Wallenstein's Avenue to Jičín

A 24.9 km point-to-point hike from Libuň to Jičín over the Alainova věž lookout, Brada castle hill and Zebín, finishing along Wallenstein's lime avenue.

The whole day sits on one railway line, so the logistics are simple. You take a train out to Libuň and a train or bus back from Jičín. It is also the Český ráj without the rock-town crowds. The route stays clear of Prachov’s gorges, and no road leads to the morning’s lookout tower at all.

From Libuň station the route heads east through Javornice and climbs onto the wooded ridge to the north. The first kilometres are open field lanes with views back to Trosky‘s double silhouette. Then comes forest, a long traverse below Tábor.

At km 6 the trees suddenly end at Alainova věž, alone in its clearing. Since its 2015 restoration you can climb the spiral staircase to the gallery. No road leads here, so you will likely have it to yourself.

The way then drops south out of the woods to Železnice at km 11, the natural lunch stop. A pub and a wine restaurant stand on the rebuilt classicist square, with a café by the museum. After lunch you cross the open farmland south-west towards the broad hill of Brada.

The climb to Brada’s summit at km 16 is short. From the top you see the whole Jičín basin below you, with Trosky and the Prachovské skály on one side and the cone of Zebín, your next goal, on the other. If you need a break before or after, there is a pension with a restaurant at the foot of the hill.

From Brada the route descends past Kbelnice and follows the stream to the Bílý mlýn mill ruin at km 20, then starts the last climb of the day. Zebín is steeper than it is high, and by late afternoon the light on its bare basalt top and the little chapel is at its best.

The finish is the gentlest part. You drop from Zebín to the Valdštejnská lodžie and walk the last stretch into Jičín under the four rows of Wallenstein’s lime avenue. It is flat, shaded and leads straight into the town centre, where pubs, shops and the connections home are all within a few minutes.