Optional Prague City of a Hundred Spires Walk – 8 km, rated 2B

• Travelers arrive in Prague
• Optional Prague Sightseeing Walk for those arriving on September 9
  • Visit to Hradcany Castle
  • Walking in the historic center of Prague (UNESCO World Heritage Site) including the famous Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, and Wenceslas Square
• Welcome Orientation and dinner for all travelers
• Overnight in wonderfully situated hotel in Lesser Town near the Vltava River

Walk #1: Prachov Rocks Emperor’s Trail – 5 km, rated 2C
Walk #2: Mladejov to Trosky Castle – 5 km, rated 2C

• Unique walk through the geological sandstone wonderland of Prachov Rocks on the so-called Emperor’s Trail commemorating a doubtful visit by Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz I in 1813. Frequent film set for fantasy themes.
• Picnic lunch be at a popular local fishing lake
• Afternoon nature hike to the dramatic runs of Trosky Castle with a castle visit at walk’s end
• Travelers who opt out of the 2^nd walk of the day can be bused to Trosky Castle
• 2-night stay in pretty little Bohemian (the region, not the lifestyle) town of Rychnov nad Kneznou

Walk #3: Jirasek Chalet & Eagle Mountain Hike – 4 km, rated 2B
Walk #4: Metuje River to Nove Mesto Walk 4 km; rated 1B 

• Morning walk featuring pre-WWII fortifications built in anticipation of Nazi attack and stately early 20^th century Jirasek Chalet on Eagle Mountain
• Afternoon walk following the wild and scenic Metuje River finishing in Nove Mesto, a small town with a surprisingly rich architectural core, protected as an urban monument zone
• Travelers who opt out of 2^nd walk of the day are bussed to Nove Mesto to enjoy a stroll through the old town

Walk #5: Olomouc UNESCO City Walk – 5 km, rated 1A

• Guided tour of splendid, UNESCO-listed Litomysl Castle, a 16^th century jewel of the Italian Renaissance style in a lovely, small town of the same name possessing a charming and well-preserved historic center
• Picnic lunch in a pastoral Bohemian countryside setting
• Olomouc, another enchanting Czech city, second only to Prague in its wide range of architectural styles and preservation of picturesque monuments from another era
• Overnight with time for exploring in Olomouc

Walk #6: Wallachian Open-Air Museum Walk – 4 km, rated 1A
Walk #7: Radhost Mountain Walk – 4 km, rated 2B

• Cross into the Moravian-Silesian Beskids, a mountain range known for its natural beauty with many protected areas and traditional wooden architecture in historic villages
• Stroll through Wallachian Open-Air Museum, the largest open-air museum in Central Europe, to experience the rich culture of the Moravian-Silesian Beskids region displayed in folk art, crafts, food samples, forgotten trades, and timeless wooden homes and churches
• Afternoon walk from another ageless village to a hilltop chapel dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius, Byzantine clerics who spread the bible and Christian gospel into lands north of Constantinople by developing the Glagolithic alphabet (pre-cursor to today’s Cryllic script)
• First night of a 2-night stay in Terchova, Slovakia

Walk #8: Rural Slovakia Shepherds Walk – 4.8 km, rated 3B
Walk #9: Orava Castle Panoramas Walk – 3.7 km, rated 3B

• Stimulating rural hike through Slovakian countryside enjoying coniferous forests, emerald meadows, and herds of grazing sheep, framed by picturesque shepherds’ huts and wooden cottages
• Picnic lunch at the close of the morning walk
• Afternoon walk to stunning 13^th century Orava Castle, one of Slovakia’s largest and most impressive, dominating the Orava River from its perch on limestone cliffs (guided visit to follow)
• Travelers who opt out of the 2^nd walk are bused to a nearby village in the shadow of the castle, then join walkers for the castle visit if they wish

Walk #9: High Tatras Strbske Mountain Lake Walk – 5 km, rated 2B
Walk #10: High Tatras Popradske Mountain Lake Walk – 6 km, rated 3D

• A pair of higher altitude hikes (about 4500 feet above sea level) in the High Tatra Mountains, the highest part of the wide-ranging Carpathian system, featuring two pristine mountain lakes
• Lunch in a lakeside restaurant between the hikes
• Arrive for a 2-night stay in the historic town of Levoca, a UNESCO World Heritage site in one of the oldest and most picturesque regions of Slovakia

Walk #11: Slovakian Countryside Walk – 5 km, rated 2B
Walk #12: Uloza Pilgrimage Trail – 5 km, rated 2C

• Lovely rural hike to the village of Zehra, home to a remarkable 13th-century Gothic church inscribed into the same UNESCO listing as Levoca
• Visit to Spissky Castle, one of the largest fortifications in Central Europe, founded by Hungarian kings around 1200 AD and also part of the Levoca UNESCO World Heritage listing
• Second walk of the day from the village of Uloza along a pilgrimage trail that leads past a locally famous shrine and back into Levoca
• Travelers who opt out of the 2^nd walk will return by bus to Levoca for a free afternoon to explore on their own

• Morning visit to Saint Jacob’s Cathedral in Levoca, with its extraordinary wooden alter, 2^nd largest in the world
• Scenic drive across a scenic high plateau, descending into Pieniny National Park and the winding Dunajec River
• Floating down the Dunajec River on wooden rafts captained by experienced pilots whose ancestors plotted the same route transporting timber all the way to the Baltic Sea
• Arrive Krakow, Poland for two nights in the “City of Kings” in a strategically-located hotel within the old city walls

Walk 13: Krakow Trials & Triumphs Walk – 8 km, rated 1A

• Intriguing walking tour through Poland’s traditional royal capital
• Visit to the Jagiellonian University with famed alumni like Nicolaus Copernicus (heliocentric theory of the universe) and Pope John Paul II
• Exploration of Krakow’s Jewish quarter, with its rich history of Jewish culture and faith
• Tour of exceptional Royal Wawel Castle, burial grounds of most of Poland’s monarchs since the 11th century
• Wandering through the old city, chock full of innumerable intriguing corners and abounding in statuesque churches built between the 11th and 18th centuries in a wide spectrum of architectural styles
• Memorable farewell dinner with travel mates finishing Pastoral Panoramas of Central Europe tomorrow

• Depart after breakfast at leisure for the nearby Krakow airport

As usual, we recommend arriving early and we have a pre-night booked in our Prague hotel for September 9 and an optional Prague sightseeing walk offered on September 10.

An extension will be offered in Krakow, Poland for an additional 2 nights featuring high-value points of interest not included in the main itinerary. Because many WAI travelers have visit Prague and Krakow with us over the years, we use these two classic Central European cities as start and finish but focus the itinerary on the rural and small town highlights in between.

Details for the pre-night and extension are still being worked out and will be announced in the Adventure Advice memo which announces airfare and entry requirements and tips provided by email after you register for the Adventure. Please do not book your airfare prior to receiving these flight details from us!