How to Get to Bohemian Switzerland? A Practical Guide to Transportation in Bohemian Switzerland.

Have you decided to visit the Bohemian Switzerland National Park? We’re thrilled! Now, let’s talk about how to get there so your trip is as comfortable as possible—and as gentle on your wallet and the environment as possible.

Let’s start by talking about where the NPČŠ is located. No matter where you’re coming from, you’ll always be moving northward as you trace your finger across the map. Bohemian Switzerland lies along the northern border with neighboring Germany, within the Ústí nad Labem Region.

The most logical routes here are, of course, the roads—most visitors coming from Ústí nad Labem take Route 62, which becomes the E442 before Děčín; its generous width can tempt drivers to pass other vehicles and take unnecessary risks, so please be careful here. From Ústí, you can also take Route 13 toward Jílové, especially if you’re planning to head to Děčínský Sněžník. Coming from Prague, you can even bypass Ústí nad Labem entirely by continuing on the D8 highway and turning toward the national park just before the national border, in the direction of Petrovice and Tisá. This is a good starting point, for example, if you want to hike the Ridge Trail through Bohemian Switzerland.

Coming from Česká Lípa, take Route 9 to Nový Bor, and from there, take Route 13 up to Prácheň—this road tends to be somewhat slippery in winter, so be careful here, especially in snow and on black ice, when the occasional overconfident truck gets stuck on the long, gradual climb. Coming from Liberec, you’ll most likely take Route 13, which has undergone many improvements in recent years and is relatively fast and reliable—but again, be careful not to take unnecessary risks when passing on long, straight stretches.* The national park has been here since 2000, and its natural landscape has been here for millions of years, so you won’t miss it.

*A section of Highway 9 from Svor to Jiřetín pod Jedlovou is currently under construction and is expected to remain so until approximately mid-November 2026. Please take the detour via Highway 13 to Prácheň and Chřibská.

A car is, of course, a convenient mode of transportation—you don’t have to lug around luggage and gear—but if you’re planning to drive to a national park, it has one major drawback: parking. In Děčín, you can still find a few free parking spots—if you know your way around :), but even that’s getting harder and harder. Within the national park and along its borders, parking is permitted only in designated parking lots or parking areas, of which there aren’t many, and most charge a fee; prices for all-day parking range from 150 to 300 crowns. So it’s a good idea to think about parking in advance, arrive early, and plan carefully where you’ll park your car so you don’t have to worry about its safety or a possible fine. Of course, it also depends on when you plan to visit. Outside the peak season, parking lots in the national park tend to be less crowded. However, if you’re visiting during the peak summer season, we recommend setting out very early in the morning.

However, you can travel to the National park Bohemian Switzerland very comfortably and safely by train, for example. Děčín is an important transportation hub through which international EC trains bound for Germany also pass, so you can get here from Prague in an hour and a half, for example—which is often faster than fighting your way through traffic jams. There are also good train connections with nationwide coverage from Liberec and Česká Lípa. On the train, you can sit back in comfort, enjoy a tasty snack, sip coffee or even something a little stronger, plan your excursions, and take in the view of the passing landscape—which is particularly dramatic on the route from Prague, where, past Roudnice, the volcanic cones of the České Středohoří await you, which give way to the monumental Porta Bohemica and the Elbe Canyon—a landscape that, depending on the weather, takes on breathtaking hues of fog, light, and color. From Děčín, you can then take additional connections to any destination—Bohemian Switzerland, the Ore Mountains, or the Lusatian Mountains. Trains depart from here toward Jedlová, toward the Šluknov Hook to Krásná Lípa and Rumburk, and of course toward Hřensko, including cross-border connections, so you can also include Saxon Switzerland in your explorations.

The Elbe-Labe all-day pass is valid for trains, buses, and the ferry in Hřensko and Schöna, but you can also use it to travel all the way to Dresden.
The Euro Nisa Ticket, on the other hand, will take you toward the Zittau Mountains, to the trailheads leading to the Oybin ruins. The Czech Switzerland Regional Tourism Organization has, in fact, clearly outlined various affordable transportation packages for you in an article on its website—How to Get Around Czech Switzerland Without a Car in an Eco-Friendly and More Comfortable Way.

For inspiration, be sure to check out the map of the so-called National Park Trail, which forms a year-round loop around both neighboring national parks—Bohemian Switzerland and Saxon Switzerland.

And we haven’t even mentioned the extensive network of green buses operated by the Ústí nad Labem Region Public Transportation Authority. To promote tourism, the Ústí nad Labem Region has decided to offer free public transportation to all travelers who stay at one of the participating accommodations for at least two nights. Just ask your host, download the DÚKpass app to your phone, and set off on a trip completely free of charge!

Among the most popular bus routes connecting tourist destinations within the National Park are Route 434 (Děčín–Jetřichovice–Krásná Lípa–Hřensko), Route 438 (Děčín–Mezní Louka–Mezná), and Shuttle Bus 441 in the center of the park (Hřensko, Tři prameny, Mezní Louka, and Mezná). During the tourist season, buses run approximately every half hour.

Nechat tedy auto buď rovnou doma nebo alespoň na některém z odstavných parkovišť a vydat se na průzkum Českého Švýcarska vlakem nebo busem, je ta nejpohodlnější, nejvýhodnější a nejšetrnější varianta.

Given its proximity to the mighty Elbe River, Bohemian Switzerland offers a relatively unique opportunity for river travel. From Děčín, you can take a steamboat all the way to Dresden, as well as to closer destinations, such as the Advent markets at Königstein Fortress. With the DÚKpass mentioned above, you can ride the steamboat for free along the Děčín–Hřensko–Bad Schandau route and also take the Hřensko–Schöna ferry.

And of course, don’t forget your bikes, canoes, rafts, or scooters—and last but not least, your own two feet, which, with a little training, can take you surprisingly far.

We wish you a pleasant and safe trip through Bohemian Switzerland!