Less than 100km from Prague, the sandstone rocks and densely wooded hills of the Český ráj (Bohemian Paradise) have been a popular spot for weekending Praguers for over a century. Although the Český ráj is officially limited to a small nature reserve southeast of Turnov, the term is loosely applied to the entire swathe of hills from Mnichovo Hradiště to Jičín. Turnov is the most convenient base for exploring the region, though Jičín is infinitely more appealing, with its seventeenth-century old town preserved intact. But more interesting than either of the towns is the surrounding countryside: ruined fortresses, bizarre rock formations and traditional folk architecture, all smothered in a blanket of pine forests.

From Turnov, local trains run roughly every two hours to Jičín, and local buses from both towns infrequently wind their way through the otherwise inaccessible villages nearby. Generally, though, the distances are so small – Turnov to Jičín, for example, is just 24km – that you'd be better off buying a map and walking along the network of marked footpaths.