Děčín

The city where the Elbe leaves Bohemia — a château on a rock above the river, and a main station on the Prague–Dresden line that makes it a first-rate trailhead.

Děčín sits on both banks of the Elbe just before the river cuts through the sandstone into Germany, with the Ploučnice joining it in the middle of town. Its landmark is the château on a rock spur above the confluence, reached by the walled Dlouhá jízda avenue; the cliffs of Pastýřská stěna face it from the other bank.

For hikers the city is above all a junction: the hills of the České středohoří rise on one side, the Elbe sandstones on the other, and Děčín hlavní nádraží sits on the Prague–Dresden main line, so fast trains make it one of the easiest trailheads in the north to reach — and to get home from.