Parking in the Decin region

More than once, each of us has asked ourselves a non-Russian question when parking: Where to take it? Parking lots are often overcrowded and you have to choose a less convenient and more distant alternative. Especially when you're on holiday somewhere, these situations can be quite frustrating. But with our guide, that's over. We've prepared a list of tips and advice for parking in Bohemian Switzerland and the Labská Sandstones Protected Landscape Area that every driver will appreciate. Come and have a holiday in the national park and its surroundings without any worries - and especially with a place to park.

The following list maps parking spaces in the most popular tourist locations.

Hřensko

Everyone who is planning a holiday in Bohemian Switzerland, visit Hřensko and its surroundings. And the village is ready for it. There are several parking places in Hřensko. A guarantee of satisfaction are the parking lots, which are managed and operated directly by the municipality of Hřensko. These are the car parks:

1) Under the rock

This car park is conveniently located, whether you want to go for a hike through the two gorges of Kamenice or to Pravčická Gate. There is an information board about the surroundings of Hřensko and a refreshment stand nearby. Payment is possible only in cash. The capacity of the parking lot is 50 places. Opening hours are from 08:00 to 16:00 from April to November.

2) At the Waterfall

The U Vodopádu car park is popular for its location, as it is closest to the Pravčická Gate. There is no lack of information boards, payment is again possible only in cash. The capacity of the car park is 120 spaces. Opening hours are from 08:00 to 16:00 from April to November.

3) Mezní Louka

The car park is conveniently located for all the surrounding gems. A popular local route is especially the Gabrielina Trail, which leads to Pravčická Gate. The views of the surrounding countryside are breathtaking. There is also a restaurant, a playground and an information centre. Payment can only be made in cash. The capacity of the car park is 150 places for cars and 10 places for buses. Opening hours are from 08:00 to 16:00 from April to November.

4) At the petrol station

The parking lot at the petrol station is the furthest from the tourist destinations of Hřensko, but it is quite free. It is located just behind the centre of Hřensko, right opposite the petrol station. The parking lot has a capacity of 20 spaces.

In addition to municipal car parks, private car parks with their own parking prices are also available in Hřensko. Well-rated car parks include, for example, the "Gorge Parking, Pravčická brána" or "Hrensko Parking". These car parks are priced at the same price of 150 CZK per day. If you are travelling in a motorhome, you can only park at the riverside car parks.

All car parks are traceable on the internet, including Google Maps or Maps.cz. However, please note that there is a strict ban on parking in the whole area outside the marked parking lots, the fine is CZK 5,000. So don't try to park at any cost, it may only come back to bite you.

FINAL TIP: If you are planning to visit Pravčická brána or Soutěsek, we recommend you come here on weekdays. On weekends, Hřensko is literally bursting at the seams and the chances for ideal parking are low. In addition, you can enjoy the beauty of Hřensko more and soak up the peaceful atmosphere of the nature of the national park. If you do go to Hřensko at the weekend, we recommend you take a break. It's already slow to park around 11 o'clock.

Jetrichovice

Another popular tourist destination is Jetřichovice. There are several parking lots here, their prices are around 150 CZK per day. You can pay with cash or card. Below is a map of the main parking spaces.

From all car parks there are marked routes to the most famous tourist destinations such as Mary's Lookout, Rudolf's Stone, Vilémina's Wall or the fairytale Dolský mlýn. The car parks at the bottom of the map are further away from Jetřichovice. These parking areas are primarily for visitors to the local swimming pool and recreation centre. If you plan to visit Dolský mlýn or Šaunštejn Castle, you can drive from Jetřichovice to nearby Vysoké Lípa, where there are three main paid parking lots. The parking fee is again 150 CZK per day and you can pay with cash or card. From Vysoké Lípa you can reach Dolský mlýn in about half an hour (just over 1 km), and Šaunštejn in three quarters of an hour (less than 2.5 km).

The capacities of the local car parks are quite large. There are about 300 parking spaces in Jetřichovice and about 110 in Vysoká Lipa. Nevertheless, they can fill up quickly. If you go to Jetřichovice during the high season, we recommend you to come here on weekdays and preferably first thing in the morning. As in Hřensko, there is a ban on parking outside the marked parking lots in Jetřichovice.

Tight walls

If you are planning a trip to the Rock City, you can park at two main locations. The first one is the paid parking lot at St. Anne's Church, from where it is only less than ten minutes to the Tisza Walls. The parking fee will cost you 50 CZK per day, even in the summer months. You can pay by cash or card. There is another parking lot at the Tourist Hut, where one of the other entrances to the rocks is located. In these places the parking is free of charge. However, as it is the case in high season, if you go to Tisá in the afternoon, you have a lower chance of parking. In addition, a trip to the rock town will take you a whole day, so we recommend you go as soon as possible.

Sněžník

The best way to the highest table mountain in the Czech Republic is by car. From the car park at Hřebenova bouda it is only 1.4 kilometres to the summit. The parking fee is paid through a machine and can only be paid by credit card. Unfortunately, cars over 2.3 metres high are not allowed. The price for a lost parking ticket is CZK 1,000. In the summer months, we again recommend going to Sněžník in the morning.

If you are travelling through the beauty of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and Bohemian Switzerland by caravan, you can park at Sněžník Stellplatz. Although the parking lot is located in the vicinity of the snowboarding guesthouses and hotels, you have complete privacy. In the area it is possible, among other things, to refill drinking water and connect to the electricity grid. These services are for a fee and are paid for by using a parking card, which you charge at the ticket office at the car park. All services used will be automatically billed upon departure.

For more information about Stellplatz's operations, please visit their official website.

Decin

If you are travelling around the Elbe Canyon, you should not miss the lowest town of the country - Decin. If you plan to visit the castle of Děčín, together with its gardens and historical centre, we recommend leaving your car at unpaid parking lot under the city library. In the building of the Děčín Municipal Library there is also an information centre, where you can find a wide range of promotional materials and maps of Děčín and its surroundings. The vast majority of them are free of charge.

In the summer months, the parking lot below the library is busiest in the afternoon and the chances of parking are lower, but not zero. In fact, the situation is worse in the off-season, when it is mainly used by people who work or live in the area. In the morning, parking becomes a bit of a hassle. However, you can try to park nearby, behind the secondary industrial school. You can get here the same way as to the town library, from the roundabout at Masaryk Square to Duchcovská Street. After a while, turn right into Labská Street and in a few minutes there is a small unpaid parking lot in front of you (to get to the library parking lot, turn left from Duchcovská, closer to the Elbe). There are also paid parking lots in the city centre, the prices of which are uniform. The safest place for you to park is at Masaryk Square or U plovárny.

If you are coming to Děčín from the Ústí nad Labem side, you can also park on the other side of the Elbe, in Podmokle. There is a free parking lot behind the main train station, but parking here is more difficult. However, you can park conveniently on the other side of the station, at korál shopping centrewith a capacity for 129 cars. Parking you have free for the whole 60 minutes, then for each additional hour you pay 20,- CZK.

You can also park at Peace Square, where the price list is the same as in the case of paid parking lots on Masaryk Square or U plovárny. If you are planning a trip to děčín zoo, there is also a parking lot for which you will pay 50,- CZK per day. However, due to the popularity of the zoo, the parking lot is often full during the peak season. You can park at some of the above-mentioned places in the city and get to the zoo on foot or by minibus, which will take you from the main station to the entrance of the garden.

Municipal paid parking lots (Masaryk Square, U plovárny, Mírové náměstí, etc.):

You can also pay via mobile app and SMS

If you don't have change on you, you can also pay with parkSimply mobile app, which is available for free on both Android and iOS. Payment is very intuitive - just enter the form of payment and SMS or credit card in the app, fill in the license plate number of your vehicle and also the zone in which you park. Details of the app, including a simple video tutorial, can be found on the developer's website ParkSimply.cz. On a similar basis, the safe deposit box applicationwhich allows you to pay parking fees not only in Děčín, but also in many other cities in the country. More on the website Safe deposit box.

If you're not a fan of smartphones, you can also pay by text. At number 902 06 send a message in the form DCP (space) Your license plate (space) parking time (e.g. DCP 1U19876 120). Parking time supports the formats 60, 120, 180, 240, DAY, TYDEN. Once sent, a confirmation message will be sent to your mobile phone. Parking time extension can be done by sending the SMS again with the same text and to the same number. If you want the system to notify you when the paid parking period is over, enter the letter U at the end of the text message (e.g. DCP DC9874 60 U) Municipal Police of Děčín.

Keep in mind:Shorter intervals than 1 hour cannot be paid via text message or mobile app.

The National Park Administration appeals

Every year there is a great interest in the untouched nature of Bohemian Switzerland. So much so that the National Park Administration has decided to publish callin which it draws attention to the unbearable parking situation at major tourist destinations. It urges tourists to use public transport and leave their cars at home during the peak tourist season. Not only is this more environmentally friendly, according to the administrators, but also more relaxing as you don't have to stress about overcrowded parking lots.

Railway lovers will be delighted by the opportunity to take a ride on the National Park Railway, which passes through an important part of Bohemian Switzerland. In addition to this, the tourist bus lines, of which there are many in the area of the national park, are significantly strengthened in the high season.

Of course, it's up to you what style of transport you ultimately choose. The main thing is to be respectful of the local nature.

We hope that our parking guide has helped you and that you will enjoy your holiday in Bohemian Switzerland and the Elbe Sandstone Mountains to the fullest and, above all, without the stress of parking. In the sidebar of this article you will also find our map, which includes all the above mentioned parking places.