You type “Ostružná” into your GPS, or you already have a train ticket—and you set off. What should you do when you’re visiting the Jeseníky Mountains for the first time? Which trips make Ostružná the best possible starting point? We bring you 5 carefully selected routes that will help you discover the Jeseníky region in its most authentic form—just as it truly is.
Ostružná is a great starting point for trips
Ostružná is a perfect base for attractive excursions across the entire Jeseníky region. Many trips in the Jeseníky Mountains, in fact, often lead right to Ostružná. And not only during the busy winter ski season—because even in summer, the surroundings of this small village founded as early as 1561 have plenty to offer.
Beautiful, popular, but not overcrowded mountains
The Jeseníky region (the so-called Eastern Sudetes) is an area with many trump cards: beautiful mountains, a fascinating history, and pristine nature.
Although it also offers a wide range of recreational and sports destinations, in summer—outside the most frequented routes and places (typically Mount Praděd)—you won’t encounter crowds of tourists as you would in other parts of the Czech Republic.
Choose by distance and your own fitness
The routes for trips from the village of Ostružná have been selected in several variants according to difficulty, length, and elevation gain. What they all share is the opportunity to experience the Jeseníky Mountains in their purest form, just a short distance from Theresian Apartment.
Whichever route you choose, Theresian Apartment in the village of Ostružná will offer comfort both indoors and outdoors after your return.
You can combine walking, train travel, and car transport. After coming back, you can relax perfectly in the apartment facilities—make use of the indoor wellness area or the outdoor kitchen with a fire pit.
#1 Pasák – Vozka
You can start near the village of Branná. From Ostružná, it’s just a 5-minute drive.
A group of rocks almost 10 meters high, shaped like anvils and called Pasák, lies just outside Branná. It forms a cluster of bizarre shapes and is among the most famous rock formations in the area. It resembles a human figure (legend has it that it is a petrified shepherd).
From Pasák, a 10 km walk awaits you. At a leisurely pace, you’ll manage it in about 3.5 hours. The route is therefore suitable for a full-day trip if you plan to return the same way.
The romantic Pasák–Vozka route is located just a short distance from Ostružná.
At the end of the section, you’ll reach Vozka, one of the iconic rock formations of the Jeseníky Mountains. As early as 1739, one of the oldest hunting lodges in the Jeseníky stood beneath Vozka. Today it is known as Furmanka.
You’ll find it in the same location (at an altitude of 1,257 m above sea level), and its unique atmosphere will captivate you immediately. Prepare a brunch in the morning, set off, and enjoy every bite at the end of the route. Here, you’ll understand what the Jeseníky are all about.
#2 Dobrá Voda – Šerák
Less than a kilometer as the crow flies from Theresian Apartment, a small forest chapel called Svatá Voda (Holy Water) stands next to the Dobrá Voda spring. You’ll find it just off the red hiking trail from Ramzová to Čerňava (about 200 m to the left behind the cable car).
You can’t reach it directly and quickly from the apartment, though. Navigation will first lead you along a 5 km introductory route (allow about 2 hours—you’re in the mountains, after all). You’ll then find the spring on the well-used red hiking trail to Šerák.
The spring is clearly visible from the path and can’t be missed. Use it as a place to relax before the ascent. Be sure to fill your bottle—the spring water is worth it. If you happen to find it dry, know that this reflects the changing nature of the Jeseníky landscape, where water appears and disappears throughout the year.
The mountain water is very tasty, and you’ll need it for the next part of the journey. Although the route is relatively short (4.3 km in under 2 hours), it involves nearly 1,000 meters of elevation gain.
Mount Šerák is a popular destination for hikes in the Jeseníky Mountains—but you have to earn the beer at the top.
Šerák is a high mountain on the historic border between Moravia and Silesia. Together with the neighboring Keprník, it forms part of the Šerák–Keprník National Nature Reserve. It lies on the main European watershed between the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea.
From the summit, you can take stunning photos of views across the Jeseníky Mountains and the neighboring Rychlebské Mountains. At the top stands Jiří’s Chalet, offering classic Czech cuisine. You can pay by card or QR code—for example, for a Holba Šerák 11° or Holba Keprník 12° beer from nearby Hanušovice.
Don’t feel like hiking? You can’t reach Šerák by car. Instead, take the chairlift, which operates year-round. Its lower station is a 700-meter walk from the Ramzová train stop (which you can reach by car from Theresian Apartment in just 2 minutes).
#3 Lipová – Forest Bar – Smrk
Combine a train ride with a mountain hike? Just two minutes’ walk from Theresian Apartment you’ll find a train stop. Buy a one-way ticket to Lipová-lázně station.
If you want to use the train for trips from Ostružná, this route is the right one. Trains run every hour and will take you to the start of a demanding 20 km hike.
You’ll complete it in about 6.5 hours—depending, of course, on how long you linger at the Forest Bar. In this self-service bar, you pay into a cash box for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, hot beverages, grilled mackerel and smoked meats in summer, as well as themed postcards. Cold water from a stream in a wooden trough is completely free for refreshment.
The Forest Bar is just 2 km from Mount Smrk and offers great refreshment on the way from Ostružná.
From the Forest Bar, it’s only 2 kilometers to Mount Smrk (1,127 m above sea level). The summit lives up to its name: it is covered with spruce forest and features typical peatland vegetation. Near the summit lies the historic tripoint of Moravia, Silesia, and Poland.
From Smrk, you’ll descend along well-marked hiking trails and be back in your apartment in Ostružná in about two hours. You can then enjoy another two hours of wellness, a hot tub, and a sauna for CZK 350 per person.
#4 Ostružná – Fortifications – Staré Město
The fourth route leads from Ostružná to Staré Město. It’s appealing to two groups of people: lovers of panoramic views and enthusiasts of military history.
Although the route doesn’t follow a ridge, it offers many beautiful views. Nature in this part of the Jeseníky Mountains is rich and diverse. Even a layperson will notice dozens of military bunkers and pillboxes—remnants of the former Czechoslovak border fortifications from 1935–1938.
From Ostružná, trips to Staré Město are fascinating and offer a glimpse into military history.
They have remained largely as time left them, tied to the era of the Munich Agreement. During the war, they were damaged by the Wehrmacht, which used explosives to tear out high-quality steel embrasures and reuse them for the famous Atlantic Wall built in Normandy.
If you feel like having a few beers along the way, go for it. Trains run from Staré Město to Ostružná every hour, and you can easily return by evening. You can make one transfer in Hanušovice, home to the Holba brewery.
If you gather a group of 10 people, arrange a brewery tour—or at least visit the brewery museum.
From Hanušovice, it’s just one hour back to Ostružná. From the train station to the gate of Theresian Apartment, it’s exactly 516 steps.
#5 Kladské Saddle – Adéla’s Spring – Králický Sněžník
For this route, you’ll need a car. The starting point is Kladské Saddle, 25 km from Theresian Apartment in Ostružná. We didn’t choose it by chance.
From here, you’ll head to Králický Sněžník, the third-highest mountain in the Czech Republic (1,423 m above sea level). The mountain truly lives up to its name—snow remains here for up to 8 months a year. If you’re visiting the Jeseníky in summer, Sněžník is a must, and there’s no need to fear the ascent.
Králický Sněžník is one of the most attractive destinations for trips from Ostružná and is well worth the effort.
You’ll cover 8.5 kilometers in just under four hours, making it a perfect full-day trip when including the return journey.
About two-thirds of the way, you’ll encounter Adéla’s Spring. It emerges from a shelter beside the hiking trail and provides delicious mountain water. On the southern slope of Králický Sněžník, just 300 meters from the summit, the Morava River has its source.
On the Polish side of Králický Sněžník stands a 33-meter-high lookout tower. It features a covered viewing platform with a vestibule and offers views not only of the Jeseníky, Rychlebské, and Orlické Mountains, but also the Krkonoše and Beskydy ranges. All in one.
You won’t get lost in the Jeseníky Mountains
Visiting the Jeseníky for the first time? All five routes selected by Theresian Apartment are easy to navigate using the Mapy.cz mobile app.
The trails are also excellently marked with the Czech hiking sign system.
Trips from Ostružná are simple thanks to clearly marked hiking routes.
Treasures of the Jeseníky region you won’t want to let go of
At Theresian Apartment, you’ll now find the book Čti Jeseníky in every studio and apartment. It’s a richly designed publication featuring unique information nearly forgotten in archives, playful illustrations, and period photographs.
You can also browse and purchase unique pictorial publications about the Jeseníky Mountains at Theresian Apartment.
Don’t expect dry historiography. The publication serves perfectly as a guide for trips.
On fragrant paper, you’ll discover 38 places worth visiting: forest springs, mountain mines and peaks, valleys, and old pubs.
A book you’ll happily take home
You’ll find the book in every apartment. Open it as soon as you arrive and let yourself be drawn into its captivating graphic design. Visit places that will leave a deep impression—they share one thing: genius loci.
Would you like to take the book home as a souvenir or a gift? For guests of Theresian Apartment, a special promotional discount is available.
You can get the book together with its sequel Čti Rychleby a Králický Sněžník for CZK 999 (instead of the regular e-shop price of CZK 1,280).
For guests of Theresian Apartment, a special combo of two books is available at a discounted price.
Ask for your combo
Contact the manager of Theresian Apartment at spravce@theresian.cz or +420 773 792 560 and ask for your copies.
You can browse Čti Jeseníky in every apartment and take home the combo with Čti Rychleby a Králický Sněžník at a special price.
You can also plan trips from Ostružná with the help of the stunning publication Čti Jeseníky.
From Ostružná, you’ll take home not only unforgettable hiking experiences, but also solid proof that the Jeseníky region may well be the most beautiful area in the Czech Republic.
