Krkonose National Park is one of the most beautiful places to go hiking in the Czech Republic. It’s even home to the tallest mountain in the country which is known as Snezka. Snezka actually borders Czech and Poland. So yes, you’ll in fact end up in both countries and you can actually be in both countries at the same time! Pretty cool, right?

Pin for Pinterest of Snezka Mountain.

Right at the summit, there is a little peg that represents where the two countries split. You’ll be able to tell people you hiked from Czech to Poland in a few hours!  

We made a weekend trip out of this because it does take a few hours to get from Prague to Pec Pod Snezkou (the small town in Krkonose National Park we stayed at). It’s the town the hike starts in and also a famous skiing area for Czechs and European tourists. So we decided to stay for the weekend instead of rushing it and doing a day trip from Prague. 

Dom with a view of Poland!

Everything you need to know about Snezka Loop Trail

In this post, you can find the accommodation we stayed at along with all the information about the hike and the awesome loop trail we did to get to the top and back down into town.

In this post, you can also find a few fun things to do in Pec Pod Snezkou to have an awesome weekend away from Prague exploring the Czech Republic. 

We once visited Teplice Rocks as a day trip from Prague and realized that the trains aren’t always so reliable in the Czech Republic. That’s why we often decide to stay a night or two in some cheap accommodation when we’re going further away so we actually have the time to fully enjoy each place.

If you don’t have time to go for a full weekend and just a day trip where you want to see the Czech countryside then a trip to Velka Amerika would likely be more worth your time because of its proximity to Prague. 

There’s tons of fun things to do in and around Prague but it’s time to talk about Czech’s greatest National Park and the oh-so-not very difficult hike up to the top of the tallest mountain in Czech.

Practical information about the Snezka Hike

Distance: 12.9 km return / 8.01 miles return
Elevation: 842 m / 2762 ft. elevation gain
Type: Loop Trail
Length: 5.5 – 6.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate – Hard (because of the length)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Click here to see a map of the Snezka Mountain hiking trail.

Dom and Jo exploring Snezka Mountain.

Hiking the tallest mountain in Czech

Snezka is beautifully located right at the Czech and Polish border. It can actually be hiked up from either country but the majority of people do say the hike up from Pec Pod Snezkou is a lot more beautiful and less crowded.

We went during summer so we still saw plenty of tourists on the trail but it didn’t affect the fun we had on the hike. Especially since it was a loop trail, the way down was a lot quieter. We’ll share why it’s better doing the loop trail as well instead of just going up and back down the same way.

We’d give this hike a moderate to hard rating because it is a 13km / 8 mile hike up and down a mountain so it is quite exhausting. Even though the trail is well maintained and they were actually improving it to make it even better, it was very nice.

We took a full afternoon to do the hike because we enjoyed taking pictures of all the animals (and each other, lol) on the way up. Plus we spent some time jumping between Czech and Poland and taking in the awesome views from the top of Snezka!

Paragliding in the Czech Republic.
Paraglider near Snezka Mountain.
Three paragliders in the sky.
Paraglider flying over Snezka!

So definitely plan to be on the mountain for the full day and that’s another reason we made a weekend trip out of it and stayed in Pec Pod Snezkou instead of rushing and doing a day trip from Prague which would have been exhausting.

It makes for a great weekend trip. Pec is more of a resort town so there are tons of tourist things to do and great restaurants. We’d say a full weekend is the perfect amount of time to spend there!

We definitely want to even come back during the winter for some skiing since the last time we went skiing in Czech Republic was so fun.

Jo hiking in the Czech Republic.
Dom exploring the mountains in Czech Republic.
Jo enjoying the sun in the Czech Republic.

Preparing to hike Snezka

If you don’t have MapyCz already, then we’d definitely recommend downloading the app before hiking anywhere in the Czech Republic. It’s extremely handy for finding all the right trails and it’s very useful. We used it on the hike up to Snezka and have all the key stops here.

In case you don’t have data and can’t download MapyCZ you can also find all the details with Google links as well below. So if you follow the steps in the post you’ll be able to do the loop trail no problem!

Beautiful free flowing water near Pec Pod Snezkou.

Trail directions for the Snezka Mountain hike

Step #1: The beginning of the hike

The hike itself starts right in town at Pizzeria Andel where you’ll see a little stream and bridge to the left of it. You’ll cross the bridge and turn left and start your climb up the mountain.

Here’s a picture of the trailhead

Trailhead for Snezka hike.

From there you’ll enjoy a nice moderate hike through the forest for the first little while. You’ll notice on the MapyCZ route I created that after about 1km / 1.6 miles the trail will fork.

Just stay to the right and continue to hike up! There should be some signs and stuff too but sometimes when they’re in a different language it can get a little confusing.

As long as you stay right at the fork you’ll end up going in the right direction!

Step #2: Halfway to the top of Snezka

So roughly halfway to the top, you’ll get out of the trees and into this opening where you’ll find a few pubs and shops. It’s a good place to enjoy a nice cold beer and since it’s a loop trail you won’t pass by this on your way down unless you really liked the hike up and want to go the same way down!

From here you’ll continue onto Kubaltova Cesta. You’ll notice it quite easily, as it’s a well-paved path that starts going uphill – usually full of tourists!

You may even see a gondola passing by you because there is one that goes all the way to the summit. But of course, the cool kids hike and that’s why you’re here!

The rest of the hike is a nice well-made path towards the summit of Snezka. You’ll be able to see the top from quite a distance with a weird disc-shaped building being very visible.

Restaurant on the mountain to Snezka!

Step #3: You’ve made it to Poland

When can you say you’ve made it to the top of a mountain that’s in two different countries? Let alone the tallest mountain in the Czech Republic!

A cool fact about Snezka is that it was one of the first mountains visited by many tourists in Europe. Mostly because of the quite simple hike to the top.

You can see today too many people make the hike up to the summit where you’ll find a disc-shaped observatory and weather station along with a little shop where you can buy drinks and snacks.

Weather station on top of Snezka!

You’ll be able to get some amazing pictures from the top of Snezka because there’s a 360 panoramic view of Czech and Poland. On a clear day, you’ll be able to see small villages in Poland and even gliders flying in the sky.

The weather thankfully played its part and we had a super clear day and got some pretty amazing shots from the top!

From there you’ll follow the ridge to the yellow house (Dom Slaski) where you can enjoy a bite to eat and a refreshing drink. They only take credit cards or Polish Zloty because the restaurant is in Poland so Czech Crowns will not work here.

This is the last stop before the way down. So take in all the views because it’s downhill the rest of the way. Don’t worry though the views on this side of the mountain going down are super rewarding as well!

Jo hiking in the Czech Republic near Pec Pod Snezkou.
Czech and Polish border
Where Czech and Poland meet at the border.

Step #4: Yellow house back to the bottom

Once you’ve enjoyed your last bit of relaxing at the yellow house (Dom Slaski) you can head across the road (trail) and find an awesome lookout spot and a trail that starts right beside it.

Kavinova Cesta (trail) is going to be the one you follow all the way back down to Pec pod Snezkou.

It’s a nice trail because you get to see a whole other part of the mountain with some amazing views of the mountain range around it.

It’s a big rougher than the trail coming up but still a very managed trail with tons of hikers and mountain bikers. It will take you a few hours to get back from the yellow house to town but there are a few pubs and break spots along the way if you need to go to the bathroom or grab some food! That’s one thing we loved about the hike.

Dom hiking back down to Pec Pod Snezkou.

Every hour or so you could find a little pub or place to grab some snacks so you actually don’t even need to pack too much. We love snacking though so we did get some snacks in town before but it’s good to know there’s the possibility of grabbing food up on the mountains.

If you’re lucky you may even see some goats and cows on the way down. There’s a little area on the way back down where they live and usually have people feeding them.

Eventually, you’ll find yourself back in town and have this awesome trail and the tallest mountain in the Czech Republic conquered.

Beautiful views of Pec Pod Snezkou.

Staying the night in Pec Pod Snezkou

We actually used Booking.com to find a place. It’s quite popular for lots of places outside of Prague in the Czech Republic. There are tons of great places to stay in town.

You’ll definitely be able to find one for your budget. They vary from $20 per person for a night and lots of these accommodations even include breakfast.

But we definitely recommend staying in town. Everything is walkable and the only transportation you’ll need is to get from Prague to Pec and back.

So it’s super easy because once you’re in town and dropped our bags off where you’re staying you’ll be able to just walk and explore the whole mountain town. Easy peasy! =)

Other related questions about the Snezka Mountain hike

How to get from Prague to Pec Pod Snezkou?

If you didn’t know already we take public transport everywhere in Prague! If it’s skiing in Janske Lazne or visiting Teplice Rocks, we take busses or trains to all these places. Pec is no different.

We took a bus from Cerny most (Prague) direct to Pec. It took about 3 hours and is the most convenient way to get there. There is at least one direct bus a day otherwise there are trains and other busses that go daily so you’ll for sure be able to find a way there.

We use IDOS because it shows all public transport that goes to the destination of choice. So that way you can see all the options and choose which times are best for you.

We do recommend booking the busses in advance if you know the times because they can fill up. Especially the direct busses from Prague to Pec. So be sure to do the same to secure your spot!

Views of Poland from the top of Czech tallest mountain.

How long does it take to hike Snežka?

From the base of the mountain in Pec Pod Snezkou up to the Summit of Snežka it takes roughly 3 hours. At a moderate pace, you can complete the whole hike in just under 6 hours with some breaks for photos and even a coffee or ice cream.

What is the summit of Snežka Mountain?

The summit of Snežka Mountain is 1603 meters above sea level which makes it the tallest mountain in the Krkonose National Park and also the tallest peak in the Czech Republic.

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Other relevant info about the Snezka Mountain trip

Cute little cow in Czech Republic.

In case you’re wondering what the weather may look like you can see Pec Pod Snezkou’s weather forecast here.

We also have the directions on Google Maps for the hike in case you can’t download MapyCz. If you have wifi or are able to get the Czech maps for hiking then we highly recommend it. Definitely helps to make sure you don’t get lost hiking in a foreign country!

We stayed at Capkova Chata during our weekend trip. It was about a 20-minute walk from the center of town but it had breakfast included and was relatively cheap.

We don’t mind the walk but if you’d prefer to be in the center of town just look on Booking.com and they’ll have plenty of options!

That’s it!! Now you know everything you’ll need to know for a weekend trip to Pec and hiking Czech’s famous Snezka.

We hope you enjoy hopping between Czech and Poland and exploring the Czech mountains and its beautiful nature. We loved getting out of the city for a few days and seeing the beautiful countryside that Czech has and hope you enjoy it just as much as we did!

Snezka Mountain.
Jo hiking up a mountain in the Czech Republic.

Recap of the Snezka Mountain hike

This has to be one of our favourite hikes in the Czech Republic. There’s something cool saying you hiked the tallest mountain in the country. Even though it’s not a crazy hard hike to get to the “highest point in the Czech Republic” it was a lot of fun.

If you have questions about Snezka, Pec Pod Snezkou, or anything about the trip feel free to reach out. You can DM us on Instagram or leave a comment below.

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Pin for Pinterest of Snezka Mountain.
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