Eco-Travel Delights! Explore Stunning Czech Spots While Embracing Nature
Liberec EKOpark
If you’re visiting Liberec or if you’re just passing through, we highly suggest checking out a special project created by a father for his children. He rescued one of the last green spaces in the middle of Liberec and transformed it into an amazing public forest park. EKOPark Liberec merges ecology with nature and education, providing opportunities for leisure activities, culture, and sports. Spanning five square kilometers, it provides a refreshing environment where you can enjoy both active and relaxing activities. Your children will learn that being offline is enjoyable.
While you’re in Liberec, don’t miss the Planetarium at the local iQlandia, where you can deepen your understanding of astronomy, geography, science, and physics. Dive into the evolution of life, journey through the solar system, and marvel at the wonders of the night sky.
Animals at the Šumava Visitor Centres
If you’re looking to escape into untouched and wild nature, we suggest exploring some fantastic hiking trails that are perfect for families with children in the Bohemian Forest. These trails offer stunning natural views and the chance to see local wildlife up close. In Srni, you can visit a wolf enclosure. A 3-4 meter high footbridge, which is 300 meters long, runs through the middle of the enclosure and includes several observation points. Outside the wolf area, there is a nature trail with five educational panels that explain the life of wolves, which were once common in the local forests. The new visitor centre is an energy-efficient building with air recovery and eco-friendly technologies, powered by renewable energy sources.
Close to Kvilda, there’s a visitor centre focused on deer. This facility has an educational circuit that is 2.5 km long and features an enclosure that spans nearly 9 hectares, home to up to twelve deer. Along the trail, you’ll find three observation towers where you can catch the best views of deer and roe deer. Nearby, two lynxes named David and Kate live in another enclosure. Both animals were rescued during their youth and have been unable to return to the wild due to their reliance on humans. David was a kitten injured by a car in the Bohemian Forest, while Kate, born in captivity in Germany, is familiar with human interactions. Be sure to visit the Owl aviaries in Borová Lada as well.
Explore Unique Biotopes at Nature Houses
Nature Houses and smaller information centers are waiting for you in areas like Žďárské vrchy, Český les, Blaník, Český ráj, Litovelský Pomoraví, Moravské kras, Moravský kras – Vavřinec, Poodří, Slavkovský les, and Třeboňsko. Thanks to these Nature Houses, you’ll get to learn more about these protected regions through 3D films and interactive displays. A new addition in 2023 is the House of Nature in Brdy, located in Tři Trubky’s hunting lodge. This area is a large region of mountain forests at the center of Bohemia and the House of Nature shares stories about its wildlife, lore, and military past.
Also newly established is the Visitor Centre of the Bohemian Karst, found near the Koněprusské Caves, within the geologically interesting zones of the Kotýz and Zlatý kůň National Natural Monuments, located above the Čertovy schody velodrome. The multifunctional building serves both the caves and their visitors. Alongside ticket sales, it features a shop, a refreshment area with seating, a play area for children, and space for bike storage. Moreover, visitors can explore indoor and outdoor exhibits about the geology and wildlife of the Bohemian Karst protected landscape area.
In Hodonín, the new visitor center for the Hodonínská Dúbrava National Natural Monument stands in the area known as Bažantnice, near the Hodonín Zoo. The center, House of Nature Hodonín Dúbravy, features an indoor exhibition showcasing multiple interconnected themes to enhance visitors’ understanding of the natural and human influences in the ancient oak forest of Hodonín Dúbrava. The chosen mascot for the House of Nature is a beetle called the Common hornbill, one of the largest beetle species in Europe, which thrives in decaying wood and logs from deciduous trees, primarily oak.
In 2024, the Pálava Nature House will open in Dolní Věstonice, which has been converted from an old archaeological museum. The exhibits will be housed in a brand-new underground space, while the renovated original museum building will serve complementary purposes. The exhibits will showcase the Pálava region and its surrounding lowlands, highlighting how humans have shaped the rich diversity of plant and animal communities and the local landscape for thousands of years.
Organic Farms and Estates
If you appreciate farming without chemicals, make sure to visit the lavender farm in Bezděkov, near Úsov. The delightful smell of lavender fills the air at this organic-certified farm, where you can find ten thousand lavender plants thriving in the fields, and don’t miss out on The Lavender Café, which is open all year round. Another lovely lavender-growing spot is the lavender farm Stráň, located in the pristine nature of the White Carpathians where they cultivate lavender, herbs, fruits, and vegetables. The farmers then use these to create jams, spreads, syrups, and dried fruits and herbs, and they also sell seedlings.
In the village of Držovice, which is less than 3 km from Úštěk, you’ll find a family farm that is home to goats and sheep. This farm operates under organic standards, so they offer mostly sheep and goat cheeses. Since January 2010, all products from this farm have been certified organic, and no harmful chemicals are used to grow crops or care for the animals. Up in the Ore Mountains, at an altitude of 820 meters, lies the village of Klíny, where you can visit one of the highest eco-centres in the Czech Republic, Ecofarm Klouček Klíny. It focuses on organic farming and aims to educate children and youth on ecology, offering programs where they can interact with animals and learn traditional crafts.
In the Pilsen region, you can find the charming agritourism attraction operated by Mr. and Mrs. Moulis. Their farm is focused on child pedagogy and provides a hands-on experience of farm life. Kids not only learn how butter is made or how to bake bread, but they also get to try making these items themselves, plus there’s a tasty tasting session afterwards. The Mr. Sklenař’s farm, transformed from a school farm in Sasov u Jihlavy, is spacious and offers many activities. Besides raising pigs, which is their main focus, they also breed cattle, sheep, and horses, and have started growing various crops like feed crops, buckwheat, potatoes, onions, and soybeans.
Herbs, Dried Fruits, Flowers, and Organic Products
At the St. Francis fruit and herb drying plant, which has been around for over 100 years, you can explore the beautiful landscapes of the White Carpathians filled with herbs and edible flowers. This stunning part of the Wallachian landscape is where everything is produced by the Fryzek family from Květomluvy. They handle everything themselves from processing to packaging, ensuring the methods cause minimal harm to nature and enrichment where possible. Many of their products are made in small batches due to the limited availability of organically grown herbs, especially for items requiring fresh herbs.
In Nenačovice, near Beroun, you’ll find the Archa eco-centre, which features an organic farm, an organic bakery, a wholesale shop with samples, and an educational center for students from the Lifestyle Institute. The headquarters of the company are housed in a converted cow barn into a low-energy building, which includes a newly added section built as a passive house. Everything is designed with minimal environmental impact in mind. The company Country Life was established in 1991 and was a pioneer in bringing organic food to the former Czechoslovak market. Their organic products are produced with respect for nature and human health.
In Čejkovice, the company Sonnentor has been specializing in processing biobylin and bioforaging for nearly 30 years. They use these high-quality ingredients to create delicious organic teas. Curious visitors can take a tour at the new building called “Solis with a green heart“. This new green building showcases herb processing, both portioned and loose tea production, modern amenities, and a unique hands-on tour experience. You can also explore a beautiful St. Hildegard’s Herb Garden, styled like medieval monastery gardens, where nothing is grown using fertilizers or chemical substances. In this garden, you’ll discover the same herbs used by St. Hildegard, including wormwood, sweet clover, lavender, motherwort, hyssop, sage, and others. There are also designated spaces for beneficial wildlife like insects, lizards, hedgehogs, and other creatures that have lost habitat in the landscape.
Visit the delightful gardens in Myslin near Mnichovice, where you can savor delicious coffee, homemade lemonade, or cakes, and pick seasonal organic fruits or vegetables. In these gardens, you can purchase seasonal products (such as seedlings, vegetables, and fruits), farm-fresh eggs, while also enjoying a great cup of coffee or some homemade treats. You can take part in active recreation—take a lovely stroll through the fields, visit the ancient Žižkov oak, or go cycling around the beautiful area.
Veronica Centre Hostětín is focused on teaching about the environment, especially for adults. Among its attractions are the region’s first root wastewater treatment plant, a restored fruit drying facility, solar collectors, and a heating plant that uses wood chips, serving almost all households in the village. Their initiatives also include a bio-mushroom program, utilizing harvested apples from surrounding areas, plus the use of straw for thermal insulation, and they harness solar energy through 12 solar collectors and 3 photovoltaic power plants, all while integrating wooden sculptures into the landscape and maintaining energy-efficient public lighting.
In Northern Bohemia, visiting the Vlčihorská zahrada is highly recommended—it showcases blooming flowers almost all year round, with hundreds of them to enjoy. Make sure to visit at different times of the year to see how the garden changes. Not only do they produce cosmetics, but this area also serves as a welcoming space dedicated to aromatherapy and nature, where you can relax and rejuvenate.
Where Can You Walk Barefoot?
Close to Hradčany in Prague, you can try walking on a special barefoot path. This trail made of natural materials allows you to walk on wood, pebbles, and a variety of other natural textures.
Water flowing in the peaceful forest can be found at Klučná Creek, located between Karlova Vsis and Roztoky in the famous Valley of Sin in the Křivoklát region. There are three forest springs and a Kneipp Spa along a 5 km circular path through beautiful scenery. A barefoot trail runs from the Austrian village of Schrattenberg to Valtice, featuring 12 stops where you can walk on materials like bark, cones, sand, and stones, balance on a shaky bridge made of wood, kick back on wooden loungers, and enjoy expansive views of the region.
Through the Experience Trail at Bezruč Spring in Jeseník Spa, you can try out some of the legendary treatments by the natural healer Vincenz Priessnitz. Walking barefoot along this path is encouraged.
Along the Grádelský brook near Železná Ruda, you can find a foot bath that utilizes acupressure. The so-called Kneipp walkway has been established by the Forests of the Czech Republic along a green-marked trail leading from central Železná Ruda to Grádl.
Exhibitions and Displays
Check out nature-related exhibits at the National Museum of Agriculture in Prague, where interactive displays cover themes like Agriculture, Water in the Landscape, Hunting, Fishing, and an engaging Gastro area. On-site, visitors can enjoy a rooftop terrace with a small field and a stunning view of Prague, as well as a small museum farm. The Museum of the Czech Countryside can also be found in the Kačina Empire Chateau, while Ohrada Castle showcases forestry, hunting, and fishing, and in Valtice, you can learn about viticulture, horticulture, and the environment.
