. I know that the City of Rocks is a very Instagrammable place and many people come there to create content for their profiles, but I saw extremely dangerous situations caused by inappropriate footwear.
• The route is difficult, especially in the second part. However, it is perfectly manageable even for people sitting on the couch most of the day. Prepare a supply of water, something sweet to snack on and even 1-2 sandwiches. Use designated rest areas and enjoy the route. It’s short enough that starting in the morning and walking extremely slowly, you’ll finish it stress-free.
• For pet owners! Think carefully about whether this is a good trip for your dog. On the route, we saw a lot of dogs that simply couldn’t cope with the ascents and stairs – they sometimes fainted and injured their paws caused by slipping and getting their paws between the stairs. With our Homer, we would never decide to go this route – he is not a typical sports dog, nor trained, with high efficiency and coordination.

Useful information

Address: Adršpach 26, Dolní Adršpach 549 57
Website: https://www.adrspasskeskaly.cz
Google Maps coordinates:50.6171658, 16.1219054

Summary

A trip to the City of Rocks this summer was my first conscious (because the second – I visited this place with my parents as a young child) trip to this place. TikToki and Instagram didn’t lie – it’s definitely worth going there. Not only for health and a bit of sport, but also for breathtaking views.

Have you ever been to Adršpach? How did you like it?

Find accommodation nearby

[booking_product_helper shortname=”adrspachmapa”]

The accommodation search engine contains Booking.com affiliate links

Other places nearby:

• Safari Park ZOO in Dvůr Králové – practical information