East Bohemian Way

At a Glance

• Start / Finish: Libná on the Czech-Polish border (587 m) → Vlašim, at the castle and its landscape park (348 m)
• Length: 262.5 km — the route operator cites up to 269 km; that is the route via Kuks plus the Polish approach
• Elevation gain: ↗ 2,443 m / ↘ 2,682 m — 9.3 m per kilometer; the flattest of the six Czech Ways of St. James and flatter than the Via de la Plata; the route has a net descent of 239 meters
• Highest / lowest point: 665 m on the ridge of the Broumovské stěny (km 30.7) / 199 m along the Elbe River near Záboří nad Labem (km 183.5)
• Duration: 9–12 days (12 stages—standard; 10—sporty; 9—minimum)
• Waymarking: A yellow scallop shell on a blue background—but only on the trail markers; in between are the colored bars of the Klub českých turistů. With the Camino Ninja app you’re safe — it has the complete route on board.
• Operator: ULTREIA z.s. (Prague) in partnership with the Klub českých turistů, the Hradec Králové Region, and the Pardubice Region; marked starting May 18, 2017
• Pilgrim passport: Czech ULTREIA credential (110 Kč); available for purchase and stamping at Pardubice Castle, among other locations; over 100 stamping locations in the Czech network
• Hostels: Exactly one—the “Jakub klub” in Přelouč, for a voluntary donation; otherwise, guesthouses, campgrounds, Caritas, and sports clubs starting at 230 Kč; always reserve at least two days in advance
• Access route: The Camino Sudecka ends right at the starting point—one spot, two routes; the second branch runs from Wambierzyce through Božanov to Broumov
• Connection: The South Bohemian Way begins right at the endpoint in Vlašim; ⚠️ There is no connection to Prague—the route never comes within 49 km of the capital
• UNESCO: Kutná Hora, with St. Barbara's Cathedral and Sedlec (1995), along the route; the Kladruby nad Labem Royal Stud Farm (2019), 3.4 km from
• Best time: May through October — this isn't a weather recommendation, but rather a bed availability note: several lodging options and the Police Monastery Museum are open only during the season

Overview

In 18. Mai 2017 A woman from Pardubice was standing at the Polish border and began marking the Way of St. James—with yellow stickers from two by two centimeters, a seashell and a directional arrow; each location was approved in advance by local municipalities and property owners and then photographed. Zora Voženílková She has been to Santiago several times, and her motive is quoted verbatim in the newspaper:“Cestu jsem prioritně začala dělat pro ženy, které mi často říkaly, že nemají finance …” — She created this route primarily for women who told her they had no money—specifically, no money to go to Spain. The result is a Camino where the cheapest bed costs 230 kroner, about nine euros—and yet it is by no means a contrived creation: Along its 262.5 kilometers, there are Six St. James Churches, one every 44 kilometers, the oldest of which was consecrated in 1165. No organization put them there. They were already there.

You're leaving 262.5 Kilometers from the border at Libná until Vlašim, and the trail forms a U-shape along the way: first sandstone—the ridge of the Broumovské stěny at 665 meters, nestled among rock towers, one of which Mušle means "clam" —, then 100 kilometers of the Elbe Plain, which together add up to a total of 418 meters in elevation gain, followed by more hills all the way to the Sázava Valley. With 9.3 meters of elevation gain per kilometer It is the flattest of the six Czech Ways of St. James, flatter than the Via de la Plata, and has a net elevation drop of 239 meters: This path goes downhill. Overall. And it is the route that bypasses Prague—it never comes within 49 kilometers of the capital. Instead, together with the Camino Sudecka and the South Bohemian Way, it forms its own eastern chain of 592 kilometers, from Lubań in Lower Silesia to the Austrian border, with two handoffs that work seamlessly: At the start, one route ends right where you set off; at the finish, the next one begins right where you arrive.

Consecrated in 1165, closed in 1618, sealed in 2017

The oldest record of this path is attributed to James: 1165 Daniel, the thirteenth Bishop of Prague, consecrated St. James's Church on Jakub near Kutná Hora—in the presence of King Vladislav and Queen Judith, donated by a woman named Marie and her sons Slavibor and Pavel; the dedication charter was discovered in 1846 during repairs to the church. Its south wall bears"nejrozsáhlejším zachovaným souborem románské plastiky v Čechách" — the most extensive surviving collection of Romanesque sculptures in Bohemia (to be fair: it’s located 3.3 kilometers from the route). And at the other end of the chain of evidence stands a forgery that no one is trying to hide: Broumov and Police nad Metují, the two monastic towns at the start of the route, cite deeds of donation from 1213 and 1229—and the town of Police writes on its own history page: “obě tyto listiny patří do souboru tzv. ‚břevnovských falz'” — Both are among the “Břevnov forgeries,” likely produced after 1260 by monks who wanted to keep their land and, to that end, invented a king who had donated it to them. A path whose oldest record is genuine and whose founding charter is a forgery—and the sources themselves state both facts.

Then kilometer 24.3. 1618 Abbot Wolfgang Selender had the Protestant prayer house in Broumov conclude — and the Military History Institute in Prague cites precisely that as one of the two immediate triggers of the Defenestration of Prague:"Byl uzavřen evangelický kostel v Broumově a dokonce zbourán kostel v Hrobu u Teplic." On May 21, 1618, the Protestant estates gathered in defiance of an imperial ban, at the 23. Mai 1618 The governors were thrown out the window. The Thirty Years' War began at kilometer 24 of this route — The monastery stands right on the route. This isn’t the only historical site you’ll pass: Sedlec burned down in 1421, and Jan Žižka was buried in Hradec Králové in 1424 (km 110), in 1424 he had previously burned down Kutná Hora (km 201), and in 1437 Sion, the last Hussite fortress, fell (1.2 km from km 208.6). The trail retraces the Hussite Wars in this order—backward, from the grave to the battle.

And then, after the expulsion and forty years of border closures—by 1946, 22,000 Germans had left the Broumov region in 22 transport convoys; a memorial to reconciliation at kilometer 1.9 commemorates this event—came 2017 The Woman with the Stickers. By the time she reached Kuks, Zora Voženílková had placed 150 stickers and marked over 130 kilometers, in coordination with the Klub českých turistů and with the support of two district administrations, under the project name"Poutníci poutníkům" — Pilgrim to pilgrim. Her comment on this:"Co mi cesta dala, to se ji snažím vrátit." — I try to give back to the path what it has given me. And that brings this journey full circle: In 1165, a St. James Church stood here. In 1618, a 17th-century war broke out here. In 2017, a woman from Pardubice used stickers to mark the path between them.

Other Names

In Czech, the trail is called Východočeská svatojakubská cesta — East Bohemian Way of St. James — or, for short, in the sponsoring association's directory Východočeská trasa; here, it goes by the English name East Bohemian Way, as ULTREIA itself spells it internationally and as its sister routes are spelled: Zittau Way, Železná Way, Všeruby Way, South Bohemian Way, Moravian-Silesian Way. It is one of six Czech Ways of St. James operated by the same association—and the only one in this eastern chain that bypasses Prague. There’s one numerical pitfall you should be aware of: ULTREIA states in its own publications 264, 265, 269, and 269.4 kilometers. The longer distances include the section starting from Krzeszów — the final stretch of the Camino Sudecka — and the official loop via Kuks—which the direct route omits—covers 6.5 kilometers. The distance from the border at Libná to Vlašim is 262.5 kilometers — We'll stick with that. Don't confuse it with: The Vambeřická poutní cesta is a separate pilgrimage route that runs from Wambierzyce via Božanov and joins this route in Broumov. And the Trstenická stezka, where Přelouč was founded, is a medieval trade route from Moravia to Litomyšl—not a pilgrimage route, but proof that this route is ancient.

Who It's Ideal For—and Who It's Not So Ideal For

This route is for you if you have twelve days and like monuments but don't want to do any climbing: 9.3 meters of elevation gain per kilometer, with almost all the strenuous parts in the first two days, followed by 100 kilometers with a total elevation gain of 418 meters—and along the way, two UNESCO sites, six St. James churches (the oldest dating from 1165), and the spot where the Thirty Years’ War began. It’s also ideal if you want to travel on a budget, because that’s what it was made for: the cheapest bed costs 230 crowns—about nine euros—and in Přelouč, you pay whatever you think is fair. And it’s the route for you if you don’t mind being alone—no one counts how many pilgrims are walking here, and if you happen to run into someone with a scallop shell along the way, you’ll be in for a surprise.

To be honest, though, it's not for you if you're looking for everyday hostel life and the company of fellow pilgrims. Along the 262-kilometer route, there are one a real pilgrim hostel, the “Jakub klub” in Přelouč—where you’ll need your own mat and sleeping bag; everything else consists of guesthouses, campgrounds, a Caritas facility, and beds at sports clubs, which the trail operator lists “without guarantee” and which at least two days in advance You’ll need to be prepared. It’s not for you either if you plan to rely on signage: The seashell symbol is only on the directional signs; in between, you’ll follow the colored bars of the Klub českých turistů—with the Camino Ninja app you’ll still find your way: it has the complete route on board. And if you’re expecting a trail through untouched nature: The same rule applies to the hundred flat kilometers in the Elbe Corridor as to all river bike path landscapes—there’s a lot of paved surface underneath. There are no official surface statistics for this route, and we’d rather tell you that than make something up.

Route & Landscape

You start on a Grenzkamm at 587 meters — exactly where the Camino Sudecka ends in Lower Silesia. After two kilometers, the Reconciliation Monument on Bukova Hora For the victims of postwar expulsion, you’ll find yourself in the Baroque landscape of the Broumov region: Stations of the Cross, Dientzenhofer churches, a train station with a theater on the upper floor (Meziměstí, right by the trail). At kilometer 24 lies Broumov with its Benedictine monastery, right on the trail—and just beyond that comes the only real climb: over Křinice to the crest of the Broumovské stěny, at kilometer 30.7, to 665 meters, between sandstone towers named Kočka, Bumbrlíček, and Mušle. After that, the trail leads through Police nad Metují into the Metuje Valley, to Hronov and Červený Kostelec — Náchod lies seven kilometers to the northeast, as a recommended day trip option — and through the Babiččino údolí according to Česká Skalice.

From Jaroměř Everything changes: The path leads into the Polabí into the Elbe Plain and remains there for a hundred kilometers—Josefov, Smiřice, Hradec Králové, the castle Kunětická hora on its volcanic cone, Pardubice, Přelouč, the pastures of Kladruby nad Labem with the Habsburgs' carriage horses. 104 kilometers of this route are below 250 meters, and the lowest point, at 199 meters, is a Romanesque church dedicated to St. Prokop on the banks of the Elbe near Záboří. According to Kutná Hora — Silberstadt, Ossuary, St. Barbara's Cathedral — it slopes back toward the hills: across Malešov featuring the Hussite ruins of Sion and Zbraslavice down 501 meters into the Sázava-Tal, following the river through Kácov until Vlašim. The path ends at the castle park—and there, at that very spot, the South Bohemian Way... The Sagenberg Blaník is located 7.7 kilometers to the south, along the line of sight.

Stages, Terrain & Difficulty

Stage 12 These are the route segments we recommend—an average of 21.9 kilometers, based on the locations listed in the official lodging guide, since the trail operator has only defined the first five stages; starting from Jaroměř, you’ll have to plan the rest yourself. The kilometer figures are based on track measurements from our route database (total distance 262.5 km) and still include “approx.” Technically, there is nothing difficult about this approach—the only challenge is that it requires putting in the effort early on: Stages 1 and 2 together account for 644 meters of elevation gain, stages 5 through 8 total 357 over 91 kilometers. The real factor to consider isn't the incline anyway, but the bed: Your destination for the day isn't determined by your fitness level, but by where your reserved lodging is located.

1. Libná (Border) → Broumov — approx. 24.3 km, ↗ 261 m — Starts on the border ridge, right where the Camino Sudecka ends; Bukova hora Reconciliation Monument (km 1.9), Dientzenhofer St. Michael’s Church in Vernéřovice (right on the trail), Meziměstí train station with a theater on the upper floor, first St. James' Church in Ruprechtice (cornerstone laid in 1720). Destination: Broumov Monastery, right on the route.
2. Broumov → Hronov — approx. 23.0 km, ↗ 383 m — the queen stage, and it comes on day two: over the Broumovské stěny, highest point of the route (665 m, km 30.7), a rock formation called Mušle; Police nad Metují Monastery, a stone marked “3 321 km to Santiago” in Bezděkov. In Hronov, the official Náchod-Variante Starting at: 21 km, one more day.
3. Hronov → Česká Skalice — approx. 23.3 km, ↗ 282 m — the red St. James Church from Červený Kostelec (1744–54), then down into Babiččino údolí with Ratibořice Castle and Staré bělidlo.
4. Česká Skalice → Jaroměř — about 17.9 km, ↗ 185 m — a short day, and a day to extend: Kuks The route with the Braun statues is 3.2 km away; the official route goes through it (+6.5 km). Destination: third St. James' Church In Jaroměř, Gothic town center. ⚠️ Construction warning for 2025/26 near Kuks; take the detour along the blue-marked trail.
5. Jaroměř → Hradec Králové — approx. 21.5 km, ↗ 26 m — the flattest day of pilgrimage on this route: 1.2 meters of elevation gain per kilometer. The fortified town of Josefov, then the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit—Žižka’s burial church from 1424.
6. Hradec Králové → Pardubice — approx. 22.2 km, ↗ 110 m — Elbe meander, the Opatovický kanál from 1498 (still in use today), Kunětická hora Castle a few minutes from the trail. You can get a credencial and a stamp at Pardubice Castle.
7. Pardubice → Přelouč — approx. 21.8 km, ↗ 82 m — the second-flattest day. Goal: fourth St. James Church, right on the path — and the Jakub klub, the only true pilgrim inn along the route.
8. Přelouč → Týnec nad Labem — approx. 25.3 km, ↗ 139 m — the UNESCO stud farm Kladruby nad Labem is 3.4 km away; accommodations are available at Kemp Marina (Týnec, 1.9 km from the route) or, closer by, in Zdechovice.
9. Týnec nad Labem → Kutná Hora — approx. 21.9 km, ↗ 174 m — Heritage Day: the lowest point of the route (199 m) at St. Prokop’s Church in Záboří, Kačina Castle, a detour to the St. James' Church by Jakub (1165, 3.3 km), then Sedlec with an ossuary and a cathedral. Destination: sixth St. James Church, right on the trail. A day of rest should be included here.
10. Kutná Hora → Zbraslavice — approx. 22.3 km, ↗ 371 m — Back to the hills; the ruins of Sion Castle, “poslední významná bašta husitů” 1.2 km away. ⚠️ Ultreia does not list any lodging in Zbraslavice—check in advance or stay in Malešov (which will result in a 31.5-km stage).
11. Zbraslavice → Kácov — approx. 16.5 km, ↗ 161 m — the shortest day, rolling Hornosázava countryside, down to the Sázava River; in Kácov, according to the trail operator, “dobrá restaurace v pivovaru” — a good restaurant in the brewery.
12. Kácov → Vlašim — approx. 22.4 km, ↗ 270 m — along the Sázava River to the Vlašim Castle Park (Sázava Monastery is 9.1 km away — a major detour, not a waypoint). Ends at the castle park — and at that same point, it connects to the South Bohemian Way.

Anyone who only ten days If you do, you'll cover the route, which is 26 kilometers in diameter—but you'll pay double: The through-stages let Hradec Králové and Pardubice on the left, and between Kutná Hora and Kácov, the route covers 38.8 km with 532 meters of elevation gain, because between Malešov (km 208.5) and Kácov (km 240.0) Not a single bed is listed along a 31.5-kilometer stretch—you plan for gaps like that in advance, not while you're on the road. Nine days The minimum requirements are: an average of 29.2 kilometers per day, two mountain days at the start, and the “Bettenlücke” included. Twelve days is honestly a more comfortable itinerary. And once again, the Kuks Warning: For 2025/26, the trail operator reports road construction near Kuks, with an official detour via the blue-marked trail to Jaroměř—check ultreia.cz before departure.

Highlights Along the Way

• Border Ridge near Libná (km 0) — 587 meters, the point where the Camino Sudecka ends and this trail begins—seamlessly, not just “nearby.” At km 1.9, the Reconciliation Monument on Bukova Hora — By 1946, 22,000 Germans had left the Broumover region in 22 transports.
• Ruprechtice (km 21,5) — the first St. James Church along the road, a few minutes off the trail: cornerstone laid August 18, 1720; consecrated in 1723, Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer — one of four churches in the Broumov Group (eleven buildings, 1709–43, designated a national cultural monument in 2022) located directly along this route.
• Broumov (km 24,3) — St. Wenceslas Benedictine Abbey, right on the path; a replica of the Shroud of Turin at the monastery museum. This is where the Protestant house of prayer once stood; its closure in 1618 was one of the factors that triggered the Thirty Years' War.
• Broumovské stěny (km 26,6–34,6) — the highest point along the trail, 665 m, between sandstone towers named Kočka, Bumbrlíček, and Mušle — a rock called Muschel, on the Way of St. James. The star-shaped Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows on Hvězda is located 3.7 km northeast along the ridge (detour).
• Police nad Metují (km 37,1) — Monastery Church of the Assumption (stone structure, 1254–94), right on the path, a drinking fountain in the middle of the square — and a founding charter from 1213 that has been proven to be a forgery: “obě tyto listiny patří do souboru tzv. ‚břevnovských falz'”, the city itself writes. Four kilometers further on, in Bezděkov, the stone reads: “ Z Bezděkova nad Metují je to do Santiaga de Compostela 3 321 km.“
• Červený Kostelec (km 54,4) — the second St. James Church: 1744–54, based on plans by Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer, painted red — The place is called “Rote Kirche.”
• Ratibořice / Babiččino údolí (km 67,8) — The castle, Staré bělidlo, and Viktorka’s fort: the landscape from Božena Němcová’s “Babička”. The valley wasn’t given the name “Grandmother Valley” until 1878 by a doctor from Smiřice—23 years after the novel was published.
• Kuks (3.2 km from km 84.2) — the Baroque hospital with the twelve statues of virtues and vices by Matthias Braun, along with its Betlém carved into the rock. The official route winds through it (+6.5 km), and the trail maintainer said of the place: “i když jde o cestu poutníků … tuhle obec prostě vynechat nejde”—you simply can’t skip this place. ⚠️ Road construction 2025/26, detour via Jaroměř.
• Jaroměř & Josefov (km 88,5–90,5) — the third St. James Church, unassuming on the outside, Gothic on the inside, in the royal city of widows—and right behind it, Josefov, the Habsburg fortress town.
• Hradec Králové (km 110,0) — Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, a few minutes from the trail: Queen's Foundation Eliška Rejčka (from 1307), burial church of Jan Žižka (1424) — Hradec Králové and Čáslav have been disputing the location of the general’s final resting place ever since a skull was discovered there in 1910. ⚠️ The battlefield from 1866 is located near Chlum, seven kilometers to the northwest: The route goes through the city, not across the battlefield.
• Pardubice (km 132,2) — The Pernštejn family’s Renaissance moated castle, a few minutes from the trail; in front of it stands Kunětická hora Castle on its volcanic cone (km 126.9, a few minutes off the trail). You can get a credencial and a stamp at the castle — and the woman who marked the entire route is from this city.
• Přelouč (km 153,9) — the fourth St. James Church, right on the path, Romanesque core; marked on the pavement in front of it is the spot where the Jesuit Koniáš burned heretical books in 1738. And here lies the Jakub klub, the only pilgrim lodge along the route: “dobrovolný příspěvek, karimatku a spacák s sebou” — bring your own voluntary contribution, sleeping mat, and sleeping bag.
• Kladruby nad Labem (3.4 km from km 164.3) — the UNESCO Royal Stud Farm (2019): established by imperial decree of Rudolf II on March 6, 1579, covering 1,310 hectares — and the Altkladrub horses have been legally recognized since 2002 living monuments.
• Jakub near Církvice (3.3 km from km 193.2) — St. James Church in 1165, consecrated by Bishop Daniel in the presence of the king and queen: the most extensive surviving Romanesque sculptural ensemble in Bohemia, “absolutně ojedinělá stavba”—the fifth and oldest St. James Church This route—to be honest, a detour from Nové Dvory.
• Sedlec & Kutná Hora (km 198,8–202,0) — In 1278, Abbot Heinrich brought a handful of soil from Golgotha to Sedlec; it drew the skeletons from 40,000 to 70,000 people to this place, arranged into pyramids and candelabras since 1870 (ossuary just under 1 km off the trail). Behind it lies the Silver City: the sixth St. James Church (around 1300, North Tower 84 m) right on the path, the St. Barbara Cathedral a few minutes off the trail — originally planned to be twice as large, but the silver ran out before it could be completed. By the end of the 13th century, one-third of Europe’s silver came from here. UNESCO 1995.
• Vlašim (km 262,4) — The end, at the castle and its landscaped park, and at the same spot, the beginning of the South Bohemian Way. The Blaník, where, according to legend, the knights of St. Wenceslas sleep, is located 7.7 kilometers to the south along the line of sight—the continuation of the route runs over it.

How Pilgrims Find Their Way onto This Path

The Camino Sudecka flows seamlessly into this route: it ends right where this one begins. The Sudecka runs 114.3 kilometers from Lubań in Lower Silesia, about the monastery Krzeszów and Chełmsko Śląskie, and it merges directly into this route. No gaps, no connecting stages: Two paths, one seamless transition. For those who want to start even higher up: Lubań is located on the Camino Dolnosląska (159.7 km, Głogów → Görlitz), from which the Sudecka branches off to the south—thus connecting this line to the overall Polish rail network.

The second approach is a pilgrimage route: From Wambierzyce the Vambeřická poutní cesta comes over via Božanov and intersects with this route at Broumov — “The routes from the pilgrimage sites of Krzeszów and Wambierzyce meet in Broumov,” as the Regional Council of the Královéhradecký kraj put it. And anyone who doesn’t want to take a shuttle can simply hop on Meziměstí a: The train station is located right by the trail at kilometer 13.4—no train on any of our lines stops any closer to the road.

Continue the pilgrimage?

This route doesn't end in Santiago, but at a castle park—and Vlašim is a handoff point that works seamlessly: exactly where this route ends begins the South Bohemian Way, 215.4 kilometers past Blaník through South Bohemia to Svatý Tomáš on the Austrian border. Together with the Camino Sudecka In the north, this results in a continuous chain of 592 kilometers From Lubań in Lower Silesia to the Bohemian Forest—with two transfers and not a single gap, and without passing through Prague.

And here's a note on exactly that—something that's often done incorrectly: The Zittau Way, the Železná Way and the Všeruby Way They all go through Prague — This route does not come any closer to the capital than 49 kilometers. Anyone who wants to go from here to Prague drives; they don't walk. Once you cross the Austrian border, the Alpine network takes over, and at the end of each of these routes lies the same path: the Camino Francés from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

Preparation & Practical Information

Label: You follow the yellow scallop shell on a blue background—but only on the signposts. The trail operator says it themselves: “Značení v maximální míře využívá existující turistické značení Klubu českých turistů”—the trail markings make the greatest possible use of the existing signage from the Klub českých turistů. In practice, this means: You follow the red, blue, green, and yellow color bars and look for the scallop shell at intersections. At least the scallop shell is oriented correctly—“srdce mušle ukazuje směr do Santiaga a paprsky ukazují směr ze Santiaga”: the heart of the scallop points toward Santiago, and the rays point away from it. With the Camino Ninja app you have the complete route of this way on board — without it, you'll be lost. The Czech Credencial ULTREIA is being issued (110 Kč); it is available for purchase and can be stamped at locations including Pardubice Castle, as well as at over a hundred online stamping locations.

Accommodations are the actual planning. There is one authentic pilgrim's lodging: the Jakub klub in Přelouč, voluntary donation, bring your own mat and sleeping bag. All other options include guesthouses (350–600 Kč), campgrounds, a Caritas facility in Červený Kostelec, and beds at a sports club in Jaroměř starting at 230 Kč—and the trail operator states explicitly: “ubytování je vždy nutné rezervovat alespoň dva dny předem”— Always make a reservation at least two days in advance. There are two gaps you plan to leave out from the start: the 31.5 kilometers between Malešov and Kácov, in which no bed is listed, and Vlašim itself, which isn't listed on the official guide—the town has hotels, but don't rely on the route guide on your last night. Water is less of a concern: the guidebook lists specific springs by name (Vernéřovická studánka, the fountain in the market square of Police nad Metují), and in many places, houses marked with a shell symbol provide pilgrims with drinking water.

The best time to visit is from May through October — This isn’t a weather advisory, but a guide to accommodations: The Špinka Campground and Marin klub don’t open until May; the vocational school in Jaroměř operates on a seasonal basis; and the Monastery Museum in Police nad Metují is closed from October through April. Before you leave, check the list of accommodations on ultreia.cz (as of April 2025, updated regularly) and the Kuks Construction Site Status 2025/26. The easiest way to plan your stages is right in the Camino Ninja app, where you can set your daily goals and schedule your accommodations at the same time—on a route with just one hostel, two gaps in bed availability, and mandatory reservations, this isn’t just a gimmick; it’s half the preparation.

What the journey will cost you

This approach is inexpensive, and it is intentionally cheap — the woman who listed it specifically targeted people who can't afford to visit Spain. Prices (as of August 2026, from the official lodging list): the cheapest bed 230 Kč (TJ Jiskra Jaroměř Sports Club, about 9 euros), the midfield 350–600 Kč (14–24 euros), guesthouse room 600–1.200 Kč — and a voluntary donation at the Jakub klub in Přelouč. That will get you eleven nights there for about 250 to 350 euros plus food, which is significantly cheaper in the Czech Republic than in Germany or Spain. On top of that, there’s the Pass for 110 Kč (about 4.50 euros) and moderate admission fees, usually ranging from 100 to 150 Kč—you should set aside enough time and money for four attractions: the Sedlec Ossuary and Cathedral, St. Barbara’s Cathedral in Kutná Hora, Broumov Monastery, and the UNESCO-listed Kladruby nad Labem Stud Farm.

Getting Here

The most practical way to get started is Meziměstí: The train station is located right by the trail at kilometer 13.4—an old junction with connections to Broumov and Adršpach, and the upper floor of the station actually houses a theater: “V patře se nachází divadlo.” If you want to start correctly at kilometer 0, take a combination of train and bus to Zdoňov or into Polish Chełmsko Śląskie — or just go straight to the Camino Sudecka, which ends exactly where this path begins.

The Return trip from Vlašim That's the easy part: take a regional train to Posázaví, continue via Benešov to the main line to Prague, and from Prague's main station, long-distance trains run to Dresden, Berlin, Vienna, and Nuremberg. Along the way, it's unusually easy to break up the journey—the fastest way to get there and back on the entire route is Pardubice On the main Prague–Ostrava corridor; the main train station is a good ten-minute walk from the trail.

• Getting to the starting point: Take the train to Meziměstí (right on the trail, km 13.4); to reach kilometer 0, continue by bus or on foot toward Zdoňov or Chełmsko Śląskie—or walk along the Camino Sudecka.
• Return trip: From Vlašim by regional train via Benešov to Prague, where you can transfer to long-distance trains bound for Dresden, Berlin, Vienna, and Nuremberg.
• Intermediate stops: Broumov, Hronov, Červený Kostelec, and Česká Skalice (regional railway), Jaroměř (junction), Hradec Králové (main station, just under 1 km), Pardubice and Přelouč (Prague–Ostrava corridor), Kutná Hora (toward Kolín), Kácov and Vlašim (Posázaví Railway).