A country ringed by mountains, with arctic tundra on its highest peak and ski resorts two hours from Prague.
The Czech Republic is a basin ringed almost entirely by mountains — which is why its borders have barely moved in a thousand years. None of them are alpine, but several are high enough for genuine winter conditions and one carries arctic tundra on its summit plateau.
Krkonoše (Giant Mountains)
The highest range, on the Polish border. Sněžka at 1,603 m is the country’s highest point, reachable by cable car from Pec pod Sněžkou. The summit plateau holds arctic-alpine tundra left over from the ice age — plant communities otherwise found in Scandinavia. It is also the main Czech ski region, with Špindlerův Mlýn the best-known resort, about two hours from Prague.
Šumava (Bohemian Forest)
Lower but far larger, running along the Bavarian and Austrian border. Deep spruce forest, glacial lakes and Central Europe’s most extensive peat bogs. Sparsely populated because it was a sealed border zone for forty years, which is precisely why the nature recovered so well.
Krušné hory (Ore Mountains)
On the German border in the north-west. Historically a mining region — silver, tin and later uranium — and badly damaged by acid rain from coal power in the 1970s and 80s. The forests have substantially recovered and the mining landscape is now UNESCO-listed on the German side.
Jeseníky and Beskydy
Moravia’s ranges. Jeseníky is bare and windswept at the top, with Praděd at 1,491 m. The Beskydy in the far east are gentler, wooded, and hold the country’s largest populations of bear, wolf and lynx.
Český ráj and the rock towns
Not mountains but sandstone — eroded rock cities, pinnacles and ruined castles an hour from Prague. The most rewarding walking terrain in the country for a day trip.
Practical
The Czech waymarking system — coloured stripes on trees and posts — is consistent nationwide and genuinely dependable. Mountain huts serve food and beer; many are reachable only on foot.
שאלות נפוצות
What is the highest mountain in the Czech Republic?
Sněžka, 1,603 m, in the Krkonoše on the Polish border.
Can you ski in the Czech Republic?
Yes — Krkonoše is the main region, roughly two hours from Prague, with a season from December to March.
Are there bears and wolves?
Yes, in the Beskydy in the east, in small numbers. You will not meet one on a day walk near Prague.
Read more: Czech national parks, גן עדן בוהמי ו hiking near Prague.
Last reviewed in August 2026.
