3 Day Czech Road Trip with Toddlers

When I first started planning our summer Europe trip I knew I wanted to spend some time in nature. The boys tire of cities and I hadn’t spent much time out of major European cities myself. We used to travel often when we had traditional jobs, but with limited vacation time we would fly into a capital city, maybe do a few day trips, and then head back.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard not to leave when European capital cities are full of beautiful architecture and delicious food. While backpacking we would get off the beaten path a bit, but were usually relying on public transportation so we were limited on how far we could go. Now that we have the kids and a bigger budget to rent a car, going into the wild was a must!

I have to admit, sometimes I’ll be planning a trip (usually at 1 am) and get off on a tangent of something that we “must do” when I read about it once in an obscure place online. That’s how our Czech road trip was born. I saw pictures of the Adršpach-Teplice Rocks and read about the secret Lesni Bar and decided we must go to both. I also wanted to check out wine country.

I originally wanted to go to Bohemian Switzerland (mainly just because it sounded cool and was pretty in pictures) but it wasn’t on our eventual route to Vienna. I also considered Cesky Krumlov (a UNESCO site for good reason but I imagined it would be riddled with tour buses this time of year) and Karlovy Vary (a historic spa city that seemed less natural hot springs aka our vibe and more like medical spas). Once we narrowed down our route, we were ready to rock!

Day 1: Drive from Prague to Adršpach-Teplice Rocks (2 hours)

We picked up our rental car in Prague and drove to Adršpach-Teplice Rocks. We knew we wanted to fuel up before our hike so we stopped at nearby Hostinec U Tošováka. It ended up being one of our favorite meals of the trip. The vibe was very cozy and the the ribs were so good!

Hiking Adršpach-Teplice Rocks with Kids

You have to reserve an entry time and we went in the evening to give ourselves plenty of time to get there. The hike takes about three hours. We arrived at 5 PM and had the place to ourselves!

Adršpach-Teplice was so impressive and totally kid-friendly! Winding through the HUGE rocks was truly a marvel and the beautiful lake near the entrance was a highlight. Marin did the majority of the hike solo (at age 3) and most of it was stroller-friendly as well. (We opted for the Ergobaby carrier just in case!) The kids also loved watching the rock climbers.

Camping near the Poland border

Famished and nearing sunset, we stopped for dinner at Qadr rest & bar, which was like dining in a new barn with craft beer! Then we headed to our campsite. We crashed in a little camping cabin at Autokemp Loděnice Zdoňov. It was fine for one night but pretty bare bones. The common areas looked more appealing online. The coolest part is we were right by the Poland border. Marin and Grant walked over to Poland in the morning just for fun!

Day 2: Drive from Adršpach-Teplice to Horní Dobrouč (3 hours 45 min)

Driving through Poland

Our next stop was a hike to the Lesni Bar. This is a honor system bar in the middle of the Rychlebske Mountains. We first had to drive through Poland and then back into Czechia. We had never been to Poland before so we stopped for some roadside perogies. Grant and I had a picnic in the car while the boys napped.

Road Trip Fails

I also planned some other cheesy road trip stops given the length of the car ride, but they were a fail. We stopped in Broumov for some lunch, scenic buildings, and diapers! I also wanted to stop at the “Giant Table and Chairs” (a point of interest I saw on Google Maps) but we couldn’t find it. Unfortunately, it was around this time that Hobie was getting a bad cough and feeling a bit under the weather. We ate some roadside strawberries and headed on. (We ended up seeing it from the car!) I also wanted to stop at the Na Pomezí Caves but they had just closed.

Getting to the Lesni Bar

The entrance to the Lesni Bar is a little tricky, Google Maps makes it seem like you can drive there but the road is closed for normal vehicles. You have to park on the side of the road by the bridge. You’ll see some other cars. You hike through the woods and then appearing like a mirage is a small cabin. There are hot dogs, beers, and snacks you can leave cash for. Everything is kept cold using river water. There’s even some water toys for kids to play with. It’s a cool as it sounds.

The hike itself is super easy (Marin did it alone). It’s a little over a mile uphill and there are cute wooden carvings of animals on the way which was fun for the kids. I think in the winter, skiers stop here but during the summer it was perfect for a stroll in the woods. We had it to ourselves when we were there! Afterwards, we stopped for pizza at a cozy restaurant in Branná.

Camping in Dolní Dobrouč

We spent another night camping-ish. I mean we didn’t tent camp either time but I think a camping cabin and camper counts as camping! We stayed at this place I found on Airbnb and it was a cute spot! It wasn’t exactly near the Lesni Bar (which was in the middle of nowhere!) but it was on our route to our next stop, Mikulov.

Even though the camper was nice, I didn’t enjoy it because I was up all night Googling if Hobie had croup and if so what to do given we were in the middle of the Czech countryside! Thank God he was better by morning and like most anxious spirals, nighttime always makes it worse. We had a nice relaxing morning on the farm. The host was super sweet. She made us breakfast and let Marin ride her donkey! On our way out of town, we stopped at a nice playground in Rudoltice.

Day 3: Drive from Dolní Dobrouč to Mikulov (2 hours 30 min)

Ready to get back to civilization, we headed to wine country in the beautiful towns of Mikulov and Valtice. Mikulov is a charming town that is an absolute delight, but it turns out we don’t like the wine! That didn’t stop us from having a great time.

Wine Tasting in Mikulov

First stop: VICAN Winery. With a beautiful vineyard, alpacas, and a playground for the kids… this was right up our alley!

Kid tip: Czechia is known for its lemonade. There are many delicious flavor combos so it’s a great mocktail option for the kiddos!

Exploring Mikulov

Our Airbnb was meh but in a great location in the center of town. We strolled the streets, ate gelato, and admired the beautiful buildings. After dinner on the square we headed to Mikulov Castle for a beautiful sunset. The next morning we had a nice brunch at Bistro Drogérka before heading out of town to Vienna.