Zittau Way

At a Glance

• Start / Finish: Görlitz (on the banks of the Neisse River, at the Old Town Bridge toward Zgorzelec) → Prague (Old Town, at the Basilica of St. James the Greater)
• Length: 192.1 km — older sources cite “approx. 210 km,” but the actual measurement is 192
• Elevation gain/loss: ↗ 1,921 m / ↘ 1,919 m — exactly 10.0 meters of elevation gain per kilometer, but 52.7% of that occurs over two consecutive days
• Duration: 7–9 days (8 official stages; 9 days for a more leisurely pace, 7 days for a more challenging one)
• Highest / lowest point: 585 m above Kryštofovo Údolí / 173 m in the Elbe River Valley near Brandýs nad Labem
• Countries: Germany and the Czech Republic — Poland is right at the starting line, and the Neisse River is within earshot on the opposite bank
• Classification: Southern section of the International Way of St. James: Gniezno – Görlitz – Prague; Organizer: International Association for the Way of St. James: Gniezno – Görlitz – Prague e.V.; hostel and trail maintenance in Germany are handled by Pilgerhäusl e.V. in Hirschfelde
• Waymarking: In Germany, a white shell with a red St. James's cross on a blue background; in the Czech Republic, incomplete—primarily the colored bars of the Klub českých turistů, with a yellow-and-blue shell in some sections. With the Camino Ninja app you’re safe here — it has the complete route on board.
• Pilgrim passport: Free at the Catholic Parish Office in Zittau (Lessingstraße 18); 22 stamp spaces—one every 8.7 kilometers; pilgrim’s guide and ID card available for €13.50 at the Görlitz Information Center
• Best time: March through October; the most pleasant months are March–May and September–October. The Pilgerhäusl is open from Easter through the end of October.

Overview

This path doesn't have a made-up name—it's named after the street on which it lies: Žitavská cesta, Zittauer Straße—that was the name of the trade route from Prague to Zittau as early as the Middle Ages—and the Order of St. John, which arrived in Bohemia in 1169, specifically built its commanderies along it. You walk 192.1 Kilometers by Görlitz according to Prague — the southern section of the international Way of St. James from Gniezno to Görlitz to Prague — and you start on the banks of the Neisse, at the bridge to Zgorzelec: Starting in Germany, looking toward Poland, ending in the Czech Republic—three countries in a single day. Until 1635, these were not three countries but rather an internal relationship: Görlitz and Zittau were Bohemian crown cities, with Prague as their capital—it was only the Peace of Prague that turned this route into an international connection.

The numbers are really quite simple: 1,921 meters of elevation gain over 192.1 kilometers — exactly 10.0 per kilometer, by comparison, the Camino Francés averages 17.8. But they aren't spread out: 52.7 percent of the total elevation gain occurs over two consecutive days, where the trail climbs westward past Liberec up the flank of the Ještěk—six days in the river valley, two days in the mountains, and the two come one after the other. Along the way, there is a succession of Five St. James Churches Spanning 192 kilometers, it features a Cistercian convent dating from 1234, the largest medieval Lenten veil in Europe, and the oldest pilgrimage site in Bohemia. There’s just one thing missing: inns. There is no chain of hostels along this route—just guesthouses, two parish offices, and a pilgrim’s hut—and in the Czech Republic, the trail isn’t marked throughout its entire length. Those who know this in advance will have one of Central Europe’s most substantial trails almost all to themselves.

“Ensuring Hospital Services for Pilgrims”—The Path That Has Its Purpose Set in Writing

Most routes along the Way of St. James have to painstakingly piece together their history as pilgrimage routes. This one has that as its mission: 1237 founded Havel z Lemberka and his wife Zdislava — later canonized — a commandery of the Order of St. John in Český Dub, “za vlády českého krále Václava I.” under King Wenceslaus I, and the local museum quotes the commission verbatim:"zajišťovat špitálnické služby poutníkům" — Ensure hospital services for pilgrims. Three years earlier, 1234, had Kunigunde of Staufen, the wife of that same king; 61 kilometers further north, the Cistercian convent St. Marienthal founded—it has existed continuously to this day as the order’s oldest women’s monastery in Germany. Two charitable institutions, three years, a royal couple, a street: This is no coincidence; it is infrastructure policy. And in 1238, the name Zittau appears for the first time in a document from Marienthal— The monastery at kilometer 21 is the document that makes the town at kilometer 40 pronounceable for the first time.

The proof is also set in stone: In the third quarter of the 13th century, the same Knights of St. John built in Letařovice They built a church and dedicated it to the patron saint of pilgrims—it still stands today right by the trail, its Baroque coffered ceiling depicts the life of St. James, and it is precisely this village church that is pictured on the pilgrim’s passport for this route—not Görlitz and not Prague. Then came the demolition, which took a decade: Am 30. April 1420 The Hussites burned down Klášter Hradiště—the monastery was never rebuilt—; in 1424, Zittau fell; in 1427, Marienthal fell, and the convent fled to Görlitz. The Český Dub commandery came to an end in 1425 or 1429—the sources contradict each other, and we’d rather tell you that than gloss over it: The only thing that’s certain is that it was over after that. So thoroughly over that the building disappeared: 1991 The archaeologist came across Tomáš Edel In the town square of Český Dub, beneath a 19th-century house, lies a two-story structure dating from 1240–1250 with vaulted ceilings and a Romanesque chapel. The pilgrims' hospital along this route was literally walled in for five centuries. It has been open to the public since 1993.

And the modern era has once again imbued this path with the same rhythm: Blown up in 1945, cut up in 1945, shot at in 1945 — the Old Town Bridge in Görlitz by Wehrmacht troops, the Great Zittau Lenten Veil by Soviet soldiers, and St. James’s Cathedral by artillery. And then: in 1999, the Lenten Veil was hung once again; in 2004 the bridge was rebuilt, in 2015 the exterior of the cathedral was restored—and since 2008, a pilgrim’s passport has been available again, free of charge, with 22 stamp spaces, issued by the Zittau parish office. You're not walking along a border here. You're retracing an old inner connection. — on a road whose significance as a pilgrimage route has been documented since 1237.

Other Names

The trail is officially called Zittauer Jakobsweg — named after the town in the middle, not after the starting or finishing point. On the Czech side, it runs as Žitavská svatojakubská cesta or, in short, Žitavská, and that's more than just a translation: Žitavská cesta, Zittauer Straße, was already the name of the trade route from Prague to Zittau in the Middle Ages, along which the Knights of St. John built their commanderies in the 13th century. Technically, it is the southern section of the international Jakobswegs Gnesen – Görlitz – Prag, as stated in the name of the sponsoring organization; you can find him here under his database name Zittau Way.

Three clarifications will help you avoid confusion. First, the length: Older sources cite “approx. 210 km,” while the official route total is 190.4 — The measured distance is 192.1 kilometers, and we'll stick with that. Second, the Via Sacra: not the Way of St. James, but a tri-national network of 25 sacred sites in the border triangle—six of which, however, lie along this route, from Görlitz to Mnichovo Hradiště. Third, the Svatá cesta: a Baroque processional route from 1674 between Prague and Stará Boleslav — you'll be walking the last leg of it in reverse.

Who it's ideal for—and who it's not so ideal for

This trail is for you if you’re having a good week, enjoy hiking through river valleys, and want to see two countries that have been closer to each other for centuries than the border suggests. With an elevation gain of 10 meters per kilometer, it’s technically easy, easily accessible by train, and framed at both ends by cities that are worth the trip on their own. It’s especially ideal if you want to experience art history firsthand: Five St. James Churches along a 192-kilometer stretch, a Cistercian convent that has existed continuously since 1234, a commandery of the Order of St. John rediscovered behind a house wall in 1991, the largest medieval Lenten veil in Europe, and the oldest pilgrimage site in Bohemia — no other route in our Central European network offers such a concentration of sites per kilometer.

To be honest, though, this isn't for you if you're looking for the daily routine of a hostel and the company of fellow pilgrims: Along these 192 kilometers, there are not a hotel chain — Guesthouses, two parishes, a pilgrim’s lodge in Hirschfelde, and a Capuchin monastery in Prague—that’s all. And advance reservations are required, not just recommended. It’s not for you either if you plan to rely on signs: In the Czech Republic, the route isn’t marked as the Way of St. James throughout; you’ll be following the colored markers of the Klub českých turistů and will need the Camino Ninja app (complete route on board) and a pilgrim’s guide. And if you’re expecting a purely natural trail: According to the route database, the stage through Zittau consists of nearly 46 percent from asphalt and roads — whereas the Prague leg is only about one-tenth as long. The route isn't consistent in this regard, and you should know that before you start running.

Route & Landscape

You'll start in Görlitz on the banks of the Neisse, at the Old Town Bridge toward Zgorzelec, below St. Peter's Church — and then continue for about 47 kilometers down the Neisse River through the valley: past the Lake Berzdorf, which was an open-pit lignite mine until 1997 and was flooded only between 2002 and 2013—the two villages that once stood there no longer exist, and that is the most honest description of the landscape this section allows. Continuing on to St. Marienthal Monastery past (a few minutes from the trail), through Hirschfelde to Zittau, at kilometer 43 right past the Tri-border Area, and in Hrádek nad Nisou The Czech Republic begins here. These first 47 kilometers have a total elevation gain of just 201 meters—a valley route; it’s a breeze.

Then the character falls over. From Bílý Kostel nad Nisou the path climbs west of Liberec into the northwestern flank of the Ještědský hřbet, the Jeschkenkamm, and reaches its highest point at kilometer 60: 585 meters, directly above Kryštofovo Údolí — the Christophstal valley, with a small wooden church dedicated to the patron saint of travelers, dating from 1686. The Ještěd summit, with its tower, remains two kilometers and 470 meters of elevation gain away: visible, doable, but a real detour. Two stages, 1,012 meters of elevation gain — more than half the entire route. Down below, the Podještědí with Český Dub and St. James Church in Letařovice, then it will carry you Jizera-Tal Sixty kilometers long: Mnichovo Hradiště, Klášter Hradiště, Bakov, Mladá Boleslav, Vinec, Venice. Bei Stará Boleslav The Jizera and Elbe rivers converge there—that is where Bohemia’s oldest pilgrimage site stands, and the final 29 kilometers follow the Baroque Svatá cesta Back toward Prague: Jenštejn, Kbely, Prosek, Libeň, Powder Tower.

Stages, Terrain & Difficulty

Eight stages The official route is the standard one; the nine-kilometer route is the more comfortable option, and the seven-kilometer route is the sportier one. Technically, there’s nothing difficult about this route: dirt roads, forest trails, river floodplains—plus more asphalt than is ideal. The only challenging aspect is the distribution of elevation gain—Day 3 brings 659, Day 4 still 353, and the remaining six days combined make up the rest. Do not combine these two days, and do not schedule the mountain day as the first day after a long train trip. The distance figures are marked “approx.”; according to the track measurements in our route database, the total distance is 192.1 km.

1. Görlitz → Hirschfelde — approx. 29 km, ↗ 98 m — the long, flat start along the Neisse River, past Lake Berzdorf, and at km 21.4 at St. Marienthal Monastery (a few minutes from the trail; Cistercian nuns since 1234). The destination is the Pilgerhäusl, a renovated half-timbered house. Can be divided into two units in Ostritz (km 19).
2. Hirschfelde → Bílý Kostel nad Nisou — approx. 26 km, ↗ 221 m — through Zittau (St. John's Church, right on the trail; Lenten veil in the Church of the Cross), at km 43.1, just a few minutes from the Tri-State Area; the Czech Republic begins in Hrádek nad Nisou. About 46% paved surface; Chrastava (3.3 km east) is the alternative stage destination with rail access.
3. Bílý Kostel nad Nisou → Český Dub — approx. 27 km, ↗ 659 m — the queen stage across the Jeschken Flank, passing west of Liberec; the highest point of the entire route (585 m) directly above Kryštofovo Údolí featuring the St. Christopher Wooden Church from 1686. At the destination, the Order of St. John Commandery, 1237.
4. Český Dub → Mnichovo Hradiště — approx. 22 km, ↗ 353 m — after four kilometers Letařovice Passing the St. James Church of the Knights of St. John (right on the trail, coffered ceiling, ossuary), then down through the hills into the Jizera Valley. At the end of the trail are St. James Church and Wallenstein’s grave, both right on the trail.
5. Mnichovo Hradiště → Mladá Boleslav — approx. 23 km, ↗ 223 m — after two kilometers Klášter Hradiště nad Jizerou (right on the path): Cistercian monastery founded in 1145; burned down in 1420; a brewery since 1852; beneath it lies the crypt discovered in 1995. Continue via Bakov nad Jizerou to the city of Škoda.
6. Mladá Boleslav → Benátky nad Jizerou — approx. 18 km, ↗ 76 m — the shortest and flattest day, following the Jizera River the whole way; after four kilometers Vinec with the late Romanesque St. Nicholas Church, then the Krnsko railway viaduct. Destination: Benátky Castle, a few minutes from the trail.
7. Benátky nad Jizerou → Stará Boleslav — approx. 19 km, ↗ 97 m — via Předměřice nad Jizerou with its St. James Church (right on the trail) through the floodplains. At the end lies Bohemia’s oldest place of pilgrimage: St. Wenceslas Basilica and the Palladium of Bohemia.
8. Stará Boleslav → Prag — approx. 29 km, ↗ 182 m — the Baroque stage, walked in reverse: via Brandýs nad Labem, Dřevčice, the moated castle Jenštejn and Kbely along the Svatá cesta from 1674 to 1679; at km 183, St. Wenceslas Church in Prosek. The finish is at St. James’s Basilica, near the Powder Tower. Only 2.4% paved—an astonishing amount of nature right into the heart of Prague.

If you have nine days, split the two 29-km stages: Görlitz → Ostritz (approx. 19 km), Ostritz → Zittau (approx. 21 km), Zittau → Bílý Kostel (approx. 16 km)—the rest remains as above, and the mountain stage gets a fresh set of legs. The more challenging 7-day version, on the other hand, combines the Jizera stages: Český Dub → Bakov nad Jizerou (approx. 32 km) and Bakov → Benátky (approx. 30 km)—but be warned, those 32 kilometers come with 353 meters of elevation gain right after the mountain day. Only for those in good shape—and not without a pre-booked bed in Bakov. Thanks to the Zittau–Liberec and Mladá Boleslav–Prague rail lines, the route can also be neatly split into two weekend segments.

Highlights Along the Way

• Görlitz — the fully preserved Old Town, which St. James Cathedral (1898–1900, now the Bishop's Church) and the Holy Sepulcher: a replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, built between 1481 and 1504, featuring a processional route measuring 709 or 721 meters—exactly the distance from Pilate’s house to Golgotha. Built within a radius of Georg Emmerich, who had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem himself in 1465 and subsequently served as mayor five times.
• Altstadtbrücke Görlitz–Zgorzelec — First mentioned in a document in 1298, blown up on May 7, 1945, reopened on October 20, 2004: a 59-year gap. This is where the trail begins—and from here you can see Poland.
• St. Marienthal Abbey, Ostritz (km 21.4, a few minutes off the trail) — Cistercian nuns since October 14, 1234, founded by Queen Kunigunde of Staufen, and in continuous operation to this day: the oldest continuously existing women’s monastery of the order in Germany. It is also home to Germany’s easternmost vineyard and, since 1992, a community center in the tri-border region.
• Large Zittau Lenten Cloth (km 39.6) — Donated in 1472 by Jacob Gürtler, a spice and grain merchant: 8.20 × 6.80 meters, 90 image fields in 10 rows From the Creation to the Last Judgment. Rediscovered in the City Council Library in 1840, cut up by soldiers in 1945, and housed in the Kreuzkirche since 1999—in the world’s largest museum display case.
• Dreiländereck Trojzemí (km 43.1, a few minutes off the trail) — Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic all meet at this point.
• Mount Oybin (5.7 km from km 45) — The Imperial Palace (1364) and the Cistercian Monastery (1369) were founded by Charles IV; the monastery church was built from 1366 to 1384 “with the assistance of the Prague Cathedral workshop”; In 1429, it served as a refuge for part of the Prague Cathedral treasury; destroyed by lightning in 1577; painted by Caspar David Friedrich in 1810. The two ends of this path were physically connected here—by stonemasons in one direction and relics in the other.
• Kryštofovo Údolí (km 60.5) — Christophstal at the highest point of the trail: a small wooden St. Christopher’s Church from 1686, an Orloj from 2008 featuring 22 figures (the third astronomical clock in the Czech Republic after Prague and Olomouc), and the Novinský Viaduct from 1900 — 230 meters long, popularly known as the “zvonící viadukt” or the “ringing bridge.” Ještěd (1,012 m) is accessible from km 71 in two kilometers — and a 470-meter climb.
• Johanniterkommende Český Dub (km 82.3) — Founded in 1237 by Havel of Lemberka and Zdislava to “provide hospital services for pilgrims”; rediscovered in 1991 behind the wall of a house; has been a museum since 1993. Charles IV visited here in 1357.
• St. James Church in Letařovice (km 86.4, right on the trail) — built by the Knights of St. John in the 13th century, with a Baroque coffered ceiling adorned with scenes from the life of St. James; the church is marked on the pilgrimage passport for this route. Its ossuary, featuring an altar made of bones and skulls, is open only during the St. James Fair—those who are there on July 25 may enter, but not on the other 364 days.
• Mnichovo Hradiště (km 103.8) — St. James Church, built in 1726–27, “dedicated to the patron saint of pilgrims”; next to it is the Chapel of St. Anne, containing the relics Albrecht von Wallenstein (since 1785) and a lapidarium with about 50 Baroque sculptures.
• Klášter Hradiště nad Jizerou (106 km, right on the trail) — Cistercian monastery founded in 1145, “one of the most significant ecclesiastical sites in Central Europe,” burned down by the Hussites on April 30, 1420, and never rebuilt; a brewery since 1852. In 1995, a 28.6-meter-long Romanesque crypt was discovered beneath it.
• Mladá Boleslav (km 126.4) — printed here Mikuláš Klaudyán 1518 The very first map of Bohemia: scale 1:685,000, featuring around 280 towns and castles, with roads, and south at the top. Also included is the Sbor českých bratří (1544–1554)—and the Škoda Works, just one kilometer off the trail. You walk through the birthplace of Bohemian cartography, with the Camino Ninja app in your pocket.
• St. Nicholas Church in Vinec (km 130.2) — “one of the most remarkable late Romanesque village churches in the entire Czech Republic”: 14 × 9 meters, with sculptural decorations dating from around 1240, and the donors themselves are very likely depicted at the foot of the cross on the tympanum.
• Stará Boleslav (163 km, a few minutes off the trail) — Bohemia’s oldest pilgrimage site: St. Wenceslas Basilica at the site of St. Wenceslas’s martyrdom (September 28, 929 or 935—the year is uncertain, but the date is not) and the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary with the Palladium from Bohemia, so named since 1609. Since 2003, the relic of St. Wenceslas has been carried here from Prague on the eve of September 28—prior to that, this had only taken place during the reign of Charles IV and in 1929.
• Svatá cesta (km 165–186) — Built by the Prague Jesuits from 1674 to 1679: 44 chapels, one for each invocation of the Litany of Our Lady of Loreto, each one “a Prague bridge’s length” away from the next. Seventeen are still standing, and your final leg takes you back down the street.
• Basilika sv. Jakuba Většího, Prag — Foundation stone laid in 1232, coronation of John of Luxembourg in 1311, the largest organ in the Czech Republic (1705, 8,277 pipes), elevated to the status of a minor basilica by Paul VI in 1974 — and hanging above the entrance is a withered human hand: that of the thief whom, according to tradition, the statue of the Virgin Mary held fast. Your destination—this is where the trail ends.

How Pilgrims Find Their Way onto This Path

Görlitz is the busiest transportation hub in our Central European network: Three long-distance trails end here, and one begins. The direct feeder service is the Camino Dolnosląska, the Lower Silesian Way of St. James—164 kilometers from Glogau via Bunzlau and Lauban—and it ends right here: Together, they form the international Gniezno–Görlitz–Prague route, the southern section of which lies ahead of you. If you want to walk the entire route, start in Gniezno and proceed via the Camino Wielkopolska — the Polish national grid is being expanded by the Camino Polaco. And from the east, the Via Regia Polska in Görlitz: 935 kilometers from Medyka on the Ukrainian border.

Görlitz is also the starting point of the Via Regia Deutschland, the Ecumenical Pilgrimage Route, which runs 474 kilometers westward to Vacha—those coming from Thuringia or Saxony reach Görlitz via this route, passing the Holy Sepulcher on their way into the city. Those who change their plans in Görlitz follow the route to Bautzen and switch there to the Jakobsweg Sachsen. For everyone else: Görlitz Central Station is 1.9 kilometers from the starting point, and the Görlitz Information Center on Obermarkt sells the pilgrim's guide along with an ID card for 13.50 euros.

Continue the pilgrimage?

This route does not end in Santiago, but in Prague—and Prague is a transfer point, not the final destination. Two Czech long-distance trails begin here and run westward toward the Bavarian border: the Železná Way — 259 kilometers via Karlštejn, Svatý Jan pod Skalou, and Stříbro to Železná near Tillyschanz, along the route of the old Golden Road to Nuremberg — and the Všeruby Way, 205 kilometers via Karlštejn, Příbram, Nepomuk, and Klatovy to the Všeruby border crossing. If you want to stay in Prague for a while, you still have a way to go even from there: The Svatojakubská cesta Prahou It connects St. Wenceslas Church in Prosek—kilometer 183 of your final stage—with St. James' Basilica and Zbraslav Castle over a distance of 34 kilometers.

Once you cross the Bavarian border, the German network takes over: From Nuremberg, the Jakobsweg Nürnberg–Ulm south, the Via Imperii intersects as a major north-south axis — and at the end of each of these chains lies the same path, which Camino Francés From Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. From the Basilica of St. James in Prague to Santiago, the route follows a chain of well-documented trade routes: first the Zittau Route, then the Golden Route, and finally the French Route. The path you’ve just completed was always just the first link in the chain.

Preparation & Practical Information

Signage and navigation come first, because that's what determines which path to take. In Germany, you follow the white shell with a red St. James’s Cross on a blue background, and you can count on it. Not so in the Czech Republic: there, the trail is not consistently marked as the Way of St. James — jakobsweg.de puts it bluntly: “Since the Zittau Way of St. James is not yet marked on Czech territory, we strongly recommend purchasing a pilgrim’s guide for orientation.” In practice, you follow the colored markers of the Klub českých turistů and in some places you'll find a yellow-and-blue seashell along the way. Bring your pilgrim's guide and don't rely on signs — with the Camino Ninja app you have the complete route of this way with you at all times.

The Pilgrim's Pass It is free and available at the Catholic Parish Office in Zittau (Lessingstraße 18): 22 stamp spaces, with the Church of St. James in Letařovice on the front. Stamps are available at the parish offices along the route—many churches are only open during service times, so plan accordingly. On the Czech side, the pilgrimage association is Ultreia responsible, with its own Credencial and over a hundred stamping stations across the country. This is important because it’s not just a formality: The pilgrim lodgings in Prague explicitly Only pilgrims with a credencial. When it comes to lodging, the strictest rule on this trail applies: There is no chain of hostels. The Pilgerhäusl in Hirschfelde is the only traditional pilgrim hostel on the German side — open from Easter through the end of October; in winter, it serves as a nativity scene house —. In the Czech Republic, you’ll stay in guesthouses; in Benátky nad Jizerou, at the rectory; in Prague, at the Capuchin monastery at Loreta or at the Kunratice parish. Advance booking is required, not recommended — especially Hirschfelde and Český Dub.

Best Time is from March through October; spring and early fall are the most pleasant times to visit. If you happen to be in Stará Boleslav on September 28, you’ll find yourself in the middle of the St. Wenceslas Pilgrimage—impressive, but every bed will be taken. And here’s a practical detail that could cause some trouble: The Basilica of St. James in Prague is open every day except Mondays, only 9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 2:00–4:00 p.m.. If you walk 29 kilometers from Stará Boleslav on the last day, you’ll likely find yourself standing in front of a locked door shortly after 4 p.m. — start early or save the church for the next day. Plan your daily stages in advance, because accommodations are few and far between and often only open if you call ahead—the easiest way to do this is directly in the Camino Ninja app, where you can put together your stages and plan suitable accommodations at the same time.

What the journey will cost you

Accommodations make up the bulk of the costs, and they are reasonably priced (as of August 2026): The official route guide lists the following for the stage destinations about 20 to 32 euros per person — Hirschfelde: about 20 euros; the Czech stops along the route: usually around 25 euros; Prague: about 38 euros; the pilgrim lodging in Kunratice near Prague costs 8 euros or 200 korunas. For eight nights, that comes to about 200 to 250 euros plus food, which is significantly cheaper in the Czech Republic than in Germany. On top of that, there are one-time expenses: the Pilgrim's Guide with ID for €13.50 at the Görlitz Information Center (the pass itself is free at the Zittau parish office) as well as travel to and from the destination. Admission fees are single-digit amounts almost everywhere—but you should definitely set aside some money and time for four attractions: the Zittau Lenten Veil, the Holy Sepulcher in Görlitz, the Kommende Museum in Český Dub, and the crypt at Klášter Hradiště.

Getting Here

To Görlitz The best way to get there is by train: The Trilex connects Dresden with Görlitz and Zittau, and from there continues via Hrádek nad Nisou to Liberec—so the same line serves several of the towns along your first stages. From Berlin and Cottbus, you can reach Görlitz via the Lower Silesian Line; from Poland, via Zgorzelec. It’s 1.9 kilometers from the main train station to the starting point at the Old Town Bridge. If you’re arriving on foot, you can take the Camino Dolnosląska from Glogau or on the Via Regia Deutschland from the west. The Return Trip from Prague This is the easiest part: From the main station, a ten-minute walk from the terminus, long-distance trains run to Dresden, Berlin, Vienna, and Nuremberg.

• Getting to the starting point: Görlitz Central Station (Trilex from Dresden, regional trains from Cottbus/Berlin, connection via Zgorzelec to Wrocław), then a 1.9-km walk to the Old Town Bridge.
• Intermediate stops: Zittau (trilex Dresden–Liberec), Hrádek nad Nisou, and Chrastava (Zittau–Liberec railway—this means stages 2 and 3 can be broken up), Mladá Boleslav and Benátky nad Jizerou (regional train toward Prague), Brandýs nad Labem/Stará Boleslav (bus to Prague).
• Return trip: Prague Main Station, a ten-minute walk from the terminal (long-distance trains to Dresden, Berlin, Vienna, and Nuremberg); long-distance buses from Florenc (just under 1 km) are the cheapest option.
• Airport: Prague, Václav Havel—a good three-quarters of an hour by bus and metro from the terminal.