Šumava National Park is the largest national park in the Czech Republic and one of the most unspoiled corners of Central Europe. Stretching 685 km² along the Czech-German border, it shelters ancient spruce forests, vast peat bogs, and glacial lakes carved by long-vanished ice sheets. It is no wonder locals call it the Green Heart of Europe.

The landscape shifts beautifully with the seasons — summer brings lush green plateaus and the roaring waters of the Vydra canyon, autumn sets the forests ablaze with colour, and winter transforms Modrava and Kvilda into a cross-country skier's paradise. Elevation ranges from 600 m in the Otava valley up to 1378 m at Plechý, the highest peak on the Czech side of the Šumava range. The atmosphere is raw and wild: ancient bogs, moss-draped trees, and a silence broken only by birdsong — including the rare Western capercaillie, found nowhere else in Czechia.

• Modrava — gateway to Tříjezerní slať bog and Roklanský potok trails, easy to moderate, approx. 1–3 hrs
• Nová Pec / Lipno area — access to glacial Plešné jezero lake, moderate trails
• Srní / Povydří — popular walks along the Vydra river with dramatic boulders, easy, approx. 1–2 hrs
• Kvilda — winter skiing and summer bog walks, easy

• The park is divided into 3 protection zones — in Zone I (strict nature zone) you must stay on marked trails at all times.
• Around 2 million visitors come each year — an early morning start helps you avoid crowds in peak season.
• Entry to the park is free; boardwalk paths lead through the most sensitive bog areas.
• Poledník lookout tower (1315 m) — a former Cold War radar tower, open seasonally July to September.

Šumava's peat bogs are home to insect species found nowhere else on Earth, and the park shelters the only viable capercaillie population in the Czech Republic — a living reminder of just how precious this wilderness truly is.