The Jeseníky Mountains are Central Europe's best-kept secret — a sprawling wilderness of ancient beech forests, high moorlands and granite ridges where you can hike for hours without meeting another soul. If you crave real mountain solitude, this is your place.

The landscape divides into two distinct personalities. Hrubý Jeseník — the higher, wilder part — rewards hikers with sweeping ridge-top panoramas, boulder fields sculpted by Ice Age glaciers and fragrant dwarf-pine heaths. Nízký Jeseník to the north is gentler, rolling country perfect for leisurely walks through lush valleys. Spring brings wildflower meadows bursting with colour, summer is ideal for long ridge traverses, and autumn turns the forests into a blaze of amber and copper that feels almost Scandinavian in its quiet drama.

• Praděd (1,491 m) — the highest peak in both the Jeseníky and all of Moravia, topped by a TV tower with a breathtaking 360° panorama
• Velký Děd (1,377 m) — a wild, windswept ridge dotted with ancient boulder fields and high-altitude bogs
• Waterfalls of the White Opava River — a chain of cascades tumbling through a forested gorge, one of the region's most scenic walks
• Jeseník Spa Town — a historic wellness resort founded by Vincenz Priessnitz, the pioneer of modern hydrotherapy

• Best time: June–September for hiking; December–March for skiing and winter trails
• Base towns: Jeseník, Šumperk, Zlaté Hory
• Trail difficulty: ranges from easy valley walks to demanding ridge routes — suitable for all fitness levels
• Getting there: by car from Ostrava approx. 1.5 hrs; buses from Ostrava and Olomouc; train to Jeseník via Zábřeh na Moravě

Here is a compelling reason to visit beyond the views — the Praděd nature reserve shelters endemic subspecies of alpine flora found nowhere else in Central Europe, and on clear days the summit offers a horizon stretching from the Tatras all the way to the Krkonoše.