From Kvilda to Knížecí Pláně and Bučina

Total length

22.5 km

Duration

2 hours

Terrain

paved

Recommended period for visiting

summer, dry spring, autumn

Difficulty level

medium

Route description

The starting point of this trip is Kvilda. From the village centre, where there is a parking area, we ride downhill along the road towards Hraběcí Huť (cycling route 331, also marked with a blue hiking trail). We cross the bridge over the Teplá Vltava and soon start climbing. At the Hraběcí Huť junction, we turn left, still following cycling route no. 331. After 1.5 km, behind the Lesní Chalupy, we turn left at the next junction and continue through the forest along an unmarked asphalt road. This is a pleasant ride with alternating gentle climbs and descents.

After about 7 km, we reach the junction with the white-marked cycling route 1040, which connects Borová Lada and Knížecí Pláně. We turn right onto this route. After 300 m, we pass a resting area and enjoy a nice downhill ride. The last few metres before Knížecí Pláně are uphill again. At Knížecí Pláně, you will find a gamekeeper's lodge with a restaurant and a snack bar with seating, which is ideal for a refreshment stop, as the climb to Bučina awaits us. We continue along the red-marked cycling route no. 1023, together with the blue hiking markers. Before starting the climb, 500 m past the lodge, we make a short detour to the left along the red hiking trail leading to the cemetery and the remains of the church that belonged to the original German settlement.

We then return to cycling route 1023 and continue towards Bučina. After 2 km, we reach the Bučina junction and can take a short break. We turn left; on the right-hand side, you will see a small chapel, and a little further on, the reconstruction of the “Iron Curtain” with information boards explaining this part of history. Here you will also find the Alpská vyhlídka Hotel and Restaurant. If we continued further, we would reach the pedestrian border crossing Bučina – Finsterau.

After visiting the outdoor exhibition, we return to the “Bučina” junction. We continue straight along cycling route 331 – first slightly uphill for a few dozen metres, and then we descend gently all the way back to Kvilda.

Interesting places on the route

Visitor Centre Kvilda – deer and lynx enclosure