Giant Mountains kid-friendly hiking tour

Self guided 4 night / 3 days trekking in the highest mountains of Czechia especially designed for families

A three-day self guided hike along mountain huts in the Giant Mountains National Park adjusted for kids 6-12 years. The hike of 16-24km in total goes through Polish and Czech part of the Giant Mountains.
The starting point and also the end point is Špindlerův Mlýn. Comfortable attractive mountain hotels have good facilities, accommodation is provided in private family or private more bedded rooms with their own facilities. The starting point is easily accessible by car or by bus, there is also direct connection from Prague several times a day.

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What's included?

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival to Špindlerův Mlýn

Špindlerův Mlýn is one of the most beautiful places in the Giant Mountains. After arrival you can take a short walk through the village, past the beautiful houses and hotels. You can breathe in the atmosphere of the mountain village and relax for a while. You may even come across the mountain's namesake: the giant Krakonos (especially fun for children!). In the evening you can tell your children the fairytale of Krakonos so that they can look forward to the walk with anticipation and excitement, because tomorrow you will go into the mountains.

Day 2: Špindlerův Mlýn to Labská bouda chalet (1300 m)

Today the trek starts: on to the “Giants”. We advise you not to leave Špindlerův Mlýn too late. For the first kilometers, we recommend taking the lift to Medvědín. The lift is especially fun to do with children and you cover about 480 meters in height in 15 minutes. From there you follow the red marked route called “Bucharova cesta”. One of the highlights of this route are the beautiful views such as the Ambrožova vyhlídka viewpoint with a beautiful panorama over the valleys of Labske jámy and Labský důl. After some time you will arrive at the accommodation where you will sleep this night - Labská Bouda. Here you can freshen up if you want and leave your bags behind.

Strengthened you continue a little further in a northwestern direction to the source of the Elbe, "Pramen Labe". It is also very nice to walk east to Labský vodopád / Labský důl (the blue marked route).

If you decide for a tough climb (without lift):
Take the red marked path from the centre of Špindlerův Mlýn direction Horní Mísečky mountain village about 3,5 km uphill. The route is called “Vodovodní cesta”. Make sure to find the right way further up north west direction (the route is called “Stará vozová cesta” to junction “Nad kotelní jámou” approx. 3km from Horní Mísečky. From there you join the red marked path coming from the upper chair lift station called “Bucharova cesta” and over Ambrožova vyhlídka continue to Labská bouda chalet.

Distance: 5,5 km / 9 km ( with chairlift / without chairlift)
Climbing: 202 m or 699 m
Descent: 124 m or 102 m
Overnight: Labská bouda chalet (1300 m)

Day 3: Labská bouda chalet over the ridge to Moravská bouda (1225 m)

The second day you will walk a part on the Czech - Polish border the path of Czech - Polish friendship. This is truly one of the highlights of this tour! The path of the Czech - Polish friendship is mapped out on the crest of the Giant Mountains on the border between Czechia and Poland. In the morning you first climb up to the ridge on a yellow marked path. Poland shows its deep troughs and on the Czech side you can see many horizons. You continue the walk following the red marked route east direction to Petrovky (newly reconstructed complex of mountain chalets). In the distance you can already see the mountain peaks Śląskie Kamienie ("Silesian Rocks'', 1417m) and Dívčí kameny (''Maiden Rocks'', 1413m) with separate rock formations up to 8m high. At the end of this day trip you descend from Petrovka until you reach Moravská Bouda.
The route can be extended to 9 km total by taking an extra loop from Labská bouda to “Prameny Labe” on an asphalt road called “Česká cesta”.

Distance: 7 km - 9 km
Climbing: 275 m
Descent: 370 m
Overnight: Moravská bouda chalet (1225 m)

Day 4: Descend from Moravská bouda to Špindlerův Mlýn

Today you have the choice of two different routes depending on how far you intend to walk:

Option 1 (our advice):

You climb again a bit to the ridge and continue the path of Polish-Czech friendship to the hut Špindlerova Bouda (about 3 km). From here buses regularly return to Špindlerův Mlýn. At Špindlerova Bouda you can enjoy the beautiful view for a while and reward the family for their efforts with, for example, an ice cream. Then you travel back to Špindlerův Mlýn by public transport.

Option 2:

You descend from Moravská Bouda all the way back to Špindlerův Mlýn (shortest route about 6 km). You follow the yellow route all day, always downhill.

Option 3:

Downhill scooters from the ridge. Instead of using public transport, you can also make a more adventurous descent! Downhill scooters from the ridge at Špindlerova bouda / Erlebachova Bouda all the way back to the valley in Špindlerův Mlýn. The descent back to the center is 10 km long and is on an asphalt road that makes considerable hairpin bends. Don't miss this spectacular and fun sporting experience. The scooters are intended for adults as well as for children from 6 years old. Suitable for the whole family.

Back in Špindlerův Mlýn, the hike is over, the Giant Mountains have been explored!

Distance: 3 km / 6 km
Climbing: 90 m / 0 m
Descent: 132 m / 511 m
Overnight: Špindlerův Mlýn

Video

Map

Accommodations

Hotel Horní Pramen

Hotel Lomnice

Berghut Chata Výrovka

Vosecká bouda

Berghut Szrenica

Berghut Samotnia

General travel information

Difficulty Grade: Moderate

Appropriate for regular walkers. Requires reasonable level of fitness. The trip covers an average of 18 km (5-7 hours) of hiking per day, with a possibility of extended walks (read more about explanation of our difficulty grades). Minimum ages depends ofcourse per kid but we recommand from 12 years.

Route Navigation in the field

You will walk mostly on rocky roads and even some paved roads. All trails are well-marked in the field. We advise to follow only the marked trails and never try to shorten the path through the unknown and unmarked terrain. Off trail walking is strongly forbidden. We will provide you with detailed navigation instructions and maps (1:40.000 or 1:25.000). You can call us 24/7 for assistance (however preferably during working hours only).

More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your booking documents.

Best time to go

This trip as available from April until October. April you still will find some remnants of snow on the ridges. The weather for walking is optimal in June – September. However July and August can sometimes be quite warm and weekends can be busy at some hot spots.

The busiest months are july and august. If you want to travel in that specific term, it is preferable that you book as early as possible. The flexibility of self-guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates and you can start your holiday on any date in the season, therefore please indicate desired starting date when booking.

Weather

The climate is typical for Central Europe. Humid summers with occasional hot spells, and cold, cloudy and humid winters. If you are planning a trip to the Czech Republic, weather will probably be one of your concerns. Czech Republic’s climate is comparable to that of southern inland Canada. Summer in the Czech Republic typically covers the period from June through mid-September. Czech summers are usually mild (20-27°C/70-80°F) and somewhat humid, with the highest temperatures up to 30-35°C/85-95°F (occasionally higher) for short periods. Such heat waves can be expected in July and August. Sudden showers and thunderstorms are common, so bring an umbrella or be prepared to dash for cover.

Recommanded weather information: yr.no

What to bring

We recommend that you travel as light as possible because airlines nowadays charge larges fees for luggage above 15kg. Ideally, you should bring one piece of luggage weighing not more than 25 kg (to be checked in) and a daily pack (15 – 20 l backpack) for your daily essentials (snacks, drinking water, camera, etc). Below is a indicative list of what you should bring with you on this trip. More detailed information will be included in your booking information documents. If you need further advice, please contact us or ask at you local outdoor retailer.