The Giant Mountains, known as the Karkonosze (pronounced [ˈkr̩konoʃɛ]) in Polish, Krkonoše in Czech, and Riesengebirge in German, are part of the Sudetes mountain range in Central Europe and form the border between Poland and the Czech Republic. They offer beautiful scenery, national parks and winter resorts.
Regions
Krkonoše National Park in Czech Republic and the Karkonosze National Park in Poland
Cities
Czech village of Harrachov [1] in the western part of Giant Mountains in the valley of the Mumlava River, is a centre of winter sports and resorts. There is also a cinema and some music clubs. A dominant feature of this town is a huge ski jump.
Szklarska Poręba is the biggest sport centre and spa at the Polish side, although Karpacz is also very popular.
Other destinations
Sněžka-Śnieżka on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic, the highest peak of the Czech Republic.
Understand
The highest mountain is called Snow Mountain and is located on the Polish-Czech border. At 1,602 meters high, it is the highest mountain of the Czech Republic. There is a restaurant and a chapel on the Polish side. The Elbe River starts near the border - it's the longest river which starts in the Czech Republic.
There is a popular myth about the protector of the mountains, a giant or mountain spirit known as Krakonoš in Czech (Liczyrzepa in Polish).
Talk
Get in
Get around
Local buses connect larger mountain towns. For schedules, consult the IDOS timetable. During summer season, there are special tourist bus lines, transporting bikes.
Most useful is the longest route (No. 1, red color), connecting Harrachov, Rokytnice nad Jizerou, Jilemnice, Benecko, Vrchlabí, Janské Lázně, Pec pod Sněžkou and Pomezní boudy. This bus operates twice a day, morning and afternoon. Therefore you can plan a one-way trip by foot and return by bus (or vice-versa).
See
Itineraries
Do
In the summer, you can para-glide, hike, bike, and there is a boathouse on the Elbe dam; you can fish here and play tennis and squash.