Autumn in the Czech Republic: Nature and relaxing
Lizet Wesselman - 01/09/2024Autumn in the Czech Republic: Nature and relaxing
Lizet Wesselman - 01/09/2024Although I’m a big fan of spring and summer, autumn in the Czech Republic is really my favourite season. I’m a very big fan of fog and especially of that beautiful low-hanging fog in the mountains. Combine that with the beautiful autumn colours, and you have magical views as far as I am concerned. In the Czech Republic, you have a great chance of fog between September and December. So this is the perfect season for beautiful pictures! Moreover, the Czech wine season is in September/October and there is little better than refuelling in a spa town when it’s cold outside. And it happens that the Czech Republic has all of it! Read all about autumn in the Czech Republic here.
Autumn colours in Bohemian Switzerland
In the north of the Czech Republic lies the Bohemian Switzerland national park. An incredibly underrated natural park with impressive rock formations surrounded by forest. It is a perfect location for autumn walks, with both easy trails and climbing options for experienced climbers.
The contrast between the beautiful autumn colours and the rock formations makes it a beautiful area, but with the mist it is completely magical. This is one of my favourite areas in Europe and I have been there in every season by now. Winter is also very special, when the rock formations are covered with a layer of snow and the trees still show some autumn colours. But since the chance of snow is no longer so great in the Czech Republic either, I would still recommend autumn as the best travel time for Bohemian Switzerland.
This photo was taken in early September. The best travel time for autumn colours in Bohemian Switzerland is from late September to early November.
Relaxation and (beer) spas in Karlovy Vary
After a few days of hiking in nature, there is no better way for me to recharge and recover than a spa day. Karlovy Vary is a popular spa destination because of the hot springs that can be found there. Unfortunately, no hot water lakes you can bathe in, but lots of spa hotels that have pools filled with this water that comes directly from the surrounding area.
The water also has healing properties, according to the Czechs. You can therefore find water taps all over the city, where you can taste this water. Most people buy a small cup with a drinking spout, specially designed to let the hot water cool slightly before drinking it. These can be bought everywhere for around 1 or 2 euros. Have a nice souvenir right away!
But the Czechs often do not settle for a small cup. You will most likely come across some people filling whole bottles with this magical water. Not so magical that it makes an invalid walk again or a blind person see again, but it might solve gastrointestinal problems.
I had a Czech roommate for a period in Prague who was the first to tell me about this. The water is also available in supermarkets and I really had to try it for my stomach ache. As I said, it’s not exactly tasty water. But after my visit to Karlovy Vary in 2021, I did have much less frequent stomach aches than before. So give it a try, who knows.
Wine season in South-Moravia
Besides a wide selection of delicious Czech beers, did you know that the Czech Republic also has an entire wine region? In the south, against the border with Austria, there is an entire area of long expanses of vineyards. They even have a unique type of wine in the Czech Republic, which you can only get in the Czech Republic, called ‘Burčak’. This is a fresh wine that is only available during the wine season and cannot be bottled. This is because the wine is so young that the fermentation process is still going on. Would you put this in a bottle, it creates so much carbon dioxide that the bottle explodes (or at least the cork is pushed out and the wine squirts out as if you shook a bottle of champagne way too hard). You therefore buy this wine in plastic bottles, which you cannot keep sealed. So that makes shipping to other countries simply impossible, so you really have to come to the Czech Republic for it.
The wine is sweet-tasting and low in alcohol. It tastes more like lemonade than really wine. But definitely don’t drink it away like lemonade! Because it is unfiltered, you will very much regret it the next morning.
A unique wine only available in that country sounds like a good reason for a trip, right? As far as I’m concerned, it certainly is, so I’d really recommend visiting southern Moravia sometime in September or October. And of course, the wine season is also celebrated in the Czech Republic with several wine festivals, with the oldest in the cute town of Znojmo. During these festivals, you can enjoy not only the wines, but also local food, folk music and dance. It’s a great way to experience Czech culture and take part in the region’s age-old traditions.
Moreover, it is a beautiful sight to see the colours of the vineyards change in autumn, so it is also a great area for nature lovers to explore in autumn. The region can also be easily reached by train from Vienna.
(Again, the photo was taken in early September; for autumn colours in the vineyards, it’s better to go to southern Moravia in October)
A citytrip to Prague will always do
So although I can only recommend a trip to the Czech Republic in autumn, I also understand that not everyone has endless holidays. Want to get away from it all, but only have a (long) weekend? Then you can also just find all these things in Prague. Prague itself is always cosy, lively and beautiful. Foggy days in autumn create a magical atmosphere and you can taste the delicious Czech wine here too, of course.
For nature you don’t have to go far, Prague itself is bursting with fine parks, but if you really want a good autumn walk you need to be outside the city centre. Take the tram towards the airport and get off at ‘Divoka Sarka’. So this beautiful park is on the outskirts of the city, but feels like you’re fairly far away from everyday life.
For a spa day, a big city like Prague is of course the place to be. An also the Czech beer spa can be found here in abundance. Though very tourist-oriented and thus pricey, but certainly no less unique experience.
How to travel to the Czech Republic?
Travelling to the Czech Republic has become a lot easier, since the launch of the European Sleeper to Prague in April 2024. You get on at Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam or some intermediate stations, and get off the next morning in Prague, (hopefully) well-rested. Or go for nature first, and get off in Děčín, the town at the foot of Bohemian Switzerland. Brussels is easy to get to from the UK or France, by taking a direct Eurostar train. That way, it’s super easy to hop on a train to the beautiful autumn nature.
Train travel in the Czech Republic is also very easy and dirt cheap. You can book your tickets through České dráhy, the Czech train operator. Or check your route first with budget train operator Regiojet, with which you could also travel on to Vienna, Bratislava or Budapest for a bargain. And by bargain, I mean under €15, even without booking months in advance.
