Edmund's Gorge and the Wild Gorge: Boat Rides in Hřensko (2026 Season, Tickets, Tips)

The Kamenice gorges near Hřensko are two narrow river canyons in Bohemian Switzerland where a ferryman punts you along the river on a flat wooden boat. The Wild Gorge (Divoká soutěska) has a 450 m boat section and costs 200 CZK for adults (2026); Edmund's Gorge (Edmundova or Tichá soutěska) has a 960 m boat section, is visited only in guided groups from Hřensko and costs 350 CZK. In 2026 the Wild Gorge runs from 1 April and Edmund's Gorge from 18 June, both until 1 November. There are no boats in winter.

The gorges are one of my favourite places in the park — cool on the hottest summer day, and completely different from the open views at Pravčická Gate. The way you visit them has changed since the 2022 fire, so here's how it works now.

The two gorges at a glance

	Wild Gorge (Divoká soutěska)	Edmund's Gorge (Edmundova / Tichá soutěska)
Boat section	~450 m	~960 m, with an artificial waterfall
Season 2026	1 April – 1 November	18 June – 1 November
Hours 2026	9:00–17:30 until 4 Oct, then 9:00–16:00	groups leave roughly hourly, about 10:00–16:00
Adult ticket	200 CZK (€8)	350 CZK
Children	100 CZK (ages 3–15)	no child rate listed
How you visit	freely, on a marked trail	guided groups of up to 25, from Hřensko only
Booking	on site or online (tickets.hrensko.cz)	on site only, no booking — first come, first served

A little history

The gorges were impassable until the end of the 19th century. Prince Edmund Clary-Aldringen, the same aristocrat who built the Falcon's Nest under Pravčická Gate, had paths cut into the rock walls, built small weirs to raise the water level and introduced boat rides in the 1890s. Edmund's Gorge still bears his name; the Wild Gorge followed a few years later. The boats, the weirs and the ferrymen's patter have hardly changed since.

A flat wooden boat on the calm Kamenice river between mossy sandstone walls in Edmund's Gorge

After the 2022 fire: what changed

The big forest fire of July 2022 burned the slopes above the gorges. Falling trees and rocks closed the whole Kamenice valley for a long time:

• The Wild Gorge reopened first and has run normally since.
• Edmund's Gorge stayed closed for almost three years and reopened in 2025 in a limited, guided-only mode. In 2026 groups of up to 25 leave from Hřensko roughly every hour; you can't walk freely through the gorge between Hřensko and Mezní můstek as you could before 2022.
• Wind and rain stop the boats. In strong wind or heavy rain Edmund's Gorge closes for safety, because of the risk of falling trees.

That means old itineraries describing a continuous walk from Hřensko through both gorges to Mezná don't currently work. Plan them as two separate visits.

How to visit Edmund's Gorge

1. Start in Hřensko. The entrance is at the upper end of the village, along the Kamenice river.
2. Buy tickets from the guides at the entrance. There's no online booking, and on busy days groups fill up — arriving in the morning is the safest bet.
3. Walk in with your group along the river path, take the boat through the narrowest part of the gorge and return to Hřensko.
4. Allow about 2 hours in total, including waiting for your group.

Hřensko village where the Kamenice river meets the Elbe, squeezed between forested sandstone cliffs

How to visit the Wild Gorge

The Wild Gorge is further upstream. You reach it on foot from Mezná or Mezní Louka (bus 438 from Děčín) on marked trails down to the river, or by continuing along the Kamenice from Mezní můstek. The boat section is shorter than in Edmund's Gorge, but the canyon is narrower and wilder — hence the name. Tickets can be bought online at hrensko.cz or on the spot.

Combining the gorges with Pravčická Gate

The gorges and Pravčická Gate are both in the Hřensko area, so a full day can include both:

• Morning: walk up to Pravčická Gate from the Tři prameny stop (45–60 min each way)
• Lunch: in Hřensko
• Afternoon: Edmund's Gorge from Hřensko (about 2 hours)

The Gabriel Trail from the Gate to Mezní Louka, which used to link these places into a classic loop, has been closed since the fire — so go back down the same way.

If you want to add the Bastei Bridge in Germany, you'll have to skip the gorges: there isn't time for all three in one day from Prague. That's the trade-off I make on my Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland Tour — the Gate and the Bastei are the two big views, and the gorges are a perfect reason to come back.

Tips

• Bring a layer. It's noticeably colder in the gorges than in the village, even in summer.
• Check the weather. After strong wind or heavy rain, Edmund's Gorge may not run at all.
• Weekdays and mornings are far quieter, especially in July and August.
• Kids love it, and the walks are short and mostly flat. Prams are allowed in the Wild Gorge.
• Getting there without a car: train to Děčín and bus 434 to Hřensko, or bus 438 to Mezní Louka and Mezná. See How to get from Prague to Bohemian Switzerland.

Frequently asked questions

Are the boats in Edmund's Gorge running in 2026?

Yes. Edmund's Gorge is open in 2026 from 18 June to 1 November in a guided mode: groups of up to 25 leave from Hřensko roughly every hour. In strong wind or rain the boats don't run.

How much does the boat ride in the Kamenice gorges cost?

In 2026 Edmund's Gorge costs 350 CZK per person. The Wild Gorge costs 200 CZK for adults and 100 CZK for children aged 3–15.

Can you book Edmund's Gorge in advance?

No. Tickets for Edmund's Gorge are sold only by the guides at the entrance in Hřensko, on a first-come, first-served basis. Wild Gorge tickets can also be bought online.

When does the gorge boat season end?

In 2026 both gorges run until 1 November. There are no boats in winter. The Wild Gorge usually reopens on 1 April; the start of the Edmund's Gorge season depends on the safety assessment of the slopes.

Can you walk through both gorges from Hřensko to Mezná?

Not at the moment. Since the 2022 fire, Edmund's Gorge is visited only in guided groups that start and end in Hřensko. Visit the Wild Gorge separately from Mezná or Mezní Louka.

How long does a visit to the gorges take?

About 2 hours for Edmund's Gorge from Hřensko, including waiting for your group, and 1.5–2.5 hours for the Wild Gorge depending on where you start walking.