Right on the border between Poland and Czechia lie the Giant Mountains, one of the most popular hiking areas in both countries. Think mountain paths along babbling streams, meadows full of grazing goats, rocky slopes and views that stretch far across the border. No wonder hikers flock here. We explored the mountains ourselves and took on the highest summit, Sněžka. In this blog we’ll tell you exactly how to get to the top, and we’ve put all the hiking trails up Sněžka on a handy map.
The Giant Mountains between Czechia and Poland
The Giant Mountains (Krkonoše in Czech, Karkonosze in Polish) form the natural border between Czechia and Poland, so you can visit them from either side. The highest peak is Sněžka, or Śnieżka in Polish, at 1,603 metres. That also makes it the highest mountain in the whole of the Czech Republic.
The mountains draw crowds in summer and winter alike. In winter this is one of the busiest ski areas in the region, popular even with people from Berlin, just four hours’ drive away. That’s why you’ll spot signs for ski slopes and ski hire all over the place. Summer is just as good, though, with great mountain hikes for every level. At weekends you’ll share the trails with plenty of Polish, Czech and German visitors.
Along the ridge between the two countries runs the Czech-Polish Friendship Trail. The full route is about 80 kilometres, with mountain huts along the way where you can spend the night. Of course, you can also just walk a section. On hiking maps the trail is usually marked in red.
By far the biggest part of the mountains lies in Czechia. Most international flights land in Prague, about a two-hour drive away, so the mountains are easy to tack onto a city break in the capital.
Our tip: book your rental car through Discover Cars. It compares all the big rental companies in one go, so you can easily find the best deal.
Where to stay in the Giant Mountains?
On the Czech side, the Giant Mountains are dotted with villages that mostly cater to skiers. The biggest are Špindlerův Mlýn and Pec pod Sněžkou, where you’ll find the most places to stay. From the smaller villages it’s only a short drive to the lifts and trailheads too. We stayed in a brand-new apartment in Svoboda nad Úpou, close to the lifts of Pec pod Sněžkou and Janské Lázně. Looking for a holiday home or apartment in the area? Have a look on Vrbo, or browse all hotels in the Giant Mountains here.
The summit of Sněžka
From the highest point of the Giant Mountains you get a sweeping panoramic view over Czechia and Poland. There are several viewpoints, but simply walking around the edge of the summit is enough to take in the mountains and valleys below.
The oldest building at the top is a wooden chapel from the seventeenth century. It stands on the Polish side, which back then belonged to Prussia. Building on the Czech side, then part of the Austrian Empire, only started in 1868. A weather station followed later, and there’s still one up there today: a futuristic design that people often compare to a flying saucer.
Don’t miss the post office either, where you can send an old-fashioned postcard with some brilliant stamps. No postcard to send but still fancy a stamp? Bring your passport for a fun souvenir of Sněžka.
How do you get to the top of Sněžka?
By cable car from Poland or Czechia
There are three ways to head up by lift or cable car. From the Polish town of Karpacz, a combination of chairlift and gondola takes you up to Kopa. It doesn’t go all the way, though: from the top station you still have roughly an hour’s walk, with a stiff climb up the final slope.
Tip: in Karpacz you’ll find the Wang Church, a wooden Norwegian stave church that’s well worth a visit.
On the Czech side, the obvious choice is the cable car from the village of Pec pod Sněžkou. It stops halfway at Růžová hora, but if you’ve bought a ticket to the summit you simply stay in your seat. In strong winds the cable car only runs as far as Růžová hora, so keep an eye on the official website when you plan your trip up. We had to push our visit back a day because of the wind, and even then the cable car shut halfway through the day.
As it can get really busy, some people take the cable car from Velká Úpa instead. From its top station you hike to Růžová hora and catch the regular cable car from there. That climb takes about an hour and a quarter, covering 2.6 kilometres and 274 metres of ascent. Worth it if you fancy a bit of a hike anyway, or if the queues in Pec pod Sněžkou are painfully long.
We went for the easiest option: the cable car straight up from Pec pod Sněžkou. We only bought a one-way ticket, because we wanted to walk back down. Bear in mind that you also pay for parking in Pec pod Sněžkou.
Hiking to the top of Sněžka
The most adventurous way up is, of course, on foot. You can hike to the top from both the Polish and the Czech side. The climb is fairly tough, but we saw whole families with young children making their way to the summit.
From Poland there are several routes, but the most direct ones start in Karpacz, with a yellow, a red and a black trail heading up. The black trail roughly follows the cable car: almost 6 kilometres and around 800 metres of ascent, which takes a good three hours. The yellow trail is 7.1 kilometres and takes about 3.5 hours, while the red trail is the longest at 8.6 kilometres and around 4 hours 15 minutes.
From Czechia you have two options, both starting in Pec pod Sněžkou. The most popular route (yellow) runs underneath the cable car: 5.5 kilometres and just over 700 metres of ascent in almost 3 hours. A nice alternative is the blue trail, which is 6.3 kilometres and takes about 3 hours 15 minutes.
Tip: download Mapy.cz. This Czech app shows every marked hiking trail in the country, and the maps work offline when you lose signal up in the mountains.
A mix of cable car and hiking
You don’t have to choose between hiking and the cable car, as the two combine perfectly. Some options already do it for you: from the Polish side you have to climb the final stretch to Sněžka anyway, and the alternative cable car route from Velká Úpa includes a hike as well.
We took the cable car to the top and then hiked back down. Rather than the yellow trail underneath the cable car, we picked the longer blue trail. We’d read that it was the prettier one, with wide views, plenty of pine trees and a few babbling streams.
Giant Mountains hiking trails on the map
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