Walking and hiking in the Czech Republic is a true pleasure. Whether you like to take a relaxing stroll in a park or long hikes in the hills and forests, there is always something for everyone. No matter where you go, you are bound to find pretty little villages, enchanting castles, lovely chapels and beautiful green fields of flowers or of pristine white snow. 
While some might be willing to take a drive to a faraway area, right here within Prague and the greater Prague area there are plenty of places where you can enjoy nature. Below are step-by-step instructions for two great walks in the area; however, you can easily find other trails already marked by the fabulous Hiking Group of the Czech Republic (Klub českých turistů) and by going into the Mapy.cz websites mentioned below.
While it is easier to keep on the trails, once you get used to hiking here, don’t hesitate to explore little side paths. Just make sure you can find your way back to the marked trail so you can easily get home. The good thing in the Czech Republic is that even if you get lost you will usually find a village with a restaurant or pub to have a rest and ask how to get back into the city.
Ctěnice to Satalice:
Prague 9
Approx. 8 km
Easy/moderate
How to get there and back:
To Ctěnice: From Letňany metro station (Metro Red Line C), take bus 182, 185 or 302 to Ctěnice
From Satalice: Take bus 201 to Rajská zahrada (Metro Yellow Line B) or to Letňany metro station (Metro Red Line C)
From the Ctěnice bus stop, walk east towards the lovely Ctěnice Chateau. The City of Prague Museum has exhibits there that are worth seeing, and you can learn about the history of the chateau. Explore the horse stables and the surrounding park and then go through the nursery to exit the chateau grounds. There you will find a yellow marked hiking trail. Walk towards your right. It will go around the Chateau wall, past a pretty pond and around some picturesque cottages, and then into the forest. Like most Czech forests, there are few wild animals, so you can savor the quiet beauty without having to worry, and you might even get lucky and hear a woodpecker or encounter some shy deer. 
Once you get out of the forest, continue on the yellow trail and enjoy the pretty homes and villas in the town of Vinoř. This walk will take you into the Vinořský Park forest areas, around ponds, lakes, educational trails and past the Satalice Pheasantry forest preserve (Satalická bažantnice), which was founded in the 18th century. Here you will see sandstone rock formations, including carved niches above the pond at the Stone Table (rybníkem U Kamenného stolu).
At the end of the trail coming out of the forest you will be at Za kapličkou street. You can go towards the left, where you will find the small baroque Saint Anne’s chapel and a bus stop. You can either take a bus from there back to the metro or, better yet, explore the town of Satalice and find a restaurant for a nice meal in the town.
Malá Chuchle to Slivenec:
Prague 5
Approx. 6 km
Moderate/difficult
How to get there and back:
To Malá Chuchle: From Smíchovské nádraží (Metro Yellow Line B) take bus 129, 172, 241, 244, or 318 to Malá Chuchle bus stop
From Slivenec: Take bus 120 to Anděl/Na Knížecí bus terminal, where you can take a tram or the metro from Anděl (Metro Yellow Line B)
Start your walk on the green trail from the bus stop by going to the right at the little street immediately behind the bus stop. You should start seeing the green trail signs here. After you go under the bridge, turn left at the first street, still walking along the green trail, and then turn right at the end of the short street. Here you will see the signs for the yellow trail (Zbraslavská Street). At the little village, turn toward the right. Walking up this street you will see a pretty church to your left and village houses (V Lázních Street). Continuing on the yellow trail towards your left between the houses, go up into the forest. The first part of the walk is quite steep as it is uphill. The forest here is beautiful and well worth the climb. There is a natural spring to your right and various shelters where you can stop for a rest. Soon you will come to one of the nicest stops in this walk, a little zoo and playground area. The zoo is a care center for animals from the region that have been injured and cannot return to the wild. Be sure to stop and take a look at the deer and other animals.
About another 750 meters from the zoo, you can take a small detour for a beautiful view of the Vltava River from the hill. Walk past the cemetery and to the Church of St. John of Nepomuk. You will find a stunning view behind the church, where you can sit on a bench and enjoy as long as you like. Going back the way you came onto the main yellow trail going to your left, continue the walk through the forest.
Once you get out of the forest, and to a road (V Dolích Street), you will be going towards your left onto a blue trail. Walking along the side of the road, you will get to an area with limestone hills to your right and an interesting building to your left. This building is an old lime kiln from the 19th century. Walking around and behind the building, continue to follow the blue trail and get back into a forest, where there is another uphill climb. The paths are narrow, but everything is gorgeous in the spring and summer, and there are more beautiful views on this side of the forest as well. The blue trail will take you into the town of Slivenec, where there are various restaurants to stop for a meal and also the bus to find your way back to the city center.
Websites to help you on your walks:
Klub českých turistů – Czech Hiking Group (in Czech only) website here.
Walking trails on mapy.cz can be located here. (By zooming in on green areas or places you want to walk in, you will see the marked colored trails.)
Transportation within Prague website here.
Transportation around the Czech Republic website here.
NOTE: Always be sure to check your transportation, as schedules may change and travel directions from your starting point might be a little different for you than the general directions I have in this article.
Trail Markings
It is important to know and get used to the Czech Hiking Group trail markings. For Hiking/Walking, the markings are red, yellow, blue or green short stripes with white stripes on the top and bottom. The signs will be on trees, on posts or even on the ground, so keep your eyes open as the trail might change all of a sudden. When there is a right or left turn on a trail, you will see an arrow with the same color as the trail. When two trails meet, you will see the signs with the two colors one on top of the other. Keep in mind that there are also markings for horse trails, educational trails or biking trails, so don’t get confused. Have a wonderful time exploring!
